Linux Mint 20.2 Performance Issues and DE Locking Up SOLVED



If that is how the pc has been working for an extended period of time, then it would seem reasonable to assume they were installed in the correct slots
 
I think this is unrelated to RAM, even if no RAM in inserted the monitor should light up.
Correct

the more information i see the more i suspect a MB fault or a PSU fault
 
My friend re-seated the ram sticks and we both heard 2 definitive loud clicks.
Plugged the desktop and the desktop booted. The MSI BIOS screen came up as it always had and booted into LM 20.2 from Grub.
After he moved the mouse around on the DE for a 2-3 minutes the DE crashed and the monitor turned to a blue screen. Shut down the desktop and plugged in the USB thumb drive with Memtest86.

Memtest86 is now running for a second time.
This time there are pink blocks where as last time he ran Memtest there were not any pink blocks on the screen.
 

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First pass pic's.

@Brickwizard .....
How can I tell if it's the RAM, the MOBO or the PSU?
 

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its clearly recognising the ram, cant be that and the motherboard is power, so that now looks a bit doubtful,
when you try to boot , depending on the distribution, you may get a chance to run in compatibility mode, if so what results do you get?
 
its clearly recognising the ram, cant be that and the motherboard is power, so that now looks a bit doubtful,
when you try to boot , depending on the distribution, you may get a chance to run in compatibility mode, if so what results do you get?
I ran Debian 12 Live and the DE crashed. The monitor had a blue screen and the mouse and key board were inoperative.

How would I enter into compatibility mode?
 
My friend is leaning towards getting 2 sticks of 8GB RAM, DDR3 from Amazon. It seems like the local Micro Center doesn't have any DDR3.
He's concerned about getting the exact RAM outlined in the specs of his mobo manual under Motherboard Specifications> Memory Support. He's in a sooner than later situation.

Here's the link to the G.Skill Ripjaws DDR3 RAM I found on Amazon.


@Brickwizard what do you think? Any thoughts, secret wizard knowledge, etc?
 

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@Brickwizard what do you think
The accumulation of past instructions from worksheets and nearly 40 yrs of operating on desktops/towers this is what i say to most people

Can I use ram from different manufacturers?
For best results, use matched pairs [from the same maker]
in most cases this is not necessary

Can I mix types of ram
there is no compatibility either backward or parallel with ram, you cannot use EEC ram on a nonEEC mother board

I cannot get the exact ram specified for my motherboard, can I use a different one?
Usually there are acceptable remedies
SD and DDR ram are not compatible [some very old computers did have different slots for both]
Likewise, DDR,DDR2,DDR3,& etc are not compatible
Standard and low voltage are not considered compatible, although they may work
Standard height and low height will work together, provided they are the same type [and you have room for standard ones]
Ram of the same type but different speeds will work together, but don't get over zealot, putting a faster ram say your
motherboard recommends, say DDR2-667 (PC2-5333) you can put in a slower ram EG. DDR2-400 (PC2-3200) or a faster ram DDR2-1066 (PC2-8500). However, what ever you install will only run at the speed of which the motherboard is set for OR the speed of the slowest stick of ram,
,
 
OK, I found DDR3 1600 PC3 12800 with a latency of 9-9-9-24 just like the 2 sticks of RAM that my friend had.

My friend is going through that page now. I haven't ordered the RAM yet and won't until he knows which RAM he will want to purchase.
In the meantime, I need to call New Egg's customer service and find out which carrier they use in order to have the package delivered.

Does anyone know of any RAM compatibility charts or websites especially ones that deal with older RAM compatibility?
 
stick with DDR3 1600 PC3 12800,

PC3-14900 will be more expensive and still only run as fast as the current 12800 [motherboard speed]

if cost is important you can use a slower ram but as I said before that will then be the speed of all the ram if you keep any 12800 and will slow the processes
 
stick with DDR3 1600 PC3 12800,

PC3-14900 will be more expensive and still only run as fast as the current 12800 [motherboard speed]

if cost is important you can use a slower ram but as I said before that will then be the speed of all the ram if you keep any 12800 and will slow the processes
He needs to know if DDR3 1600 PC3 12800 supports non-ECC un-buffered memory and....
if it supports Intel Extreme Memory Profile (XMP)
So, looking at the specs 'see the screenshot' it says no next to ECC.

Can you confirm @Brickwizard that next to ECC in the specs shown in the screenshot means it's non-ECC?
 

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DDR3 1600 PC3 12800 s
is available in both EEC for workstations and servers or non-EEC for consumer desktops/towers most ram is non-EEC, read the small print in the add.

this is Amazon UK look at the list they are clearly marked
 
DDR3 1600 PC3 12800 s
is available in both EEC for workstations and servers or non-EEC for consumer desktops/towers most ram is non-EEC, read the small print in the add.

this is Amazon UK look at the list they are clearly marked
Thanks for that. Now.......
Does DDR3 1600 PC3 12800 support Intel Extreme Memory Profile (XMP) Brian?

The Amazon UK link didn't go well for me. See screenshot--
 

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found this spec on line
G.Skill DDR3 RipjawsX Series is designed for Intel Z77/X79 systems. PC3-12800 1600MHz with timings of 9-9-9-24 (CL9), 1.5V, 4x4GB modules, 240 pins. Equipped with new style red RipjawsX Series heatsinks. Intel XMP Ready memory
 
found this spec on line
G.Skill DDR3 RipjawsX Series is designed for Intel Z77/X79 systems. PC3-12800 1600MHz with timings of 9-9-9-24 (CL9), 1.5V, 4x4GB modules, 240 pins. Equipped with new style red RipjawsX Series heatsinks. Intel XMP Ready memory
His chipset is a Intel Z87 not a Z77/X79.
Will what you found work?
 

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It took the better part of 2 weeks to trouble shoot my friends desktop issues.
A special thanks to Condobloke, osprey, Brickwizard and others that helped me with this.

It's pretty clear that the RAM is bad and has to be replaced.
I had to learn some things about RAM in order to help my friend choose the correct RAM for his desktop.

DDR3 is available on New Egg and Amazon and no longer available at Micro Center, they no longer carry it.

The 4th TRAS (the number referring to the CAS Latency) is often omitted or a fifth the command rate sometimes added (normally 2T, 1T, 2N or 1N) is part of the timing on the memory. An example is 9-9-9-24 2N.

CAS stands for Colum Address Strobe or in plain english, signal latency, ie: clock cycles.


These parameters specify the clock latency of certain specific commands issued to a random access memory. For more info see here:

When looking for RAM make sure you look at the specs on the page. And use wisdom by referring to your mobo manual.
Your mobo manual will tell you exactly what type of RAM and chipset you have.

Most mobo manuals can be found online.

Lastly, these are the signs that the RAM is bad.

Code:
    Frequent system crashes or blue screens.
    Unexplained system slowdowns.
    Applications crashing or freezing frequently.
    Inability to boot your computer.
    Distorted graphics and other visual anomalies.

    Corrupted Files: Files may become corrupted or fail to save properly, leading to data loss.

When my friends DE on all 3 distro's started showing visual anomalies on the screen and the configuration files for the network interfaces files dissapeared or became misconfigured I know it was time to run Memtest.

When the new RAM arrives (still looking at Amazon & New Egg) and is placed in the DIMM slots and my friend boots up the system I'll be back to share what happens.
 
Ask many vendors while out and about in the local market if anyone had any DDR3 available. No dice.
Trying to find memory for my friends desktop locally hasn't been easy.
There's 3 more stores locally I need to call this week.

--*My friend and I are trying to buy locally. Sadly, there are thieves in the neighborhood that take packages from the UPS, Fed Ex & Amazon deliveries.--*

I've spent the better part of the afternoon working on the draft of the article I'll be writing and posting on my Linux Blog about this whole experience.
 

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