Operating system and all applications running on faulty RAM
Operating system and all applications running on faulty RAM
Hello. My setup: Ryzen 9 5950x with Noctua NH-D15S MSI MAG B550M, Mortar Patriot Viper Steel 2x32GB at 3600MHz C18 Colorful RTX 3060 Ti NB Duo LHR-V PSU. Quiet power supply, 11kW Platinum BIOS (version 7C94v1C). Windows 10 64-bit. It’s my first build. Everything seems fine—no crashes or BSODs except MAGIX Vegas installation issues that moved to another location. But the next day I faced a Memory Management BSOD right after turning on the PC. I dismissed it, thinking it might be a one-time event. Over a few days, other problems appeared: Discord would restart randomly, stuck in welcome screen; Steam wouldn’t launch and consumed high CPU usage, making the fan loud. Opening “This PC” triggered Task Manager and restarted Windows Explorer. Repeated Memory Management BSODs. I ran memtest86 and saw errors immediately. Testing one RAM stick at a time revealed faulty memory. Prime95 failed Large FFT and Blend Test. I checked all four DIMM slots—none were defective. I contacted RMA for the bad RAM, which was replaced with a new set (OLOy WarHawk 2x16GB at 3600MHz C18). Now everything is stable. Still unsure if the OS installed correctly or if the faulty RAM caused issues before data was written to SSDs. Since I have nothing to lose, reinstalling Windows seems wise. Experts give conflicting opinions—some say corrupted programs, others claim it’s fine. I need a clear answer. Thanks.
RAM occasionally fails without warning. It’s caused by cosmic rays. There’s no way to prevent it completely. Performance can stay stable for weeks or years, then suddenly everything stops. This is why systems regularly test memory for specific issues, even though failures are uncommon. It depends on how crucial the task is. The severity often depends on where in the memory hierarchy the problem appears. If a 16GB module is mostly unused, the person might not notice anything since data never reaches the faulty location. Edited July 7, 2022 by Bombastinator
The issue arises because you're unsure about potential corruption in the installed software, making a fresh reinstall the most secure choice. This approach is less disruptive than working on an older system with many preconfigured applications. A balanced solution involves running Windows' built-in self-check tool. Refer to the provided instructions for two commands. Be prepared if it detects errors during the initial setup, as Windows is quite reliable in handling such tasks. https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topi...6e85d4094e This method only addresses Windows files, not drivers or other software. Steam games may be verified separately, but it's unclear if others support this feature.
Thanks for all the answers! Will do a clean reinstall since it's a new system anyway. Good news: I got my RAM replacement. Passed memtest86 at stock speed 2666MHz. Bad news: The replacement kit didn't run properly at XMP/advertised speed (3600MHz C18) aka fails at Test 8 Random Number Sequence and Test 13 Hammer Test. Also fails at Prime95's Blend Test. Semi-Good news: The replacement kit passed memtest86 at 3200MHz C16, I'm just gonna stick with this for a while because I heard 3600MHz C18 = 3200MHz C16. The RAM is PVS464G360C8K (Patriot Viper Steel 2x32GB 3600MHz C18) if anyone's wondering.