Did OCing kill my RAM or was it a bad stick?

A month ago I overclocked my RAM to 2-2-2. I have Crucial PC2100 DDR. Everything was stable and running faster from what I remember. Then one day I decided to overclock my video card. I restarted and had problems thereafter - periodic blue screens during high activity. So I got a new video card and new hard drive thinking I had to erase all signs of the video card overclock. Same problems. So I bring it into the shop, they test it and find a bad stick of RAM. It was replaced and now it's all perfect again.

So, was overclocking the RAM why it failed or was it a bad stick, which would have been a problem regardless? As I said, I believe I remember a difference overclocking my RAM, but I don't want to fry another stick.

I didn't change the voltages at all. Would that have helped? Thanks.

Hey, as far as you know, you didn't do anything to it, right?

Just get a new one, I really think that it would have failed anyway...

I had issues getting my RAM into my board when I first installed it, but there were no problems for months thereafter so it must have been OK. I didn't take the RAM out of the board at all and I use an antistatic bracelet when handling hardware. Then when I started overclocking (CPU, Video card, and RAM) one stick fried out. I did get a new stick and it's all good again.

As I said, I want to overclock it again, but if it'll fry it, I won't. If it was a bad stick, I'll do it though.

You should of set the memory back to 3-3-3 or whatever the deafult setting is and then see if it still caused the problem.

It prolly just went bad who knows ram isn't that expensive...
Just gank the money from your dads wallet.

There'll be no ganking of any kind from my dad. I'm not 16 any more. It is just my money and although RAM is cheap, the minor performance increase isn't worth 50 bucks to me. If I can overclock safely, why not do it? That's what I'm trying to get at.

I doubt your ram fried because of an overclock.

I would say that it was a weak stick of ram, probably had a weak chip on it. I've been running my reg. Crucial 2100 at 150 fsb cas 2 for months now with no problems. From reading your previous post, it sounds like you didn't even have the fsb speed raised beyond 133.

I do have the FSB raised above 133, to 152 in fact. 10.5 multiplier x 152 FSB = 1.6 GHz. That's where I'm at now.

It wasn't the overclocking that did it, setting the CAS latency to 2 would not do anything, if it boots and is stable then it would work, if is was unstable then you'd set it back to cas3.

You had a dodgy stick of Ram i'm 100% certain, i've never heard of anyone damaging their mem unless they had raised the memory voltage (if you can in your bios).

Go ahead and overclock it, just make sure that if you raise the voltage to it you have good case air flow, its good to anyway as every 10C of heat can take years off of a components life.

152FSB @ Cas2 is no problem with mem voltage up @2.7-2.9 from default 2.5. Just remember to have good airflow, you can run 3.3v through your mem with no cooling but it is always better to be safe and just put a 40CFM fan or something on it.

Good Luck,

Nick :cool

I'm at 2.7v now, the default on my board. Should I raise it? I can do 2.8 or 2.9 if I change the jumpers. Again I'm at 152 FSB at 2-2-2. The system is rock solid as is. Thanks.

If its stable then don't do it!!!

However if you want more from your FSB and your other components can handle it then upping the mem voltage should help.