Core i5 damaged? Missing memory issue

[danielstucke]

I've been having issues whereby only half of my memory is showing in the BIOS and consequently Windows 7. If I have 1 4GB stick installed it shows throughout as 2Gb. Same with 2x4GB showing as 4GB total. This didn't used to happen.

CPU-Z, Resource Monitor & BIOS all show only half. There is no trace of the other half, it's not showing at all (not as Hardware Reserved as I have seen other people's).

I was running an MSI P55-GD65 with a Core i5 and G-Skill Ripjaw 2 x 4Gb F3-1600CL9D-4GBRH.

I read through lots of the forums and found that this is often due to bent pins on the CPU connection. So I took everything apart and worryingly found that one of the corner pins had snapped - how this has happened I'm not too sure. It could be due to the rather large Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro Rev.2 Processor cooler and the fact I'd recently moved the PC around a bit in the house but it seems strange.

So today I have replaced the Motherboard with an Asus P7P55D-E LX. Popped everything back in and it's still doing exactly the same thing! I've swapped the memory sticks around and put them in different configurations - I can't believe they've both become faulty.

Is it possible that the CPU has also got damaged? I've looked over it as best I can - there are multiple contact points on each pad but there isn't any obvious damage. I really can't think what else it was.

Any ideas before I go and spend another £100+ on a new CPU tomorrow.

Thanks.

 

[IntelEnthusiast]

First of all the processor should still be under warranty for GB call 0870 607 2439 08:30 - 16:00 UK time Monday -Friday.

As far as this issue I do have a couple questions. First of all You say that you are using Windows 7 is it the 64bit? Which Intel® Core™ i5 do you have?

Christian Wood
Intel Enthusiast Team

 

[danielstucke]

Thanks for your reply.

It's a Core i5 750 2.66GHz Lynnfield processor. Bought October 2009.

It is Windows 64 bit. I'm pretty sure it's a hardware issue though as the BIOS only reports half the memory while booting.

Will call Intel tomorrow and see if it's still under warranty - I would hope so as I'd expect more than 2 years life from it.