Help - One module has died the other is giving errors in MemTest

[PaulMartin]

Hello

I've just built a system from a Shuttle SB81P.

I installed two sticks of Value Select VS1GB400C3.

After 1 week the PC stopped booting, no boot not even from a floppy or CD. No BIOS beeps nothing.

I removed one stick of memory and computer now boots.

I took out both sticks lets say stick A and stick B and tested them seperately

Put stick A in slot one and tried to boot didn't work.

Put stick A in slot two still no boot.

Put stick B in slot one PC boots.

Put stick B in slot two PC boots.

Conclusion stick A has a problem and is going back tomorrow from where I bought it.

After reading this forumn I decided to MemTest stick B.

I got 84 errors with test 2, 182 with test 3, 57 with test 4 and 114 with test 6.

Is this normal or have I got a problem with stick B - if so can I RMA it or both if my retailer gives me problems ?

Many thanks for your answers

Paul Martin

Switzerland

[RAM GUY]

Please make sure that you have the latest BIOS for your MB and load Setup/optimized default settings, and try the following BIOS settings;

VS1GBKIT400C3 or VS512MB400C3

Frequency Voltage

CPU Freq: 200

DRAM Clock: 400 MHz

Memory or Dim Reference voltage: 2.75 Volts

System performance: AUTO

AGP Voltage: Default *unless you have ATI (9200 or 9600) or NVIDIA (5200 or 5700) then 1.6 Volts suggested!*

Advanced/Chipset

Configure Dram timing by SPD: Disabled/User define

SDRAM CAS Latency: 3T

SDRAM RAS to CAS Delay (tRCD): 3T

SDRAM Row Precharge (tRP): 3T

SDRAM Active to Precharge Delay (tRAS): 8T

SDRAM Burst Length: 8

All other settings should be set to default settings!

Then please test them one at a time with http://www.memtest.org and let’s make sure it's not some other issue! I would run the test for at least 2-3 passes to be sure!

[PaulMartin]

Many thanks for the answer.

 

Just to clarify :

I got two sticks of VS1GB400C3. After a week one of the sticks gave up on me - impossible to boot with only this stick - can't even run memtest. That one went back to the retailer on the 31. Jan and I'm waiting on an answer from them. It was after that that I decided to check the other stick with memtest.

 

Now for the questions :sigh!:

For the Dim voltage I have a choice of 2.7 or 2.8 I thinking of going with the 2.8 is this correct ?

I don't seem to have the option SDRAM burst length, I do have a "refresh mode select" with options of 7.8us, 15.6us or 64us. Is the burst length important ?

 

(And on a side note there is no AGP only PCI-E but I will leave that to the default setting.)

[RAM GUY]

Please follow the link in my signature “I think I have a bad part!” and we will be happy to replace them or it!

[PaulMartin]

I tested as asked (apart from the SDRam burst length).

I tried 2.7v and 2.8v but still got a load of errors with memtest.

 

I then tried setting the DRAM clock to 333 MHz.

I get no errors with either 2.7 or 2.8v (other settings as asked 3-3-3-8)

 

The label on the stick reads : VS1GB400C3 Lot# 0452065-0 *000127582*

 

I will be RMA'ing as soon as the other stick comes back from the retailer or I get my hands on some more RAM - no RAM = no computer :(:

[RAM GUY]

No problem, also the settings for this module would be Cass 3-4-4-8, the settings given were to stress the memory! not that they should be running at Cass 3-3-3-8!

[PaulMartin]

No problem, also the settings for this module would be Cass 3-4-4-8, the settings given were to stress the memory! not that they should be running at Cass 3-3-3-8!

 

So what you are saying is that normal operational specs are 3-4-4-8.

I tested this at 400Mhz and Auto voltage and MemTest ran with no errors.

 

Does this mean that the stick is good or bad ?

 

If it is good I would still like to keep open the option of RMA'ing the other stick with which the PC won't boot and which my retailer has still not tested yet (just in case my retiler gives me a hard time.)

 

Many thanks for the great support.

[RAM GUY]

If you got no erros then the module is fine!