[RESOLVED] New RAM equals 'blue screen' :( .

i have just got some new crucial 128pin, 512mb, ddr400 ram and when ever i go to play battlefield 2 or vidoes it crashes. I mean I have had the evil 'blue screen' about 6 times in the last 10minutes and i don't know what to do. It has crashed at various times in the game when loading or when in the game. i have recently bought exactly the same ram to upgrade my system from 1gig to 1.5 with no problems at all, but this time when going from 1.5 to 2gig i can't get it to work. It seems to be perfectly fine while surfing the net ect just not playing battlefield and video's. Microsoft online crash analysis keeps saying either unknown driver error or the last time it happened it said this http://oca.microsoft.com/en/response...eaf9871&SID=11
have had this error and other driver errors happen before over the last year or so but i just ignored them and everything went on fine until now.
EDIT: blue screen also sometimes says "IRQL not less or equal"

The most obvious thing I see is that you're not pairing off your DIMMs. Your motherboard can utilize dual channel memory. To use dual channel, you need to match the speed and size of your memory DIMMs in pairs of two. It is usually easier to just buy both at the same time and get the exact same thing rather than trying to mix and match.

You should be able to run in single channel with your configuration, but it is certainly not the fastest configuration you can have. I've had several customers have problems with Battefield 2. We've found that it tends to be sensitive to drivers and certain pieces of hardware.

First off, I would suggest taking out the stick of 512mb DDR 2700 and one stick of 1x512mb DDR 3200. Try out Battlefield 2 and see what it does. If it doesn't crash, you know it is your memory. I'd also suggest updating your video driver too.... I've seen that cause problems on Battlefield 2.

Well let me correct myself when i said it was ddr400, it isn't, my mistake. it is ddr3200 as the other sticks are. So i have 3xddr3200 512mb that i know are exactly the same (all from crucial) and one 512mb 2700 stick. bf2 worked perfectly fine with my previous configuration (2x3200 and 1x2700) and it is only today when i got another 3200 that it keeps crashing. Originally i was a bit stupid and forgot to put the 2700 in the forth slot as it is the slowest. After correcting this is crashes to the blue screen less (but still does some times) and seems to crash to the desktop more often. The fact that before today i ran bf2 fine makes me think it's not the game and must be my RAM. so i will take out the 2700 and try to see if it runs ok with 3x3200.

You can always run the Windows Memory Diagnostic to see if you've got some bad RAM. I usually go piece by piece and run the extended test through at least once. If you've got a bad stick, this should catch it.

DDr 400 and 3200 is the same RAM, it operates at 400Mhz and frequency is 3200 = 3.2gb/second.


Anyways.........I would try testing the new module:

Microsoft Memory Diagnostic

Memtest


Liam

^yeah that’s what i was getting confused about. i know for a fact that if i run the memory diagnostic it will come up with error as i have ran it before and it did. i decided it ignore it as it wasn't causing me that many problems and would cost me 35quid to replace. So i will take all my memory out apart from the new stick and then run the diagnostic to see how it turns out. When i can be bothered though as i have had enough of messing around plugging in my computer for today as it is in a very awkward position.

Post back and let us know when you have tested the newest stick.

Liam

ok, finally got around to testing all my memory with Microsoft Memory Diagnostic. all the crucial 512mb sticks come up fine but the 2700 one has an error. Wrote down what the error was but i can't find where i wrote it down :( . I will tell you when and if i find it. but i have always known the memory has had this problem and it still didn't crash to the blue screen so why now. this has only happened with 2gb. for now i am using 1.5gb of 3200 and i will see how that runs. Fingers crossed!

Try to keep all ram to one manufactor as there are minute diference in how different manufactor do things. As you found out, that can lead to a hair pulling contest when they are not 100% compatable.

but more annoyingly i will now eiter have to do with 1.5gig or spend another 35quid on another 512.

well i have been plying bf2 for about an hour now with the 1.5gig 3200 that the mem test said was fine but it still keeps crashing. in that time it has crashed to the blue screen one saying 'trying to write onto read only memory' and it has crashed about 3 times in game but not going to the blue screen, I just have to re-start instead. But only thing that has changed recently is my memory so I still don’t know what the problem is!

On the ASUS P4S800D mobo, is there any specific WARNINGs on the ram to use?

Seems a lot of the boards for a while would limit your usage of slots and the amounts when using PC3200 ram.

Well you may be onto something here. i have just got my manual out and it has some unnecessarily complicated table about memory configurations. Complicated cause i don't see any referring to using only 3 slots, they seem to show either 2 or 4. Well any way i have managed to get a copy so i can show you. You may have better look with it that me. For dual channel mode it seems to suggest you either need to use 2 or 4 slots, not 3 as i am using. So that maybe the problem as I see it. also here's the mobo info page;
http://uk.asus.com/products4.aspx?mo...=3&l2=12&l3=45

Quote:

---

For dual channel mode it seems to suggest you either need to use 2 or 4 slots, not 3 as i am using.

---

Yep, or use identical sticks in all 4 slots.

EDIT: Sorry i didnt expand.............That seems to be the only feasible explanation, when did you purchase the newest stick of RAM? Could you replace it at the shop for a stick the same as your current 512's?

Take a look back at this edit after Train's suggestion is tried, :) (If you need to that is)

Liam

Now WhileI go through your manual, Download and install EVEREST Home Edition v2.01
After the install, open Everest, in the left pane, cilick the + mark in front of Motherboard, then click the letters SPD.
Now the right pane should split and top show each stick of ram and when you select the stick in the top, the spec's for it will show in the bottom.

Now this is what it will look like and to save the report, I went to Report in the menu, select Quick report, then TXT file and then saved it to my hdd.

This part that we are interested in.

Memory Module Properties:
Module Name Micron Tech. 8VDDT6464AG-40BDB
Serial Number 698C644Ah
Manufacture Date Week 18 / 2005
Module Size 512 MB (1 rows, 4 banks)
Module Type Unbuffered
Memory Type DDR SDRAM
Memory Speed PC3200 (200 MHz)
Module Width 64 bit
Module Voltage SSTL 2.5
Error Detection Method None
Refresh Rate Reduced (7.8 us), Self-Refresh

Memory Timings:
@ 200 MHz 3.0-3-3-8 (CL-RCD-RP-RAS)
@ 166 MHz 2.5-3-3-7 (CL-RCD-RP-RAS)
@ 133 MHz 2.0-2-2-6 (CL-RCD-RP-RAS)

As you can see I am using Micron also. And this is just on of two sticks I have installed. So verify that your memory timings are the same for all sticks and let us know the outcome.