Question of CPU Selection for My First MemTest86

[Giz]

Hi everyone,

I'm new here and I'm performing my 1st Memtest86 today but I can't move forward because I'm not sure what to select for CPU selection. I have 8 CPUs and the default is single CPU. Should I leave it on SIngle or select parallel, round robin or sequential?

I look forward to your response and thanks in advance

Giz

[David (PassMark)]

Not all motherboards have a BIOS/UEFI that supports multi-threading. In this case you'll be forced to pick a single CPU.

But use parallel where you can for faster testing.

[Giz]

Not all motherboards have a BIOS/UEFI that supports multi-threading. In this case you'll be forced to pick a single CPU.

But use parallel where you can for faster testing.

Thank you David. So basically if I am able to choose parallel, I should go ahead and do that?

I thought I read somewhere that parallel causes false positives. Has this been fixed in the latest version. I think I have the version from February 2015. Any comments on this?

Thanks again

[David (PassMark)]

We are not aware of any false positive issues in the current software.

(the exception being a couple of specific platforms that have BIOS bugs, which result in some off limits RAM being tested. But even then this is not effected by the CPU selection option).

[Giz]

We are not aware of any false positive issues in the current software.

(the exception being a couple of specific platforms that have BIOS bugs, which result in some off limits RAM being tested. But even then this is not effected by the CPU selection option).

Ok thanks again David. Admittedly, I selected round robin and while waiting for a response, I started the test and didn't know if I should stop it. So right now, it's running in the round robin setting. Is that ok or should I do it over with the parallel selection?

Would it be dangerous if Esc is pressed while the test is still running?

[David (PassMark)]

Parallel will result in faster testing and thus higher CPU load, which in turn generates more heat.

Otherwise it doesn't matter.

You can stop the test whenever you want.

[Giz]

Parallel will result in faster testing and thus higher CPU load, which in turn generates more heat.

Otherwise it doesn't matter.

You can stop the test whenever you want.

Thanks David. I have attempted 3 full tests (actually 4, I aborted the 1st one) and they all stop at different points. The timer stops moving and the data that changes on the screen stops changing. So I assumed that the test stopped.

These are the details I noted:

1st test: Round Robin, found 46 errors - test stopped at 2nd out of 4 passes after about 2 1/2 hrs

2nd test: Parallel, found 2688 errors - test stopped at 1st out of 4 passes after about 10 mins on test 4

3rd test: Round Robin, found 499295 errors - test stopped at 2nd out of 4 passes after about 1 hr and 47 mins on test 4

I would like some advice on what this means and what to do next please.

Also is it possible that the test was still running even though the data stopped changing? I can update the log if you like.

Thanks in advance

[David (PassMark)]

What are the hardware specs of the machine?
What tests registered the errors?
Is the machine stable in normal use? (why are you running MemTest86)?

There is a fair chance the RAM is bad and needs to be replaced (or partially replaced if you have multiple sticks).

[Giz]

What are the hardware specs of the machine?
What tests registered the errors?
Is the machine stable in normal use? (why are you running MemTest86)?

There is a fair chance the RAM is bad and needs to be replaced (or partially replaced if you have multiple sticks).

Hi David,

These are the specs:

Operating System
Windows 8.1 64-bit
CPU
Intel Core i7 3630QM @ 2.40GHz 52 °C
Ivy Bridge 22nm Technology
RAM
8.00GB Dual-Channel DDR3 @ 798MHz (11-11-11-2
Motherboard
TOSHIBA Portable PC (U3E1) 58 °C
Graphics
Generic PnP Monitor (1366x768@60Hz)
Intel HD Graphics 4000 (Toshiba)
Storage
698GB TOSHIBA MQ01ABD075 (SATA) 47 °C
Optical Drives
MATSHITA DVD-RAM UJ8C0
Audio
Realtek High Definition Audio


I'm not exactly sure which tests registered the errors but I think a couple of the tests started registering errors at test 4 - Test 4 [Moving inversions, 8 bit pattern]

I'm doing a memtest86 because for the past 2 wks I've been get multiple crashes per day, sometimes just one or 2 but they seem to be more often now. I'm also not getting windows updates because I uninstalled them as I thought they caused my problems because everything started happening after having 2 recent updates. So when I check for new updates now and try to install them, they aren't being installed at all.

Is there some way I can show you the log that I found on the USB that I used to run the memtest?

Thanks for any advice that you have.

[David (PassMark)]

Try testing 1 stick of RAM at a time. I assume you have 2 x 4GB.

[Giz]

Try testing 1 stick of RAM at a time. I assume you have 2 x 4GB.

Ok so that means I have to take it to a repair guy. I was trying to trouble shoot on my own but when it comes to getting into the computer, I think I have to stop there. Thanks David