ram problems, pulling my hair out

A

Atwooooood

Weaksauce
Joined
Oct 28, 2009
Messages
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So i have just received my 4th replacement set of ram from corsair. I have been having so much trouble lately with ram getting shipped bad and ram going bad after a few days.

I just put in my new ram yesterday and already I'm having problems. Ill get ram related problems and ill pop in memtest and reboot and when memtest runs i instantly get hundreds of errors, so then i proceed to test each stick separately and both sticks again with no errors at all.

Reboot and everythings fine for a while, then i start getting problems again, so i repeat the process. Errors with both sticks in at first, then i test the sticks separately and both at the same time with no problems.

I reboot again and this is where im at now, just waiting for ram related issues.

The ram in question is Corsair Dominator 2x2gb sticks. Also i know its not a faulty memory controller because i still have 2 1gb sticks I've been using for 2 years and they're still running strong.

Any insight to this problem? Help would be appreciated.
 
Is it giving you the errors while both your old and new ram are installed?
Have you tested the different DIMM slots?

If you're trying to use the new ram alone:
Do you have your ram timings and voltage on auto? If you do, and haven't messed with the settings already, try to manually set them to the spec of the ram and see what happens.
 
As of yet I've only tested with the new ram and I have tried all the dimm slots. And yes everything is on auto, and how can I go about finding out what the timing and voltage should be, I never mess with those settings.
 
It should be on a sticker on the heat spreader, if it's not just look up the model number on corsair's website.
You can also use CPU-Z, go to the SPD tab and it will give you the settings. If you're running it at 1066 the settings you will use will be under 533MHz (On mine that's under the "EPP #1" heading). Seems like a long shot that this will work anyway but worth a try.
Also what bios version are you using on your P5Q Pro (I assume it's the mb you're using for this)?

CPU-Z can be found HERE
 
After looking at the BIOS list on the Asus website it seems that a lot of their releases have included, "Enhance the compatibility of certain memory," in the notes.

A simple bios update could solve your problem.
 
I am up to date on the latest bios. I'll give the manual config a try after work today and report back, but so far since last night ive had both sticks in and theyve been going strong. Did another test with memtest last night with no errors reported. Its just toying with my emotions haha.
 
If you are trying to run your memory at 1066, you cannot use AUTO settings. Please manually set the following: DRAM voltage, memory controller voltage, and the 4 primary memory timings. The DRAM voltage and timings are printed on the module. The memory controller voltage needs to be set to a stable setting in the 1.25v to 1.4v range. The exact value will be determined by your memory controller.
 
Thank you mike. I'm currently running at 800mhz cause I've had problems running at 1066, but I'm sure its because everything is on auto, so ill give that a try.
 
So i got home and a bunch of services and plugins had unexpectedly ended so i ran memtest and of course, i got hundred of errors within the first 5 seconds, so i went into my bios and changed the voltage to the voltage it says on the sticks, but one thing that confused me was when i run memtest, it says the timing is 5-5-5-18, but on the stick it says 5-5-5-15 and when i went to change it in the bios, its already set 5-5-5-15 under the options but it displays it as 5-5-5-18 right above where i change the settings.

Is this normal or am i overlooking something?
 
It may just be an error in the reporting of the SPD. Also, when using ASUS MOBOs, be sure to temporarily disable Legacy USB Support in the BIOS as this setting conflicts with Memtest.
 
Alright ill give that a try, i got the timing and voltage adjusted and im still getting some errors with memtest, ill try running it with legacy usb disabled, but that still doesnt change that fact that im having problems when windows is loaded up. It seems like the ram will act up for a while, then itll be fine after i take it out and reinsert it. its an ongoing battle to keep it working.
 
When you say "memory related problems", what exactly do you mean? If the BIOS changes above don't resolve it, we'll look into this a bit more.
 
random blue screens, windows services suddenly stopping, issues ive only had when receiving these replacement sets of ram. I have none of these problems with my identical 1 gb sticks. I got the timing changed to 5-5-5-15 and voltage to 2.1 and am running memtest for the 2nd time. First time displayed errors after i made the changes and so far on this 2nd test i have received no errors, but it will most likely start acting up once i boot up and let it run for a while.
 
Atwooooood said:
random blue screens, windows services suddenly stopping, issues ive only had when receiving these replacement sets of ram. I have none of these problems with my identical 1 gb sticks. I got the timing changed to 5-5-5-15 and voltage to 2.1 and am running memtest for the 2nd time. First time displayed errors after i made the changes and so far on this 2nd test i have received no errors, but it will most likely start acting up once i boot up and let it run for a while.
Click to expand...

The timings and memory voltage look good. If you are running at DDR800, the stock memory controller voltage should be fine. If you are trying to run the memory at DDR1066 you will need to raise this voltage.
 
I'm running it at 800 right now. couldn't find the memory controller voltage so i don't want to mess with that right now, just want to get this system stable.

edit: One thing i did notice when increasing my memory voltage to 2.1 was my music was skipping and stuttering a little, could that be related with upping the voltage?

re-edit: its actually when i change the timing from 5-5-5-18 to 5-5-5-15 that my music skips
 
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Mike Clements said:
If you are trying to run your memory at 1066, you cannot use AUTO settings. Please manually set the following: DRAM voltage, memory controller voltage, and the 4 primary memory timings. The DRAM voltage and timings are printed on the module. The memory controller voltage needs to be set to a stable setting in the 1.25v to 1.4v range. The exact value will be determined by your memory controller.
Click to expand...

Running the risk of making myself look like a fool here but the spec for DDR2 starts at 1.8v if I'm not mistaken. 1.25-1.4 seems remarkably low, you're sure on those numbers?
 
my ram on auto settings was running at 1.8 or 1.9 i believe, i have upped it to 2.1 which is what it says on the stick and that is running ok, but when i change my timing to the timing it says on the stick, it causes stuttering in my audio.

edit: im running my sticks at 2.1 and 5-5-5-15 without issues now, i manually set the ram speed to 800 mhz cause i dont know what auto was setting it at, but so far no stuttering and its stable.
 
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Mike Clements said:
The timings and memory voltage look good. If you are running at DDR800, the stock memory controller voltage should be fine. If you are trying to run the memory at DDR1066 you will need to raise this voltage.
Click to expand...

how exactly do i raise the memory controller voltage? cant seem to find it in my bios
 
Mike Clements said:
The timings and memory voltage look good. If you are running at DDR800, the stock memory controller voltage should be fine. If you are trying to run the memory at DDR1066 you will need to raise this voltage.
Click to expand...


Atwooooood said:
how exactly do i raise the memory controller voltage? cant seem to find it in my bios
Click to expand...

You will need to consult your manual. Different BIOS' call it different terms. North Bridge or NB is most common. It may also be called Memory Controller Hub or MCH.
 
I have scoured the manual and all i have found is voltage for the NB, SB and FSB. So im assuming it would be the Northbridge voltage that i need to adjust.

I ask because i decided to bump my RAM frequency to 1066 mhz and ive been told i need to adjust the memory controller voltage to do this, although i raised it and it is running stable, so is it still necessary to increase this voltage?
 
As of now its stable. If it becomes unstable ill adjust the NB. How do I find out what the default values are in my bios, it just says auto with no numbers that tell me anything.
 
Atwooooood said:
As of now its stable. If it becomes unstable ill adjust the NB. How do I find out what the default values are in my bios, it just says auto with no numbers that tell me anything.
Click to expand...

It should show the value in your hardware monitor in the BIOS.
 
All it tells me is the maximum and minimum values I can adjust it.

edit: i believe i found it, it says minimum and maximum value and below that it says standard value and has a value next to it so im assuming thats it.
 
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