Memory Errors With Two Sticks Installed

[S1lentHurr1cane]

Hello,

 

This is my first post to this forum, so I apologize if anything is not up to par. I'll follow the rules as closely as I can.

 

First off, my *current* specs:

Spoiler

• CPU: Intel - Core i5-8600K 3.6GHz 6-Core Processor 
• CPU Cooler: Noctua - NH-U12S 55.0 CFM CPU Cooler
• Motherboard: Gigabyte - Z370M DS3H Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard
• Memory: Corsair - Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory 
• Storage: Intel - 530 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive + Western Digital - Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive + Seagate - BarraCuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive
• Video Card: Gigabyte - GeForce GTX 1070 8GB Windforce OC Video Card 
• Case: Rosewill - Line-M MicroATX Mini Tower Case
• Power Supply: Corsair - TXM Gold 750W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply
• Optical Drive: Lite-On - iHAS124-14 DVD/CD Writer
• Operating System: Microsoft - Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit

 

Second, my story: earlier this year, I upgraded my computer from a Xeon 1231 CPU (with the motherboard and RAM I had installed at the time) to an i5-8600k (with the Noctua cooler listed above) with an ASRock Z370M Pro4 and Patriot Viper 16GB (2x8GB) 3200Mhz RAM. This setup worked fine for several months, though I did have to lower the overclock on the RAM to 3000Mhz from 3200Mhz for the computer to POST and work normally. At the time, I was unconcerned, as my primary use case is for gaming and so the very minor loss in performance was moot. Unfortunately, not long after I brought my computer home from school, I began to notice some programs crashing (with no errors thrown) and an occasional BSOD. I didn't think too much of it, as I assumed it was just Windows being wonky. However, these issues began to escalate, to the point where I was getting BSODs several times a day; in fact, programs exiting for no evident reason and BSODs were not just expected but inevitable. It got so bad that, after one particularly nasty BSOD, Windows demanded a clean install, which took several hours of troubleshooting (when I attempted to install Windows from USB, it refused to install and I had to reformat and partition the install drive several times using the command line). Despite a clean install (and checking disk/file system integrity several times on all of my drives), I was still getting errors and BSODs.

 

At this point, I tried to figure out the cause of the errors, as it was impossible to do anything of import for a prolonged period of time. I noticed that the BSOD messages were all related to memory, so I looked into the symptoms of memory errors and they perfectly matched the problems I was experiencing. After looking into possible solutions, I decided to test each stick individually and together in different slots using Windows Memory Diagnostic (which is not the best, I know). Even at this stage it was evident that my system would only be stable with one stick of RAM, as WMD always threw the "a hardware problem was detected, please consult your manufacturer" error when both sticks were installed. Since my system seemed stable enough with one stick, I decided to RMA the set to see if that helped. It didn't. Same errors as before, still only worked with one stick. I tried to further troubleshoot for a while (which included RMA'ing the RAM for the second time), but eventually I gave in and took my system to a nearby Fry's Electronics to have them look at it. They ran their myriad of tests and found (apparently) that both RAM slots on my mobo were busted, and one of my sticks was bad. So I had them replace the mobo and I RMA'd the RAM for the third time. STILL my system threw the same errors. I left it alone for a month or so, as I was busy working and preparing to go back to university.

 

Fast forward to the past couple of weeks. One of my friends suggested that my old Seasonic 520W Bronze PSU might have gone bad or that it could be feeding my mobo dirty power and therefore messing with RAM timings. On the off-chance that this could be the problem, I replaced the PSU with Corsair one listed above. Unfortunately the same errors were thrown. Note that by this point I was using memtest86 on a flash drive to test my memory. With two sticks it threw so many errors that it didn't even finish all of its tests. Another thought that occurred to me is that maybe the model of RAM I had was messing with my CPU or mobo despite being specifically listed as supported on the product pages. Acting on this notion, I purchased a new kit of RAM from Corsair (the model listed above), and still the same errors persist. Also note that I made sure all of my drivers are up to date and that I have the latest BIOS update (which is F10 for my mobo, I believe). I am at a complete loss of what to do at this point. I don't know where else to look or what else to test or what else to replace. It is (evidently) immensely frustrating that this issue persists despite my best efforts. I currently have both Corsair sticks installed at base clock.

 

Just to make sure I'm being thorough, here's a list of the troubleshooting steps I can remember trying (or been forced to perform):

Spoiler

• RMA'ing my RAM (x3)
  • Replacing the RAM entirely with a different kit
• Replacing the motherboard
• Replacing the PSU
• Updating my drivers
• Updating my BIOS
• Checking both the system files and drive integrity for all of my drives
• Performing a clean install of Windows
• Testing each stick of RAM isolated in different slots AND testing both sticks together at base clock and with XMP enabled in different slots
• (It goes without saying, but) reseating the RAM a bunch of times

 

If you need any more info, please let me know. Furthermore, I know this post seems unnecessarily long, but I'm trying to document the order of events as it happened as thoroughly as I can.

Thanks again.