parabolate

Hello all.

I am currently in the process of troubleshooting an extremely annoying issue on one of my PC's (the one I am on now as a matter of fact) and I suspect my problem may be RAM associated so I am posting on this forum. If there is a better forum for my problem please let me know! Thanks.

First and foremost, the PC specifications:
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-Windows XP Home Edition, Service Pack 2
-ASUS A8N5X Motherboard
-AMD Athlon 64 3500+ processor
-400w PSU
-1 GB (2x 512mb) RAM, Samsung brand
-ATI Radeon x1650 video
-3x case fans in addition to factory processor fan


The problem:
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Recently, my computer has been randomly rebooting. There are no prompts, error screens, no motherboard error beeps, or error messages of any kind prior to or after the system reboots. It just randomly turns off as if someone were holding down the power button and turns right back on as if a start>shut down>restart was performed. The system performance is great and there is no unusual behavior as far as that goes. The PC seems to ONLY reboot when engaging in memory intensive activites...more details below....

It should be noted that I was having an issue with this PC booting up about 2 months back (dead machine - wouldnt turn on). The tech support from the PC company I got it from determined it was a RAM and/or Motherboard issue - so they just replaced them both for free. It was working fine for a short period until recently when this new problem reared its ugly head.



Below are items I have essentially ruled out as being the culprit that my research has shown can cause this issue:
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1) Overheating: My chip remains at a consistent 76(low) - 86(high) Fahrenheit, --not-- celsius. Far from overheating by my understanding.

2) Spyware/Virus/Adware: Formatted the system AND ran spyware/virus scans in addition to that; clean of course.

3) PSU: 400w should be more than enough for this system. The 400w is also relatively new as I upgraded the original 350w that it came with not too long ago.

4) Video card: Also relatively new. The fan literally fell off it a couple months ago and I had it replaced with a spankin' new one free =).

5) Conflicting Software: I do not have any sort of conflicting software/firewall etc. running the background that would cause this.

Why I think this may be a RAM issue:
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So, since I got this PC I have had the video card replaced because the fan on the video card had a problem. This is a relatively new video card. I also upgraded my PSU to 400w, this is also a relatively new piece of hardware. And finally - I had the Motherboard AND RAM replaced because I had an issue around 2 months back where my computer would not boot up at all (dead machine). The RAM was replaced by my PC manufacturer (they gave me the 2x samsung 512mb sticks) and the motherboard was replaced by ASUS itself since my PC manufacturer no longer carried 939 pin boards.


Heres "the kicker" regarding the RAM. As I mentioned earlier in this post, my PC ONLY seems to reboot itself when engaging in memory intensive activities. For example, I can leave the PC on all day downloading music or something like that, and it will not reboot. I can browse the net and type on a forum (like I am doing now) and it will not reboot.

In retrospect, if I load up a PC game it is gauranteed to crash if I engage in a memory intensive aspect of the game. Please note, this is not limited to one specific game - so it is not a particular game application causing it. For example I could load up Counter-Strike: Source (a first person shooter) and play in a game with 8 other players and it doesn't crash. BUT if i go to a game with 32 players (lots of activity thuslots of memory being put to use) I am GAURANTEED to crash within 5-10 minutes. Another example I have noticed in the game World of Warcraft. I can go on that game and stand in a field by myself and I will not crash, however; if I enter a large battle with tons of things going on around me I am gauranteed once again to crash in 5 - 10 mins.

So my question is: did my PC manufacturer give me bad RAM? OR could this possibly be linked to something else?

Any input is appreciated! Tried to give as much input as I can. Please ask any questions if need be or direct me to another forum if there is a better one for me to take this!

Thanks!

-Parabolate

Computer_Doctor

Hi Parabolate,

Try this, go check out www.majorgeeks.com and download "memtest86" and put the program on a cd. Boot to it and let program determine if your ram is faulty.

computer_doctor

parabolate

Thanks for the reply.

I followed your suggestion and went to www.majorgeeks.com and downloaded the program found here http://www.majorgeeks.com/Memtest86_d1247.html. (memtest86 3.4a)

You said to burn it and boot it from disk however when I unzipped the files it provided with a memtest.exe file that I was to run from my WinXP desktop. Am I supposed to boot from disk instead of running the .exe it provided me with? The manual document it comes with seems to indicate that this can be run within windows. Am I doing something wrong? =P

Well anyway I have to say I ran the program from within windows (the memtest.exe) file and selected to test "all unused RAM" and it got to about 26% and low and behold - the computer restarted during the memory test!!! So...a couple questions....

1) Does this restarting during the memory test confirm that I have a memory issue? No error report or anything....it's just doing the rebooting thing when I attempt to test the memory from within windows.

2) How do I boot this program from disc rather than from within windows? Also, if I boot from disc would it actually tell me theres an error rather than rebooting because of said error...?

3) And finally I came across this program called Windows Memory Diagnostic which can be found here: http://oca.microsoft.com/en/windiag.asp . Is this worth trying as well? This is a memory tester as well it seems that u boot from disc.

Thanks.

parabolate

No one has had the chance to reply to my latest post yet but I have new and seemingly very information that I would like to add regarding my problem.

I downloaded the Windows Memory Diagnostic tool that I mentioned in one of my posts - burned it to disc, and booted from that disc to run the test.

When running the test my memory FAILEd one of the tests it was performing I think it was listed as "WMATS+" I didnt get the chance to write it down because it rebooted shortly after it failed this test. Not sure what this means but like I said it REBOOTED shortly after it failed this test. It rebooted back to the memory test because I set boot default to CDROM of course and then started rebooting right when the test began....endless reboot cycle from there on in......couldnt even start the test again after it failed that one WMATS+ one....

Im guessing I need to replace my memory? Is the RAM bad or can this involve the motherboard or something else also?

Any input appreciated! Thanks!

parabolate

Still no replies but....heres another update...

I ran memtest86 again from within winxp and it actually didnt crash but gave me back some error reports.

Example:

Memory Error Detected! Copying between 66591a and 665760 did not result in an accurate copy.

Memtest has recorded that your computer cannot accurately store data in RAM.

See online FAQ for advice on what to do next.



So....Im guessing my RAM is FUBAR and needs to be replaced again?

2pistolpacker

Hi parabolate, you should download the Pre-compiled version 3.4a for DOS to the desktop, run the program and it will create a bootable floppy disc. Put in the disc and boot the computer. If you don't have a floppy drive, download the iso version and use your burning software to create a bootable cd. Test one stick at a time, and let this run for three passes if it will. Mike

Memtest86

parabolate

Do I still need to run further tests such as this considering I have had memory errors show up with both the Windows diagnostic tool and memtest?

Was thinking about picking up some RAM this weekend to see if it rectifies the problem...

2pistolpacker

I would try it again from DOS. Memtest86 is not supposed to reboot the computer, it is supposed to just show algorithm errors. If you don't want to test again that's okay. Mike

parabolate

I ran the Windows Memory Diagnostic tool from DOS and it was coming up with errors so I figure the RAM has problems....another test w/memtest from DOS would just reaffirm that.

My main concern is if there could be something wrong with any hardware besides the RAM.

parabolate

OK I replaced the RAM on this PC.

I ran several applications and games over a 4 hour period. After about 4 hours the PC randomly rebooted just like it would with the old RAM. I then ran the PC for about another 2 hours with no problems.

So, old RAM it would reboot almost immediately when running any high-memory use application. New RAM I have had only 1 reboot during a total 6 hour test period.



Ideas?

2pistolpacker

After checking the default voltage for your new memory, boot into the bios under the Advanced heading look for DDR voltage. Take it off auto and bump it .05 higher than what the rated voltage is, if it's rated for 2.65v, raise it to 2.70v.

parabolate

where can i find the default voltage?

its nowhere to be seen on package or on the company website

it is PNY - Optima 1GB PC3200 DDR DIMM Memory

added: looks like the stick is manufactured by Hynix

parabolate

well after searchign around i found it is 2.6v default

however there is no option to change the voltage anywhere in the bios - i cant even see the ram voltage displayed anywhere

2pistolpacker

In the bios under the Advanced menu, Jumperfree Configuration, set the Overclock Profile to manual. Only then will the voltage options be visible. When in doubt, get out the manual, page 2-28.

parabolate

ok, thanks for your help so far!

i have set the ram voltage to 6.5 from auto - ill see if this brings stability to the system

parabolate

rebooted itself again after upping the voltage by .05

should i go to 7 ya think?

2pistolpacker

Yes, 2.70 would not hurt anything. If it still doesn't calm down, restore the memory to 2.60. Check in the bios/Power menu/Hardware monitor to see what the current cpu voltage is, without knowing exactly which 3500+ you have the voltage it could be anywhere between 1.2 and 1.4. Bump it up .05 from it's current reading.

parabolate

I dropped the memory voltage down to 2.65 and I put the CPU volate at 1.25.

I have left the PC in question on non-stop for at least 120 hours and have run a wide variety of applications, games, downloads, installations/updates etc. during this time and I cannot seem to get the machine to crash any more no matter how much strain I try to put it under!

So in other words...it would appear as if the problem has been solved at this time! I'll follow up if something else should come up.

I do have one other question though - simply out of curiosity. Why is it that such a small voltage difference has the potential to cause such horrid system instability?