Memtest86+ (4.2) - Test Length & Methodology

[aphasia]

trying to nail down some stability issues on a system i'm working on (goal to elimated RAM and motherboard as problems)

-AMD X6 1100
-Asus Crosshair V (UEFI 0705)
-16GB G.Skill F3-12800CL9Q-16GBRL RAM (DDR3 1600 4GBx4)

so i'm at the memory test phase.
my thinking on this was to test each 4GB stick individually in the 1st DIMM slot then if all sticks pass, chose 1 stick and retest in the remaining slots (DIMM 2, 3 & 4). i guess the last step would be to test will all DIMMs populated.

how long should i run each test (or number of passes) and finally if all individual sticks & DIMMs checkout, how long should i run the final test will DIMMs fully loaded (16GB across 4 DIMMs)?

 

[drescherjm]

how long should i run each test (or number of passes)

Overnight at minimum. Obviously you can stop any test after a single error is reported.

 

[aphasia]

Overnight at minimum. Obviously you can stop any test after a single error is reported.

thanks for the input.

so around 8hrs minimum per stick of RAM?
should i do the same amount of time (once all sticks are cleared or errors) when testing the individual DIMM slots?
the final test with fully populated DIMMs should take what, 24+ hours?
all up that's a few days of solid back-to-back testing.

 

[pelo]

thanks for the input.

so around 8hrs minimum per stick of RAM?
should i do the same amount of time (once all sticks are cleared or errors) when testing the individual DIMM slots?
the final test with fully populated DIMMs should take what, 24+ hours?
all up that's a few days of solid back-to-back testing.

I've always let it run overnight or while at work (about 6-10 hours). I can see your point though:

How long is long enough to be sure?

From what I've read and seen, you're never 100% sure. But I've also encountered bad sticks that often give errors within the first 5-10 minutes (errors on the first pass). If you're going to get an error, it'll most likely be right at the beginning.

I'd say give it enough passes/time so that you feel comfortable it won't surprise you. If it's going to be on 24/7 and you want it super stable then you can run it for 12+ hours or even a full day. Generally, people let it run for a few hours.

http://shsc.info/Memtest86

 

[larrymoencurly]

One person was unable to find errors after a long run with one diagnostic. Another diagnostic detected an error quickly but needed almost 10 hours to detect that error again. So use at least two completely different good diagnostics, like MemTest86/86+ and also Gold Memory.

 

[aphasia]

thanks for the feedback guys.

completed my testing and found the culprit, one of the sticks was in fact BAD. why do the errors always pop-up on the last stick tried..

anyway the 'problem child' stick spat errors (thousands of them) almost immediately in MemTest86+. they all occurred in the same memory space as far as i could tell, didn't bother to test much past 10mins.

i dropped the memory back at the outlet this morning. thought i was going to endure some lengthy song & dance routine to get a replacement and buy another set in the interim while i wait for the rma to come thru.

in the end i walked out of the store with a new set (an upgraded one: g.skill 16GB 1866 vs the old 16GB 1600) without spending a cent, actually ended up ahead. the store gave me a store credit for the difference between the 2 kits which is fine because i do a bit of business there.

for a faulty product return, it was the most painless one i've ever done, in fact it was a positive experience.