I just built a new computer. Here are the specs:
Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3R
CPU: Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600
Power Supply: CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W
Memory: 8 gigs of CORSAIR (4 x 2GB) TWIN2X4096-6400C5
Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar 640GB WD6400AAKS
CPUS Cooler: XIGMATEK HDT-S1283 CPU Cooler
OS: Vista 64
There is also an old Seagate hard drive and a DVD burner carried over from an old system.
I put everything together with 2X2 gigs of ram because I was still waiting on the second set to be delivered. The system posted on the first try and all went well. I ran stability tests using the built in Windows Memory Diagnostic, Prime95, SpeedFan, Coretemp, and CPUZ. All was going well, so I went ahead and overclocked the CPU to 9 x 333 and set the ram to match the fsb (DDR 667). Everything ran perfectly.
The second set of ram came, so I put it in and ran the tests again. I'm building the computer for a friend, who was eager to use it, so I didn't run the tests as thoroughly as before. However, the computer did still pass the Windows Memory Diagnostic tool (default settings) and ran Prime95 (balanced mode) for 5 hours without a hiccup.
Then I did something silly. I updated the BIOS because the system was slow to power down and I thought it might help. I was out of time to do a lot more testing, but I ran some quick tests and it was still running Prim95 just fine.
She turned it back on and used it for 3 hours that night, no problems. Then she turns it on the next day and the screen freezes after she's been doing 30 minutes of light work. I come over to check it out and the motherboard won't post, gives short continuous beeps (power error).
After a few cycles, it is able to post and load windows. In Windows, I can browse the internet, but it freezes after 2 minutes of Prime95. After doing a bunch of different tests (checking power connections, graphics card seating, etc) I start testing with 1 stick of ram at a time and find that the computer runs fine with 3 of the 4 sticks and won't post with 1. I should mention that by this point I've already rolled back the BIOS and cleared the CMOS.
I've never dealt with a bad stick of ram before. Is it normal that I would be able to pass the Windows Memory Diagnostic and 5 hours of Prime95 one day only to have it crap out the next day under light load or should I be worried about a other potential problems that caused this?
Since I've taken out the bad stick and am running 2x2 I have been able to pass Memtest+ for 7 passes, IntelBurnTest for 10 passes, and Prime95 for 10 hours. This is also running the ram in the channel on the motherboard that the bad stick had been in, just to make sure that wasn't the problem. Also, I'm currently running everything at stock: 9x266 for the CPU and DDR800 for the RAM
Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3R
CPU: Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600
Power Supply: CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W
Memory: 8 gigs of CORSAIR (4 x 2GB) TWIN2X4096-6400C5
Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar 640GB WD6400AAKS
CPUS Cooler: XIGMATEK HDT-S1283 CPU Cooler
OS: Vista 64
There is also an old Seagate hard drive and a DVD burner carried over from an old system.
I put everything together with 2X2 gigs of ram because I was still waiting on the second set to be delivered. The system posted on the first try and all went well. I ran stability tests using the built in Windows Memory Diagnostic, Prime95, SpeedFan, Coretemp, and CPUZ. All was going well, so I went ahead and overclocked the CPU to 9 x 333 and set the ram to match the fsb (DDR 667). Everything ran perfectly.
The second set of ram came, so I put it in and ran the tests again. I'm building the computer for a friend, who was eager to use it, so I didn't run the tests as thoroughly as before. However, the computer did still pass the Windows Memory Diagnostic tool (default settings) and ran Prime95 (balanced mode) for 5 hours without a hiccup.
Then I did something silly. I updated the BIOS because the system was slow to power down and I thought it might help. I was out of time to do a lot more testing, but I ran some quick tests and it was still running Prim95 just fine.
She turned it back on and used it for 3 hours that night, no problems. Then she turns it on the next day and the screen freezes after she's been doing 30 minutes of light work. I come over to check it out and the motherboard won't post, gives short continuous beeps (power error).
After a few cycles, it is able to post and load windows. In Windows, I can browse the internet, but it freezes after 2 minutes of Prime95. After doing a bunch of different tests (checking power connections, graphics card seating, etc) I start testing with 1 stick of ram at a time and find that the computer runs fine with 3 of the 4 sticks and won't post with 1. I should mention that by this point I've already rolled back the BIOS and cleared the CMOS.
I've never dealt with a bad stick of ram before. Is it normal that I would be able to pass the Windows Memory Diagnostic and 5 hours of Prime95 one day only to have it crap out the next day under light load or should I be worried about a other potential problems that caused this?
Since I've taken out the bad stick and am running 2x2 I have been able to pass Memtest+ for 7 passes, IntelBurnTest for 10 passes, and Prime95 for 10 hours. This is also running the ram in the channel on the motherboard that the bad stick had been in, just to make sure that wasn't the problem. Also, I'm currently running everything at stock: 9x266 for the CPU and DDR800 for the RAM
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