memtest86+ Odd test results Bad ram or slots?

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Patiszerg

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Hey all about a week ago I had some memory errors which gave XP a blue screen. I have two sticks of 512mb of ram and a week ago I ran test on the ram using different slot configurations and had some errors with both of the sticks in there. Well when I ran a test on just one I had no errors pop up so I assumed the other stick was bad.

Just today I was messing around a I would run a memtest on each stick individually and there were no errors but when I would test them out with both sticks in there together, errors would pop up. The only test that showed errors was test number 5 called 'block move'

Does anybody have any knowledge on the specific test memtest86+ does and if this could mean that something in the mother board is causing an error when the two sticks of ram exchange information?

Thanks


Edit* I found some info but I'm not sure what it all means...


Test 5 [Block move, 64 moves]

This test stresses memory by using block move (movsl) instructions and is based on Robert Redelmeier's burnBX test. Memory is initialized with shifting patterns that are inverted every 8 bytes. Then 4mb blocks of memory are moved around using the movsl instruction. After the moves are completed the data patterns are checked. Because the data is checked only after the memory moves are completed it is not possible to know where the error occurred. The addresses reported are only for where the bad pattern was found. Since the moves are constrained to a 8mb segment of memory the failing address will always be less than 8mb away from the reported address. Errors from this test are not used to calculate BadRAM patterns.

I'm trying to figure out if this is just a memory problem between the two sticks of ram and the sticks are bad or if this a mother board problem.
 
Well, are they in dual channel configuration on the motherboard? Maybe the motherboard has issues with that type of ram in that configuration, or the memory controller on your motherboard, or on the cpu, depending on age of system, could be going out...
 
Well, are they in dual channel configuration on the motherboard? Maybe the motherboard has issues with that type of ram in that configuration, or the memory controller on your motherboard, or on the cpu, depending on age of system, could be going out...

Hey, they can run at dual channel. I've tested both sticks in a single and dual channel configuration and I seem to get more errors when they are running at dual channel. I've had the system a while and I've never had issues or compatibility problems with this type of ram and motherboard until recently.

The motherboard is newer than the CPU and RAM but it is from the same manufacture and model... the cpu and ram is the oldest thing my system. Both sticks are Crucial DDR400 PC3200. According to Crucial they should be running at 2.6v and CPU-Z reports they are running at 2.5V. I've tried to up the voltage by a .1volts from the BIOS but there is no change with the CPU-Z readout. I've got a spare cpu here. I'll pop that in and see if that help with anything.

Also since I've ran memtest and done some research on the tool everything basically says if memtest shows errors then the only thing you can conclude from that is there is an error somewhere. Haha well windows BSODs tells me that too! So what's the point of memtest if it cannot help you fix a problem? I'm just wondering if I'm missing something and if somebody with extensive knowledge on memtest errors knows something.

EDIT: the age of the ram/cpu is about 5 years and the age of the mobo is around 2 years. It's a socket 478 P4 cpu/mobo type. Yea yeah when I get a job one of my priorities is getting a newer comp. :p
 
I'm actually working on basically the same thing as you. I have 3 GB of RAM and when I tested them I came up with errors, tested every stick individually and all were good. Now I've got two in dual channel and currently testing them. I'm thinking that I have a bad slot.

Did you switch the sticks around when you ran them in single channel?
 
I'm actually working on basically the same thing as you. I have 3 GB of RAM and when I tested them I came up with errors, tested every stick individually and all were good. Now I've got two in dual channel and currently testing them. I'm thinking that I have a bad slot.

Did you switch the sticks around when you ran them in single channel?

I've tried them in nearly every configuration possible. Dual channel with both in there I get a lot of errors. Single channel with both in there I get fewer errors but still errors. My motherboard is setup with 4 ram slots and I have two sticks of ram. Individually with only one ram stick in any slot, I get zero errors. This occurs with both ram sticks.

I've also discovered the ram only seems to cause errors from memtest or give me a blue screen from windows is when they are under stress (test 5 in the memtest86) and are being pushed to their maximum while playing a demanding game.
 
I had the same problem with mine, but mine turned out that two of my slots are bad, so instead of being able to use my 3 sticks I can only use 2, but I can still run dual channel. Is the ram overclocked at all, or has been overclocked?
 
He said he tried to up the volts by .1 because CPU-Z said they are at 2.5, but the manufacturer said they should be at 2.6. It didn't change the CPU-Z readout. Maybe there is something wrong if CPU-Z won't detect the voltage change. If you use one stick and change the volts, does it detect then, or is it for both of them together that it doesn't detect?
 
I had the same problem with mine, but mine turned out that two of my slots are bad, so instead of being able to use my 3 sticks I can only use 2, but I can still run dual channel. Is the ram overclocked at all, or has been overclocked?

Well all 4 slots and both ram sticks are fine if they are running individually, one at a time. When I put both in there and run them at either single or dual channel in any combination they get errors. They've never been overclocked either.

He said he tried to up the volts by .1 because CPU-Z said they are at 2.5, but the manufacturer said they should be at 2.6. It didn't change the CPU-Z readout. Maybe there is something wrong if CPU-Z won't detect the voltage change. If you use one stick and change the volts, does it detect then, or is it for both of them together that it doesn't detect?

It doesn't detect the voltage change even if I change it while both or with just one is in there.
 
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