Memtest86 errors.

[btcomm1]

I ran memtest 86 and found errors in the 6th test. Got brand new ram and tested it and got errors in test 6 once again. Is it possible there are errors on the motherboard causing this? Or something else and not actually the ram? This computer has an 1800+ CPU takes ddr ram.

 

[daveshel]

I have had some strange results with memtest86: combinations of sticks that tested ok singly but failed when tested together. And I think all of my failures have been on #6. I think some failures could be the chip set, since it handles the memory timing.

 

[btcomm1]

Well I have tested the ram with lowered settings and still I get errors on test 6.

The problem with this computer is it will randomly freeze up even in safe mode.

Do you think that maybe there is nothing wrong with the ram and the freezes are being caused by something else?


I mean, I buy new ram put it in and still get errors on the same test? Uggg

 

[bendixG15]

Could be the memory slots.
Try testing the slots and not the memory
(use memtest with memory in diferent slots)

 

[daveshel]

Could be something else. What kind of motherboard/which chip set? I was a pretty avid builder for a number of years, and one of the things that kept me going was they way motherboards kept getting cheaper every time something new came along. And one of the reasons I more or less gave up in the last year or two is that so many of those cheap boards were failing after a couple years' service. Some were complete failures, others were lockups and funky behavior like you describe that were sporadic and murderous to diagnose. All the boards were AMD with VIA and nVidia chip sets. Some of the failures were no big surprise - Albatron and ECS. But others were disappointments - MSI and EPoX. Then there is my ASUS A7N8X, still in use after something like 3 1/2 years, but even with it I occasionally have had trouble with memory that I can't explain - good Mushkin Level 2 that works for months then won't boot for a week then is OK again.

 

[Trey22]

What voltage are those sticks rated at?

Is there a way to adjust RAM voltage in your BIOS? If so, just in case your mobo under or overvolts, adjust the voltage and test again. Please do this at your own risk.

Do you get any errors in any other test?

 

[eplebnista]

IME, if the PC was stable before and adding the new ram is causing the PC to lock up, the ram is most likely bad.

 

[btcomm1]

Thanks for your replys.

I'll give you an update I tested the exact same ram that was in this machine all along in my computer ran memtest and no errors. Now that I think back when I had an 1800+ myself I would always get errors on test 6 and I think it's possible it is reporting problems where there are none.

As far as the computer locking up, removed a ton of spyware/adware and so far it seems fine. I will update this if there are any more problems.

 

[Mark R]

The problem is that not all motherboards are compatible with all RAM.

These compatability problems can be very subtle, and the parts suppliers may not know about them. However, what does seem to be a consistent thing is that they seem to cause random memtest86 errors in test 6.

I've never seen a case where all tests except 6 passed, but the RAM was faulty. In every case I've tried it was the RAM was incompatible.

If you want to be sure your RAM will work, you need to buy from a manufacturer who will guarantee that it is compatible with your exact system (e.g. Crucial).