Whats the deal with RAM?!?!?!?

[C_sector]

I don't get RAM it seems like the only component in my PC to fail me over and over. For instance i bought torchlight a while back and was playing it for ages. I once played it for 6 hours straight with no hassle. But now in the deeper dungeons my PC BSOD's on me while a play it. My frozen throne works perfectly and so does my age of mythology.

Whats even more weird about my current RAM is that i ran memtest 1 day for 4.5 hours straight with no errors, it reached 450% error free, but i ran it the next day and it found errors in 15%. It seems soo random!!! I guess that is were random comes from in "random access memory".

<img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g117/mamluke/Escapist/RAM_error1.jpg"

Has PC RAM failed on you like this? and what RAM brand is better? Corsair or Kingston?

 

[Lukeje]

I don't think anything can be 450% error free (hint: that's an error).

 

[C_sector]

Have you tried increasing your paging file? I buy budget Kingston and High End Corsair...I own a PC Shop...so heh...Also take your ram out of the motherboard and clean it with a pencil eraser 100% of the time people report freezing...when its not crapware or viruses...that fixes it.

My paging file size is managed by the system, also...do u mean to clean the RAM slot with an eraser right?

 

[C_sector]

I don't think anything can be 450% error free (hint: that's an error).

no, wait, memtest keeps checking your RAM infinitely i believe. 100% is a full test, 400% are 4 full tests.

 

[Lukeje]

I don't think anything can be 450% error free (hint: that's an error).

no, wait, memtest keeps checking your RAM infinitely i believe. 100% is a full test, 400% are 4 full tests.

Aah, I see.

 

[r0qu3]

Memtest is not a sure way to find memory fai

I don't get RAM it seems like the only component in my PC to fail me over and over. For instance i bought torchlight a while back and was playing it for ages. I once played it for 6 hours straight with no hassle. But now in the deeper dungeons my PC BSOD's on me while a play it. My frozen throne works perfectly and so does my age of mythology.

Whats even more weird about my current RAM is that i ran memtest 1 day for 4.5 hours straight with no errors, it reached 450% error free, but i ran it the next day and it found errors in 15%. It seems soo random!!! I guess that is were random comes from in "random access memory".

<img src="http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g117/mamluke/Escapist/RAM_error1.jpg"

Has PC RAM failed on you like this? and what RAM brand is better? Corsair or Kingston?

Your RAM seems to either a have just a little fault or may be not compatible...

Before jumping on me let me elaborate:
A rule of thumb: "Working memory produces no faults, random faults have to reasons RAM or CPU or the surroundings (i.e. RAM-Slot). Also crashing video drivers (on W7) could be a hint.

To Memtest (or Memtest86+ and the likes), those programs are good for analyzing memory problems but if you think they have 100% detection rate you're wrong more about 60%.


I had similar problems. My PC ran fine but after 3 hrs watching google video it just BSOD with a hint that the video driver had crashed... and also randomly sometimes i could just watch.
So my problem was the PC was running but the RAM was damaged..seemingly impossible..


If you have guarantee give em back where you got them from or change them for new ones. Kingston and Corsair are both equally good manufacturers but personally over the three years doing hardware service, Kingston proofed to be more stable more often. (Higher compat.).


After i changed the RAM's my system is now working flawlessly. Last tip if
you're experiencing problems with different sorts of RAM (dif. manufacturer) check up your board and its RAM-banks..


Greetz, r0qu3

 

[C_sector]

wow, i never knew they were only 60% correct. Could it be possible that its my motherboard that is failing? i got it 5-6 years ago.

BTW some BSOD show 'kmixer.sys' as the faulting app. Its do do with the sound driver and on board sound card. That seems like proof to me as a motherboard slowly dieing.

 

[xDarc]

If you're going through lots of RAM, check your motherboard for popped or leaky capacitors. Your mobo could be frying them. I've only had one stick in a set of GSkill dimms go bad on me from a mild overclock after about 6 months. I got Patriot sticks after that and they've been solid for a couple years now.

 

[mikecoulter]

Your motherboard must be messing them up, try replacing all your current RAM stick with new ones, if it happens again then you know its the motherboard.

 

[sirdanrhodes]

Well, one thing that happened to me. Is your RAM actually compatible with your mobo?

 

[Deleted]

If the computer says it needs more RAM you have to ram it with your head as hard as you can to shake the components into place. True story.

sorry I'm no help.

 

[ribonuge]

My computer started giving me BSODS and would not start up at all. I had to remove two one gig sticks leaving in my 2 two gig ones in order to get it to work again. There had always been on and off problems that were only fixed when I removed the two sticks completely.

 

[Baneat]

Maybe it's your mobo not your RAM that's borked.

 

[Disaster Button]

Ugh I thought the box you screenshotted actually popped up for me, it was a little coincidental.. and stupid of me.

That's also an incredibly pushy dialogue box.

 

[megalomania]

Have you tried increasing your paging file? I buy budget Kingston and High End Corsair...I own a PC Shop...so heh...Also take your ram out of the motherboard and clean it with a pencil eraser 100% of the time people report freezing...when its not crapware or viruses...that fixes it.

My paging file size is managed by the system, also...do u mean to clean the RAM slot with an eraser right?

I wouldn't suggest changing your page filing settings unless A) you know what you are doing and B) you have no other options.
Page filing is where info from your RAM gets written to the harddisk - if your RAM has an error this wont help anything. All it will do is allow your RAM to dump more (or less) info into the pagefile which will actually slow you down - retrieveing filed info is much slower than RAM access. Pagefiling is supposed to be used to stash info from programs that haven't been used in a while like a minimised window ETC.

Anyway if you have a real RAM problem this wont help you with diddly. Try removing the RAM, brushing off (old soft toothbrush very gently) the contacts and reseating it properly. If that doesn't help then you need advice from somebody smarter than me lol!

 

[ShadowKatt]

Pretty irrelevant, but maybe RAM is just your thing? I have a frend that is constantly frying motherboards and one that blows up power supplies on a regular basis, maybe you're just destined to always buy memory.

I don't have this problem, but then I fix computers.

 

[C_sector]

Well, one thing that happened to me. Is your RAM actually compatible with your mobo?

Yea mine definitively are. I sent my PC over to a comp shop and they selected it and put it in.

If you're going through lots of RAM, check your motherboard for popped or leaky capacitors. Your mobo could be frying them. I've only had one stick in a set of GSkill dimms go bad on me from a mild overclock after about 6 months. I got Patriot sticks after that and they've been solid for a couple years now.

I did get my motherboard repaired before, some capacitors needed replacement but once i get new RAM and i still have trouble i will then know that theirs a problem with the motherboard. I guess its the best option, many reply's hint to this.

 

[e2density]

I have Corsair Dominator DDR3 RAM. It's amazing. I've never had a problem with it, but I don't OC it.

 

[C_sector]

i don't over clock either, never done it and never will.

 

[CrysisMcGee]

Take it to a computer shop that does free diagnostic. DON"T PAY FOR COMPUTER DIAGNOSTIC. They will tell you if you need to replace your ram, or if its something else.

Though I had the exact same problem. And it was a bad stick of ram. So I replaced it.