Just want to throw my experience with my DFI motherboard and RAM incompatibility:
Motherboard: LanParty UT nf4 Ultra-D
CPU: Athlon 64 3500+ Venice core
Ram: 2x1024 Corsair Value Select RAM (installed in slots 2 & 4-- the orange ones)
Video: MSI 6600GT 128MB
P/S: Antec TP-II 550
I ran into memory problems from the very beginning when I tried to install Windows XP: PFN_LIST_CORRUPT (once) and IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL (subsequent) Blue Screen of Death messages. To get past those errors, I took out the RAM in slot 4 and was able to install Windows.
I tried running both modules individually in slot 2 and I didn't get any problems loading into Windows. But I couldn't get the computer to POST at all, not even the initialize the video card with either module in slot 4 alone. A compatibility problem or a bad DIMM slot? Based on the fact that the computer would recognize both modules when they placed there, I leaned towards a compatibility problem.
I was getting random restarts when I ran with both modules again, but this time I swapped modules in the slots compared to the original configuration when I got BSsoD (Blue Screens of Death).
It was at this point I found out from the dfi-street forum regarding Corsair incompatibility with DFI motherboards, especially of the Value Select line. I followed the general advice I found from there and the Corsair official help forums--
http://www.asktheramguy.com:
I set Load Optimized Defaults in the BIOS (didn't appear to address anything), I flashed my BIOS to the 6/23 BIOS (addressed the random reboots as they were no longer occuring), and ran memtest over both modules and each individual module to single out possible errors. Even though things were appearing stable after I flashed my BIOS, I wanted to find out if the RAM was good or not. In the past, I had an issue with a module of RAM that would only work in one slot on my motherboard. I dismissed it as being an incompatibility problem. Less than a year later, the module died on me-- it's likely the module was bad from the start so I didn't want to repeat that again.
I used memtest v1.60 to do my testing. My tests occured over the course of two days with tests running from 2 hours to as much as 10 hours so that multiple passes would occur. On my machine, it took 25 minutes to run through all 8 tests with 1GB installed. If an error was found on a particular configuration, I re-ran the test to check for consistency. I got an error to occur twice in the same test and same failing address in a 2GB configuration. When I tested the modules individually, one module did not show errors after running 2 tests (2 hours and 10 hours respectively) while the other one showed errors consistenly.
For the bad module, what wasn't consistent was what test numbers and failing address(es) showed errors between the tests. So on one test I would get errors on Test 6 and Test 7 but on another test I would get an error on Test 1. According to the documentation, memtest uses random patterns to test so it isn't guaranteed that you'll always get the same errors for every pass-- this is why they recommend letting the test run overnight or over several days.
So at this point I was convinced that one of the modules was bad. The first few tests were run with the VDIMM voltage set to 2.60V (set by Load Optimized Defaults). But since these specific modules are rated at 2.50V, I decided to run the rest of my tests with this voltage because I wanted to get a baseline test at their rated spec.
The Corsair reps on asktheramguy.com will advise bumping up the voltage to up to 2.8V but if you ask me, if you have to bump up the voltage on a module that's rated at 2.50V just so errors would not show memtest,
something's gotta be wrong. And indeed, one module showed no errors at 2.50V while one showed errors at 2.50V and 2.60V.
Where does this leave me: I've decided to RMA both Corsair Value Select modules back to newegg-- one as defective and one as a return for refund. I instead purchased the OCZ Platinum 2GB Dual Channel Kit (this isn't Rev. 2 as it's not sold in 2 GB kits) based on recommendations on the dfi-street forum for maximum compatiblity with my motherboard. Yeah, yeah, I've heard that the dfi-street guys are all "hardcore" about recommending only the very best but it makes sense when you're looking at it from a compatibility standpoint as opposed to a "give me the best just to have" point of view.
I'll run memtest on these guys just to make sure they are okay.
What I took away from this:
1) Check memory and motherboard compatibility!
2) Don't buy "Value"-branded RAM for a machine that isn't built with value parts. I didn't skimp on anything but maybe the video card so why should I skimp on the RAM. Now if I'm building a budget PC for someone, then yeah I'll go with Value RAM.
Hope this helps anyone who might be running into similar issues.