[SOLVED] Tried to upgrade my RAM, now my computer crashes constantly

[plshelpimdumb]

When I would stream video for about 90 minutes or so I would run out of memory, the browser would freeze, and I would force it to close (and wait 10-15 minutes for the process to fully end). This was annoying to say the least so I thought I should upgrade my RAM from some cheap 4GB sticks (for a total of 8GB) to some more expensive 8GB sticks (for a total of 16GB). For the first couple days the computer ran great - better than I'd seen it in years. No problems with streaming video at all. Then all of a sudden it crashed and restarted. Every time I would boot it back up and try to play a YouTube video it would crash again. The only thing that would "fix" it is turning the computer off and leaving it off for a couple of hours, after which it would work normally for several hours with no hiccups. I tried taking the RAM out and putting it back in and again the computer worked for several hours - until it crashed again. I wondered if maybe the new RAM I got was faulty so I took it out and swapped in my old RAM, and again the computer worked for a while. Weirdly, I don't believe I had any issues with running out of memory while streaming, even with the old RAM. Unfortunately, it crashed again and now I am at a loss. I don't believe it's temperature related as I checked my CPU/GPU/Motherboard temperatures frequently and every time I looked they were well within reasonable ranges. What could be causing my crashing problems?

 

[geofelt]

Memtest86 is the gold standard for testing ram.
It boots from a usb stick and does not use windows.

If you can run a full pass with NO errors, you should be ok.

 

[Calvin7]

from some cheap 4GB sticks (for a total of 8GB) to some more expensive 8GB sticks (for a total of 16GB)

Such combinations are likely not compatible with each other.

 

[plshelpimdumb]

Memtest86 is the gold standard for testing ram.
It boots from a usb stick and does not use windows.

If you can run a full pass with NO errors, you should be ok.

Thank you, will test this in a couple minutes and post results.

from some cheap 4GB sticks (for a total of 8GB) to some more expensive 8GB sticks (for a total of 16GB)

Such combinations are likely not compatible with each other.

I might have worded that poorly. The computer had 2x4GB sticks of RAM that came with the computer and have been in use for years. I took both of those out and slotted in 2x8GB sticks that I ordered online (they were packaged/sold together). I did not do any mixing and matching.

 

[Third-Eye]

What could be causing my crashing problems?

Please post your full system specs as much as possible, including motherboard model, old and new memory kit models and power supply model.

 

[plshelpimdumb]

Memtest86 is the gold standard for testing ram.
It boots from a usb stick and does not use windows.

If you can run a full pass with NO errors, you should be ok.

Okay so I tested my old cheap ram first, it passed 47 of 48 tests total. It failed test 13 (the hammer test) once. Would this explain why my computer crashes every day after a few hours of use? I'll test out the newer RAM in a little while as the tests take forever.

Please post your full system specs as much as possible, including motherboard model, old and new memory kit models and power supply model.

CPU: Intel Core i5-3450
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-B75M-D3H
RAM: 2 Sticks of Super Talent 4GB DDR3 XMP PC3-10600

The RAM I purchased was this one https://www.newegg.com/g-skill-16gb-240-pin-ddr3-sdram/p/N82E16820231486?Item=N82E16820231486

 

[Third-Eye]

Okay so I tested my old cheap ram first, it passed 47 of 48 tests total. It failed test 13 (the hammer test) once. Would this explain why my computer crashes every day after a few hours of use? I'll test out the newer RAM in a little while as the tests take forever.

If the system was working fine without any crashes before you added the new ram, it's possible that you bumped something and shifted the heat-sink. Sometimes bumps to the case or heat-sink can make the CPU pins in the socket on the motherboard shift out of position and cause ram to stop working or the system to boot loop.

Ram shouldn't return any errors when running memtest86. If you get errors, it means the ram is faulty or something else is wrong with the motherboard. You may need to take the CPU out and check for bent pins and then place the CPU back in, then repaste it to. It may fix the problem, or there is something else wrong.

 

[plshelpimdumb]

If the system was working fine without any crashes before you added the new ram, it's possible that you bumped something and shifted the heat-sink.

It would occasionally crash before but it wasn't like a weekly occurrence or anything.

or something else is wrong with the motherboard.

How could I find out if that is the case?

You may need to take the CPU out and check for bent pins and then place the CPU back in, then repaste it to.

Is there another way for me to test the CPU? I don't have any thermal paste and it would take at least a week for delivery.

 

[Third-Eye]

Is there another way for me to test the CPU? I don't have any thermal paste and it would take at least a week for delivery.

There isn't really any safe or good way to test the CPU socket without having graphite thermal pads or some thermal paste to repaste the CPU. Testing it without new paste "might" work if you had just recently applied paste. You likely have cured or dried paste and if you remove the heat-sink, you will most definitely cause the CPU to overheat when you put the heat-sink back on with the old paste still on it.

Diagnosing memory module errors can be tricky without extra parts and equipment for testing. It's not always obvious that the modules are fine or if they are faulty. You mentioned the system was crashing with the old memory and only the new memory installed, which suggest an issue with the CPU socket. If reseating the CPU after checking for bent pins doesn't fix the issue, you may have a damaged motherboard or your power supply may be starting to fail.

Just remember that if you break any pins, you will need a new motherboard, so don't attempt anything until you thoroughly research the procedure. If you know someone that can and are willing to do this for you, don't do it yourself if you don't feel comfortable doing it. You may be better off bringing the system to a shop if there are any still open near you.

 

[plshelpimdumb]

Diagnosing memory module errors can be tricky without extra parts and equipment for testing. It's not always obvious that the modules are fine or if they are faulty. You mentioned the system was crashing with the old memory and only the new memory installed, which suggest an issue with the CPU socket. If reseating the CPU after checking for bent pins doesn't fix the issue, you may have a damaged motherboard or your power supply may be starting to fail.

Okay, thank you for the help.

 

[plshelpimdumb]

For anyone that's wondering, I seem to have fixed it by replacing the power supply. I'm guessing the problems started when I cleaned years of dust buildup out of the computer (the GPU and CPU in particular had a lot) which allowed those parts to run at higher speeds than before - and therefore draw more power - and my cheap 350W PSU could no longer cut it. Anyway, thanks for the help and suggestions everyone.