RAM issues?

I've a curious one I can't quite figure. My main box, starts crashing at the desktop and blue-screening loading the OS for no apparent reason. I swap the processor and ram out and it's rock solid again. 'Simple, faulty RAM' says you. That would be my answer.

What's throwing me is that no amount of Memtest86+ or DocMemory turns up any errors. And the other machine is fine with the 'dodgy' sticks. Go figure?

My main machine was a socket A 3200+ XP with 1gb of Crucial Ballistix 3200 DDR (1x 512, 2x 256). I swapped in a 3000+XP and one stick of value-Crucial 2700 DDR.

Swap only the processor don't touch ram? Doesn't sound much like a RAM problem

Bluescreens and crashes don't sound like a RAM issue?

No, no, swapped out both the processor and all of the Ballstix RAM, for a slower 3000xp and some 256mb Cruicial value RAM.

RAM is a complicated thing, Long story short, mixing 512 sticks with 256's isn't good.

Read up on http://arstechnica.com/paedia/r/ram_guide/ram_guide.part1-1.html and you'll quickly see why.

Was working fine for a year, mixed.

>>3
Thats my point, you swapped both. That means it could be both the ram and the processor that's causing it. And since when did bluescreens and crashes become a RAM issue?

>>6
Never tried booting a PC with a, POSTing, dodgy stick of RAM?

They're not always a symptom of bad RAM, but it can be one of the suspects. My first theory was over-heating.

I didn't explain properly at first. I swapped the CPU first, it was still unstable, then I swapped the RAM and it was stable again. And now, after running it a stick at a time of the suspect sticks, it seems it was the 512mb stick that was causing bluescreens during OS load, and general instability.

Scientific method anyone?

Scientificaly buy a new 512 stick?