KG7-R and RAM

[Sorgon2]

I have a ABIT KG7-R mobo and 1 gig Reg ECC Crucial RAM (4 x 256mb). I don't seem to be running to stable and often get low memory warnings. I tried to tweak a bit in the BIOS, but some of that is greek to me. I found this in one of the FAQ's:



<< << Win9x/ME can go up to 512MB of RAM before it requires an adjustment to the vcache to use more RAM. >> >>



Link

Will I experience any probs? I am running WIN98se and have not changed any Win settings. There have been a few hiccups with my video card and I thought this may be related somehow. Are there other steps I need to take to make sure my rig is running at full potential(at 1gig RAM) and stable in regards to RAM? What settings and where in the BIOS do I need to check/set for my RAM? Thanks!

 

[gogetax]

I have that same board and same RAM setup, but I've never once had a lock-up or a low-mem message. I ran on Win2k for a while, now im on WinXP, so it might be that your on Win9x\ME. Either way, 512MB should not give you low mem errors... Sorry I couldn't help, but atleast you know its not your hardware setup.

 

[Sorgon2]

Thanks for the reply. Did you make any changes in the BIOS with regard to the RAM? Also, would it be worth it to upgrade to 2000 or XP (when it arrives) soon? I am mostly a gamer and website designer, so I wouldn't want to hinder any performance especially for gaming!

 

[JackBurton]

Your OS is the problem. Windows 9x has problems with over 512MB of ram. You need to adjust your vache or install Windows NT/2000/XP to take care of your problem. I would HIGHLY suggest moving to 2000 or XP with that much ram. Windows 9x doesn't do too good of a job of managing more than 256MB of ram. Also, I've run into SERVERAL instances of using up my resources in 98 and my memory used was far from being maxed out. NT/2000/XP doesn't use the 640K block that 9x systems use for resources so you won't have a "low on resouces" problem.

 

[Sorgon2]

Thanks JackBurton! I had a feeling that was the problem. How is the gaming in Win2k or XP? Is it worthwhile to game with either? I have always heard that Win98se is the best for gaming, so that is what I use. It always seemed like my games would load a bit slower with Win98se and 1 gig RAM and I would usually have to reboot if I wanted to play again in the same sitting. It would just sit there and not load fully for minutes on end or time out if multi-playing(CS). Thanks again!

 

[JackBurton]

Well I use my machine mostly for gaming and Windows 2000 Pro runs ALL of them just great. Here are some of the games I mostly play:

Return to Castle Wolfenstein
QIII
UT
Counter Strike
Alice
Max Payne
Need for Speed III & PU

These ALL play PERFECT on 2000 with my setup. Let me give you an idea of how bad azz it REALLY is. You know how long it takes UT to load the first time? Well I can load UT in about 2.5 seconds on the second run! You may lose a couple of FPS but nothing much, but the stability and everything else that 2000 offers is VERY well worth it. Like I said, with 1GB of ram there is no doubt in my mind you should be using 2000 or XP. I just wouldn't consider using 98SE with that much ram. It really would be a waste.

 

[Sorgon2]

Sounds like we pretty much play the same games there. "Alice" was pretty darn cool though the luster wore off real fast. I wouldn't mind more games like that. May Payne was good as well. Return to Castle Wolfenstein is another I wouldn't mind having after playing the beta. I use Win2k here at work and haven't toyed with it much since that wouldn't be wise. Looks like I might be up for an upgrade here soon!

Speaking of Counter-Strike, JackBurton, you wouldn't happen to know what is causing these errors:

NET_SendPacket ERROR: WSAEFAULT
NET_SendPacket ERROR: NO ERROR

Any reason for this? I use ICS with a HUB between 2 computers, but that wasn't a problem in the past. I seem to be able to connect on the client computer to a CS server which is strange. This may be computer related, but I dunno why since everything worked b4. I have posted in the "Software.." forum here as well as the CS Forums and no one ever answers or a relevant answer. Any ideas? Thanks!