PC starts crashing

[Mickey1992]

Within the past month, my PC has started crashing.  I figured it had to do with either installing WinXP SP3, or maybe iTunes.

I uninstall iTunes, uninstall SP3, it still crashes. 
I reloaded WinXP up to SP2, still crashes. 
Swap in an old graphics card, still crashes.
Pull out one of the 1GB DIMMs, still crashes.
Swap in the other 1GB DIMM, still crashes.

I researched and tried running prime95, it immediately indicates a hardware issue.  I tried swapping out the DIMMs again, still hardware errors with prime95.

I downloaded and tried memtest, it immediately indicates a RAM issue.

So I took out the 2 1GB DIMMs I bought about 1.5 years ago and put back in the original 512MB DIMM.  No more hardware error with memtest or prime95.

So my question is....can 2 DIMMs really go bad like this at the same time, or could I have a bigger issue and maybe the motherboard is going bad?  I would much rather by new RAM than a new PC, but I don't want to put more hardware in a sinking boat.

Thanks for any advice.

[BaldEagl]

Did you verify that your RAM speed, timings and voltages were correct in the BIOS?

My Kingston HyperX defaults to 667, 5-5-5-15 @ 1.85V but optimum settings are 800, 4-4-4-12 @ 2.0V.  I notice when I'm pulling HW in and out or if I'm testing in Prime95 and get an error it wants to default the speed back to 667 but leaves the timings and voltages alone.  Whenever it does this I get boot freezes.

[drdeathx]

Mickey,


It sounds like you have 2 sticks of ram. Try using 1 stick, if you get same result, try using only the other stick. Maybe you have 1 bad stick of ram.

[BaldEagl]

Mickey,


It sounds like you have 2 sticks of ram. Try using 1 stick, if you get same result, try using only the other stick. Maybe you have 1 bad stick of ram.

Why do you respond without even reading the post first?

Pull out one of the 1GB DIMMs, still crashes.
Swap in the other 1GB DIMM, still crashes.

[kamori]

Try Power supply...

Sound related

KAM

[TilDeath]

If your not passing memtest it is a memory problem without doubt as Baldeagl stated.  Also as he stated try going into the BIOS and setting the voltage and timings manually then try memtest again one stick at a time and in the slot the MB makers states for one stick.  If it passes test the other, then both again the slots the MB maker states for the combo you have.  Can both go bad at the same time, rare but looks like they may have this time.

[Mickey1992]

Well, it took a day, but with the "good" 512MB mem stick in the PC it crashed too.  I am going to try a new power supply.

[MrRiplEy[H]]

Well, it took a day, but with the "good" 512MB mem stick in the PC it crashed too.  I am going to try a new power supply.

I'd say the motherboard is toast unless you witness severe voltage errors when going to pc health stats in your bios.

[Fulmar]

Well, it took a day, but with the "good" 512MB mem stick in the PC it crashed too.  I am going to try a new power supply.

Did you check the voltage outputs of your Power Supply?

There just has to be some other cause.  Unless you ran around your house for 40 minutes in your socks sliding your feet and then you went and shocked all your memory sticks and didn't tell us about it, there's no way all those RAM sticks went bad.  The memory controller on the motherboard could be another culprit.

[Skuzzy]

I did not catch it (does not mean you did not say), but how old is the motherboard?  It could be a capacitor going bad.  Some motherboards and companies use some pretty cheap capacitors and in some cases there have been a bad run of capacitors made available to several motherboard manufacturers.

[Mickey1992]

It's an ASUS motherboard.  I would say 5 years old.

[MrRiplEy[H]]

It's an ASUS motherboard.  I would say 5 years old.

If these symptoms would happen to me and after swapping those components I'd march into a motherboard shop.

Well, I would actually use this as an excuse to update the whole setup but that's another story.. 

[Delirium]

Is it possible the first dimm slot on his MB could of gone bad?

If it is, he can swap out ram all day long and still recreate errors.

[Skuzzy]

I am with Ripley.  A 5 year old motherboard showing the symptoms you list would see it being replaced, if it were my computer.

[Mickey1992]

Thanks for the advice everyone.  I think I am going to use my tax return and just get a new PC, rather than spend $100 on a new MB and/or power supply.