New PSU Killing RAM

[grss1982]

My rig below was running fine with 2 stick of RAM. A power surge occurred and one of my modules died.

I assumed the PSU must have died as well and thus replaced it with a silverstone 600w psu while running only with 1 ram module. Two days ago the other module just dies.

So I was wondering, what killed it the first power supply or the new one?

The new is 3 month old and I'm really starting to have doubts with it.

Also could the first psu have done something to both ram modules and it just took time for the last one to die out on me?

Thanks in advance.

[PCBONEZ]

Re: New PSU Killing RAM

The RAM modules themselves may not be dead.
Sounds like the RAM voltage regulator on the mobo ate it.
Try the RAM in a different board.
.

[grss1982]

Re: New PSU Killing RAM

The RAM modules themselves may not be dead.
Sounds like the RAM voltage regulator on the mobo ate it.
Try the RAM in a different board.
.

Thanks. Will do.

But your\'re not suspecting the PSU?

[PCBONEZ]

Re: New PSU Killing RAM

The Ram voltage regulator is between the PSU and the RAM.
I suspect the PSU ate it from the power surge and took the Ram VR with it...
... but the RAM VR didn't fail completely at first...
... so you saw what appeared to be a sequential failure of RAM as the VR was fizzling out.
.

[grss1982]

Re: New PSU Killing RAM

The Ram voltage regulator is between the PSU and the RAM.
I suspect the PSU ate it from the power surge and took the Ram VR with it...
... but the RAM VR didn't fail completely at first...
... so you saw what appeared to be a sequential failure of RAM as the VR was fizzling out.
.

Good Point. Thanks.

So that means my shiny PSU (600w)is not causing it and it was in fact the first one (400w) that was the suspect in all of this.

Just for clarification 2nd module dies after new psu. while first module dies when I was still using 400w psu.

[momaka]

Re: New PSU Killing RAM

Also check your BIOS settings - more particularly, see if there are any settings to change the RAM votage. Make sure the RAM is running at 1.8V and not something higher.

[999999999]

Re: New PSU Killing RAM

*Anything* is possible, but what seems most likely to me is that the initial surge immediately killed one of the memory modules, but also simultaneously damaged the other memory module.

Not all surge damage causes immediate failure, it could just degrade the memory so it fails sooner.

However, you wrote that you assumed the first PSU was dead. It might be, but I would test it outside of the PC. It is possible it survived, while the memory fried, and it wouldn't turn on the system because of damaged components like memory.

Now comes the tricky part. Swapping suspect components into known good systems and vice-versa is sometimes the only reasonable way to test some things, BUT it can cause more damage. If the surge or subsequent failure of a memory module left the motherboard damaged, plugging new memory in may risk the new memory. If the 2nd memory module is damaged, plugging it into a different system/motherboard could damaged that motherboard.

Since you only had 2 x 1GB memory which is the less costly component per module, I think I would start out by buying 2 x 1GB memory and putting it in a 2nd known good system to rule out DOA product, then put it in the suspect system that encountered the surge.

If that works ok I would not test the old memory at all, throwing it away instead. If that does not work ok, (after any associated bios memory setting if needed) suspect the motherboard is damaged and test the old, 2nd module.