Need approved RAM List for Elitedesk 800 G2 Tower

[Mealticket]

Hi - anybody know where I can get the approved RAM module list for this PC? I can't find it, and just had a surreal chat with HP 'support' that didn't help. Thanks,

MT

[DGroves]

True memory manufacturers design, produce, and test components and modules at all stages of production

there are only 3 major companies that make PC ram modules/chips  Samsung, (crucial/micron) and sk hynix

almost all other makers of PC ram buy their chips (and sometimes blank dimm's)  from the above 3

these resellers can use pre tested mem ic's from the big 3, or apply their own testing methodologies and either use custom dimm boards from 3rd party companies who make them or  simply use the the big 3's dimm blanks and simply slap their label onto the product they will be selling

HP as a first tier computer maker works closely with the big 3 memory makers to certify dimms for each specific system they sell and HP assigns a unique inhouse number(s) to these ram modules which can be found usually on the HP partsurfer website  https://partsurfer.hp.com/partsurfer/

or you can visit the big 3's web sites and get qualified ram directly from them using their part number schemes, either way will get you a module that's guaranteed to work in your specific system

direct crucial "G2" link:  https://www.crucial.com/compatible-upgrade-for/hp---compaq/hp-elitedesk-800-g2-tower

https://www.crucial.com/store/advisor

https://semiconductor.samsung.com/support/tools-resources/product-finder/

or from a major online reseller who also has the resources to post vender compatibility lists

https://www.kingston.com/en/memory

https://semiconductor.samsung.com/support/tools-resources/product-finder/

[Mealticket]

Well it was you that busted my chops that I couldn't take that approach. You told me the Crucial and Hynix I have are not on the approved list. So where's the list? Is it a secret?

MT

[DGroves]

are you trying to make life difficult for yourself? i just gave you a direct link to the CRUCIAL APPROVED RAM LIST for your "G2" model and yet here you are posting where is the List????

i give up,.......perhaps someone else can get through to you

[Mealticket]

Again, the 8GB part specified by Crucial on that same site you linked to does not work in DIMM3, only DIMM1. I had detailed that with all of the info taken together, I was leaning towards a BIOS issue. You continued to push back and said that the issue had to be non-approved RAM. Ok, so please tell me where I can find HP's QVL. Simple enough, yes?

MT

[SDH]

You've got two major threads going on this same issue, under two different HP forums, with multiple pages of discussion on your first thread and seem to assume we can see all your posts at once. Not a great way to go...

I've attached below a late QuickSpecs for your G2 computer's family of four members and have highlighted some info in there for you. The mini and all in one versions use different memory than the SFF and Tower.

Those last two likely have near identical motherboards, and use same memory (DDR4 unbuffered non-ECC). Below are the 4, 8, and 16GB HP-certified sticks for those.  Now go search eBay for the shown HP Assembly Part Numbers on the 3 different sticks. You'll see different OEMs provide those to HP.  Supposedly you can mix and match if the HP Assembly Part Number on the sticker is the same but I always try to match both that number and the OEM source if at all possible. Note there are 1 single rank and 2 dual rank sticks shown below... you can't mix different ranks together. 

You might have corrupted BIOS CMOS settings... think about doing the low level reset of those, not just pushing the CMOS reset button.

An interesting thing is that if you delve into the QuickSpecs attached you'll see the mini and AIO each have a x4 electrical lanes M.2 socket direct into the PCIe bus on their motherboards but the SFF and your Tower don't.  However, HP does list the ZTD G1 and ZTD G2 PCIe cards for the SFF and Tower form factors. Those ZTD cards are used mainly in the ZX20 and ZX40 workstations, respectively).  This implies that the BIOS in your box can support both the AHCI-controller and NVMe-controller versions of the ZTD M.2 sticks in the card.... which is exactly what the ZX40 family of workstations can do. I've even run both types in my Z440 simultaneously. You'd put that ZTD card in your PCIe x16 (x4 electrical lanes) second big PCIe slot. We've detailed all about that in a recent post on the secrets of the Z Turbo Drives, and you really could get a significant boost from a NVMe M.2 stick in a ZTD G2 form factor card. The G1 and G2 cards function identically but the G2 has that nice heatsink that significantly cuts the temps of the very fast NVMe sticks. If you're interested find my post on the ZTD secrets. You can get the G2 card for about 25.00 USD. I've run both HP and Lenovo M.2 NVMe sticks in mine, in a Z440 with latest BIOS.  I'd be willing to bet you can get one of those cards it would work fine as a boot/applications/documents drive.

I'd first get the proper HP sticks from eBay, and personally prefer the Samsung ones but don't think Samsung is the only way to go.  I would try to match the OEM source, however, as stated above. I'd get 4 of the 8GB HP sticks. Note the part numbers on the right side stickers... ending with 33, 34, 35 for 4, 8, 16GB sticks.

See PDF attached below, and good luck on your project.

[Mealticket]

Well the reason I ran this thread and specified that I simply wanted the HP QVL was DGroves' comments. He seemed sure it was RAM compatibility issues, so I went that way. I wasn't looping the previous, more convoluted thread into this one. 

Funny; you say the Samsung parts are HP-approved. How do you know that? The funny part is that the HP sticker on that first 4GB stick references the same P/N as the Hynix 4GB sticks that I showed to DGroves, and he basically laughed at me and said it proved nothing. Ask 10 people and you'll get 10 answers. I'm not theorizing on that. I have gotten 10 answers. On another forum I just had a guy tell me that there would be no relevant info in the manuf. P/N; the digits apparently mean nothing. Huh.

I'm running NVMe on this using a PCIe adpapter. I have no idea how to do a low-level reset of the BIOS. I believe only BIOS rev. 2.53 and higher supports the NVMe. I do have a sata drive with a working OS on it, however, that 2nd mobo I bought, which was for SFF, had the same problem except it was DIMM3 that worked, not DIMM1. No dual-channel at all. The rev on that board came as 2.15, then I updated it after seeing the same issue.

MT

[SDH]

MT,

For others interested in your first thread there is some good stuff in there on the problem you've been dealing with.  There is a link that that HERE. The whole backstory is there.

Samsung parts are HP-approved. I've been buying HP branded memory, SSDs, M.2 sticks, etc. for years now. The white labels stuck on the memory sticks I showed you all were put there by HP.  When you do an eBay search for 798033-001, 798034-001, and 798035-001 you'll see that Samsung and SKhynix are the main vendors HP used for these sticks. It is a hassle but the QuickSpecs often have option part numbers for the memory sticks, and from that you can usually search around and find the HP Assembly P/N (the one on the HP sticker on the stick).  You also can go into the HP Part Surfer system and find your computer and see the Spares P/N for your HP-approved memory. 3 different part numbers for the same part... go figure.

But once you know what you're doing you can triangulate those to find great deals on recycled HP memory. HP at least in the past used to "bin" all the new memory sticks and keep only the ones that passed their hardware testing to higher standards.

Yes, 2.54 is the latest BIOS. The search bar in this forum can help you with the deeper level of clearing CMOS.  Search there for "clear CMOS".  

[Mealticket]

Thanks, SDH. Well, I scanned the CMOS clear posts. Seems like I could wind up in trouble with password. I am not aware that I have a BIOS password. Should I?

I look at my mobo and I see something labeled ROM RCVRY but it's unpopulated; just solder balls. I have something else called PSWD. That one is populated with pins and has a jumper covering the pins. Is that latter one what I need to look at?

MT

[SDH]

MT,

No problem at all.  You should be OK with any BIOS password issues. Virtually never have I seen a password-protected BIOS.  The thing is that CMOS BIOS settings can get off normal or even corrupted, relatively rarely, but can be reset to "factory defaults" via the following method.  BIOS goes back to from-the-factory settings this way.

Disconnect all cables from the computer of all types, including video cables and the main power cable. Remove the motherboard battery. Press and hold the front power on button for 10 seconds. Release. Press and hold the CMOS reset button on the motherboard for 10 seconds. Release. Walk away for 30 minutes.  Return and do all that over again with the battery out.  This all is to discharge the on-motherboard capacitors, and to force reload of factory-default BIOS settings from EEPROM.  Put back in the motherboard battery and reconnect all cables. Reset the date/time in BIOS to current.

Regarding memory your original 4 sticks of 4GB should now work.  Getting 4 of the correct 8GB matched HP sticks should now work also but that might be an expense you don't want to spend yet.  For sure do not mix ranks...  I 'll try to find a business class HP memory document I have for you.