Memtest and Prime 95 are Unreliable

[turbo510]

I called up Kingston tech support today because when I put in a PC2700 KVR333 CAS2.5 512MB module into DIMM slot 1, I get a bunch of memtest type 5 errors and Prime 95 error in my 8RDA+ rev1.1.

The Kingston tech support rep told me that these applications are freeware and probably unreliable and that he has never heard of Prime 95.

I suspected the memory because I got another 8RDA+ rev 1.1 motherboard, and got the same problem in the DIMM slot 1.

So I figure the memory and the motherboard are incompatible with regards to DIMM slot 1. But the question is, are memtest and Prime 95 good indicators of incompatibility when I see errors on them? And is it safe to continue running my computer even after Prime 95 fails if other apps don't crash on me? Or are there subtle errors that aren't seen and might screw up applications?

[Áedán]

Personally, I don't have any problems with prime95. It runs fine on many computers with no issues.

Prime95 was designed to find prime numbers. It uses a well known and documented mathmatical technique. It is unlikely to be a problem with this technique, nor with the known results.

Hence, if you are having problems with it, then there are hardware issues with your machine.

As far as "is it safe" to run your computer... Prime95 stress test works by doing calcuations that have known answers. Your computer is miscalculating these calculations. You might be able to get away without noticing the effects. Or, you might find that your apps/games start doing odd things, as the data they're using is no longer quite correct.

Put it this way - would you trust your computer to calculate your tax return?

Áedán

[nfrenay]

Hmm, I really trust these softwares. I personally just use Prime95 and I find it a very accurate way of finding stability problems.

Even though your PC appears to be running fine, someday you'll regret not believing Prime95.

That's my opinion though.

[k1114]

kingston is just trying to cover their ass. prime95 and memtest are very good programs.

[mixx666]

Just because the guy at Kingston has never heard of Prime 95 doesn’t mean it’s unreliable. I usually don’t take much notice what some people might say at tech support specifically when they are trying to defend there hardware.
As Aedan says it’s very simple mathematical program which I find is good for testing computer components.
Have you tried the memory in a different slot or maybe put a little more Dimm voltage? I don’t think it’s either of those but give it a try you got nothing to lose.

[turbo510]

Well, I completely agree with you guys. I've always used a combo of memtest and Prime 95 with good results and trust that when Prime 95 returns an error with that yellow icon, something's amiss.

I think the Kingston tech support rep was simply ignorant about the validity of these applications even saying things like some applications like these can't even detect DDR memory and challenged my support of these apps saying that if I'm not seeing other applications crashing or seeing any blue screens, the memory is compatible. Of course, my concern is to prevent this from happening instead of waiting for them to happen, hence Prime 95.

Anyway, my specific problem is simply the DIMM slot 1. I can put 2 of these Kingston KVR333 512MB in DIMM slot 2 and 3, and everything works fine without errors. Only when DIMM slot 1 is occupied do I start getting errors.

So the caveat is that I get no dual-channel memory, which is the very reason I got this nForce2 mobo. So I'm just out of luck right now unless I RMA my memory for 15% restocking fee.

[refermadness]

I had the same problem, DIMM 1 not working with a couple of different memory brands. I had to end up RMAing the board. Got the new board and my Kingston PC2700 runs fine now.