Sorry to bring this up again, but I'm at the end of my tether.

I got two new sticks of 512MB PC2700 RAM last night. I slapped the two of them in there and ran memtest. I came back later and had errors up the wazoo!

So to be safe, I tried testing the individual sticks in the first slot. I received absolutely no errors from either stick. Tonight I will test both of them in the second slot, to see if that's what is doing it. I have a few questions, though:

1) what are the possibilities that the problem is the motherboard versus a conflict between the two sticks of RAM?

2) is it possible that the second memory slot is causing the problem? can that kinda thing be isolated to one slot? For instance, if the third slot has no problems, can I just put the two sticks in the first and third slots instead and run like that?

3) about the RAM its self. the chips on it say Samsung. I ordered Corsair memory. Is this correct?

Honestly, if the problem is with the motherboard, and it's only the second memory slot that has problems, and it will work fine with the setup I mentioned in #2, I'm willing to live with that. I don't think I'll need more than 2GB of memory before this machine is obsolete anyway...

Thanks for any help you can give me...

I had another question about how the memory slots were layed out on the motherboard. I've attached a screenshot. What is that thing that I've circled? I'm hoping that I didn't break it taking the memory in and out, but it's located in such a way that the clips for the memory can't even open completely because it's in the way! It's very disconcerting.

Here it is:

1) what are the possibilities that the problem is the motherboard versus a conflict between the two sticks of RAM?

Two memory sticks of the same type (and certainly two of exactly the same type) shoudn't "conflict" in any way. If the motherboard can drive either one alone, but not both, the motherboard is at fault (assuming that the stick types, chip count etc., are within the motherboard's spec)

2) is it possible that the second memory slot is causing the problem? can that kinda thing be isolated to one slot? For instance, if the third slot has no problems, can I just put the two sticks in the first and third slots instead and run like that?

In theory, that sort of thing might happen. It's certainly worth trying the sticks in slots 1&3. It depends on your particular board whether it lets you get away with it (the manual for mine says "You just insert the RAM without the help of God. Isn't it wonderful?")

3) about the RAM its self. the chips on it say Samsung. I ordered Corsair memory. Is this correct?

Could well be. Corsair, judging from their web site, are a module maker not a chipmaker.

Your mystery component looks like a capacitor (is it a small vertical cylinder?)

Peter

is it a small vertical cylinder?

Yeah, it is.

I'm really hoping that'll work error-free. I don't want to dismantle this thing and return the motherboard. I've already had enough returns. It took me a week and a half to get this new memory, and I had to drive out to the UPS shipping depot just to pick it up yesterday. ARGH! I didn't budget $100 in return shipping into my computer.


ps-I've gotta ask: what motherboard do you have?!

My computer problems turned out to be both bad memory and the motherboard. Replacing the memory got it to stop rebooting itself and replacing the motherboard got it to stop locking up. After 2 weeks it has not locked up once.

Sometimes it can be more than one problem.

I'm really hoping that'll work error-free. I don't want to dismantle this thing and return the motherboard. I've already had enough returns. It took me a week and a half to get this new memory, and I had to drive out to the UPS shipping depot just to pick it up yesterday. ARGH! I didn't budget $100 in return shipping into my computer.

Yeah, I had a similar problem myself. Faced with the difficulty of either explaining to the memory vendor it wasn't a motherboard problem, or (more accurately) explaining to the motherboard vendor it wasn't a memory problem, I ended up just underclocking it instead.

ps-I've gotta ask: what motherboard do you have?!

That "without the help of God" comment is in the manual of the old Abit PX-5 motherboard I've still got in my home MP3 server. The new, not-working-at-rated-FSB-but-otherwise-pretty-quick motherboard is a Supermicro 370DE6.

Peter

My computer problems turned out to be both bad memory and the motherboard. Replacing the memory got it to stop rebooting itself and replacing the motherboard got it to stop locking up. After 2 weeks it has not locked up once.

Thanks, but this is the replacemnet RAM I had gotten some generic stuff before and it was pretty much crap. I sent it back and got stuff that was hopefully going to be reliable (and of course, twice as expensive). I honestly don't think that this particular RAM is bad, I think it's the mobo, which is even worse, IMO.

I'm just hoping I can get to a situation that works for me, and not return the mobo.

But if one thing is wrong on the mobo (like a memory slot) chances are something else will give out also. One of the fan connectors had quit on mine also so other things were starting to go wrong. But mine was 4 years old, I don't know how old your's is. Mine was also a good ABit board.

Mine's a brand new SOYO KT333 board. Just got it this June...

If a memory slot is bad and it's still under warranty then return it. Who knows what will go next and by then you might not be able to exchange it.