Can i avoid using/bypass Registered RAM?

[cyphen]

Hi all...

here's the scoop - we all know registered RAM is mostly useless for day to day non-critical stuff, but here's the rub:

I have a TYAN K7 Thunder (first dual AMD board) and it says it NEEDS registered RAM to POST! I was wondering if anyone knows if i can safely NOT use registered RAM in this board. I'm upping the RAM from 512MB to 1.5-2.0 GB and upping the procs from the aging 1.2s to AMD MP2600s. (unless there's a bridge connector or something i can do to the AMD XPs to make them MPs - in which case i'd do the 2800s.

Anyway, PC2100 registered DDRSDRAM is not exactly cheap or even easy to come by - so i figured i could save some hard-earned dough by going non-registered (if I can.) So long as that "dough" doesn't become "d'oh!"

Anyway, any help would be appreciated!

Thanks in advance!

[Bovon]

According to this link to Crucial, registered RAM is what you must use.

Go here and get the email address...write them..they are good people and will tell you what you can...and cannot use.
http://www.crucial.com/company/contacts.asp

[cyphen]

Thanks, Bovon. I also just discovered that Registered RAM actually uses a different socket keying layout, so you physically can't even put non-registered RAM into a registered slot.

But thanks to your link - apparently I CAN use PCBs that have chips larger than 32MB on them. I recall being told by a tech support guy at Tyan that the memory i buy can't have chips larger than 32 MB. But i'll talk to them again, and if i can use larger ones, then awesome, cuz i just found 1 GB of Registered PC2100 for $178.00.

Thanks again.

[zepper]

I have found registered memory on eBay cheap because people bought it by mistake and are dumping it there. They use registered so you can safely use all four or more RAM sockets. Standard memory often has a problem if you try to use more than one stick.
. Check to make sure the memory you already have is not ECC also. If it is, you might want to get reg and ECC modules to add-on, otherwise you will lose the ECC from your current module.
.bh.