F3-12800CL9D-4GBRL Tons of BSODs!

[loybond]

I'm an experienced system builder, but haven't come across anything this weird in a long time. Built a new PC with a Core i5 750, Gigabyte P55A-UD3, G.Skill 4GB DDR3 1600MHz CL9, Nvidia 8800GTS 640MB, Intel X-25M G2 80GB with a 500w Cooler Master PSU in a HAF 922.

It seemed a bit slower to launch programs than my other P55 system (same stuff more or less, except it has an EVGA P55 FTW), so I benchmarked and found a big difference in SSD performance between the two. Also, it BSOD'd a couple of times with ntfs.sys and "memory management."

I decided to swap out the motherboard for an Asus P7P55D Deluxe. It had the "memory management" BSODs a few times a day still. Once, the Nvidia display driver crashed to the desktop (it was fine in my other P55 system). I decided to replace the video card with a Radeon 5770. That hasn't given me any trouble, but I'm still getting the "memory management" BSOD. Firefox and Opera crash pretty frequently too.

I ran memtest86 for 26+ passes with no errors on the RAM. System is not overclocked. SSD is fine according to the Intel SSD toolbox. This is a fresh install (third time) of Windows 7 64-bit. Win7 is updated, the BIOS is the latest on the motherboard. I was able to run Prime95 and Intel Burn Test without it crashing.

What could be causing the problem? 2 different video cards, 2 different motherboards, RAM passes memtest, could it be the memory controller on the CPU? Please help!

[loybond]

Come on guys, I'm sure someone can help!

[Tradesman]

To start, GSkill doesn't normally work weekends, though they pop in off and on, on their own time I guess, then you have me, which a sort of volunteer type bit, so I hop in when I can and help out, which I hope explains the lack of a quicker response.

Anyway, could well be the CPU/MC. Possibly also might be the PSU, could have a fluctuation (and 500 may be a bit on the shy side, shouldn't be, but 500s really fluctuate on the 12V output, yours does about 360, 400 would be better), might try swapping the PSUs between the systems. Did you set the timings, voltage, etc manually or did you rely on auto? Doing it manually is best, and check your Command Rate, some default to 1T or 1N, where you really want 2T or 2N......though the Gigabyte should default to 2.

[mbtech]

Hello,

I have exactly the same problems with BSODs and applications crashing with my new RAM.
The thread is this one:
http://gskill.us/forum/showthread.php?t=4522

I now know I have a defective RAM stick and a good one, ok.

What I didn't tell in it is my experience with MemTest86 and the bad RAM stick.
If I test the bad stick with MemTest86 during 15 passes (means all night long), I have 1 or 2 (not less, not more) errors. This is absurd since the same tests are been repeated 15 times and should produce about the same results each time. I should get between 15 and 30 errors.

But when I test this stick with Windows 7, the problems appear very quickly: BSODs and applications crashing. Sometimes I can't even log on, the BSOD is already there.

So, in my case, Windows 7 (and the other Windows versions, I guess) is very reliable for detecting bad DDR3 memory, MemTest86 is not.

Like Tradesman says, you should definitely talk about the memory timings you use in BIOS setup (Auto or fixed values, which ones ?), and of course test one stick at a time.

For a start, you should fix the values shown here (9-9-9-24-2N):
http://www.gskill.com/products.php?index=222

[loybond]

Thanks for replying Tradesman and mbtech!

I don't *think* its the PSU being a decent one, not a generic, but I will try to swap and see. Still, that P7P55D seems to have all the power it needs with 2 4-pin connectors connected in addition to the standard motherboard connector.

I've tried auto and XMP profile, problems both ways.

mbtech, the problem is, over 26 passes, I didn't get any errors with memtest86. So it's not as easy for me to say that it's just defective RAM, but that's what everything points to... everything I googled about the memory management BSOD seemed to be related to RAM issues, and in most cases, after running memtest86, the OP found errors.

Windows has some memory test right? Where do you find it again? Thanks! Gonna try those settings you recommend.

[loybond]

NVM, found the Windows test, running it now. This mobo was running at 1N, could that be causing the problems? I guess we'll see...

[Rivethead]

In my experience, the Windows Memory Diagnostic Tool is superior to memtest86. Especially if you run it on "Extended" and not the default "Standard".

Also, to get a better understanding of what's causing the crashes, google BlueScreenView, load it, and run it. It should be able to pinpoint what is crashing the system. The memory management bsod could be cause be several things......for me it was the ntoskrnl.exe driver in Windows 7....which is indication of a problem with the RAM

[loybond]

You may be right Rivethead. I switched to 2N, and did the Windows test... it finds some kind of error right away. So basically, the RAM is bad?

Darn... I hope G.Skill RMA doesn't take forever in the Toronto area.

[Rivethead]

Not necessarily. It may mean the RAM settings are not optimal. I'm having issues with my RAM. In first thing in the morning, I get blue screen crashes and Windows Memory Diagnostic errors. After re-seating the RAM (taking it out and putting in back in), everything is fine....no crashes and no Windows Memory Diagnostic errors. I don't know what my issue is. But my point is, your RAM may not necessarily be bad just because Windows Memory Diagnostic reports a hardware problem.

[loybond]

I've reseated it a couple of times, I'm fairly certain that's not the issue. I just checked the RAM settings, that shouldn't be it either. Weird how Windows mem test finds issues, but memtest86 goes for 12 hours and doesn't.

[GSKILL TECH]

The ASUS P7P55D Deluxe will be your best tester. For memory settings, simply enable the XMP Profile under "AI Overclock Tuner". Then simply test each module and see if either acts differently. If so, simply send them in for new replacements. Keep us posted on the results.

Thank you
GSKILL SUPPORT