Faulty RAM replacement

[RedSyven]

Hi! I recently built a pc a few months ago:

> Ryzen 5600x

> RTX3070

> 650w PSU

> msi pro b550m vc wifi MB

> 2x 1TB ssd

> Windows 11

 

The RAM i got was:

> G.SKILL RipjawsV Series DDR4 RAM (XMP) 32GB (2x16GB) 3600MT/s CL16-19-19-39 1.35V 
(running with XMP)

Recently my programs and games started crashing often. Updating drivers/BIOS etc didnt work. I was told to run memtest86 and found that one of my sticks had gone bad. I'm worried that something wrong in my setup might have caused it.

Should I buy the same model again, or is there a better option for me?

[Tetras]

4 minutes ago, RedSyven said:

I'm worried that something wrong in my setup might have caused it.

I wouldn't worry about it, bad sticks happen, just get it replaced under warranty (they may want both sticks).

[Tridefender]

RMA your mem set cuz they come in pairs, you might encounter more errors if you only swap one stick.

[RedSyven]

I bought my RAM off amazon, can i still RMA?

 

[Tridefender]

Just now, RedSyven said:

I bought my RAM off amazon, can i still RMA?

 

It's usually taken over by the manufacturer like gskill after you passed the 15 day return window

[porina]

It's not common but ram can and does go bad. Unless you manually overclocked it, it is just one of those things that can happen randomly.

 

1 minute ago, RedSyven said:

I bought my RAM off amazon, can i still RMA?

You'll have to check Amazon's warranty policy and process. Alternatively, you can try contacting G.Skill directly and use your Amazon receipt as proof of purchase. Ram can have long warranties.

[RedSyven]

Appreciate everyone responding!
It looks like the RMA process may take a while. In the meantime, should I buy a smaller/cheap stick of RAM to use while the RMA is processing?

[OddOod]

1 hour ago, RedSyven said:

I'm worried that something wrong in my setup might have caused it.

Should I buy the same model again, or is there a better option for me?

You did nothing wrong, you just got unlucky.  Gsklll is a very reputable brand, and you even got the correct specs. DDR4 sweet spot is 3600CL16.

I will warn you, GSkill's RMA process is kinda weird. Not bad per se, just odd.
I recently RMA'd a 5 year old kit, and the process was very low on communication. I submitted the request (including all my troubleshooting which involved replacing the kit with a different set), they responded 5 hours later with an authorization form and shipping instructions and a note that this would be their last communication with me. True to their word, it was. I shipped my bad kit to them, they shipped a new kit to me, no notification of anything like them receiving my kit, agreeing that it was busted, or even a tracking number for the new kit. Nothing. Strangest RMA I've ever had. 
 

There is a small chance that the RAM is actually fine and there is some issue with the CPU mounting pressure or the mobo, but assuming you don't have a spare kit of know good ram, RMAing the memory is still my recommended first step

[StDragon]

4 hours ago, RedSyven said:

I was told to run memtest86 and found that one of my sticks had gone bad.

Here's the real important thing to know about that test. Did it fail specifically at the same address space over and over?

• If YES, it's a bad DIMM with a faulty memory chip.
• If NO (as in, it's random), it's bad voltages or timings beyond what the DIMM can handle. Remember, one DIMM slot is farther away from the CPU than the other. Doesn't take much to be on that knife-edge of failure.

[RedSyven]

I made sure to test both RAM sticks separately, and in both slots. The first stick was consistently working in both the first and second slots. The second RAM stick starting throwing consistent errors as soon as the testing started.

[Mark Kaine]

On 10/17/2025 at 4:53 PM, Tridefender said:

It's usually taken over by the manufacturer like gskill after you passed the 15 day return window

In Europe there's a "2 year warranty" and amazon sometimes even refunds after that period, but RAM usually has longer manufacturer warranty anyway so yeah. 

[Mark Kaine]

On 10/17/2025 at 10:02 PM, RedSyven said:

I made sure to test both RAM sticks separately, and in both slots. The first stick was consistently working in both the first and second slots. The second RAM stick starting throwing consistent errors as soon as the testing started.

RMA