Memtest86+ questions

[andycheah]

Hello everyone,

I recently bought a stick of Kingston 512MB ValueRAM. When I put it into either of my two motherboards (ECS K7S5A and ASUS A7N8X-X), I get random errors in Windows XP and it fails Memtest86+ v1.50.

I took it back to the retailer and they held it overnight to run tests on it. They said they ran the same Kingston on both AMD and Intel platforms using Memtest86+ and it reported no errors however I think they were using v1.20.

On both my ECS and Asus motherboards, I was using SPD timings for the memory to make sure aggressive timings were not causing the problem.

1.) Is it possible to have errors in Memtest on one motherboard and not another?

2.) Can Memtest86+ v1.50 report errors that v1.20 cannot find?

I suspect this RAM is bad since it I get Memtest errors on two different motherboards while using my older sticks of RAM report none. The problem is that the retailer has run ?their tests? and found nothing wrong with it and won?t take it back unless I pay restocking fee of 15%. It sucks that I am stuck with RAM I cannot use and the retailer won?t do anything about it other than charge me extra.

Thanks in advance to anyone who replies.

Andy

 

[Jeff7]

Ask them if they'd kindly upgrade to v1.50?

 

[MrCodeDude]

Get a new stick, if Memtest still gives you errors, I doubt you purchased two faulty sticks in a row.

 

[andycheah]

Thanks for the quick replies...

Is it also possible that there's nothing wrong with the RAM but my ECS and ASUS motherboards are picky and just don't like it? I know ECS K7S5A has a reputation of this but I'm not sure about the ASUS A7N8X-X. The 512MB Kingston ValueRAM has Infineon written on it if that helps.

Andy

 

[John]

Sometimes SPD is not a good thing, especially if you have 2 different modules. Try cas 3-3-3-7 and run memtest86+ again.

 

[Navid]

Are you overclocking?
If not, I don't know what is going on!
I suggest that you run the version of memtest that you suspect the retailer has used to confirm your suspicion.

If you are overclocking, you cannot expect the RAM to work properly. I suggest that you set the clocks to default and try memtest again.

 

[andycheah]

The timings I used were...

ECS K7S5A: SPD 2.5-3-3-7 at 133FSB
ASUS A7N8X-X: SPD 3-3-3-8 at 200FSB

I got these values from CPU-Z but in the BIOS, I just have it set to SPD. I'm assuming the CPU-Z values are reporting correctly.

And as you can see from above, I am not overclocking.

Anyways, thanks again for the ideas. I'm off work now! I'll check again when I get home.

Andy

 

[Navid]

Originally posted by: andycheah
The timings I used were...

ECS K7S5A: SPD 2.5-3-3-7 at 133FSB
ASUS A7N8X-X: SPD 3-3-3-8 at 200FSB

I got these values from CPU-Z but in the BIOS, I just have it set to SPD. I'm assuming the CPU-Z values are reporting correctly.

And as you can see from above, I am not overclocking.

Anyways, thanks again for the ideas. I'm off work now! I'll check again when I get home.

Andy

Forgive me but I cannot see that you are not overclocking! I have no idea what your CPU frequency is and if it is overclocked or not. You may get memtest errors if your CPU is unstable too!

 

[aatf510]

133 and 200 FSB sounds totally stock.
Have you tried running your system with only the new stick of ram?
Have you tried running memtest with only the old stick with no error?

 

[Zepper]

If the dealer won't satisfy you, Kingston will cross-ship a replacement. Also try the original Memtest and Microsoft's memory tester (a free download too).

.bh.

:moon:

 

[andycheah]

Sorry for the confusion Navid,

When I wrote "And as you can see from above, I am not overclocking.", I should've added "the RAM" at the end.

I am running an Athlon XP 2400+ in the ECS and a Barton 2500+ in the ASUS and both are not overclocked and work stable in WinXP and pass the Memtest overnight using any other RAM. Having the Kingston alone in either mobo produces Memtest errors no matter which slot.

All I want a stick of RAM that I can use but the retailer suggests that if it works on their system, it's good.

Is it unreasonable to expect an exchange without restocking fee for a stick of RAM that may not be "bad" but incompatible with both my motherboards?

Thanks again, Andy

 

[montag451]

Did they sell you the mobo?

If not, then that stick is what you ordered, and they weren't to know it wasn't gonna be incompatible with your board.
If the seller is nice and wants more business from you, then they will exchange, but, if the sticks aren't bad, then I don't think that it is too much to ask for a restocking fee.
Especially when theoretically, they can't sell that stick as NEW anymore -

 

[Navid]

I just checked your ASUS motherboard. I don't know why the qualified memory table is so small!
http://usa.asus.com/prog/spec.asp?m=A7N8X-X&langs=09
The 512M Kingston is not in the list. You can check the other motherboard manual to see if it supports that stick of memory.

 

[andycheah]

Originally posted by: montag451
Did they sell you the mobo?

If not, then that stick is what you ordered, and they weren't to know it wasn't gonna be incompatible with your board.
If the seller is nice and wants more business from you, then they will exchange, but, if the sticks aren't bad, then I don't think that it is too much to ask for a restocking fee.
Especially when theoretically, they can't sell that stick as NEW anymore -

I bought the ASUS A7N8X-X off them about 2 months earlier so should I expect them to guarantee the Kingston to work with it?

About the restocking...they sold me RAM that's not compatible/working with either of my motherboards when they should be. I understand there's no way for them to forsee this but if I was to ask them to restock it, some poor sucker with a similar setup to mine is going to get saddled with the RAM again later and have to go through the same headaches.

 

[andycheah]

 

[andycheah]

Originally posted by: Navid
I just checked your ASUS motherboard. I don't know why the qualified memory table is so small!
http://usa.asus.com/prog/spec.asp?m=A7N8X-X&langs=09
The 512M Kingston is not in the list. You can check the other motherboard manual to see if it supports that stick of memory.

Thanks Navid,

I didn?t think to check the qualified memory table. I assumed Kingston RAM would work since it?s so popular. The retailers also told me later that it ?should? work with my ASUS and were not sure why Memtest failed.

Does that mean I have to get memory that?s listed in the table? Even if the Kingston was, I don?t think it would help my case anyways. Plus, from what I?ve read, Kingston ValueRAM uses whatever they have available so it?s possible that one stick with brand-X would work while one with Brand-Y wouldn?t. I can't imagine any ValueRAM would be listed because of this.

Andy

 

[Zepper]

That table is if you intend to use ALL 3 RAM sockets at 400MHz. Many more should work if all you intend to use is one or two RAM sockets. You may have to mess with the RAM voltage a bit (bump it up .05 or .1V at a time) to get some memory to work well on some mobos.
.bh.

 

[Navid]

That table is a list of memories that the motherboard manufacturer has tested and guarantees would be compatible.
If your memory is not on the list, it does not mean that it will not work. It just means that the manufacturer has not tested it.

If the memory was on the list, I was hoping that the retailer you are dealing with would waive the restocking fee.

At this point, you have nothing to lose by doing an experiment. Check your power supply.
Measure the 12V rail voltage and start prime95 and run it for 5 minutes. Does the voltage drop? How much?

Edit:
If the memory is not on the list, it may mean that the manufacturer has not tested it, or it may mean that they have tested it and it is not compatible. But, there is no way to know unless you contact them.

 

[aatf510]

It's just my own thinking. How reliable do you think your retailer is? Did they actually show you memtest86 results on a screen after running for sometime? or are they just saying they did run it.

 

[andycheah]

Originally posted by: toattett
It's just my own thinking. How reliable do you think your retailer is? Did they actually show you memtest86 results on a screen after running for sometime? or are they just saying they did run it.

They told me they ran Memtest86. They ran it for half an hour while I was there and it returned nothing. That's when I noticed they were using v1.20 which is pretty old. I cannot even find the download for it on memtest.org. That's when I said I would leave it with them for a few days so their techs can do more thorough testing. I phoned them back a few days later and they said it passed all their tests. I will phone them again tomorrow to see what these "tests" really were.

 

[John]

I seriously doubt it's their old version of memtest86 that's allowing it to make successful passes. If anything tell them that you are still having problems with the memory, and you'd like to try the same copy of memtest that they are using since v1.50 reports errors on your system.

If they test it for you again, ask them to kindly let it make 2 passes. Afterwards ask them if you could take a quick peak at the monitor and to verify it's your ram they are testing. Even then you should be able to exchange it for a different stick. Any reputable retailer should give you this option w/out imposing a restock fee.

Heck when I sell memory and my customers have problems, even after I have verified the functionality of the item, I have a no hassle exchange policy.

 

[aatf510]

Are they willing to exhange you another stick of the same memory?

 

[andycheah]

Originally posted by: John
I seriously doubt it's their old version of memtest86 that's allowing it to make successful passes. If anything tell them that you are still having problems with the memory, and you'd like to try the same copy of memtest that they are using since v1.50 reports errors on your system.

If they test it for you again, ask them to kindly let it make 2 passes. Afterwards ask them if you could take a quick peak at the monitor and to verify it's your ram they are testing. Even then you should be able to exchange it for a different stick. Any reputable retailer should give you this option w/out imposing a restock fee.

Heck when I sell memory and my customers have problems, even after I have verified the functionality of the item, I have a no hassle exchange policy.

When I originally took the stick back, a salesman ran 2 passes of Memtest86+ v1.20 but it found no errors. It was the weekend so their regular tech wasn?t in and that?s when I decided to leave it with them for more thorough testing. Problem is that it sometimes takes awhile for the Memtest to report errors. Once it was on the first pass, another time it was the fifth. Another inconvenience is that their tech only works Monday to Friday as I do so I cannot be at there at the same time as him. I can only contact him by phone.

It?s been over 7 days now and they still have the RAM. I haven?t been able to pick it up since I can only get there during store hours on the weekend because of work. I?ve only had it in my hands for 3 and their exchange policy is within 7 days so I hope there won?t be a problem.

The stick of Kingston RAM comes with packaging with a seal that is now broken. Their policy for exchanges on ?non defective? items is 15% within 7days. It looks like I will end up having to pay the 15% to get another stick that will work for me.

It?s not the extra money that bothers me. Is it too much to ask that when you buy something, you expect it to work for you as it should? I feel I have done as much as I could as a customer to diagnose the problem but as long as it passes their tests and works on their systems, I?m out of luck. That?s great if I?m running their computers at my house but I am not. I have two stable systems and problems only started to occur when I introduced the new RAM. All I want is RAM that works for me and not have to pay extra than the next customer to get it.

Anyways, sorry for the long post. I?m just upset with the whole situation. I guess I learned a computer upgrading lesson?If it ain?t broke, don?t fix it.

Thanks to everyone who replied.

Andy

 

[imported_obsidian]

I've had a stick of kingston value ram go bad on me before. I just created an RMA with kingston and got a new stick. Problem solved. Of course living with _only_ 512MB for a couple weeks sort of sucked.

 

[andycheah]

If I created an RMA with Kingston, do you think I?ll get the same run around? Worst case is that they do tests and find it?s not bad and send it back. I suppose I could request a new stick and explain the situation but I wonder if they would do that for me.

I?m thinking the shipping for the RAM is going to be close to 15% anyways so I may as well exchange it locally for a stick of Corsair Value Select and see if I have better luck with that.