RAM problem - only 1 ram at a time works

kon1u

kon1u

kon1u

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19 Nov 2010
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Hey, ive got a weird problem regarding my ram memory.

motherboard - asus p5b
cpu - e6600 intel core2duo 2.4 ghz
ram - 2x1 gb geil ddr2 800 mhz 4- 4 -4-12 & 2x512 mb geil ddr2 800 mhz 4-4..

My computer has worked fine for over 3 years using this configuration, the bios settings ive never changed.

Now i started getting bluescreens in windows, different message each time. Formatting and reinstalling didnt help. Ubuntu also crashes. I've ran memtest - returns hundreds of thousands of errors. Ive tried testing 1 ram at a time, no errors. As soon as I add one more, no matter what the slot/channel configuration is - i get errors. Ive tried testing 1 in each slot of the mobo, no errors.

Things that might be related: - my 8800gts 512 , when the computer starts, sort of revvs the fan up and does that for a few seconds, then it quiets down, the fan starts rotating at a normal speed and everything loads up. Now whats started happening recently - the fan would revv up for indefinite amount of time, it would never stop, and the computer would not even start up. To start it up, i sometimes have to restart the power 3, 5 times. Then sometimes the initial screen would give me an error saying "overclocking failed" , where no overclocking has been done on this computer. This message would appear even when BIOS settings are reset to default.

The connectors on ram memories appear spotless. Testing 2x1gb in single channel returned only 9 or 10 errors, not thousands. In dual channel, it returned thousands of errors.

Please help :(
 
Hi mate

I can’t give you any help with the problem your having with the memory as I have a similar problem getting 4G of RAM to work on mine, the problem you have starting though is interesting. I had the same problem. The fan spinning full speed I assume is your graphics card, it spins at full power for a split second until the machine starts to boot then it slows down as soon as it knows the graphics processor is at a safe operating temperature. If the machine doesn’t boot it will stay at 100%.
My machine started this and gradually got worse it would take about twenty or so attempts to boot tried allsorts to fix this, I eventually cured it with a new power supply just a thought

John
 
Try a CMOS reset firstly.

Secondly, test your PSU in a different machine if you can.

Try a Format and clean install of windows.

Try the Ram in another machine.
 
It's where all the BIOS information is saved. To reset it, simply unplug the PC from the mains, take the CMOS battery out and leave it for 10 minutes. Then place the battery back in and power the PC back on. The CMOS battery should be next to the PCI-E x1 slots on your board.
What are the rest of the specs of your system, such as PSU brand and wattage, and 32bit or 64bit OS?
As for the GPU fan going 100% first, then quiets down, that's normal and part of the boot sequence to check the GPU is fine. Now as for it staying on 100%, it sounds like a possible GPU problem. It might be on it's way out, or that it's not getting enough power. It could also be a motherboard problem, so try see if you can test the 8800GTS in another system.
 
I don’t think the problem is related to the graphics, the fan will stay at 100% if the PC hasn’t booted, if the fan spins at normal speed when you eventually get your PC to boot then the graphics card is performing correctly. Can you find out the make and wattage of your PSU and also what graphic card you have? Is this a built PC or bought and have you added or updated anything (hardware wise)? If the power supply unit has been overloaded for a period of time it could damage it and they can also go wrong with time for no apparent reason. You can try unplugging everything just leaving the motherboard graphics and one hard drive plugged in then see if that helps this will make a difference if your overloading the PSU but not if the unit is faulty
 
430W isn’t a lot for a PC with your set up but I think it’s a good make, that dose make a difference. Make sure that the 12v rails are enough for your graphic card (e.g. a 8800GTS needs at least 26A on the 12v rails) this information is printed on the PSU


“Newer components like quad core processors and dual PCI Express video adapters have doubled the power requirements of typical gaming PCs. An entry level ATX power supply for a PCI Express gaming PC these days is 600W, and power supplies ranging from 750W to 1000W are no longer unusual. The primary culprits are multi-core CPUs that can consume anywhere from 10W to 50W or more per core, for a total CPU consumption as high as 200W in a single processor system. Meanwhile, PCI Express graphics cards for gaming can pull as much as 200 Watts by themselves, or double that in a dual card configuration.”

Check this site out http://www.fonerbooks.com/power.htm
 
try unplugging the pwer cable from your graphics card, and using the on-board VGA to see if it boots then. Then we know if your PSU isn't good enough :)
 
Have you checked the ram is running at the correct voltage?
Does it only need standard 1.8v or is it more? Try upping it a notch and see if it helps.

Failing that i would say it was a faulty motherboard. Only way to be sure is to try with some known working ram and different psu just to be sure.
 
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