computer not passing memtest on 2 ram sticks

T

twinpawer

Geek Trainee
Hi,

Lately my computer was randomly getting the BSOD, and I decided to give it a run through MemTest. I did, and as soon as MemTest starts, after about 30 seconds the computer restarts automatically (not show errors in MemTest).

I have 2 sticks of 2 GB DDR3 ram, and so I decided to try them out one-by-one. However, each stick on its own always passes memtest without any problems, its both sticks together that dont. ANy idea why this might be happening? Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance.
 
Are both sticks identical? If yes, then try different DIMM slots. If you're using slots 1 and 2 at the moment, then try using 3 and 4, IF you motherboard has 4 DIMM slots.
 
Yes, they are identical Corsair TwinX DDR3-133Mhz 9-9-9-24 sticks, 2gb each.

I've tried changing slots from 1 and 3 to 2 and 4 (1/3 & 2/4 are identically colored, assuming for dual-channel). The problem still persisted even when I changed the slots. I'm really confused what could be the problem :/
 
I'm actually having this exact same problem.

Both sticks test fine individually, but as soon as both sticks are in at the same time, memtest reboots. Always at around 50% on the 2nd or 3rd test (can't remember which one).

What version of memtest are you using? I'm using 3.5 from www.memtest86.com

I haven't ruled out if it is just memtest itself causing the problem yet. I am going to try memtest86+ 4.0 from www.memtest.org and see if problem still occurs.

Someone said on the Tom's Hardware forums:

"Check that you have USB legacy support disabled in your BIOS setup. Some BIOS’s had a bug in them which causes memtest to write over the memory area used by the USB legacy support resulting in freezes or reboots."

I noticed mine was enabled, so I will also try that when I get home.

Someone on the same thread also said:

"Memtest86+, will crash if you are using 4GB of memory. "

But I have not found anything else to support this claim. You can view the thread here.
 
  1. Make sure your RAM is running at the rated voltage in addition to the correct timings. I just found out the other day that on auto, my mobo had been undervolting the RAM for the last 6 months and a stick finally failed. Whoops, manual voltage from now on.
  2. Use the latest build of Memtest86+ which is actively maintained and see if you are still having crashes, or if you can pin down the errors to a consistent spot on the memory. If the errors are inconsistent, it could be a configuration issue.
 
Noting what 'minhbo' said about the 4GB RAM - I was finding it strange that MemTest was passing on each single stick of RAM, but not together. I've just downloaded the latest version, which was released quite recently and both RAMs passed successfully now, even with 4GB. However, the computer is still experiencing random crashes, but I think I can exclude the RAM from the problem. I had also tried before setting voltages / timings manually, and even running the RAM slower than it's rated speeds, but nothing changed anything.

Any idea what I can check maybe I can fix this problem? I tried swapping GPUs, but still the same problem - I know the GPU most likely has nothing to do with it. Could it be a CPU, Hard disk or Motherboard issue? I've also changed the PSU from a generic one to a 400W OCZ Fatality, which should be of higher quality.
 
did you buy the sticks as a dual-channel package, try increasing the dimm voltage a notch or two.. if that fails, try underclocking slightly and memtest again its obviously a problem with the dual-channel 'controllers', prob a fault with the mobo
 
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