Is memory causing crashes?

[jase888]

I bought a second hand pc and it came with 12GB RAM (1 x 8GB Hyper X) and (1 x 4GB unknown make). The second stick is half the height of the other which ive never seen befor, view here.

Can anyone explain if this is laptop ram or something? Is it meant for desktops?

The PC installed windows well with just the 8GB RAM then i put the other 4GB stick back in and after 5 mins it froze so i suspect its the RAM but only tested this theory once as did in my lunch hr. Will test better tonight.

 

[smashjohn]

Yes, it sounds like having different sticks is causing your problem. Memory always prefers to be installed in kits. Motherboards can't always play nice with mix-n-match ram. I'd just run the 8GB stick. If you want more memory, pull it all and buy a 16GB kit that is tested with that motherboard.

 

[Dunlop0078]

Could be, mis matching ram that did not come in the same kit is hit or miss. You may be able get them to run stable together if you mess with the timings and speeds of the sticks but no guarantees.

Certainly don't try to tun on XMP, if it will even let you.

 

[jase888]

memtest passed last night and no freezes whilst using it for an hour so hopefully it was just that extra RAM stick like you guys suggested thanks.