Memory Problems?

ponder said:
Lol, after weeks of battling and not finding the problem as everything tested ok I purchased a new PC. About two months later I came across MicroScope and ran it, a few hours later the culprit memory stick (Transcend) was found. That PC is still running today.

Nothing like wasting your time with kuk utils/tools.
Click to expand...

grrr!! totally agree! :(

the worst part is that you "eliminate" a certain component, and then move on... When I was only left with the DVD-ROM I knew something was up

LOL

:D
 
Okay well...........with every test I've done under the sun...everything passes. Including microscope diagnostics. I am at a total blank here guys. Happened just now again where I ran operation flashpoint and it froze with an audio loop. Had to reboot. That so sounds like a memory problem. Will try my audio....disabling one then the other...bla bla bla. Frustration from day one has this pc been.
 
So it seems as if CPU, mobo, RAM, GPU are ok. Have you tried running furmark and prime95 at the same time? This indirectly tests your PSU since this is basically a full load condition.
 
I've also had Memtest x86+ not detect problems. But I've come to realize that you have to run it for quite some time. The system it did not detect errors on, well it eventually did after running for 2 days. However Prime95 failed very quickly.

But I've had other cases where Prime95 could run for hours but Memtest detects the error immediately. Depends totally on the hardware. Some memory errors only manifest themselves when the system is under load (and memtest doesn't put much strain on the system), whereas other memory errors are in no way related to CPU load. I'll say this tho, every time memory was faulty, Memtest found a problem, *eventually*

There is no single tool that works, I use Prime95 in combination with Memtest. Prime95 I run for +-5-8 hours usually and Memtest for 2-3 days as burn in.
 
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Im sorry, but any "tool" that can give you a false positive is total waste of time and lets be honest most people cant afford to leave a machine testing for 2 days solid...

thats totally retarded :erm:
 
HTC_guy said:
Im sorry, but any "tool" that can give you a false positive is total waste of time and lets be honest most people cant afford to leave a machine testing for 2 days solid...

thats totally retarded :erm:
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Well it's for burn in. I don't build that many computers and it's part of the build process. As I said, both combined is the only sure way IMHO. I disagree, Memtest does not give false positives, if it reports a fault, there is a problem. But the absence of a detection by Memtest does not discount the possibility. As with everything in computers, you cannot prove the absence of errors, only its presence.

I can 100% say that I have had cases where Prime95 did not make the system unstable but Memtest found a problem immediately, hence the reason I use both.


Lately however I'm finding that hard-drives are commonly the problem. Fualty SATA cables, faulty hard-drives, faulty controllers. Using off-board SATA controllers (like JMicron integrated controllers and such) almost universally give me trouble (BSODs and general instability). Can cause BSODs and it seems like memory errors.
 
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Gnome said:
Well it's for burn in. I don't build that many computers. As I said, both combined is the only sure way IMHO. I disagree, Memtest does not give false positives, if it reports a fault, there is a problem. But the absence of a detection by Memtest does not discount the possibility. As with everything in computers, you cannot prove the absence of errors, only its presence.
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So if I run memtest on 4GB of mem, for 24 hours solid how many times will it go through the entire 4GB of mem?

If that doesnt result in an error, that isnt a false positive? :confused:

ok nvm I get it :p
 
HTC_guy said:
So if I run memtest on 4GB of mem, for 24 hours solid how many times will it go through the entire 4GB of mem?
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Depends on the system

I'm not saying it is for everyone, I'm saying that is what has worked for me in the past. Completely stable systems all round. Yeah burn in took some time but I've had quite a few memory RMAs, some where detected quickly, others took hours (nearly a day).

Keep in mind the memory module passed QA (which is a direct test of the memory circuit), so those errors may only be detectable under stressful conditions. Usually when I overclock or adjust memory timings the errors are detected by Memtest almost immediately. Whereas faulty RAM unfortunately usually takes much longer.

HTC_guy said:
ok nvm I get it :p
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:p

Oh yeah and set it to run the extended test (options menu). I usually get an error with one of the test in the extended test suite. Well last I used it and actually got errors from faulty DRAM.
 
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@ the OP

bear in mind that incorrect timings can also cause issues like this, ie.BSOD

I used to have a MSI Neo Plat mobo... and if I left the memory settings to auto all hell would break loose. The sticks were Corsair XMS, and they were quality. I even tried some Kingston sticks on auto and same thing... endless drama. It was only when I set the timing manually that my system became stable.

ever since then I dont use AUTO mem settings in the BIOS... EVER!! :D

take a bit longer to setup the system, but hey :p

I would suggest maybe checking that out...
 
Okay.....I've manually set timings and intelburn says there is a fault with my CPU. But prime95 was run for 6 hours last night and no errors. Running memtest again........been going since eleven. Going to leave it for to run for the day. Lol.....everything seems stable atm.
 
Intelburntest does not specify what component is stable since it checks both the RAM and CPU. So if it fails your CPU, RAM or both are faulty or at the incorrect settings. Have you run prime and furmark simultaneously yet for a full load test?
 
Archer.....it did hey. Said it was my CPU. Only happened when I changed around the timings. When its auto....doesn't detect anything. I don't have furmark in my arsenal......busy using my phone as a modem (I live in a part of this country that telkom refuses to reinstall phonelines due to theft. And forget about iburst or 3G) so furmark is gonna be pretty expensive to download. Will get a copy from a mate over the weekend. But like I said....memtest is doing its rounds today. Will see what the outcome is when I get home.
 
I know what intelburntest says when you pass the test, but it does test both RAM and CPU at the same time. If either one is faulty you will get an error. Think about it, it stresses the CPU to 100% and at the same time uses a lot of RAM (if you set it to max). So if your RAM is faulty that will also give you an error.
How to test CPU and RAM stability (summarized):
Pre. You need to extract everything from the archive to a single folder, while
maintaining the original directory structure.
1. It is best to use a 64-bit OS with the 64-bit mode for the most accurate
test result.
2. Use the most available RAM possible (IntelBurnTest can now do this on
its own automatically). The more memory it uses, the more accurate.
However, most people can use "Standard" mode as it should be sufficient.
3. Select the run # (should use at least 5 at minimum, no more than 20).
4. Start running. Output should look something like this:
Time (s) Speed (GFlops) Result
0.269 31.7314 3.684559e-002
0.260 32.7829 3.684559e-002
0.257 33.1546 3.684559e-002
0.264 32.2425 3.684559e-002
0.266 32.0700 3.684559e-002
NOTE: The time it takes to run each iteration may vary from test size, and
so will the speed and the result. But if the results do not stay
consistent, your system is unstable (specifically CPU).
5. Above indicates that the test ran fine so far without instability, but
below indicates instability (the Residual(norm) values aren't the same
throughout running the test):
Time (s) Speed (GFlops) Result
15.245 43.7434 5.380399e+003
15.250 43.7303 8.675501e-002
15.162 43.9816 3.570760e-002
NOTE: Instability doesn't necessarily have to happen at the beginning, it
can happen in the middle, or at the end. It could be just ONE of
them that is inconsistent, but that DOES indicate instability.
BSOD or freezing are signs of instability as well.
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I understand what your saying. Didn't understand your previous post though. But once again your words have enlightened me. That failure was due to my changing memory timings. But when the automatic settings are enabled in the BIOS....it come up with an all clear.
 
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