RAM testing utilities.

DELTAprime · June 1, 2016

What are some good (preferably free) memory testing utilities? I want to stress test 100% of my RAM. I know there is one built into Windows these days but have no idea if it's any good or if any of the others out there are good.

Apathetik · June 1, 2016

I've always used Memtest86 or Memtest86+ which work well, and are free solutions. I think the Windows built-in memory test utility is similar in functionality. But I've never personally used it.

If you happen to have a liveCD version of a GNU/Linus OS, a lot of them include Memtest86 or Memtest86+ that you can boot into instead of the OS. Also, I've heard some motherboards come with Memtest baked into the bios. So that's worth checking as well.

MageTank · June 1, 2016

3 hours ago, Apathetik said:

I've always used Memtest86 or Memtest86+ which work well, and are free solutions. I think the Windows built-in memory test utility is similar in functionality. But I've never personally used it.

If you happen to have a liveCD version of a GNU/Linus OS, a lot of them include Memtest86 or Memtest86+ that you can boot into instead of the OS. Also, I've heard some motherboards come with Memtest baked into the bios. So that's worth checking as well.

Memtest86 is not a stress test. It will test different addresses and what not, but it is not exactly "stressful". What it does best, is determine if your IMC likes your timing/clock configuration. If you want to actually test the ram itself, you will need to use something like Prime95.

Set custom FFT lengths of 512k - 4096k, 75% memory capacity (or as much ram as you can possibly give it without swapping to pagefile) and set it to 15 minute intervals. 512k FFT - 1024k FFT range is hard on the IMC and IO lanes, while 2048k+ is hard on the ram itself. 1366k and 2688k is hard on CPU core stability (which is still important when testing memory, as a hotter IMC combined with hotter cores can still lead to instability, so testing both is important).

During these specific FFT lengths, 720k and 2688k is often the hardest ones to pass for invalid memory configurations/dying ram. Do not be afraid of the fact that it's Prime95. We are not running the extremely hot small FFT lengths (48k FFT) so heat will be a non-issue. If you are still scared of such a program, you can always turn AVX off and avoid the additional heat altogether.

4 hours ago, DELTAprime said:

What are some good (preferably free) memory testing utilities? I want to stress test 100% of my RAM. I know there is one built into Windows these days but have no idea if it's any good or if any of the others out there are good.

Read the wall of text i posted above this quote. It might be the information you are looking for. Use Memtest86 to make sure the kits are not randomly returning errors on specific addresses or randomly flipping. Once it survives a full pass (all 13 tests) do what was mentioned earlier with Prime95.

If you are overclocking your memory, and you need to test configurations quicker, Test 6 (Block Move) is one of the trickiest ones to pass. If you start failing block move, it means your IMC is overburdened. Fix this by loosening tertiary timings, or by applying more VCCIO/SA voltage. Just be extremely careful with these two voltages, as too much or too little can lead to instability, and too much can lead to a dead or crippled IMC.