Gabriel said:
Hi all, I am in need for free software to test 3 sticks of ddr pc 3200 ram
on a windows xp pc. I dont know what to look for as a good free program is
concerned so what does everyone here reccomend? I need to know if the ram I
have installed and will install is working 100% Im not looking for speed
test just if there is anything faulty with them.
MemTest86 ver 3.xx:
http://www.MemTest86.com
Gold Memory ver. 5.07:
http://download.chip.eu/en/GoldMemory-5.07_94454.html
MemTest86+:
http://www.MemTest.org
Microsoft memtest:
http://oca.microsoft.com/en/windiag.asp
Only the first two programs have found errors for me, which is odd
because MemTest86+ is based on MemTest86, but one person said
Microsoft's diagnostic detected an error that all the other tests
missed. Even newer versions of Gold Memory have found nothing for me,
although one person was able to track down a memory error with ver.
6.92 that MemTest86 v. 3.xx missed, and he demonstrated the importance
of running a diagnostic for a long time because almost 10 hours passed
until the same sole error was reported a second time. However Gold
Memory ver. 5.07 may require a floppy disk, although it may be
possible to use a bootable USB thumb flash drive configured as a
floppy disk (HP gives out a utility to make them look like bootable
floppies or bootable 32MB hard disks).
Test each module in each memory slot, preferrably all together, but if
the BIOS of the motherboard makes the memory run slower with all 3
plugged in and you can't override this by manually configuring the
BIOS, then test just 2 at a time. Some motherboards just won't run
PC3200 memory at 400 MHz but limit it to 366 MHz maximum, and a lot of
defective PC3200 memory will pass at 366 MHz but fail at 400 MHz. And
if possible, test with two motherboards that have different chipsets.
I hope your PC3200 modules were made with chips whose actual
manufacturers can be identified from the logos or part numbers printed
on the chips because the quality will be much higher, and I can't
imagine such chips causing errors, unless they were zapped with static
electricity. Actual chip manufacturers include Samsung (SEC), ProMOS,
PowerChip, Hynix, Micron, Winbond, Elpida, Infineon/Qimondo, and Nanya/
Onitera but not Kingston, Corsair, Mushkin, Patriot, G.Skil, or Geil.
