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Resolved Question

RAM not detected by BIOS

Feb 26, 2018 5:40PM PST

(I have little knowledge about RAM)

Hello, today I have bought some ram thinking it will work on my mobo but it does not, currently what I have is:

OS: Windows 7
Mobo: Foxconn 2ada
Ram: 6GB (2gb and 4gb, only 2 slots for ram)

(I have read about my motherboard and the manufacturer claims that its capable of supporting 8gb sticks in one slot.)

So today I've purchased a 2nd hand Corsair Vengeance-LP 8GB DDR3 1600mhz, thinking I could swap it out for the 2GB and have 12GB ram in total, however when I mix the 4GB ram with the 8GB the bios does not recognise the 8GB leaving me at only 4GB.

However software such as Speccy reads that the 8gb of ram is installed but the bios or windows does not.

I've tried placing the 8gb of ram by itself but the pc does not recognise it and makes a beeping sound, and there is just a black screen meaning I cannot access BIOS or do anything apart from turning off my PC while holding down the power button.

Furthermore, I have tried resetting CMOS battery, I've tried multiple combinations with the ram, none of which has been successful and I have updated my BIOS to the latest version.

What is the problem in this case?
Any help would be appreciated.

Discussion is locked

DoesItMatterMusic has chosen the best answer to their question. View answer

Best Answer

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Speccy and other tools read what we call the SPID chip.
Feb 26, 2018 5:55PM PST

It doesn't test if the stick is compatible. There are a few things you can try such as making sure the BIOS is the latest as that's where they improve compatibility.

However this won't fix incompatible sticks.

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BIOS update
Feb 26, 2018 6:14PM PST

I am 100% sure that my BIOS has been updated to the latest version possible, although it seems like it may be a BIOS problem since it doesn't read the stick.

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My view is incompatible sticks.
Feb 26, 2018 6:33PM PST

Not all sticks are compatible. There are a dozen or more things to check to see if it's electrically compatible. Just because it fits doesn't mean it will work.

Old example but still true today is the number of sides to the memory stick design. Remember if I find a stick isn't compatible and the BIOS is current then we change to compatible sticks. There have been owners that want the stick to work which we have to change motherboards which is a lot of work for this issue.

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Case closed
Feb 26, 2018 6:41PM PST

Okay, look like I will just have to get a refund on that ram, I appreciate the help, thank you for your time. Happy