Random BSODs after upgrading DDR2 RAM from 4 GB to 8 GB

[kjammer]

=== The Story ===

I upgraded my RAM from 4GB to 8GB, and I'm experiencing random BSODs. By "random" I mean no discernible pattern, no consistency, with different errors, attributed to different drivers (according to WhoCrashed). The Blue screens can happen at any time, whether I'm playing a game, browsing the internet, watching youtube, or sitting idle. Windows 7 and the BIOS can see the 8GB of RAM, and it boots up, but will eventually crash with a BSOD.

Here's what I tried:

* Removed and replaced RAM sticks, still crashes

* Used Memtest86+ with 4 passes, no errors.

* Thinking it was a driver issue (based on answers from this site and the WhoCrashed program) I reformatted my Windows partition and reinstalled. Still getting crashes.

* Flashed my BIOS to the latest version, still crashes.

At this point, I figured my new sticks weren't playing nice with the old ones. They were both DD2, CL 5, and 1.8 V. But they were different speeds. The old one was 667 MHz and the new one was 800. I thought speed wouldn't matter because the faster one would slow down to match the slower. So I decided to buy 2 pairs of 2GB DDR2 800 MHz from amazon. I merely upped the quantity from 1 to 2 and expected 4 identical RAM sticks from KomputerBay. Unfortunately, they sent me 2 different kinds.

They were both 2GB each, they were both DDR2, they were both 800 MHz, they both had the same KomputerBay label, but they had different RAM chips. One was made by SK Hynix, and the other by Kingston. Kingston RAM sticks are usually half the height as others, and this one was no exception.

I put both sets in, and the crashes kept happening. No noticable difference, other than the BIOS screen now said "DDR2 800" since they're all the same speed.

I ran memtest86+ on the new batch for 9 passes (took 24 hours non-stop), no errors found.

Then I tried using 1 pair at a time in each of the slot pairs for 2 das each. (set #1 in slots A1 and A2 for 2 days, then set #1 in slots B1 and B2 for 2 days, then set #2 in slots A, and so on) It hasn't crashed in any of those experiments. Either my system can't handle 8 GB (which the manuals say it should) or the RAMs are all incompatible with each other.

I'm not sure where to go from here, any advice? Is there a solution I'm not seeing?


=== TL;DR ===

4GB RAM = Stable; 8GB RAM = Unstable; Want 8GB = Stable; Out of ideas, what do?


=== My Specs ===

Motherbaord:ASUS M3N78 PRO
CPU: AMD Phenom X4 9500 (quad core 2.2 GHz)
RAM sockets: Dual Channel, 4 x 240-pin DIMM, can support unbuffered ECC/non-ECC DDR2 at 1066/800/677 MHz up to 16 GB (according to the manual)
Graphics Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1050 Ti D5 4G (rev1.1) [in PCI Express 2.0 X16 slot]
Sound Card:HT Omega Claro Plus [in PCI slot]
Power: 550W
OS: Windows 7 SP1 64-Bit
BIOS: Phoenix Award Bios, version escapes me, latest flash for my MB


=== The RAM Sticks ===

I have 4GB (2 sticks of 2GB) of each set below

- original set -

Manufacturer: Kingston
Interface: DDR2
Speed: 667 MHz
CAS Latency: 5
Voltage: 1.8 V
Timing: (unknown)

- the upgrade -

Manufacturer: Mushkin
Interface: DDR2
Speed: 800 MHz
CAS Latency: 5
Voltage: 1.8 V
Timing: 5-5-5-18

- the replacements -

Both have the same label stickers, voltage and latency info came from the Amazon page.

Manufacturer: KomputerBay (Kingston)
Interface: DDR2
Speed: 800 MHz
CAS Latency: 5
Voltage: 1.8 V
Timing: (unknown)

Manufacturer: KomputerBay (SK Hynix)
Interface: DDR2
Speed: 800 MHz
CAS Latency: 5
Voltage: 1.8 V
Timing: (unknown)

 

[sonnieharker]

is your os 32 bit, or 64 bit. And mixing the ram manufacturer may not be a good idea as they might have different ram timings.

 

[kjammer]

is your os 32 bit, or 64 bit. And mixing the ram manufacturer may not be a good idea as they might have different ram timings.

64-bit, I'll update the tags and op. Since RAM doesn't usually come with documentation, I don't know the timings on most of them. Before reading your reply, tried both "kingston" sets together, and it blue screened within minutes both times.

 

[Paul NZ]

It only supports 8 GB max not 16 GB. According to the site

Upload the small dmp files to onedrive then post the link

Test 1 stick at a time with memtest

 

[kjammer]

Sorry for the late reply, but it took the new RAM a long time to get here. The problem was the different RAM manufacturers. I can now see why KomputerBay leaves out RAM timings in their product info, because they are selling them as 800MHz DDR2 2.0 GB and they package any stick that fits that criteria no matter the brand. I managed to find 4 identical 2GB DDR2 sticks and now it works like a charm.

Now the question is, what do I do with all these extra RAM sticks?