Memory problem or something else?

[Sawbill]

I have been having problems with my new build, so originally asked this question in the motherboard forum, but now I think it may be memory - but still not sure ! What is have is: GigaByte P965 DQ6 + Intel E6600 + 2x1GB GeIL 6400 ultra.

After BSODs and crashes I started runnning stress tests and eventually got consistent errors with MemTest86+. 1000s of them. All errors were at addresses ending with C. All had one or two bits in error. Most error bits were 00000040 (00000050 & 00000004 were next most popular). All errors were in a block of 1!

This was with vDIMM set to 2.1v (as recommended by Geil) although I did not alter the timings (default 5-5-5-15).

I tried testing the modules individually and they both ran through MemTest OK.

Only other interesting finding is that at VDIMM of 1.8v one stick would not POST whereas swapping with the other it would.

Does all this point to me needing to RMA the memory, or could it still be MB or CPU?

Is there anything I can do to prove what is the issue?

 

[steve258]

I think it's the memory; you are not the only one with the same problem with the recent batch of Geil 2Gb 6400. Try it on other mobo if you can otherwise I'd speak to the tech support at OCUK first before RMAing the modules.

 

[Sawbill]

Unfortunately, I don't have another Motherboard that takes DDR2 memory (3 with DDR though!)

However, I have tried another pair of GeIL modules (same spec). These pass the MemTest86+ default tests. (Only 1 pass, but will leave running again overnight.) It is also fine with SP2004 orthos (blend test still runing after 1Hr 30min).

However, I still can not calculate with SuperPI greater than 2M digits without it crashing . Is this something I should worry about? Is there somehing I can tweek to make it more stable?