RAM don't work on first slot but works on second slot??? Whut???

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Xpresive

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Feb 15, 2017
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510
So, my laptop had 2x ram stick each 2GB and one time laptop wont started, so i bought one new stick and changed the top ram and it started to work again. The non-working ram I didnt threw away, and after some time i decided to experiment with "non-working ram".
So what i did, i putted it in the first slot (all slots were full with working rams, so i swapped top ram with non working one) and laptop wont work, it shows black backlighted screen and blowing fans at full speed (expected, bad ram, cant load anything on the first chip). Then i switched the top ram (non-working one) with bottom ram, and it WORKS! Windows recognise all 4GB and used chrome to test if ram rly works and is not just info, and it works, it uses capacity and no problems, that is really strange. Any ideas? DDR3 ram btw.
 
Solution
panathas
It doesn't matter that it's able to start. Since memtest found errors it means that that RAM stick is bad and you should get rid of it. If you continue using that stick you'll eventually end up with corrupted (or lost) files on your hard drive and in the end you may have to reinstall Windows. Good luck.
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panathas

panathas

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Feb 12, 2014
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1)You cannot be sure about your RAMs true condition until you test it with mem test. Only then you'll be able to know for sure.

2)Usually the first RAM slot is more "sensitive" than the 2nd. So a failing RAM may develop compatibility issues with the 1st slot but not the 2nd one. However if that RAM stick is indeed failing then it will produce a lot of errors in the mem test and you'll notice random stability issues with your system. Eventually it will die completely and it won't be able to work even in the 2nd slot.

3)As a RAM stick gets older it may require more voltage in order to achieve stability levels. So it may be able to work perfectly in a PC system if you are able to increase the RAM voltage levels (a little bit). Unfortunately almost all laptops in the market come with "limited" BIOS versions that don't have that capability. Nevertheless check your laptop's BIOS if it has such a setting, just in case.

So run memtest and if your RAM passes it without producing errors, you should be fine. Otherwise you should RMA it as a set (both RAM sticks), since almost all RAM sticks nowday's have lifetime warranty.
 
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Xpresive

Prominent
Feb 15, 2017
19
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510
Hey, i actually did (memtest), and it found errors in the bad ram stick, but it works. Probably laptop wont start normally, cause 1. It puts its start information in corrupted ram slots, so it fails to start. 2. Bad contact with slot. Either way, after new tries it starts normally even with corrupted rams.
 
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panathas

panathas

Splendid
Feb 12, 2014
1,108
16
30,315
It doesn't matter that it's able to start. Since memtest found errors it means that that RAM stick is bad and you should get rid of it. If you continue using that stick you'll eventually end up with corrupted (or lost) files on your hard drive and in the end you may have to reinstall Windows. Good luck.
 
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