This article will help you choose whether Memtest64, a free, compact, standalone program that enables you to examine your system memory for hardware-level issues, is good or bad. Its primary features are a graphical user interface and Windows compatibility.
Among other issues, memory hardware issues can cause data corruption, severe program crashes, and blue screens of death (BSODs). The issue is caused by either faulty memory timings or frequencies or faulty hardware.
You may test your memory with the application Memtest64 without using an MS-DOS boot DVD. It can also be useful for overclockers who are experimenting with timings and DRAM speed settings in an effort to enhance memory performance.
MemTest64: Is it truly good?
MemTest64, to put it simply, is a cutting-edge, lightweight tool that has a graphical user interface and can completely test the RAM for a number of faults. It does this by pushing all presently running programs onto the pagefile in order to free up RAM and execute a number of intense test patterns in the RAM.
Even though the stress tests are less intricate than MemTest86 or Karhu’s program, they may undoubtedly find defective hardware or memory regions that have been damaged over time.
You may maximize the performance of your RAM by using MemTest64 to synchronize the speed of your DRAM with the frequency of your CPU. MemTest64 is a powerful program that you ought to think about applying in tandem with one another.
MemTest64 is a fantastic tool for finding RAM issues. As a result, the amount of RAM corruption is inversely related to the pace at which it identifies faults. It detects mistakes more quickly the more broken it is.
In 90% of the situations, MemTest64 will discover a RAM issue within 10 seconds, and in the remaining 99% of the cases, only one pass will be necessary.
Most of the time, the more subtle the issue is and the longer it takes to find it, the less likely it is to be the cause of a problem with your computer (but you should still get a new ram if you get even one error)
You may stress-test RAM with MemTest64 without investing any money or having to wade through the confusing bootable environment.
What other benefits does MemTest64 offer?
operating systems include Windows XP, Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 10, and Windows Server 2003 and 2008. The only supported operating system is 64-bit.
All current CPUs, including Intel Core and AMD Ryzen processors, are compatible with it.
Rebooting or going into DOS mode are not required.
To reduce operational effectiveness, you can regulate how much memory is tested.
To assess memory, several detection strategies are employed.
Errors will be automatically identified, eliminating the need to log in with Administrator credentials.
No installation or registry alterations are required.
MemTest64 errors out when?
It will fall short in three crucial circumstances:
if an issue is brought on by the CPU or memory overheating. Memtest often utilizes nearly all of the CPU for a few of the tests.
if the CPU is unable to correctly access memory. Most of the tests read from and write to every place in memory.
if any power problems exist. Too many spikes can cause random bits to be offset, for example, if the power supply or capacitors are defective.
What concerning MemTest86?
If you want a more robust testing tool, you may download and utilize MemTest86. It performs a larger variety of checks and could find problems that the Windows test would overlook. The free version of this utility should work just fine, while the most recent versions provide a premium edition with more functionality. There is nothing you need to pay. MemTest86 will function even with Secure Boot turned on since it is Microsoft-signed.
MemTest86+ is free and open-source software if you wish to try anything different. A more recent version of MemTest86, MemTest86+, is compatible with both x86 and x64 computers.
It is free to download in ISO format and burn to a disc or USB flash device.
Because MemTest86+ functions very similarly to MemTest86 and doesn’t appear to be being maintained any longer, it doesn’t top the list.
After MemTest86, MemTest86+ can be used as a solid backup, but because of how it operates, Windows Memory Diagnostic will offer a wider range of tests.
Both of these programs are bootable and self-contained.
From MemTest86, a USB image may be copied to a USB drive. Run the EXE file included with the download, then supply a spare USB drive to make a bootable USB drive.
Once you’ve produced bootable media, restart your computer and instruct it to start from the USB device containing the RAM test tool.
When the utility first starts up, it will analyze your memory, running test after test and alerting you if a problem is found. You may observe how the memory acts over time by running tests until you instruct it to stop. You may view details about any issues on your screen. When you’re done, use the “Esc” key to shut it off and restart your computer.
How is MemTest86 executed?
The steps for running MemTest86 are as follows:
Download the memtest86-usb.zip file, then unzip it.
Back up the files on a USB flash drive and then insert them into your computer. All of its data will be deleted after this procedure.
Open the downloaded imageUSB.exe file.
When the window appears, click the Write button after choosing the appropriate USB device in Step 1 and making sure the memtest86-usb.img file is selected in Step 3.
Start the computer from the bootable USB after it has been made.
Click the Config button when the Memtest86 screen displays. You can learn a little bit about your PC’s parts, such as the RAM and CPU.
Select Test to Begin. There will be two progress bars: a Test bar that displays the length of the currently running test and a Pass bar that displays the overall set’s completion.
The message “Pass complete, no errors, press Esc to quit” occurs when a Pass is finished without any mistakes. Press Esc to shut down and restart your computer.
The Function of RAM Testing Tools
The random access memory of your computer houses working memory (RAM). The operating system and apps on your computer constantly access data from memory (RAM). For instance, when you see this website, your web browser stores it momentarily in RAM for subsequent use. When a PC game is launched, data from slower system storage (such as a solid-state drive or hard drive) is loaded into considerably quicker RAM.
A PC with bad RAM might lead to problems. Your computer will find different data than what you stored in it when you try to access RAM. Data corruption, program crashes, system freezes, and blue screens of death might arise as a result.
Data is progressively written to and read from your computer’s RAM for these programs to operate. If the utility gives you a different result, your RAM could be broken.
You have to boot into a certain bootable environment in order to use the finest RAM testing tools. You can deactivate Windows to guarantee that the utility has total low-level access to your RAM (or another operating system).
Why should your memory be tested?
Whether you initially install one or more RAM sticks, when you construct or buy a new computer, it’s a good idea to check the memory’s condition. The BIOS performs a brief test known as the POST test when you initially start on your computer to check for memory issues. A RAM issue on your PC is frequently the main culprit.
For instance, bad RAM might be the reason your computer keeps restarting or won’t load the OS.
The RAM becomes a potential suspect when error messages are shown on the BIOS screen or beep codes, or when you hear beep codes. When your programs suddenly break or you get a Blue Screen of Death
The RAM becomes a potential suspect when error messages are shown on the BIOS screen or beep codes, or when you hear beep codes. The same is true when your programs break or you unexpectedly see a Blue Screen of Death.
It’s possible that your motherboard and the RAM are incompatible. Your RAM might not be able to manage the extra stress as a result of overclocking. It’s possible that one of the RAM sticks is not properly placed or that its port is broken.
The best course of action is to use the RAM test program to do a memory test if you experience any of these symptoms. They operate by writing data to the computer’s memory and then reading it back.
5 MemTest64 substitutes
In order to adequately test the RAM against slow read and write speeds, hardware bugs, paging faults, caching, and other issues, we have provided 5 tools.
AIDA64 Extreme, to start
If you don’t know much about hardware components or stress testing, AIDA64 Extreme is the finest program to stress test RAM. It’s a straightforward software that enables you to stress your RAM with demanding tasks including rapid read, write, and flush operations. The use of multi-threaded memory and cache paging is also used to analyze RAM bandwidth and latency concerns.
On the other side, AIDA64 Extreme performs many processing activities, including physics and mathematical computations, using just RAM. Additionally, the tool gives you a benchmark score so you may assess how well your RAM performs in comparison to other PCs. AIDA64 Extreme is an outstanding program for regular users and you should give it a try.
2. The Linux RAM Stress Test
The Stressful Application Test may be used to test your RAM and other memory devices if you run Linux. The software was produced by Google and distributed under the Apache 2.0 license. With the help of this software, you may increase the random traffic on memory and I/O components, heavily taxing RAM in the process.
To fast install the program from the terminal, type the following command: install stressapptest with sudo apt-get Additionally, you may enter custom settings, such as./stressapptest -s 20 -M 256 -m 8 -W, which runs 256MB of RAM for 20 seconds while 8 “warm copy” threads are running.
3. Prime95
Prime95 is on our list of CPU stress testing tools, but it also has the ability to test RAM for instability and faults. Although Prime95 offers a number of settings, the Blend test is the most effective technique to thoroughly assess the RAM. If you are familiar with the subject, you may choose custom and choose your own criteria. However, I’d advise removing the check mark next to “in-place,” extending the range to 448K–4096K, and assigning at least 70% of RAM.
Your RAM will surely be stretched to its utmost as a result, exposing any mistakes that may have happened. Run the test for at least two hours to acquire a precise picture of RAM performance. In conclusion, you may trust Prime95 to evaluate your RAM because it is strong software.
4. Karhu’s RAM Examination
If you dislike MemTest86’s UI or its bootable design, Karhu’s RAM Test program is your best option. It has a typical graphical user interface (GUI) with a simple layout and lots of sophisticated functionality. This tool may be used to examine your RAM for hardware issues or to determine how it.
It generates random numbers using a variety of sophisticated methods to stress test the RAM. The two routines that enable sequential memory block writing and deactivate the CPU cache are RtlGenRandom and XORWOW. Simply said, throughout the years, Karhu’s RAM Test has shown to be a trustworthy stress test tool for many system builders and overclockers.
5. Recall
Rember is the program’s graphical user interface for memtest, which tests memory. Using this program, the user may choose the number of test loops and the amount of memory to test. The ‘Log’ tab allows the user to keep track of memory tests. The user can flip the “verbose” setting, end Finder, and other programs to reduce the quantity of output.
Both end users and IT specialists may find it confusing when a computer has bad memory since it can malfunction, crash, and act in a number of different ways. The majority of Apple devices include hardware test CDs, and a few third-party macOS memory testing tools are also available.