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Dual channel memory causing excessive bsod, but single ram is running fine

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debojitk

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Jun 18, 2012
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Hi,
I have 2 2gb kingston installed in dual channel mode in a msi p45 neo board.
Those were not bought as pair but were running fine for past 3 years.
Recently I installed Win 7 and few days after that installation it started giving random blue dump.
earlier i had 8600 gt board with a standard power supply.
Yesterday I upgraded the board to zotac gtx 560, and the psu to corsair GS500.
Still it was giving bule dump, and even after a fresh installation the blue dump did not stop.

Then I ran P95 stress testing with ram testing, and found the workers stopped, and soon the system resulted in blue dump.
The bsods are some time MEMORY_MANAGEMENT, some times PAGE_FAULT_IN_NON_PAGED_AREA.

Then I removed one ram stick and tested both stick in standalone mode, and in standalone mode both are running fine without any error.With single ram the windows experience index is 5.5, where as in dual channel mode it is 7.1.
How should I test the rams and find out the original criminal, i mean the ram or the mobo.
Please help.
Thanks in advance.
ram kingston ddr2 800 mhz.
 
sounds like the memory controller in the cpu is unstable try upping the CPU-NB voltage to about 1.25-1.3
if that fails to help I would suspect that the cpu is starting to degrade
 
should i suspect the cpu or the mobo/ram

Thanks for your reply.

My CPU is C2Q 8200 and it is just 3 yrs old.
The hack you suggested I will apply today evening and see if it works.
I just wanted to know that increasing cpu nb voltage is safe or not.
Should I try changing the mobo slots.
 
errhmm I assumed it was amd because you failed to fill in you'r system specs disregard what I said
I would reseat the cpu first > pull the cooler off > remove the cpu from the socket and reinstall it and use fresh thermal paste
 
Try other rams or/and your ram in other pc.
Maybe you can get RMA for thet CPU if under 3 years old.

For stable PC, please buy better PSU-s in the future.
 
CaptainFailcon said:
WHAT ?
what in the fuck are you babbling about
Click to expand...
Im sorry if I make your head banged to the wall.
I try to narrow down the problem, find the problem what actually causing it.

Now the babbling part: Increase the volt-s may help in the short , but may just kill the falling part in hes PC + if he could find the part whats broken, may he is in the timeframe to RMA.
In short: increase the volt should hes LAST result, not first.
Best regards
 
i am really confused why u guys are suspecting my cpu.

Hi,
Thanks to u guys for replies.
But i am really confused why u guys are suspecting my cpu.
With single ram it is running rock solid stable.
Update: I have tested both rams individually in every slots, and both performed flawless.
Whenever I put two sticks together in dual/non-dual channel mode, P95 is failing like anything, and it happens when I choose the torture test for ram testing (3rd option in P95 torture test).
When I test CPU for maximum heat (In place FFT), it runs flawless.

CaptainFailcon said:
sounds like the memory controller in the cpu is unstable try upping the CPU-NB voltage to about 1.25-1.3
if that fails to help I would suspect that the cpu is starting to degrade
Click to expand...
I did that, I mean I tried increasing MCH voltage, but just wanted to know that NB voltage is the MCH voltage or the ICH voltage. Because my mobo is MSI P45 neo, and it does not have anything like NB voltage in its CELL Menu.
My ram timing is 6-6-6-18, and the Command rate (1T/2T) is kept auto.
Is there any scope to alter those settings.

If in any case the 2 ram stick scenario does not work with my current setting, Can I get a 4gb DDR2 1066 Mhz for my Mobo instead of 800 Mhz, beacuse I think the memory speed is becoming the bottleneck between my newly installed gtx 560 card, and the quad core cpu.

Note:
Win 7 system rating:
CPU: 7.1
Graphics: 7.6
ram:5.5 (single stick), 7.1 (double stick)
disk:5.8

Please suggest.
 
Yes, MCH is NB voltage. On a core2quad, the mem controller is in the NB on the motherboard, not the cpu. You can go as high as 1.4v on the MCH, and you may need to bump up ram volts just a touch, but that's only if needed. Make sure to set for 2T command rate to eliminate any variables. You may need to bump up cpu volts a bit too, but only if the above didn't help.
 
sorry for late reply

Hey guys,

I could not apply the changes you suggested because my new zotac gtx 560 is working no more. It is showing some garbled character on screen during booting just after POST, and when its time to load the desktop it is resulting in blue dumps with pink dots every where in the screen. Uninstalling/reinstalling driver could not solve the problem.
Should I consider that it is gone?
Please reply.
 
debojitk said:
Hey guys,

I could not apply the changes you suggested because my new zotac gtx 560 is working no more. It is showing some garbled character on screen during booting just after POST, and when its time to load the desktop it is resulting in blue dumps with pink dots every where in the screen. Uninstalling/reinstalling driver could not solve the problem.
Should I consider that it is gone?
Please reply.
Click to expand...

sounds pretty well dead to me next time buy EVGA/XFX
 
CaptainFailcon said:
sounds pretty well dead to me next time buy EVGA/XFX
Click to expand...

u r right
my old evga 8800gt is working flawless from last 4.5 yrs w/o any problem.
I bought zotac because it was a bit cheap @$200, and evga gtx 560 was not available at retail shop, and i don't know how in future it is going to perform
 
I won't ever buy zotac/power color
completely made in china with typical china "quality" you are lucky it didn't explode or suddenly fall into a sink hole
 
I've seen this memory problem several times, where one or two stick works fine but two or three makes the computer unstable. The broken stick works fine on its own since the strain put on the memory bus is lower with only one stick, but with more RAM installed the workload increases and the faulty stick can't handle it.
The only way of diagnosing the faulty memory stick is to get an extra stick and test the two original ones against it, one at a time. Then you can discard the one that still gives errors.
As for the graphics card, test it in another computer and see if the problem persists. It might be possible that the problem is due to something simple, like overheating from a fan clogged up with dust or that the extra 6-pin power cable came off.
 
@CaptainFialcon
I just bought the card a week back, and it is dead within a week. So at this point i can't shell out more money to get another card.
Can u give me solution to this problem. I mean any customization on the card like custom cooling etc.
 
Hi Paddan,
u r right, i think i found the faulty ram stick and i m going to test with another stick.
can u tell me kingston lifetime warranty is really life time or less than that. i think i lost the cash memo of the ram stick
 
debojitk said:
can u tell me kingston lifetime warranty is really life time or less than that. i think i lost the cash memo of the ram stick
Click to expand...

Kingston Limited Warranty Statement

Product Lifetime Warranty:
The following Kingston products are covered by this warranty for the life of the product:

Memory modules including ValueRAM®, HyperX®, Retail Memory and Kingston system-specific memory; Flash memory cards (e.g., Secure Digital, Secure Digital HC and XC, CompactFlash, MultiMediaCard, SmartMedia) and Flash adapters.
Click to expand...

Read the section that pertains to your country or region, here> Warranty Claim Procedures and Requirements


EDIT:
P45 Neo

Supports four unbuffered DIMM of 1.8 Volt DDR2 667/800/1066* (OC) DRAM, 16GB Max.
Click to expand...

Also, if, you know how to flash the bios and wish to take the risk... you may want to update to the latest; as, some bios updates had memory compatibility fixes.

Chances are the ram is good, if you run Memtest on the individual sticks and they pass.

I believe you have other things, possibly, going on. I am curious as to why the video card died so suddenly.
 
Last edited:
Paddan1000 said:
The broken stick works fine on its own since the strain put on the memory bus is lower with only one stick, but with more RAM installed the workload increases and the faulty stick can't handle it.
Click to expand...
@95 viper, how do you think of the above. I mean single stick mode working fine, but when double stick come it becomes unstable.
What else could be the problem, i mean do u want to infer any relationship with the video card dying incident with this ram issue.
But the thing is probably i have found a ram stick as guilty; in single stick mode the system is resulting in bsods when i ran p95 in ram testing torture mode.
Aonther thing - can i rely on memtest result for memory testing, because i tested the both rams even in dual channel mode with windows default memory diagnostic (MdSched.exe) in dos mode, and it did not find any error.
Now with the non-faulty ram and the old card system is again stable.

Please help me in identifying the actual root cause of all the issues.
Note: I have recently installed corsair gs 500 psu in my system.
Could you please suggest any other diagnostics

Thanks in advance.
Edit: When the card died the system was running with one ram and was stable with no frequent bsods
 
Last edited:
In response to the original subject of the post, I think the memory controller on the motherboard is had it.

I had something similar happen with my old Core 2 rig although the chipset was a 680i.

The machine could run fine in single channel but would either black screen, come up with AMD VPU recover, bluescreen or reset all together.
 
Widjaja said:
In response to the original subject of the post, I think the memory controller on the motherboard is had it.

I had something similar happen with my old Core 2 rig although the chipset was a 680i.

The machine could run fine in single channel but would either black screen, come up with AMD VPU recover, bluescreen or reset all together.
Click to expand...

possible but not likey that almost never happens
 
CaptainFailcon said:
possible but not likey that almost never happens
Click to expand...

More of a chance than a degrading memory controller on a 775skt CPU.

Either way, the ram can be crossed out, and the I believe the CPU.
 
CaptainFailcon said:
its more likely that the gpu in the process of dieing was causing the error as well
Click to expand...

Yet the OP states the bsods were occurring before the new GPU was installed.
 
Widjaja said:
In response to the original subject of the post, I think the memory controller on the motherboard is had it.

I had something similar happen with my old Core 2 rig although the chipset was a 680i.

The machine could run fine in single channel but would either black screen, come up with AMD VPU recover, bluescreen or reset all together.
Click to expand...

Widjaja said:
Yet the OP states the bsods were occurring before the new GPU was installed.
Click to expand...

Valid points.

debojitk said:
@95 viper, how do you think of the above. I mean single stick mode working fine, but when double stick come it becomes unstable.
Click to expand...

I am leaning the way Widjaja is.

It could, also, be the NB, and/or the memory, needs a bump in voltage due to age and/or the motherboards memory controller is going.
Or, it could, even, be you may just need to set your voltages and memory timings manually.

What are the model numbers and timings on the two sticks?
What settings (voltages, timings, etc.) is the motherboard is using?

Run CPUz and/or HWInfo; take some screen shots of the voltages/timings and post them.

And, for grins and giggles; post a screen shot of your temps at idle and load, you can use Real Temp.

Also, run a good full scan on the Hard drive/s.
Look in your device manager and see if there are any problems.

Have you tried resetting the bios... like, removing the CMOS battery, moving the clear cmos dip jumper, or any other method. If not, try clearing the BIOS(CMOS).

If you still suspect a bad or dying stick of ram, then borrow/buy some, and test it.
If that seems to be it, RMA the ram.

It would be really nice to see some screen shots and hard numbers on the parts/settings, though, as most of this is guessing.
 
Thanks Viper for your elaborate reply.
I did not get much time at home because of office work load.
I will post those screen shots asap.

The ram timing i remember is 6-6-6-18. Though i will verify and post the snaps

Thanks
 
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