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Memtest fail

  • 24-12-2024 02:59PM
    #1
    Dcully
    Moderators, Computer Games Moderators Posts: 14,789 Mod ✭✭✭✭


    So ive been getting the odd BSOD and system freeze the last month or so, could got for days gaming and nothing then all of a sudden a system freeze.

    At one stage i went a week with hard gaming no lifing POE2 many hours a day and no issue then boom all of a sudden a hard freeze while browsing on second monitor.

    Fast forward countless efforts at troubleshooting with literally everything i could think of or what i could find online from more knowledgable folk.

    I kept putting off memtest until lastnight when i ran it and it showed up 2 errors - lesson learned i should have ran it a lot earlier :)

    Ill be honest ive never had ram issues on any build ive used hence why im asking, does it mean faulty ram for sure and needs replacing?



Comments

  • #2
    Spear
    Moderators, Computer Games Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators, Help & Feedback Category Moderators Posts: 26,257 CMod ✭✭✭✭Spear


    It could potentially be the CPU, since they have the memory controller onboard them. But that's comparitively rare. So it's time to test one stick at a time with Memtest86+ and see which one gives the errors.



  • #3
    minitrue
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 820 ✭✭✭minitrue


    The motherboard is also a remote possibility :-/ Either way I'd say what you want to do now is make sure you keep track of which stick is which and which slot(s) you test them in, it's easy enough to get confused/mis-remember and then mislead yourself into wasting a lot of time.

    Hopefully you discover immediately that one stick passes and one fails in the standard slot for a single dimm as then you can be confident that ram stick is the problem and replace it (or both if you can return the pair under warranty).

    If both sticks pass (or fail) now in the standard slot it's the cpu (though it could be the board but that's unlikely unless you did something physical to start the problems). You can try checking the cpu mount as a bad mount can cause memory problems and just banging the desk might have been enough to take it from bad but working to bad enough to start tripping issues. While you are at it check for bent pins though again that's unlikely unless this started around a time you remounted the cpu.

    If it is the cpu/board all may not be lost as simply moving the dimms might work out fine.

    I will close by saying that if this is an Intel 13th or 14th gen K processor and it's not as simple as a specific ram stick is the problem then I'd be trying to return it for a warranty replacement!



  • #4
    Dcully
    Moderators, Computer Games Moderators Posts: 14,789 Mod ✭✭✭✭Dcully


    Thanks lads, its a PC specialist build they replied to amy support ticket earlier and but didnt give anything concrete yet, just to send over pics of test fail and test report which i have done.

    I hevent even opened the case since i got thi build this time last year so it might not be anything physical.

    Dont expect to hear anything from them over the xmas period from here on out.

    I think i will do one stick at a time now, but im happily gaming way for some days now without issue.

    I did update bios when i first ran into issues as there was a lot of newer versions that the one i was running but only the other day i noticed in the bios it was set to non UEFI mode so i changed that and also EXPO mode was disabled so again i re-enabled this.

    Cant believe i didnt notice any performance changes as frames were excellent as always.

    Both of these had to have changed with the Bios update, i compared to bios photos i took the day i got this rig so ive changed back since and so far so good.

    I thought all was ok until i ran memtest :P

    Man sometimes i think i might just buy a console and play with mouse and keyboard :)

    7800X3D + 4070 fyi

    I



  • #5
    Dcully
    Moderators, Computer Games Moderators Posts: 14,789 Mod ✭✭✭✭Dcully


    So first test with just one stick of 16gb refused to even get to boot menu to select my usb memory stick.Just heard some beeps and nothing.

    The second stick is running now for an hour with no errors so far, almost 3/4 pass complete.

    Does this suggest the one failing to boot is faulty? I'll try it next in the same slot as existing one that is testing fine.



  • #6
    Spear
    Moderators, Computer Games Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators, Help & Feedback Category Moderators Posts: 26,257 CMod ✭✭✭✭Spear


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122988144#Comment_122988144

    It would certainly suggest so. Try other slots with it, just to make sure it's a bad slot or channel on the CPU.



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  • #7
    minitrue
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 820 ✭✭✭minitrue


    You need to do the stick/slot swap test to get a better idea what's going on so yes I'd move on to testing the stick that failed in the slot where you got a pass. If that fails also then it screams that the ram stick is faulty. If it passes though it tells you the problem isn't the ram itself.



  • #8
    Dcully
    Moderators, Computer Games Moderators Posts: 14,789 Mod ✭✭✭✭Dcully


    Ok second stick passed 4/4

    So I placed the first one into same slot and it's showing 8 errors after just 5 minutes.

    Safe to say this is the problem lads?

    I will ship it off to PCS once I get back in touch after Xmas, do I need to do anything just running with one stick of 16GB meanwhile?



  • #9
    Spear
    Moderators, Computer Games Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators, Help & Feedback Category Moderators Posts: 26,257 CMod ✭✭✭✭Spear


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122988301#Comment_122988301

    If the errors stay with that stick regardless of slot, then it's that stick.

    Once it's removed, you should be fine. There's nothing you need to change for the one remaining stick. It's possible that PCS will ask for both to be returned if they regard them as a set for RMA purposes.



  • #10
    minitrue
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 820 ✭✭✭minitrue


    That certainly seems to confirm that stick has a problem. It's not impossible that you have multiple problems but it's very unlikely.

    Tell PCS and they might just send you out a 16GB stick (or even a new pair) to save the expense and time of shipping it back and forth, even if they get you to send back the bad one before they send out a new one at least you have the PC in the meantime (and if they will make you pay any shipping then shipping a stick of ram is going to be a lot cheaper than shipping the full PC).

    There's nothing you have to do to just run with only one stick but I'd close stuff down when you aren't using it e.g. if you don't need a browser/whatever open while gaming just close it so it's not as likely to start swapping ram to ssd and back which can kill performance a bit along with wearing out your ssd quicker.



  • #11
    Dcully
    Moderators, Computer Games Moderators Posts: 14,789 Mod ✭✭✭✭Dcully


    Thanks a lot for the help lads, ill get onto PCS whenever they are back to business.

    They did mention replacements once they see memtest reports.



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