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How Good Is Your Ram?
By Robert | April 14, 2007
� Memory testing is done by checking data integrity at randomly selected areas of the memory (addresses) with various test patterns, like walking through every single bit in ascending and descending order, random jumps, copying blocks of data as well as checkerboard patterns. The more addresses are tested and the more patters employed the better, but the longer it takes. After each test run a report is generated indicating a fault-free run or the faulty addresses. There are basically 4 ways how memory can be tested: The given devices and utilities are just examples:
Windows based
Memtest http://hcidesign.com/memtest/
Non-memory resident self-booting utility
Memtest-86 http://www.memtest86.com/
Goldmemory http://www.goldmemory.cz/
Software resident in self booting PCI card
RST-Pro from Ultra-X, Inc http://www.uxd.com/
Motherboard independent testing device
EUREKA from CST http://www.simmtester.com/PAGE/produ…urinfo.asp#ddr
The first option is the least attractive: “if an operating system is running, the area of memory containing the OS or reserved for the OS cannot be tested correctly. The workaround in a situation like this is to alternate DIMMs between two memory slots since the operating system will be loaded onto the higher (Win9x) or the lower number DIMM (all other operating systems). Thus, by switching DIMMs back and forth between slots, one DIMM can always be kept free of the OS which, then allows complete testing of the module. The natural drawback is that every DIMM has to be tested twice which can be rather time-consuming. (quote from Lost Circuit http://www.lostcircuits.com/memory/ultrax/.
Hardware testing devices can be very expensive, and the advanced hobbyist might therefore settle for one of the software based solutions that run outside the OS. Memtest-86 and Goldmemory came out best in this comparison of memory testing utilities: http://www.realworldtech.com/page.cf…WT120901222920
Taking the fact that a Sandra memory benchmark could be completed as evidence for the tested modulefs fault freeness at this frequency would be grossly overestimating the quality of this module. One of my 256 MB Twinmos PC 3200 modules for example could be benched with Sandra at 244 MHz, but could only complete the Memtest and Goldmemory tests at 220 MHz, because it is possible to take a SANDRA memory benchmark with a highly unstable system. As a rule of thumb the maximum frequency under which Sandra would run has to be reduced by around 20 MHz to get sustained fault free test runs with Goldmemory and Memtest-86.
It goes without saying that test results with software testing programs are only INDICATIONS ands do not suffice professional memory testing standards. Furthermore: Using software for testing leaves always the possibility that the overclocked system is generating false positiveh results, that is when errors are reported which did not occur.
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