CRC errors, RAM trouble?

[imported_DBaron]

Hi all,
I?ve been encountering random CRC errors when installing some games and big apps over the past few weeks. I thought that it might be a software problem, but after Googling around I came across some others that seamed to have a similar problem. And their problem was harder ware related, mainly RAM trouble.
I?ve ran some of the test software suggested in those posts but I?m not sure how to interpret the results

no overclocking my specs are:

AMD 3500 64 Winchester
ASUS A8N-SLI Deluxe
2 x Crucial Ballistic 512Mb DDR PC3800
Seagate Barracuda 7200.9 SATA 120 GB
Antec SL400 400W PSU
XFX GeForce 6800GT 256MB GDDR3, PCI-E

Memtest results where 165 errors (161 on test #5, 4 on test #7)

I tried changing the voltage in the BIOS from ?Auto? to 2.7, 2.75 and 2.8. running Memtest again resulted in only 20 errors this time.
My question is how bad these errors are and could they be causing the CRC errors and my systems increasing instability while gaming?
I?ve also seen people post that Memtest has trouble with Winchester chips, giving false readings?

Stress Prime 2004 was the next tool I ran which also gave the following report:
Type: Blend - stress CPU and RAM Min: 8 Max: 4096 InPlace: No Mem: 767 Time: 15
CPU: 2211MHz FSB: 200MHz [201MHz x 11.0 est.]
10/04/2007 03:25 Beginning a continuous self-test to check your computer.
Press Stop to end this test.
Test 1, 4000 Lucas-Lehmer iterations of M19922945 using 1024K FFT length.
FATAL ERROR: Rounding was 0.4987182617, expected less than 0.4
Hardware failure detected, consult stress.txt file.
Torture Test ran 1 minutes 17 seconds - 1 errors, 0 warnings.

I?ve try this tool a few time again changing the Volts but it comes back with similar results.

I?m going to see if I can pop my RAM into a friends PC, run memtest and see if I get similar results.

is there anything else I could try or does the tools point to fault RAM?

Thanks

 

[mariosoft034]

Hi DBaron.

That sounds like a faulty ram to me. Since you got two modules, try using only one of them in your test (test one at a time). If one of the modules comes out clean in the tests while the other doesn't, you may have found the problem.

I hope that helps... Good luck!

 

[imported_DBaron]

Thanks mariosoft034,

i'll try that when i pop the RAM into the other pc. my board requires matched pair to run

 

[mariosoft034]

Well, i didn't knew there were boards unable to run with a single slot. If fact, your board's manual (downloades from www.asus.com) specifies in which slot you should put your memory in sigle dimm configuration. I'm not a computer geek and i may be wrong, but if not, you should try. It would be easier to de testing in your machine.

Check back with any results!

 

[novacthall]

I've actually started getting the ever-mysterious CRC error as well, during installs of various sorts, be they from CDs or from install files (PCMark05 recently gave me troubles). I ran MemTest86 on this computer all day on Sunday and came up with zero errors across eight hours of tests, so I'm hesitant to call it RAM. 3DMark05 just gave me the same error, as did 3DMark06. Is it a FutureMark thing or am I missing the problem entirely?

 

[Lemon law]

As someone forced into the strange world of overclocking---let me assure you its a strange world with few guide posts.

But the kneejerk reaction is always to blame ram when the likely problem is in your bios.

But the price of admission is always in three things you don't seem to have (a) Download your mobo manual which will contain your bios instructions (2) Download and learn to use cpu-z. What are your ram timings? How is your computer running its memory bus? All your answers are there within cpu-z---a total freebie (3) Get ye to the corsair website and also visit its ram forum---since you have corsair ram---learn your ram timing, setting, and voltages. (4) You already have memtest86---give yourself a gold star.

Once you have all those resources---you can view your bios---you don't have to change anything yet---but know how its set---or how its mis-set itself.

Finally you can take your bios off SPD and into manual--and set it the way it should be set up---plenty of helpful people will hold your hand on the corsair forums.---and as long as you don't do a radical over volting of ram---its safe and you can go back---it may take some trial and error---but you are talking to someone who had to overclock just to get standard settings.----and my PC is finally stable and running much faster----and with no overclocking.----and all for $0.00.

 

[RebateMonger]

You shouldn't be seeing ANY Memtest errors. Getting a system with zero errors should be the norm.

It's difficult to predict where you will see the effects of memory errors. Problems with installing Windows is common with bad memory. Also, problems with Registry corruption in Windows.

Note that it's not unheard of to have memory modules that pass Memtest when tested by themselves, but fail when run in Dual Channel mode. That makes it tough to determine which module is faulty.

 

[novacthall]

Originally posted by: Lemon law
As someone forced into the strange world of overclocking---let me assure you its a strange world with few guide posts.

This much has become quickly apparent to me, sadly enough. Before last weekend, I would have described my confidence level with computers as high and technical knowledge as above average. Now I'm questioning if I'm even cut out for this stuff.

But the price of admission is always in three things you don't seem to have (a) Download your mobo manual which will contain your bios instructions

Done. Who writes these things? There's a good amount of Engrish in here.

(2) Download and learn to use cpu-z. What are your ram timings? How is your computer running its memory bus? All your answers are there within cpu-z---a total freebie

I'm at work now and don't have my computer in front of me, but I know that I tried to set my RAM timings (and verified through CPU-Z) to 2-3-3-6, as specified by the RAM spec sheet. It's PC3200, so in the BIOS I had set my DRAM settings to manual, running at 400MHz, with 2T timings. Changing to 1T did not yield any results. Last night I set everything in there back to "Automatic" to try and remove any PICNIC errors, but still got CRC errors when trying to install PCMark and 3DMarks. I must be missing something, though.

Time to reset the CMOS?

(3) Get ye to the corsair website and also visit its ram forum---since you have corsair ram---learn your ram timing, setting, and voltages.

I've set up an account and am posting the issue there as well. Thank you for the tip.

(4) You already have memtest86---give yourself a gold star.

Woo!

Originally posted by: RebateMonger
You shouldn't be seeing ANY Memtest errors. Getting a system with zero errors should be the norm.

It's difficult to predict where you will see the effects of memory errors. Problems with installing Windows is common with bad memory. Also, problems with Registry corruption in Windows.

Note that it's not unheard of to have memory modules that pass Memtest when tested by themselves, but fail when run in Dual Channel mode. That makes it tough to determine which module is faulty.

What do you recommend beyond what Lemon Law is suggesting?