The RMA should go through without hiccups if you've been using your RAM within the vendor's specifications. Therefore, the first thing you should do is contact the manufacturer and request an RMA. Luckily, the majority, if not all, RAM comes with a limited lifetime warranty. However, it's not a procedure for the average consumer. Technically, you can repair DIMMs by swapping the defective ICs for fresh ones. The only way to solve a faulty DIMM issue is to replace it with a working one. However, if BSODs and other problems continue to plague your system, the problem lies elsewhere. If you didn't get any errors: congratulations. On the norm, one to two hours are more than adequate to assess whether you have a bad DIMM. Unlike other software based on passes or cycles, GSAT runs according to your specified time. Meanwhile, the -s argument refers to the number of seconds to run the tool. The -W argument asks GSAT to utilize a more stressful memory copy for the processor. Once installed, put GSAT into motion with this command: stressapptest -W -s 3600. Open a terminal and use the following command to download and install GSAT: sudo apt-get install stressapptestĢ. In the meantime, the Extreme and Absolut presets from user Anta777 are the favorite among enthusiasts and overclockers.ġ. TestMem 5 supports custom user configurations, opening the doors to infinite testing options. Unlike HCI Memtest, TestMem 5 is entirely free. The software is very lightweight and has a minimalistic interface that's very friendly to beginners. TestMem 5 comes with 16 tests, which users can modify to their heart's content. The program is currently on its fifth version. The program debuted in 1998 and has evolved quite a bit over the years. However, one to two passes should suffice for picking out faulty RAM. We had around 13.79GB free, which amounts to 431MB per instance.ĭepending on your processor and the amount of memory, a complete pass takes around an hour or so. The processor has 32 threads, so we ran 32 instances of Memtest. Although we're using DDR5 for the article, the guide is still valid on older formats, such as DDR4 and prior.įor example, we're testing a 16GB DDR5 DIMM on our Core i9-13900K system. Coincidentally, the software for detecting faulty DIMMs is also popular for overclockers evaluating the stability of memory overclocks. Payment unlocks additional options, but the basic version is more than enough for diagnosing bad DIMMs. All the software that we're rounded up is free. Of course, if your results come back negative, but you still have heavy suspicions that you have a bad DIMM, it wouldn't hurt to as for a third opinion. The odds of one software not detecting the faulty DIMM are present, but it's unlikely to fool two testers. From our experience, testing your RAM with at least two different programs should be sufficient. The best software for weeding out defective RAM depends on who you ask. To our knowledge, only one software on the market can correctly pinpoint which specific DIMM has faulty integrated circuits (ICs), which we'll get into later. Otherwise, you won't know which DIMM is the culprit, even if the software returns with an error - it comes down to a process of elimination. In a scenario with multiple DIMMs, it's easier to diagnose each DIMM individually. Most probably use at least a dual-channel configuration. In contemporary times, we don't expect anyone to have a single DIMM in their system. You can do so by resetting the firmware to default inside your motherboard's BIOS or pressing some motherboards' dedicated "Clear CMOS" button from the rear panel. Therefore, the first step to detecting faulty memory is to return your system to the factory default. A shaky overclock causes similar symptoms as faulty RAM. Many of you are running Intel XMP 3.0 or AMD EXPO memory kits, so it's best to differentiate between an unstable memory overclock from a defective DIMM or DIMMs. In a worst-case scenario, your system might not even post and welcome you with multiple beeps.īefore running any diagnostics on your RAM, you should ensure it's running at the stock default frequency. General symptoms of bad RAM include random blue screens of death (BSOD), system crashes or restarts, operating system freezes, and missing memory. But yes, receiving DOA (dead on arrival) RAM isn't uncommon, like any other PC component. Often, there are early signs of a failing or faulty DIMM. RAM doesn't usually stop working out of the blue.
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