Memtest ERROR!, replace RAM?

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Oscarmk

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Apr 20, 2012
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Hello,

After weeks of feeling like there was something wrong with my pc but not knowing exactly what was going on I finally decided to run memtest (DOH!), first time it ran fine for 2 hours but I have 16 GB, second time I got 7 errors in the same 2047 MB of ram within 30 minutes!.

I started to suspect RAM because Starcraft II would have some fps drops and sometimes after playing I would get a "Starcraft II corrupt files", checking blizzard forums said possible causes: faulty RAM. And looks like indeed that was the case.

The errors I get in memtest are like this:

"Memory error detected! Copying between 4ac6a97 and 4ac69f4 did not result in accurate copy"

or

"Memory error detected Pair 81737404 does not store values accurately"

More about my system (just assembled 20 days ago):

Saphire HD 7850 OC (at default OC)
i5 2500k (turbo enabled, i.e. 3.7 ghz while gaming)
16 GB Corsair Vegeance @ 1333 CML16GX3M4A1600C9B (but can activate XPS for 1600 but would this really help at all?)
Maximus IV Gene-z/Gen 3 Motherboard BIOS - 0402 (first released BIOS)
Blue Caviar WD 500 GB
Seasonic Semi Modular 620 W PSU

I checked my Maximus IV Gene guide and my Ram is fully supported. I also checked on BIOS and the timings and voltage is at 1.501 V which is good since it is rated 1.5 V. My question is if the RAM failed can I isolate the problem to the RAM only or is it possible the Motherboard is also defective?. Or perhaps the defective motherboard made the RAM fail?.

At this point, I assume there is no option but to RMA the 4 Ram modules correct?

Other things I did, was at only point since my RAM is currently running at 1333 mhz, I decided to activate the XPS profile which worked fine, but it raised my core voltage on my CPU and I just didn't like it so in bios I selected "optimized defaults" to reset to where it was. Is it possible this messed up something?, this was about 10 days ago.

Other notes: Besides SC 2 everything else was running pretty smooth with no BSOD, but then again since my usual memory ram usage was around 10-20% I probably never even got to use those 2047 MB of RAM.

I also feel like my pc is under performing in Starcraft II, I believe I am getting lower fps than I should with my system, even though 3d Mark 11 performance score is normal for my system. I made a thread here for that issue:

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/351325-33-7850-starcraft-performance

Would this be related?

EDIT: I was reading this:

If you do get an error, the next question is to determine how to fix it. The most common cause of memory errors is a faulty memory card. Unfortunately, due to variations in motherboards and chipsets, it is impossible to reliably locate the physical chip that is failing purely via software. It is still possible, however, to determine which DIMM is failing if you have more than one, by elimination: Run the machine with one memory board installed at a time; when errors are found the installed board is at fault. This is also a good diagnostic for another reason: sometimes the problem is really with the motherboard, and it will disappear if you have less RAM installed, or if the DIMMs are installed in different slots. If you have access to multiple computers, you can also try testing the "faulty" RAM in both to isolate whether the problem is the memory or some other component.

Should I open the PC and start testing 1 Module at a time, then when one fails, move it to another slot and if it doesn't fail in that slot, that would mean defective motherboard correct?.

Thank you,

Oscar
 
Solution
You should contact Corsair support and open an incident.

They will want you to run memtest 86+.

Since you know you have an error, run the test on one stick at a time to identify known good and bad sticks.

If you can, run a test with a known good stick in each of the slots to eliminate the possibility of a bad slot. (unlikely)

The 2500K has a good memory controller. Running at >1333 will have minimal effect on real performance.
http://www.anandtech.com/show/4503/sandy-bridge-memory-scaling-choosing-the-best-ddr3/1

With 4 sticks, you sometimes have to increase the ram voltage a notch; you could try that.

Corsair will want to replace the whole kit, not just the bad stick/s to insure compatibility.
You should contact Corsair support and open an incident.

They will want you to run memtest 86+.

Since you know you have an error, run the test on one stick at a time to identify known good and bad sticks.

If you can, run a test with a known good stick in each of the slots to eliminate the possibility of a bad slot. (unlikely)

The 2500K has a good memory controller. Running at >1333 will have minimal effect on real performance.
http://www.anandtech.com/show/4503/sandy-bridge-memory-scaling-choosing-the-best-ddr3/1

With 4 sticks, you sometimes have to increase the ram voltage a notch; you could try that.

Corsair will want to replace the whole kit, not just the bad stick/s to insure compatibility.
 
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Oscarmk

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Apr 20, 2012
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Thank you for your reply, I will try to test for a bad slot to rule that out. And then RMA the 4 modules. Since you mention i will get all 4 replaced does it matter to figure out which one is damaged?.
 


No, Corsair wants to replace the whole kit.

Ram is sold in kits for a reason.
Ram from the same vendor and part number can be made up of differing manufacturing components over time.
Some motherboards can be very sensitive to this.
 
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