Memtest-86 3.1 with 768mb RAM

[GokuFurinji]

I have a weird problem

To explain, I have a Soltek SL-75DRV2 mobo with 3 mem slots, slots 1 & 2 were filled with 256mb Crucial PC2100 CL2.5 modules! Due to a lightning strike mem slots 2 & 3 don't work anymore because if I run memtest with RAM installed in them it throws up hundreds of errors on test #5 block move.

If I test both modules in slot 1 then memtest is OK with test #5, but fill slot 1 and any other slot and memtest errors on test #5, which leads me to conclude the RAM is fine and the slots bad! Also Windows XP will crash if I have RAM in slots 2 or 3!!

Now my problem:

I acquired an MSI KT3 Ultra mobo with 3 mem slots and 2 x 256mb Crucial RAM already installed in slots 1 & 2, it has exactly the same RAM as I have in my Soltek board. Now, if I run memtest with all 3 slots filled (768mb) test #5 throws up errors again, but at 99%? If I remove RAM from slot 3 memtest is OK with test #5. If I swap chips around and fill all slots memtest still errors at 99% with a different RAM module in slot 3?

If I also have 768mb RAM installed and boot Windows XP, games like FarCry and Vice City will lock up after a few minutes! Remove RAM from slot 3 and the system is fine!

What the hell is going on? Has my MSI board a now got fault on mem Slot 3 as the RAM is fine in slots 1 & 2? The BIOS is the latest MSI have and the all 4 RAM modules I now have are identical and all work fine in slots 1 & 2.

The mem timings in BIOS are set by SPD so I can't think it would be that causing problems!

Anyone have any ideas? Or have I answered my own question by suggesting a faulty mem slot?

 

[GokuFurinji]

Found a solution that so seems to work, increasing DDR voltage from 2.5v to 2.7v lets memtest run with no errors now? FarCry ran OK without crashing too! All the RAM is matched, same Crucial part no CT3264Z265 so it's not due to mis-matched RAM.

Must be the board can't handle all 3 mem slots being full and supplying the standard 2.5v to them?

Does this sound like a valid solution?

 

[etp777]

I wouldn't think that would make sense, but engineering credo says when theory doesn't match the facts, throw out theory and come up with a new one. Facts seem to match your new didea there. Not sure why, but as long as it works.

 

[GokuFurinji]

Well, I decided to reinstall Windows XP from scratch. This is because when I installed the MSI board I just let Windows install any needed files from the CD, so I re-installed to ensure the correct hardware/drivers would be detected and any corrupted files removed! Did a Windows Update too to make sure all critical updates were installed!

Also, I had 3 PCI cards sharing the same IRQ before re-installing, now they all have their own IRQ! So IRQ conflicts could have been a problem too!

Have put the DDR Voltage back to Auto so all settings are standard now! Also found out that FarCry seems to crash regularly for many people, the only thing I can see that is common is the ammount of RAM, most people with crash problems have more than 512mb! When I had 256mb FarCry ran flawlessly, now with 768mb it keeps crashing?

We'll see how long this setup stays stable before screwing with the BIOS again!

 

[GokuFurinji]

No! Didn't work! Have tried swapping the 3 Ram modules in all 3 slots, installing Via 4in1, setting DDR voltage to 2.6 and back to Auto, sometimes memtest shows no errors other times it does and windows will lock up randomly if I start loading mem hungry programs like disassembling a large program in W32Dasm and running Newsbin at the same time!

Guess I'll pull a ram chip out and try with 512mb!

 

[Crashman]

I've seen RAM problems caused by failing capacitors on the motherboard, and this can be caused by a voltage spike.

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<font color=red>Only a place as big as the internet could be home to an ego as large as Crashman's!</font color=red>

 

[GokuFurinji]

How do you FIND a failing cap? I can't see any blackened contacts or leaking from the any of the cans on the board!

I removed ram from slot 3 and ran with 512mb and so far no problems! Even with lots of programs loaded and switching from one app to another it didn't upset the system. I even ran FarCry on top to stress it even more and it only crashed when I got to a known buggy area in the game at the end of the Cooler level with a cutscene!

It points towards a design fault with this board as it's unstable with 3 mem slots full, but OK with 2!

 

[Crashman]

Most of the time the tops swell, but not always. Sometimes they blow the plug on the bottom and leak, but not always. Probably a better way to tell would be to monitor vCore an vDIMM using a utility like MBM5, which allows you to take logs.

<font color=blue>Only a place as big as the internet could be home to a hero as big as Crashman!</font color=blue>
<font color=red>Only a place as big as the internet could be home to an ego as large as Crashman's!</font color=red>

 

[GokuFurinji]

Can't see anything unusual about the caps on my board fortunately! I've installed MSI's PC Alert 4 monitor, it gives my Vcore as 1.74v but DDR voltage isn't supported in this program! It's set to Auto in BIOS so that should be 2.5v, MBM5 tells me Vcore is 1.76v and I can't see an option to measure DDR Voltage?

I also installed VIA 4in1 4.38v after searching forums and finding the 4.51 I have wasn't recommended for my board. I kept getting lockups with 3D games, so far the 4.38 drivers haven't given me any trouble yet, but there is time!

I sent MSI an e-mail asking about this board with 768mb RAM, so far no reply. Will wait and see what they recommend, probably they'll say just buy a 512mb module and use one of you 256mb modules! Right, I'm full of tricks but that's not one of them

 

[Crashman]

Yes, I've seen time and time again where newer VIA drivers caused problems with older VIA chipsets. It used to drive me crazy until I quit using them. Every VIA based system I get now gets loaded with Window's default drivers.

<font color=blue>Only a place as big as the internet could be home to a hero as big as Crashman!</font color=blue>
<font color=red>Only a place as big as the internet could be home to an ego as large as Crashman's!</font color=red>