Memory issues, could use some help

S

Ssjorda153902dd

New member
Joined
Apr 3, 2024
Messages
13
I have a computer that will randomly crash and give me a blue screen.
I have run windows memory test and a third party test and found a memory issue. I moved the card to the brown slot on the far left of my MSI B450 gaming plus MAX board and ran a windows memory test and no issue. I moved the card to another red slot and I have an issue. I restarted my bios and tested the red slot again and I have an issue. Someone told me a BIOS update might solve the issue. I’ve gone on the the MISI site and have found three different types I can update; BIOS, UTILITY and DRIVER. I’m think not utility.
Can anyone help me figure out which driver I should update and are there manufacturers instructions?
 

Attachments

  • IMG_5490.png
    IMG_5490.png
    73 KB · Views: 67
  • IMG_5489.png
    IMG_5489.png
    89.7 KB · Views: 58
Sort by date Sort by votes
First of all, for any normal motherboard, you should use two RAM modules, in the second and fourth slot from the left (slots A2 and B2). This is so you can benefit from dual-channel memory operation, which doubles the RAM bandwidth compared to using only one module. So you saing you moved a module from a red to a brown RAM slot, this doesn't sound quite right. Using only one RAM module is only ok for office PCs. If you are also playing games for example, it costs too much performance.

Secondly, yes, a BIOS update is always the first thing to try. However, you are looking at the wrong board model. If you really have the MSI B450 gaming plus MAX, then you need to look at the updates for the MAX: https://www.msi.com/Motherboard/B450-GAMING-PLUS-MAX/support

The BIOS page is correct, you want the 7B86vHK version. Update how-to:
1) Get the latest BIOS. It's the topmost one on the MSI support page for your board.
2) Extract the file and you will get a text file and the BIOS file. Put the BIOS file into the root folder of a USB stick/drive.
3) Enter the BIOS by pressing DEL during boot, go to "M-FLASH" in the BIOS.
4) Once M-Flash (the updater) is loaded, it will show a list of your drives. Select the USB stick and select the previously extracted BIOS file on there.
5) It will ask for confirmation and then update the BIOS. It's fully automatic from there, takes about two minutes.

Afterwards, enable XMP for your RAM in the BIOS so it runs at the proper speed. If you are unsure about all of this, get a friend to help you with it.

I would then run a stability test using Memtest86 Free. Prepare a USB stick with Memtest86 beforehand (there is an imaging program once you extract the file, use it to prepare a USB stick with it) and boot from it by pressing F11 for the boot menu, after updating the BIOS and enabling XMP. It has to be error-free for at least two passes.

Ssjorda153902dd said:
I should add there are a few other ports not working. Like the DVI and an hdmi
Click to expand...

They only work if your CPU model is ending in -G for graphics, like 5600G. Otherwise, the CPU has no internal graphics and the graphics ports on the board cannot work.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
citay said:
First of all, for any normal motherboard, you should use two RAM modules, in the second and fourth slot from the left (slots A2 and B2). This is so you can benefit from dual-channel memory operation, which doubles the RAM bandwidth compared to using only one module. So you saing you moved a module from a red to a brown RAM slot, this doesn't sound quite right. Using only one RAM module is only ok for office PCs. If you are also playing games for example, it costs too much performance.

Secondly, yes, a BIOS update is always the first thing to try. However, you are looking at the wrong board model. If you really have the MSI B450 gaming plus MAX, then you need to look at the updates for the MAX: https://www.msi.com/Motherboard/B450-GAMING-PLUS-MAX/support

The BIOS page is correct, you want the 7B86vHK version. Update how-to:
1) Get the latest BIOS. It's the topmost one on the MSI support page for your board.
2) Extract the file and you will get a text file and the BIOS file. Put the BIOS file into the root folder of a USB stick/drive.
3) Enter the BIOS by pressing DEL during boot, go to "M-FLASH" in the BIOS.
4) Once M-Flash (the updater) is loaded, it will show a list of your drives. Select the USB stick and select the previously extracted BIOS file on there.
5) It will ask for confirmation and then update the BIOS. It's fully automatic from there, takes about two minutes.

Afterwards, enable XMP for your RAM in the BIOS so it runs at the proper speed. If you are unsure about all of this, get a friend to help you with it.

I would then run a stability test using Memtest86 Free. Prepare a USB stick with Memtest86 beforehand (there is an imaging program once you extract the file, use it to prepare a USB stick with it) and boot from it by pressing F11 for the boot menu, after updating the BIOS and enabling XMP. It has to be error-free for at least two passes.



They only work if your CPU model is ending in -G for graphics, like 5600G. Otherwise, the CPU has no internal graphics and the graphics ports on the board cannot work.
Click to expand...
 
Last edited:
Upvote 0 Downvote
citay said:
First of all, for any normal motherboard, you should use two RAM modules, in the second and fourth slot from the left (slots A2 and B2). This is so you can benefit from dual-channel memory operation, which doubles the RAM bandwidth compared to using only one module. So you saing you moved a module from a red to a brown RAM slot, this doesn't sound quite right. Using only one RAM module is only ok for office PCs. If you are also playing games for example, it costs too much performance.

Secondly, yes, a BIOS update is always the first thing to try. However, you are looking at the wrong board model. If you really have the MSI B450 gaming plus MAX, then you need to look at the updates for the MAX: https://www.msi.com/Motherboard/B450-GAMING-PLUS-MAX/support

The BIOS page is correct, you want the 7B86vHK version. Update how-to:
1) Get the latest BIOS. It's the topmost one on the MSI support page for your board.
2) Extract the file and you will get a text file and the BIOS file. Put the BIOS file into the root folder of a USB stick/drive.
3) Enter the BIOS by pressing DEL during boot, go to "M-FLASH" in the BIOS.
4) Once M-Flash (the updater) is loaded, it will show a list of your drives. Select the USB stick and select the previously extracted BIOS file on there.
5) It will ask for confirmation and then update the BIOS. It's fully automatic from there, takes about two minutes.

Afterwards, enable XMP for your RAM in the BIOS so it runs at the proper speed. If you are unsure about all of this, get a friend to help you with it.

I would then run a stability test using Memtest86 Free. Prepare a USB stick with Memtest86 beforehand (there is an imaging program once you extract the file, use it to prepare a USB stick with it) and boot from it by pressing F11 for the boot menu, after updating the BIOS and enabling XMP. It has to be error-free for at least two passes.



They only work if your CPU model is ending in -G for graphics, like 5600G. Otherwise, the CPU has no internal graphics and the graphics ports on the board cannot work.
Click to expand...
Thank you for the help.
Can I run the update with the one card or do I need to use both. I did just purchase two when I found out I should have two in there and not one.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
For the BIOS update it doesn't matter if you use one or two RAM modules. It's only important later for the performance. By the way, the two modules you use should be absolutely identical, that's why they offer RAM kits of two modules. You should avoid using two different modules, even if they are the same speed, but different brands/models.

Once you have two modules in slots A2 and B2 and have updated the BIOS, enable XMP, and run the memory test with Memtest86 first thing, so you know if it's stable or not (as i explained above before). If Memtest86 shows errors, which will look like this, then don't boot Windows right away:

X7hnNa3.jpeg


First disable XMP again and check if there are no more errors. Then you can boot Windows, reply here, and we'll see what we can do.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Ssjorda153902dd said:
I should add there are a few other ports not working. Like the DVI and an hdmi that is not part of the video card.
Click to expand...

Ssjorda153902dd said:
Thank you for the help.
Can I run the update with the one card or do I need to use both. I did just purchase two when I found out I should have two in there and not one.
Click to expand...
I did receive an error after the update. See photo.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_5498.jpeg
    IMG_5498.jpeg
    705.3 KB · Views: 106
Upvote 0 Downvote
This "row hammer" stuff, that's a theoretical security flaw that some RAM may have, where they can try to read out data from it with some sophisticated attack. But that's completely irrelevant, it's only a theoretical risk. As long as there's people running files from unknown e-Mail attachments or allowing macros to run in unknown Word files they got sent, systems can be compromised so much easier than by exploiting some obscure, theoretical RAM vulnerability.

The most important thing is that you have no errors. Of course, since you are running just a single module in single-channel mode right now, the chance of errors is almost zero, unless your RAM module was defective. But the stress on the memory system is so low now, since it runs at half speed. Once you take out this module and install a kit of two modules, with XMP enabled, that's when it runs at full speed, and then it becomes important to test the stability.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Thank you, I put in my two modules, when I booted it up in the BOIS XMP was not an option. I am running my first Memtest.
I also got the chip driver error pictured before so I might try and download again.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Are they two identical modules, in slots A2 and B2?

Also, i'm realizing now, this update you're trying to run, that's not the BIOS update. So you've never actually done the BIOS update according to the instructions i posted. Maybe i was unclear in my explanations, i will try again. On this page from here, you click on the download button for the 7B86vHK version.

Screenshot 2024-04-05 at 22-42-21 B450 GAMING PLUS MAX Motherboard MSI Global.png

(picture for illustration)

This will be step 1).
1) Get the latest BIOS. It's the topmost one on the MSI support page for your board.

Then:
2) Extract the file and you will get a text file and the BIOS file. Put the BIOS file into the root folder of a USB stick/drive.
3) Enter the BIOS by pressing DEL during boot, go to "M-FLASH" in the BIOS.
4) Once M-Flash (the updater) is loaded, it will show a list of your drives. Select the USB stick and select the previously extracted BIOS file on there.
5) It will ask for confirmation and then update the BIOS. It's fully automatic from there, takes about two minutes.

Then you can run Memtest86 again.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Yes. Both identical in slots A2 B2 both red. I looked at what a purchased. I did not buy pro cards so no XMP support. I don’t think I need it anyway.
That looks like the driver number I installed, version 7B86vHK. I think it included the chipset.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
That's the main tab, but i wanted to see the three others, they are little tabs on top. Mainboard, Memory and SPD.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
A little slow but here it is
 

Attachments

  • IMG_5516.jpeg
    IMG_5516.jpeg
    213.2 KB · Views: 66
  • IMG_5515.jpeg
    IMG_5515.jpeg
    158.7 KB · Views: 65
  • IMG_5514.jpeg
    IMG_5514.jpeg
    193.8 KB · Views: 65
  • IMG_5517.jpeg
    IMG_5517.jpeg
    168.3 KB · Views: 63
Upvote 0 Downvote
Ok. So the latest BIOS version vHK is installed, good. Your RAM is indeed a kit that has no XMP profile, i had a similar kit from Kingston once. It can do DDR4-3200 without requiring XMP, at nominal 1.2V (albeit with loose timings).

For some reason, your RAM runs at DDR4-2666 though (CPU-Z shows it as 1333 MHz in the Memory tab, because it takes DDR = Double Data Rate literally, also see here). So maybe try setting "DRAM Frequency" in the BIOS to DDR4-3200 by hand, your RAM should be able to do that. You may have to set the BIOS to advanced view first (press F7) and then it's under "OC".

Then you would obviously have to test again with Memtest86, to make sure it's stable, no errors (Rowhammer stuff not counted).
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Back
Top