Weird Ram Issues

[fanisdead]

Hi I have a Thinkpad T42 with 768 Ram installed, one 512 and one 256.

Both are DDR PC27000 CL 2.5 type.

With the above setup, when I go into my computer right click properties it says:

IBM Corporation
Intel(R) Pentium(R) M
processor 1.70GHz
1.70GHz, 768mb of RAM



I just swapped my 256 Ram with a 512 PC2700 CL 2.5 Ram card. Now when I do My Computer --> Right click Properties it says:

IBM Corporation
Intel(R) Pentium(R) M
processor 1.70GHz
209 MHz, 1.00 GB of Ram


Wtf? Why does it say 209 MHZ? What does this mean?

Should I keep the 512 or swap back to the 256?

[sugo]

209MHz is due to cpu throttling. It's not related to the change of memory.

Try running a cpu intensive application. The cpu clock reading should go up.

[fanisdead]

209MHz is due to cpu throttling. It's not related to the change of memory.

Try running a cpu intensive application. The cpu clock reading should go up.

So what does this mean exactly?

I noticed that this problem is unique to my new ram chip. Because I swapped my old 512 with the new one while keeping the 256 and the 209mhz is still there. However, when I restore everything to my original 512 and original 256 the 209 mhz converts back to 1.7 ghz.

What i really want to know is should I keep my 768 setup or will I see a performance boost if I install the new 512 to have 1 gig of ram?

[sugo]

Please try using MobileMeter to accurately determine your cpu's clock speed:

http://www.geocities.co.jp/SiliconValle ... mm0310.zip

While MobileMeter is running, try opening a PDF file. With your new 1GB config, does the clock jump to 1.7GHz?

[fanisdead]

Please try using MobileMeter to accurately determine your cpu's clock speed:

http://www.geocities.co.jp/SiliconValle ... mm0310.zip

While MobileMeter is running, try opening a PDF file. With your new 1GB config, does the clock jump to 1.7GHz?

Hmm when I measure from OS it says 600 mhz when I choose "Measure Actual" option it says 1.7 ghz.

In My Computer --> properties it now says 600 mhz.

Do you think I am seeing a performance boost with the 1 gig setup?

This is my real concern. Are there any software I can buy/download that can test this?

[richk]

I'm guessing that your new ram chip is really PC2100 and the other is PC2700. The description is telling you that the bus is slowed down to meet the needs of the slower chip.

[Temetka]

I'm guessing that your new ram chip is really PC2100 and the other is PC2700. The description is telling you that the bus is slowed down to meet the needs of the slower chip.

Bam!

That is exactly what I am thinking as well.

[fanisdead]

I'm guessing that your new ram chip is really PC2100 and the other is PC2700. The description is telling you that the bus is slowed down to meet the needs of the slower chip.

Bam!

That is exactly what I am thinking as well.

Yeah that was what I am thinking too but both chips say "PC2700" on them. In fact both chips have the exact same stuff, PC2700, CL 2.5, etc etc.

I can take pictures of them if you want. Do you think this could be a mistake on the manufacturer's part?

[fanisdead]

NM now it says 1.70ghz when I check my computer --> properties.

This is so weird. Anyone know why its now fixed?

Bizzare.

[Temetka]

/slaps self

When checking these speeds are you running on battery or ac power?

Who made the RAM chips?

When I upgraded to 2GB of RAM, I bought both sticks at the same time. Both are Patriot 1GB sticks. I did this to avoid having the RAM stick of the of week now and then buying some other vendors RAM later on down the road.

When you are checking these speeds what other tasks are running, and are you running the same amount and type of programs when you do this? I am just trying to eliminate any variables in your troubleshooting process.

[rkawakami]

Besides MobileMeter, you may want to try CPU-Z. Available from here:

http://www.cpuid.com/cpuz.php

it performs similar checks on the system timing and can tell you what the CPU and memory speeds are. At least what it thinks are the actual speeds. I have seen earlier posts about Window's underreporting of system speed before so I do not use/trust it. I constantly have MM running and have noticed that it too has a bug when my system is woken from a hibernate state. It remains fixed at 800Mhz until I click on the icon in the system tray and then it reports 1.2Ghz (even when connected to an AC adapter).

There are several setting in BIOS and Windows which can make the CPU speed throttle down. I don't believe that the memory timing system has that same capability. In other words, installing a "slower" memory module will not cause the memory timing to re-adjust itself to handle that module. By the same token, putting in a faster module will not make the system any faster. I base this on T2x and 600 systems; the T4x could be different but I have not seen any reports to this effect.

I do know that Windows 2000 can halve the front side bus speed when running on battery. If for some reason you are running Win2K on your T42, then make sure that the Power Option is not set to "Max Battery".