memtest86 errors - Neo2 Platinum + VS 1GB Kit

[nekkrist]

I'm getting random reboots from within windows and compiling errors from within linux. I am fairly certain that this is a RAM issue, because memtest86 reports over 150 errors per pass...it is now finished pass 3 and has found 775 errors. I checked all the connections and made sure that the board is not shorting on the metal of the case. I even tried changing the RAM slots.

 

Motherboard is a MSI K8N Neo2 Platinum, processor is a 3000+ 939 pin AMD64, RAM is Corsair Value Select 1 GB kit DDR400, and video card is a BFG GeForce 6800 GT OC. Everything

 

CAS Settings in the BIOS are all set to Auto, but memtest86 shows 2.5-3-3-8, which is the correct setting for this memory as I understand it. I have tried both optimized defaults, and failsafe defaults for this motherboard and have found errors both times, both around tests #5-#6.

 

memtest86 does report 201 Mhz (DDR402), which seems strange to me, since I think it ought to be 200 Mhz (DDR400). The only thing I haven't tried is swapping in other memory, or this memory into another motherboard. I will do both of these and report back, but if you have any suggestions about configuration settings that my help I'd appreciate it.

 

Thanks for the help!

 

David

[nekkrist]

After additional testing, I am thoroughly confused. The memory passes all tests when tested individually, however, it will not allow itself to be placed in "channel b" of the motherboard alone, it must either be in channel A, or have two sticks, one of which can be in channel b. I think this is just the motherboard being finicky about where the memory is placed, but perhaps not.

 

Additionally, the memory checks out clean when placed in another computer (P4, 2.4 GHz, SIS chipset on mobo) together. However, alternate memory sticks taken from another computer (crucial DDR266, two 512 MB sticks) are clean when tested in the Neo2 Platinum in the same configuration that found the Corsair Value Select RAM to be faulty!

 

This leads me to believe that either the motherboard is faulty, or the motherboard/RAM combo is not compatible. I'm not sure. This page (http://www.msicomputer.com/product/p_spec.asp?model=K8N_Neo2_Platinum&class=mb) appears to indicate that Corsair memory should work with the board. What is your recommendation? Does it matter that the memory is double sided? Let me know.

 

David

[nekkrist]

I did a few more tests. After putting the memory into another computer and running memtest overnight the errors came back. Note that the new computer does not support dual channel. I still have to test the sticks individually again to try and find the bad stick, but I'm thinking now that the memory is probably at fault.

 

On a somewhat unrelated note, I noticed that there are two types of RAM sold as a pair. The VS1GBKIT400, and the VS1GBKIT400C3. On newegg, the former is marked as a "dual pack", the latter is marked as "dual channel". Do they both work in dual channel mode?

 

Regardless, I think I have at least one bad RAM stick. Hoping to hear your thoughts on this whole thing RAM guy. I'll post once more after I test the RAM individually again to try to determine if one is bad, otherwise, could it be that the RAM only fails when both sticks are used together?

 

David

[nekkrist]

Final note,

 

The ram sticks test "clean" individually but still test "bad" when used together in multiple different computers. Individually they still fail randomly during compiling software, but both individual and paired crucial memory does not. Therefore I believe that the memory is bad, unless anyone has an alternate solution.

[RAM GUY]

Please try and set the Dim Voltage to 2.7 Volts and then test the modules with http://www.memtest.org. Also please make sure that you have the latest bios as well.