Question I would like to know if this is a RAM issue?

[MzJ]

Hey everyone,

Firstly, I apologize in advance if I'm posting in the wrong section; I'm not entirely sure if my RAM is the cause of the issue. For context, my PC has been slowing down to a halt and locking up, requiring a force restart. This has been happening consistently for over a week, around 1-2 times a day.

It always occurs midway while I'm playing a game. During the first couple of days, my PC just locks up immediately, requiring me to initiate a force restart. The problem doesn't reoccur after a single restart for the rest of the day.

In the next few days, I would encounter my PC slowing down to a halt, and only then does it lock up, requiring a force restart. There was a day where these graphic "red artifacts" and a black screen appeared before it completely rebooted my PC. This was also when I noticed it could be my RAM issue, as the RGB lights on my RAM shut off, while the rest of my PC is still lit up. Did it crash or something?

Strangely, this is happening only for some games. For some reason, I am not encountering this issue in games like Homeworld 3 and Manorlords (long playthroughs), but it happens in games like PSO2:NGS and some mobile games.

FYI, my RAM is quite new; I replaced it like 3+ months ago.

Specs:
- i5 13600K
- 4090 GPU
- Gigabyte B760 Gaming X AX DDR4(Bios version, F1 (6/10/2022 - default release version)
- Corsair Vengeance RGB PRO SL 32GB 3200MHZ (2x16GB)
- 1000W FSP Hydro GT Pro 80+ Gold (Approx. 17+ months of use?)
- No Overclocks (don't know how to)

Any help would be appreciated. I am also now using HWMonitor but have no idea how to identify whether a hardware issue is occurring when stress testing.

 

[CodeConnoisseur]

It does sound like it could be a RAM issue, systems do tend to just freeze completely when that's the cause. I always recommend booting MemTest on a flash drive for testing RAM. Are there any recent dumps in C:\Windows\Minidump or a C:\Windows\MEMORY.DMP? Additionally, try testing one stick at a time to ensure it is the RAM itself and not the slot(s), motherboard, memory controller, etc.

 

[JohnBonhamsGhost]

Specs:

always include your PSU make & model plus it's overall time in use,
your motherboard make & model plus current BIOS version,
and your RAM kit's make & model.

 

[MzJ]

It does sound like it could be a RAM issue, systems do tend to just freeze completely when that's the cause. I always recommend booting MemTest on a flash drive for testing RAM. Are there any recent dumps in C:\Windows\Minidump or a C:\Windows\MEMORY.DMP? Additionally, try testing one stick at a time to ensure it is the RAM itself and not the slot(s), motherboard, memory controller, etc.

Thanks for the reply, the latest one i have in minidump folder is on 10th May

minidump

Will also try out the MemTest, i do see a stickied guide on the RAM forums.

 

[MzJ]

always include your PSU make & model plus it's overall time in use,
your motherboard make & model plus current BIOS version,
and your RAM kit's make & model.

Thanks, i have updated my specs. Apparently my bios version is the initial release version, did not update it at all since i got my PC. Will that be a problem?

 

[CodeConnoisseur]

Thanks, i have updated my specs. Apparently my bios version is the initial release version, did not update it at all since i got my PC. Will that be a problem?

It's always a good idea to update it so yes, but I highly doubt it'd be causing such a low-level issue as this.

 

[CodeConnoisseur]

Thanks for the reply, the latest one i have in minidump folder is on 10th May

minidump

Will also try out the MemTest, i do see a stickied guide on the RAM forums.

This dump is inaccessible, please ensure that you have the permissions set to allow access to anyone with the link.

 

[MzJ]

This dump is inaccessible, please ensure that you have the permissions set to allow access to anyone with the link.

minidump

Sorry about that, i have set the permissions for this file to everyone. Hope that works

 

[CodeConnoisseur]

minidump

Sorry about that, i have set the permissions for this file to everyone. Hope that works

Still not working, you should be able to right click on the file in Google Drive, select "Share", and set the dropdown such that "Anyone with the link" has "Viewer" permissions. Then click "Copy link" in the lower left and paste it here.

 

[MzJ]

Still not working, you should be able to right click on the file in Google Drive, select "Share", and set the dropdown such that "Anyone with the link" has "Viewer" permissions. Then click "Copy link" in the lower left and paste it here.

So sorry for the repeated post, here you go this should work now.

minidump

 

[CodeConnoisseur]

So sorry for the repeated post, here you go this should work now.

minidump

The dump accuses nvlddmkm.sys, which is an NVIDIA driver. Check that your drivers are up to date in GeForce Experience, and it might be a good idea to do a clean install with Display Driver Uninstaller in safe mode and the like. You did mention that there were some "red artifacts" before your display cut to black, which can point to a GPU issue. There's also this Reddit post on the issue.