(Help)Can't figure out if Bad RAM or Not compatible with motherboard

[djcham445]

Hi guys,

I need help. 🙁. I bought 2 stick of RAM, which are Corsair Vengeance
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145345

and after i installed them I kept getting an error from windows 8 saying.(Something has caused your PC to crash, We're restarting. and it gives a timer).

So i got a new hard drive as well, not even thinking that it could be a memory issue. I put my new hard drive in and unfortunately could never get windows to install correctly. I kept getting errors when installing, and if it ever did install, i kept getting error's That made my PC restart. Then not long after I wouldn't be able to boot into windows at all.

So now I put my old RAM in and its working fine.

I'm not sure if the two sticks of RAM i bought are just DOA's or its my motherboard. My Motherboard is an Asus M5A78L-M LX PLUS.
http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/M5A78LM_LX_PLUS/#specifications

Here is also my full build.
http://valid.canardpc.com/2819862

If you need anymore info, let me know.

Thanks all 😀. I really need help.

 

[pyro226]

There's a boot CD MemTest 86 ( http://www.memtest86.com/ ) that can tell you if sectors of your ram are bad. Also make sure the ram is fully seated when you install it. If your old set of memory works fine, it's probably the new set of memory. Double check the motherboard's settings for the ram. Perhaps it is not detecting the timings or other settings properly.

 

[djcham445]

There's a boot CD MemTest 86 ( http://www.memtest86.com/ ) that can tell you if sectors of your ram are bad. Also make sure the ram is fully seated when you install it. If your old set of memory works fine, it's probably the new set of memory. Double check the motherboard's settings for the ram. Perhaps it is not detecting the timings or other settings properly.

Thanks for the response. 😀. I definitely will try that memtest. But how do i check my motherboard's settings for the ram. I've been through my bio's and can't seem to find anything about memory.

 

[pyro226]

There's a boot CD MemTest 86 ( http://www.memtest86.com/ ) that can tell you if sectors of your ram are bad. Also make sure the ram is fully seated when you install it. If your old set of memory works fine, it's probably the new set of memory. Double check the motherboard's settings for the ram. Perhaps it is not detecting the timings or other settings properly.

Thanks for the response. 😀. I definitely will try that memtest. But how do i check my motherboard's settings for the ram. I've been through my bio's and can't seem to find anything about memory.

It would be in the bios if the motherboard allowed you to change settings. Some motherboards won't allow you to. You can mem-test it one stick at a time and see if it is just one bad stick or two. If it's both sticks, then it may be your motherboard that's having problems.

 

[Chicano]

You probably need to reset and/or update the BIOS and/or overclock the RAM settings in the BIOS. The CPU is good for up to 1866Mhz RAM but the motherboard is good for up to 1333Mhz... so try
1st. - Resetting the BIOS, (battery out for 5 to 10 minutes) and try the RAM
2nd - Overclocking the RAM to 1600Mhz without increasing the voltage... and try again
3rd - and if it doesn't help update the BIOS...
4th - Check the BIOS RAM voltage,
a) check if it can supply up to 1.5V which is the RAM's technical specs.
b) check what voltage the BIOS is set at,
c) and increase the voltage to 1.5V if it's set lower...

If nothing helped, try it with one RAM module at a time on each slot...
if nothing helped, declare the RAM DOA

 

[Chicano]

But how do i check my motherboard's settings for the ram. I've been through my bio's and can't seem to find anything about memory.

Download the motherboard PDF User's Manual and look under 2.4 Advanced Menu \ Dram Timing for the RAM configurations.
http://www.asus.com/support/Download/1/24/M5A78LM_LX_PLUS/

 

[djcham445]

You probably need to reset and/or update the BIOS and/or overclock the RAM settings in the BIOS. The CPU is good for up to 1866Mhz RAM but the motherboard is good for up to 1333Mhz... so try
1st. - Resetting the BIOS, (battery out for 5 to 10 minutes) and try the RAM
2nd - Overclocking the RAM to 1600Mhz without increasing the voltage... and try again
3rd - and if it doesn't help update the BIOS...
4th - Check the BIOS RAM voltage,
a) check if it can supply up to 1.5V which is the RAM's technical specs.
b) check what voltage the BIOS is set at,
c) and increase the voltage to 1.5V if it's set lower...

If nothing helped, try it with one RAM module at a time on each slot...
if nothing helped, declare the RAM DOA

Thanks man, Im going to try that now but I also have a few question's.
One is that, doesn't this MOBO support up to 1600(O.C.). It says (2 x DIMM, Max. 16GB, DDR3 1866(O.C.)/1600(O.C.)/1333/1066 MHz ECC, Non-ECC, Un-buffered Memory) or does that mean I have to manually Overclock it like you said in step 2.

 

[djcham445]

You probably need to reset and/or update the BIOS and/or overclock the RAM settings in the BIOS. The CPU is good for up to 1866Mhz RAM but the motherboard is good for up to 1333Mhz... so try
1st. - Resetting the BIOS, (battery out for 5 to 10 minutes) and try the RAM
2nd - Overclocking the RAM to 1600Mhz without increasing the voltage... and try again
3rd - and if it doesn't help update the BIOS...
4th - Check the BIOS RAM voltage,
a) check if it can supply up to 1.5V which is the RAM's technical specs.
b) check what voltage the BIOS is set at,
c) and increase the voltage to 1.5V if it's set lower...

If nothing helped, try it with one RAM module at a time on each slot...
if nothing helped, declare the RAM DOA

Ok, I did everything. Just got done updating Bios. And still nothing.
Reset bios- Nothing
Made Sure voltage was 1.5
I didn't Overclock the ram to 1600 because it's already clocked at 1600.

So I'm going with a RMA but are we 100% positive that my Motherboard is compatible with this ram. Cause I'd really hate to replace it with the same one to have the same problem.

Thanks guys.

 

[Chicano]

As you just confirmed it, the motherboard does support 1866 and 1600 mhz RAM modules... they are supposed to slow down to 1333Mhz with AM3 CPUs (forgot this part) but with AM3+ CPUs (as well as with A series CPUs) they will default to their rated speed. So, there is no doubt the motherboard does support 1866 and 1600 Mhz RAM.

There is an inconsistency though... your chipset specs do not coincide with the motherboard specs given at the Asus website; your specs at valid.canardpc.com say the North Bridge is 780G and South Bridge is SB700 but the Asus website says it has the AMD NB760G (or 780L), and SB710.. this in itself means nothing because all those chips should support the 1600mhz RAM,.. the point is that your information is ppssibly being read incorrectly... maybe it's another motherboard or a problem with it.

So, to clear this up, see if some other System Information program reads that information correctly and if you have the right information, you'll have to investigate why that difference. And to make sure you get RAM with proven compatibility, you may want to check the Qualified Vendors Lists (QVL) that's included in the PDF User Manual (page 1-12)... and stick to a brand and part number included in the list to be sure you get 100% compatible RAM. This shouldn't be necessary as any brand and model of RAM should work in your motherboard, but if the cause of the problem can't be determined, you may want to stick to the QVL list.