Can a faulty PSU cause RAM to fail memtest86

[jag007]

Hi,
My config for my recently built PC is.
AMD Athlon II X4 630
4 GB DDR3 OCZ ram ( I 1st purchased 2 GB stick and then added 2 more GB of same model ram model no. OCZ3G1333LV2G with 9-9-9 @1.65v after some 30+ days.)
ASUS M4N68T-M motherboard.
Seagate 500 GB harddisk.
ASUS 4670(ATI) 1GB DDR3 graphics card.
I am now having problem of frequent BSOD (Blue Screen Of Death).
"A problem has been detected and windows has been shutdown to prevent damage to your computer"
and system restarts before reading anything further.
Also sometimes i get error system has recovered from serious error when I start my pc (winXP).
I have checked my both rams in different slots by running memtest, memtest86 v 4.1 and widows memory dignostic tool. And all tests gave some error while testing.
widows memory dignostic tool which i ran recently gave error in MATS+ test (cache off) in Pass 1.
I have formated system drive(C) and reinstalled windows but not able to get rid of this error, which pops up suddenly. Also sometime I get CRC error in winrar for rar files which worked good before.

Pls assist me with ur suggetions/advise on this problem.

Thanks in advance.

Bregds.........

 

[ikky68]

It is very doubtful that a faulty PSU will will cause RAM to fail. At least not the way you are describing it.

The PSU will try to auto regulate itself, the mobo also does its own job in voltage regulation. So what you're describing is doubtful.

Check the actual voltage settings for your RAM in the CMOS/BIOS thingy. Verify that the voltage is in range of what the manufacturer states. If possible DO NOT use the auto function, manually set the voltage.

Also, go back to using the one original RAM stick and see if the BSOD goes away.

Try those two things and let us know what you come up with. Do one and then the other. Do not compound your troublshooting tests.

 

[VirtualLarry]

It's possible for a flaky PSU to cause RAM errors, yes. But in your case, I would try some different RAM first, preferably not OCZ. Even better would be to take RAM that tested good in a different machine. If it then tests bad in your machine, yes, I would look at the PSU next, or the motherboard.

 

[jag007]

Hi,
Thanks for ur suggestions.
I have already tested both rams individually one by one in available two ram slots, and both gave errors in memtest individually. Right now i don't have spare DDR3 ram as all my friends are using DDR2 in their machine. But I will try to get one. Right now I have got a spare PSU and test my machine with that and will revert with results today.

 

[jag007]

Hi,
Tested again with another PSU with no luck. RAM still gives errors in memtest86.
I even set voltage manually to 1.65 V, still errors in memtest. Now have left with no option but to go for replacement of RAM. If they are not giving immediate replacement will have to buy another 2GB which offcourse will not be OCZ. (Will go for kingston as I have never received any problem with them in DDR2). Lets hope I will get rid of these errors.
And one more thing after fresh install of win XP I sometime get error in new software installtion like unable to copy certain file and set is corrupt etc. (setup which is used for many times before gives such error, thus certainly this has nothing to do with corrupt setup)
Pls revert with ur valuable suggestions.

 

[RebateMonger]

Also sometime I get CRC error in winrar for rar files which worked good before.

Certainly not news to you at this point, but CRC errors in WinRAR are commonly associated with memory problems.

 

[P4man]

Its not impossible, but it would seem unlikely both sticks are bad. IT could be a problem with the motherboard (unlikely if it happens on all available slots) and with the cpu's IMC but thats pretty rare too. I suspect its just a bios compatibility problem with those sticks.

Try updating your bios (but do that while booting with a stick that WORKS), and/or setting CAS latency and speeds manually in the bios. Try more relaxed timings and lower speeds see if that stabilizes it.

Oh, its not the PSU, thats almost certain.

 

[jag007]

Hi,
U people are right, It was with memory, I bought new Kingston 2GB and ran memtest again, no errors found in 1 and half hrs. (For OCZ found errors withing 30 mins). System is running pretty, have given OCZ for replacement. But I have one more question, Is there any compatibility problem with OCZ sticks or they were just bad quality sticks?
My Mob is ASUS M4N68T-M running on Athlon II X4 630 2.8 Ghz
OCZ were : OCZ3G1333LV2G with 9-9-9-20 @1.65v.

Bregds........

 

[jag007]

Also note I had tried OCZ sticks with settings given by OCZ tech support by adjusting it manually, but they gave errors on these too.
Setting was :
Memory Clock Mode to { Manual }
MemClock Value to { 667 Mhz }
DRAM Timing Mode to { Both }
DRAM Timings to 9-9-9-20 ( CL-TRCD-TRP-TRAS )
Memory Overvoltage to { 1.65 volts }

Enable Clock to All DIMMS to { Disabled }
Memory Hole Remapping to { Enabled }
DCT Unganged Mode to { Always }

P4MAN : Can u advise more relaxed timings for OCZ when they are back.


Bregds........

 

[Blain]

Troubleshooting Memory Errors

"Please be aware that not all errors reported by Memtest86 are due to bad memory. The test implicitly tests the CPU, L1 and L2 caches as well as the motherboard.
It is impossible for the test to determine what causes the failure to occur.
However, most failures will be due to a problem with memory module. When it is not, the only option is to replace parts until the failure is corrected."