Interpreting MemTest86 Results

[UnknownSoldier]

Hi,

I just recently (this week) purchased 8GB (4 x 2) of new Mushkin Radioactive ram. After a day I got a random bluescreen, and I noticed it listed memory as the cause. The ram is compatible, and I haven't received another bluescreen (happened Tuesday). Decided to run MemTest86 but I have no experience interpreting the results, so I was hoping someone could interpret this for me.

Thanks.

 

[pinaklonkar]

It does not matter really. All you need to know there is that those sectors couldn't pass the test and were logged as bad sectors located at those addresses. You may want to try and narrow down which chip has the problem. Run memtest with single chip at a time and try again.

 

[UnknownSoldier]

So one of the four sticks is definitely bad?

I mean, obviously red = bad, but that's about all I get out of this =P

 

[pinaklonkar]

and that's all you are supposed to get out of it, really....

please test with single stick at a time to narrow down the problem...store memory modules in a cardboard box.

 

[UnknownSoldier]

Is it possible for MemTest to give false positives?

Finally had time to run it again last night for another 6 hours, and no errors came up. I haven't changed anything since the last test.

 

[UnknownSoldier]

So I got another bluescreen tonight, ironically right before I was going to test the ram.

Anyway, I ran 2 passes on each stick in single channel as I only had a few hours tonight and I won't have a chance to run tests in the next week. All the ram cleared without an error.

So since I got the ram a week ago I've ran three, six hour tests on all the ram in at once. Two tests came back clean, and one came back with those errors. I've experienced some random program crashes ofFirefox (which I know can be intensive on memory at times), and WoW, and two blue screens which said something about Memory.

With the individual sticks coming back clean, and the sporadic results on running all four, is it likely I'm looking at a problem with one of the DIMM slots? Maybe the voltages are off? (I've never touched them, I've left it on auto).

 

[pinaklonkar]

what is a radioactive RAM?

I am guessing you have two modules of 4GB each? or 4 chips of 2GB each? Please make sure your leave no room for ambiguity in forums. If you do have just 2 chips, run each for a day and play your games, whatever. I know you did this. But extend this test to all the slots on the motherboard.

If your motherboard has just two slots, or if you have four sticks, then this may not work because then it would mean more tests you know what I mean.

Check the instructions on your motherboard manual if your RAM is LISTED as compatible and follow Mushkin's instructions to set voltages manually and frequencies.

I would go with ONE stick rotated through all slots and then the next one. Yeah it is painful. But you do not have to do this for six hours each combination. The half-life of that radioactive RAM would be over otherwise by the time you get to the faulty one just kidding.

Ascending order of fault probability - Motherboard slots (lowest), voltages, bad chip(s), compatibility (highest).

 

[UnknownSoldier]

Here's my RAM: Mushkin Enhanced Radioactive 4GB (2 x 2GB).

Here's my Mobo: MSI P55-GD80.

I bought two sets of the RAM, and I've verified it's running at the recommended specs.

 

[UnknownSoldier]

Heh, so right away today I noticed something was up. Programs crashing left and right; especially WoW which was crashing a few seconds after I logged in half the time, and the other half after a few minutes. I shutdown and ran MemTest, which resulted in many, many, many errors as soon as the test started running. Did it a few times to make sure. So I turned off the computer, went to go see a movie, came back to run the rest again... and not a single error.

Yay for inconsistency.

So right now I've taken two of the sticks out, and I'm running in the same two DIMM slots I was prior to installing the new RAM. I'll leave it like this for a day or two, and then swap out for the next two sticks. Since the problems (programs crashing) were very noticeable, and happened frequently, I should know whether it's a faulty stick or a DIMM slot after giving both sets a run.

I find it odd how MemTest will continue to give me good results, and then suddenly blow me away with tons of bad results... only to go back to nothing but good results.

 

[UnknownSoldier]

Best answer selected by UnknownSoldier.