Could a bad PSU cause errors in MemTest86?

[camara120]

Could a bad PSU cause errors in MemTest86?

 

[Smilin]

A bad psu could cause an error in nearly anything!

 

[camara120]

Heres the situation:

Setting up a dual Opteron system...

Originally had an Accelertech HDAMC (I think this is the same as the Rioworks HDAMC and an Iwil motherboard)

I got errors in Memtest with some of the RAM so I RMA's like 4 out of 8 sticks
I really dont think all of these could be bad and Ive tested with 2 at a time

I began thinking it was the motherboard so I just got an Iwill DK8N (nforce 3 Pro 250 I think)

I get lots of erros in Memtest with this board as well (as well as errors on a windows install)

I dont think its bad memory and I dont think its an incompatibility with the motherboard since Ive tried 2 different MB's

I've also tried different BIOS settings, hard drives, cables, etc when I was trying to install windows before I did the memtest thing

I just ordered a different PSU (Antec) and some Corsair memory (OCZ currently)

Do you think Im taking the right route in troubleshooting this?

Thanks!

 

[Smilin]

Couple months ago I about pulled my hair out trying to diagnose a bunch of components in a system that wouldn't complete post. Turned out to be the PSU. Once I replaced the CPU I couldn't come up with any combination of "failed" components that wouldn't work. They were all good


I need a new frickin multimeter. hehe.



Edit: I also lived in an "Evil" apartment once that would eat computer components. Crappy power from the wall. Anything's possible - it's the age of electronics

 

[camara120]

Smilin,

Thanks for the advice.... Im hoping its a bad PSU.
Sad cuz its a $200 SilenX 600watt, but the 4GB of RAM cost way more than that so I really hope its not the RAM

as far as power goes... the house im in is only 2 years old but you never know...

Does anyone know if certain UPS/Surge Protectors come with special features that make sure it provides clean electricity the computer?

Thanks!

 

[camara120]

*bump*

 

[febuld]

Dunno about *clean* electricity, but there's a bunch of Universal Power Supplies that might help, since they provide enough juice to run for an average 20 minutes after a power loss. It might not neccessarily clean the electricity, but it sure will provide a bit more consistent power supply...

 

[camara120]

Could this help rule out the electricity being the problem?

Also... could a bad PSU cause the RAM to heat up a lot more than it normally would?

Thanks!

 

[camara120]

*bump*

 

[dman]

Most APC UPS's 450va and up will offer some line conditioning... and brownout protection, etc. If you don't have a UPS for that system you are insane.... I hope you were just asking.

Why not try just a cheap(er) PS to test with, and maybe just with one CPU installed? Or does the dually system require special PS?

Lastly, some of the initial NForce2 boards had chipset problems that caused Memtest to fail. It could be the board/chipset...

For some reason the memory would fail if I ran it at 166FSB even thought the ram was rated for that speed. Replaced the board w/ a newer model of Nforce2 Ultra and no more problems. Not sure that's even possible w/ Opteron as the memory controller is on the CPU, but, try lowering the FSB (if possible) and see if it passes at any speed.

 

[camara120]

There is a UPS for the system but its not being used right now since Im still building the machine.

Today I hooked up a brand new Antec 550w power supply. I still got errors in Memtest86+ v.1.26.

I took out the OCZ memory and put in some new Corsair memory I just got.

I still get errors in Memtest.

So Ive gone through a new motherboard, new RAM, and a new powersupply and Im still getting errors.

Anyone know what Im missing here? Thanks...

 

[camara120]

*bump*

 

[Cheetah8799]

Originally posted by: camara120
Could a bad PSU cause errors in MemTest86?

YES!

I had my generic 350W psu go out on my gaming rig at a lan party last year... It would run, and was very cool, but would randomly reboot in some games that used more ram. I tested with memtest and got TONS of errors. When I got my new 450W psu, it worked fine! Big relief for me, since I thought I cooked $240 worth of ram...

Anyway, it turns out my old PSU was giving out super low power for some reason. It would power up, but just not put out the juice. I guess the mobo didn't like that and wasn't giving the ram enough voltage, which caused the ram to give lots of errors in memtest.

 

[Navid]

Use a volt meter to measure the voltage on your 12-V rail (from a molex connector) while running Prime95 or memtest. If there is an obvious problem with the power supply, you will see a voltage drop on the rail.
Mind you, if you do not see a significant drop with a volt meter, that does not mean that the power supply has no problem!
The volt meter shows the average voltage. If there is bad voltage regulation, you may have too much ripple on the rail, which would cause problems. But, you would not see it on a volt meter.