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Hi guys,

MY current desktop is made from twigs and bits of string, so I decided to give it a RAM boost. I bought 2 1Gb sticks to replace my two 256Mb ones but there are some strange effects once I install them.

With both new sticks (or with just one of either) installed there's nothing. No beep codes, no BIOS, no power through the GFX card. If I mix either new with one old, it's fine, detects everything (1.25Gb), boots into XP no bother.

It can't be a power issue, as the system works with one 1Gb and one 256Mb installed. So I figured it might a clock speed issue. What else could it be?
Then the guy from Crucial (where I bought the RAM) suggested clearing the BIOS, and when I did that I could get into CMOS setup, where both chips are detected in POST. However, when I save the settings, it's back to square one, nothing at all.

Any ideas? I'm perplexed.

GFX: Inno3D GeForce 5500
Proc: Athlon 1800X
Board: MS6390
BIOS: Award v1.13B
Old RAM: 256Mb DDR2100 266MHz CL2.5 Non-ECC
New RAM: 1Gb DDR2700 333MHz CL2.5 Non-ECC

its an old board and as you said it does not like the ram not really a surprise

your ram is 333mhz the board supports 266

try setting the ram fsb to 266 max save and exit. Using one stick of 266 forces the other to run at that speed ergo forcing it down will work. Turn off spd and set it all manually

Thanks for the tips, but it turns out that MSI were lying to me (quelle surprise). Their spangled update software told me my BIOS was bang up to date, but it was actually v1.13, the latest being v1.8 (hidden elsewhere on their site in a dusty corner)! Flashing the BIOS fixed the problem instantly, and now Team Fortress 2 actually works! The moral:
don't trust manufacturers...