hci memtest vs. memtest86+

C

cyclone3d

[H]F Junkie
Joined
Aug 16, 2004
Messages
16,293
Well, I just found my new favorite RAM testing program.

It is memtest from HCI : http://hcidesign.com/memtest/

The reason is, I have been having issues with game crashes and memtest86+ didn't show any errors.

HCI memtest does show errors though.. and it runs in Windows and stresses the system more. The only thing about it I don't like is that is doesn't show the memory address of the error.
 
I still believe that memtest86+ is the best. You can even put on a floppy, boot up and start testing.

It truly loads the memory up! While in windows I believe not all the memory can be allocated/cached for testing since windows needs to operate.
 
Did fixing the memory problem solve your crashes? If it did, then hci memtest is the way to go. Nothing worse than ruling something out initially only to find it was the cause to begin with...
 
Technophobe said:
Did fixing the memory problem solve your crashes? If it did, then hci memtest is the way to go. Nothing worse than ruling something out initially only to find it was the cause to begin with...
Click to expand...

Yes, it did fix my crashes in WoW. Haven't really played anything else lately.
 
cyclone3d said:
Once again I will point out that memtest86/86+ was NOT showing any errors no matter how long I let it run.

hci memtest was showing errors though.

Memtest86/86+ does not load the system near as much as the hci one does.
Click to expand...
People are still using older versions of Memtest 3.*. There are lots of older versions floating around on the net. www.memtest.org is the place to get the newest version that is updated for modern MOBOs. And, Memtest is not designed to load the system per se. It's a simple diagnostic designed to locate bad memory cells.
 
I downloaded the latest version from there and burned a bootable ISO. No errors reported whatsoever.

If the RAM is NOT being stressed by memtest86/86+ like it would be in real use, then what good is it? Sure it will show errors is the RAM is totally trashed, but if it is marginal and only gives errors in normal/heavy use, memtest 86/86+ is apparently not going to show up any errors.
 
"Stressing" memory is not necessarily the best way to test it. There's more than 1 way for memory to fail. And, it's entirely possible to have a bad cell on memory yet never find it simply by stressing the memory.

There is no number 1 end all be all memory tool. But, Memtest is consistently the best for finding bad memory.

FWIW, I'm not trying to debate you or the obvious fact that you have resolved your issue using a tool other than Memtest. I simply pointed out the best source to find the most current and most compatible version of Memtest. Use whatever tool floats yer boat ;).
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top