Pc Freezes Playing Certain Games, removing 2 of the 4 mem dimms seems to fix the prob

adbarnes · 10-30-2009, 07:10 AM

Hi,

I have had a ongoing problem with my PC crashing when playing certain games. The PC definitely meets the minimum requirements for the games. The crash is happening in both XP SP3 and W7 RC1.

All drivers are up to date etc and I have run memtest. I have also replaced the GFX card and removed any unused cards.

This has been happening for a long time and I assumed it was my old XP install, so I recently tried a fresh W7 install and it is still happening.

Now, by chance, I removed 2 of the 4 DDR 3200 512mb memory sticks and the crashing stopped!

All the memory is the same type and manufacturer.

I assumed that maybe that 2 of the sticks were bad so I swapped them around and any combo of the 2 sticks works fine but if you add a 3rd or 4th the freezes come back!

I should say that with the 4 sticks in the pc is fine for everything but certain games.

When the pc does crash there is never anything in the event viewer or a dmp file.

=========================
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/p...roduct=501443#

Processor
Model : 1x AMD Athlon™ 64 X2 Dual Core Processor 4400+
Speed : 2.19GHz

Mainboard
System BIOS : Phoenix Technologies, LTD 3.47
System : HP Pavilion 061 EC582AA-B1U d4196.se
Mainboard : MSI AMETHYST MS-7184
Total Memory : 2GB DDR-SDRAM

ATI Radeon x1650

Creative SB Audigy 2 ZS (WDM)

Operating System(s)
Windows System : Microsoft Windows XP/2002 Professional 5.01.2600 (Service Pack 3)

Network Services
Adapter : Realtek RTL8139 Family PCI Fast Ethernet NIC
===============

I know the system is getting a bit long in the tooth but I was hoping that a RAM upgrade might keep me going for another 6-12 months.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

**Aus_Karlos** · 10-30-2009, 07:49 AM

Have you run Memtest86+ with only 1 stick of RAM in DIMM slots 3 & 4. It could be the slots themselfs and not the RAM sticks.
Also what voltage are the DIMM slots running out and compair it to what the RAM sticks can run at.

adbarnes · 10-30-2009, 08:31 AM

How would I find out the voltage the Dimm slots are running at?

Thanks

**greenbrucelee** · 10-31-2009, 02:11 AM

go into the bios and see what the voltages are.

running four dimms can cause voltage issues if when you remove 2 your system runs ok then this sounds like what is happening.

adbarnes · 10-31-2009, 07:23 AM

I checked in the Bios but its pretty basic and doesn't show what voltage the memory is running at.

I have been running memtest+86 for the 3 hours on all 4 dimms and it hasn't found a single error.

Really stumped with this :(

**greenbrucelee** · 10-31-2009, 01:30 PM

Is all the ram the same make and speed?

what power supply are you using?

This sort of issue happens either when ram is faulty or psu is dying.

check you temps aswell in case its a heat issue (which can be caused by psu failure).

adbarnes · 10-31-2009, 01:39 PM

The ram is all the same make, speed and type.

Temps seem to be ok from what I can tell.

Not sure what the psu is it is a HP pc. I dunno if the psu is dying as I have been having this problem on and off for about 2 years.

**greenbrucelee** · 10-31-2009, 01:43 PM

go into the bios and see what it says for 12v, 3.3 and 5v readings

adbarnes · 10-31-2009, 02:30 PM

The Bios is pretty basic, it doesn't give any of the voltage readings.

**Tyree** · 10-31-2009, 02:52 PM

As mentioned earlier, filling all the RAM slots on a Mobo can cause Voltage issues.
If you are not experiencing any problems using two sticks I'm guessing you solved the problem.
If you want/need to increase your RAM amount, use a matched pair.

adbarnes · 10-31-2009, 04:36 PM

Yes, That seems to be the case but is it not strange that I only have problems with certain games?

Thanks

AntiMoronic · 10-31-2009, 04:41 PM

Interesting. Do you get hard locks where you to do a hard reset? Been happening to me, but I have a completely unsufficient psu.

I turned my fan up to 100% on gpu and underclocked and had a desktop fan blowing straight into my computer and the comp didn't crash playing crysis for about an hour, when it usually crashes within 10 minutes.

Just thinking, maybe there is a heating issue with the actual motherboard..? Do you have decent cooling and a sufficient psu?

Will try this and pull out a stick of ram, really hope it works! Thanks for keeping people updated who might have the same issues.

**greenbrucelee** · 11-01-2009, 05:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by adbarnes

Yes, That seems to be the case but is it not strange that I only have problems with certain games?

Thanks

some games use more ram and power than others. And you should be able to see voltages and temps in the bios. You could download sensor view for voltages and core temp for your temperatures.

Quote:

Originally Posted by AntiMoronic

Interesting. Do you get hard locks where you to do a hard reset? Been happening to me, but I have a completely unsufficient psu.

I turned my fan up to 100% on gpu and underclocked and had a desktop fan blowing straight into my computer and the comp didn't crash playing crysis for about an hour, when it usually crashes within 10 minutes.

Just thinking, maybe there is a heating issue with the actual motherboard..? Do you have decent cooling and a sufficient psu?

Will try this and pull out a stick of ram, really hope it works! Thanks for keeping people updated who might have the same issues.

It could be a heat issue with yours but with the OP I think its his ram because it's solved if he only uses two sticks.

10-30-2009, 07:10 AM	#1 (permalink)
adbarnes Registered User Join Date: Dec 2008 Posts: 17 OS: Win XP SP3	Pc Freezes Playing Certain Games, removing 2 of the 4 mem dimms seems to fix the prob Hi, I have had a ongoing problem with my PC crashing when playing certain games. The PC definitely meets the minimum requirements for the games. The crash is happening in both XP SP3 and W7 RC1. All drivers are up to date etc and I have run memtest. I have also replaced the GFX card and removed any unused cards. This has been happening for a long time and I assumed it was my old XP install, so I recently tried a fresh W7 install and it is still happening. Now, by chance, I removed 2 of the 4 DDR 3200 512mb memory sticks and the crashing stopped! All the memory is the same type and manufacturer. I assumed that maybe that 2 of the sticks were bad so I swapped them around and any combo of the 2 sticks works fine but if you add a 3rd or 4th the freezes come back! I should say that with the 4 sticks in the pc is fine for everything but certain games. When the pc does crash there is never anything in the event viewer or a dmp file. ========================= http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/p...roduct=501443# Processor Model : 1x AMD Athlon™ 64 X2 Dual Core Processor 4400+ Speed : 2.19GHz Mainboard System BIOS : Phoenix Technologies, LTD 3.47 System : HP Pavilion 061 EC582AA-B1U d4196.se Mainboard : MSI AMETHYST MS-7184 Total Memory : 2GB DDR-SDRAM ATI Radeon x1650 Creative SB Audigy 2 ZS (WDM) Operating System(s) Windows System : Microsoft Windows XP/2002 Professional 5.01.2600 (Service Pack 3) Network Services Adapter : Realtek RTL8139 Family PCI Fast Ethernet NIC =============== I know the system is getting a bit long in the tooth but I was hoping that a RAM upgrade might keep me going for another 6-12 months. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

10-30-2009, 07:49 AM	#2 (permalink)
Aus_Karlos Moderator, Games Team Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Western Australia Posts: 3,458 OS: Vista Ultimate x64, Windows XP 32-bit/64-bit, Ubuntu x64, Windows 7 x64 Beta My System Blog Entries: 2	Re: Pc Freezes Playing Certain Games, removing 2 of the 4 mem dimms seems to fix the Have you run Memtest86+ with only 1 stick of RAM in DIMM slots 3 & 4. It could be the slots themselfs and not the RAM sticks. Also what voltage are the DIMM slots running out and compair it to what the RAM sticks can run at. __________________ MemTest86 / Nvidia Drivers / ATI Drivers / DirectX 9.0c / Sys Requirements / Everest Folding@Home

10-30-2009, 08:31 AM	#3 (permalink)
adbarnes Registered User Join Date: Dec 2008 Posts: 17 OS: Win XP SP3	Re: Pc Freezes Playing Certain Games, removing 2 of the 4 mem dimms seems to fix the How would I find out the voltage the Dimm slots are running at? Thanks

10-31-2009, 02:11 AM	#4 (permalink)
greenbrucelee Mentor Hardware team Join Date: Apr 2007 Posts: 1,865 OS: XP SP3 My System	Re: Pc Freezes Playing Certain Games, removing 2 of the 4 mem dimms seems to fix the go into the bios and see what the voltages are. running four dimms can cause voltage issues if when you remove 2 your system runs ok then this sounds like what is happening. __________________ Microsoft certified professional, Network +, A+ certified

10-31-2009, 07:23 AM	#5 (permalink)
adbarnes Registered User Join Date: Dec 2008 Posts: 17 OS: Win XP SP3	Re: Pc Freezes Playing Certain Games, removing 2 of the 4 mem dimms seems to fix the I checked in the Bios but its pretty basic and doesn't show what voltage the memory is running at. I have been running memtest+86 for the 3 hours on all 4 dimms and it hasn't found a single error. Really stumped with this :(

10-31-2009, 01:30 PM	#6 (permalink)
greenbrucelee Mentor Hardware team Join Date: Apr 2007 Posts: 1,865 OS: XP SP3 My System	Re: Pc Freezes Playing Certain Games, removing 2 of the 4 mem dimms seems to fix the Is all the ram the same make and speed? what power supply are you using? This sort of issue happens either when ram is faulty or psu is dying. check you temps aswell in case its a heat issue (which can be caused by psu failure). __________________ Microsoft certified professional, Network +, A+ certified

10-31-2009, 01:39 PM	#7 (permalink)
adbarnes Registered User Join Date: Dec 2008 Posts: 17 OS: Win XP SP3	Re: Pc Freezes Playing Certain Games, removing 2 of the 4 mem dimms seems to fix the The ram is all the same make, speed and type. Temps seem to be ok from what I can tell. Not sure what the psu is it is a HP pc. I dunno if the psu is dying as I have been having this problem on and off for about 2 years.

10-31-2009, 01:43 PM	#8 (permalink)
greenbrucelee Mentor Hardware team Join Date: Apr 2007 Posts: 1,865 OS: XP SP3 My System	Re: Pc Freezes Playing Certain Games, removing 2 of the 4 mem dimms seems to fix the go into the bios and see what it says for 12v, 3.3 and 5v readings __________________ Microsoft certified professional, Network +, A+ certified

10-31-2009, 02:30 PM	#9 (permalink)
adbarnes Registered User Join Date: Dec 2008 Posts: 17 OS: Win XP SP3	Re: Pc Freezes Playing Certain Games, removing 2 of the 4 mem dimms seems to fix the The Bios is pretty basic, it doesn't give any of the voltage readings.

10-31-2009, 02:52 PM	#10 (permalink)
Tyree Mentor Hardware Team Join Date: May 2009 Location: Illinois Posts: 5,686 OS: XP Pro-7RC-Mandriva My System	Re: Pc Freezes Playing Certain Games, removing 2 of the 4 mem dimms seems to fix the As mentioned earlier, filling all the RAM slots on a Mobo can cause Voltage issues. If you are not experiencing any problems using two sticks I'm guessing you solved the problem. If you want/need to increase your RAM amount, use a matched pair. __________________ Posting your PC specs will help us to help you quicker and more efficiently.

10-31-2009, 04:36 PM	#11 (permalink)
adbarnes Registered User Join Date: Dec 2008 Posts: 17 OS: Win XP SP3	Re: Pc Freezes Playing Certain Games, removing 2 of the 4 mem dimms seems to fix the Yes, That seems to be the case but is it not strange that I only have problems with certain games? Thanks

10-31-2009, 04:41 PM	#12 (permalink)
AntiMoronic Registered User Join Date: Oct 2009 Posts: 34 OS: Windows 7 Ultimate 64bit	Re: Pc Freezes Playing Certain Games, removing 2 of the 4 mem dimms seems to fix the Interesting. Do you get hard locks where you to do a hard reset? Been happening to me, but I have a completely unsufficient psu. I turned my fan up to 100% on gpu and underclocked and had a desktop fan blowing straight into my computer and the comp didn't crash playing crysis for about an hour, when it usually crashes within 10 minutes. Just thinking, maybe there is a heating issue with the actual motherboard..? Do you have decent cooling and a sufficient psu? Will try this and pull out a stick of ram, really hope it works! Thanks for keeping people updated who might have the same issues.