# Memtest86 Black Screen



## SkillerPenguin

Hiya!

So, for a very long time now, I've seen an increasing number of issues with my computer. Other than my motherboard's ethernet and Wi-Fi/Bluetooth only working after several strenuous driver re-installations, and at that the Wi-Fi/Bluetooth working about 20% of the time and little support from MSI support, I am now wondering if I'm also having a RAM issue.

I tested my RAM a while back, but every time I would run memtest86 overnight, I would turn on my screen and be presented with a black screen, and no way to actually see what's going on.
Last night, I updated my memtest version and still have the same black screen issue.

Now, I have been in a not-getting-away-this-time mood lately, and I am more determined than ever to fix my game crashes. I have already tried using 1 stick at a time and changing the DIMM slots of my 2 stacks, yet to no avail.


Now, for the juicy stuff. Here are my PC specs: 

CPU: i7-5960x, OC @ 4.2GHz (Watercooled)
Motherboard: MSI X99S Gaming 9 ACK 
GPU: EVGA GTX 980Ti ACX2.0+ OC 
RAM: Corsair Vengeance 2x8GB DDR4 @2440MHz 
Drive 1 (OS): Samsung 850 Pro 256GB SSD 
Drive 2: Samsung 840 Pro 512GB SSD 
Drive 3: Samsung 850 Pro 1TB SSD 
Drive 4: Seagate 2TB Hybrid 
PSU: Corsair HX850i 
OS: Microsoft Windows 8.1, 64-bit

As for the overclocked CPU, stress tests (prime95/Linx) don't see any issues, so stability-wise, I feel safe to call it fine. For the RAM, I feel this should go without saying, but I have of course tried it without its overclock; nothing changes.

I have yet to try memtest86 with one stick at a time, but because I've seen only one other thread describing my issue and the issue not even being with the RAM but rather with the power supply, I decided I'll go ahead and see what you guys think first and will most likely do it later tonight anyway.

Appreciate any help you can give!


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## Deejay100six

Hiya,

First of all, we should make sure you are running Memtest86, not to be confused with Memtest86+. Having the plus sign at the end is unfortunate, in that it makes people think its a better version of the same program.

Not so, as indicated in our older article, How to perform a MemTest86+ Test - Tech Support Forum



> Please note that MemTest86+ has not been updated for over two years and is now thought to be outdated.


The link below is the one you want, please check through it to make sure you are running it properly.

How to perform a MemTest86 Test - Tech Support Forum



> I have yet to try memtest86 with one stick at a time, but because I've seen only one other thread describing my issue and the issue not even being with the RAM but rather with the power supply,


It is certainly very important that you test with one stick at a time and also, alternate the slots.

Lastly for now, before I saw your comment, looking at your specs, I was going to advise that Corsair PSU's are not as good as they used to be and popular opinion seems to be to avoid them.

Hope this helps.


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## SkillerPenguin

Deejay100six said:


> Hiya,
> 
> First of all, we should make sure you are running Memtest86, not to be confused with Memtest86+. Having the plus sign at the end is unfortunate, in that it makes people think its a better version of the same program.
> 
> Not so, as indicated in our older article, How to perform a MemTest86+ Test - Tech Support Forum
> 
> 
> 
> The link below is the one you want, please check through it to make sure you are running it properly.
> 
> How to perform a MemTest86 Test - Tech Support Forum
> 
> 
> 
> It is certainly very important that you test with one stick at a time and also, alternate the slots.
> 
> Lastly for now, before I saw your comment, looking at your specs, I was going to advise that Corsair PSU's are not as good as they used to be and popular opinion seems to be to avoid them.
> 
> Hope this helps.


Thank you for your response.

I am indeed using Memtest86 and will post an update for the stick-by-stick diagnosis once I have completed it. For awareness, in the case that I am to get a black screen on both sticks with different slots, what would be your solution?

On the continuous side note, what are your thoughts on SilverStone and EVGA power supply units? Do you have any experience with them? 
What brands would you recommend?


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## Deejay100six

SilverStone? Not heard of them.

I have an EVGA myself and it will do for my incredibly old machine but, if not for my impatience, I would have researched further.

Popular choice here at TSF at this time are XFX and Seasonic.

http://www.techsupportforum.com/forums/f255/tsf-hardware-teams-recommended-builds-2016-a-668661.html

Edit; I'm still looking at the black screen issue.


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## Deejay100six

When it black screens, do you hear any beeps? (Assuming you have a system speaker connected)


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## SkillerPenguin

Deejay100six said:


> When it black screens, do you hear any beeps? (Assuming you have a system speaker connected)


Unfortunately, I wouldn't be able to tell you, as I use a headset which is turned off while I am asleep; the time period of which I run the tests. I could, however, make sure my headset stays on with loud volume so that I can perhaps hear it. 
What would a symptom such as this represent?




Deejay100six said:


> SilverStone? Not heard of them.
> 
> I have an EVGA myself and it will do for my incredibly old machine but, if not for my impatience, I would have researched further.
> 
> Popular choice here at TSF at this time are XFX and Seasonic.
> 
> TSF Hardware Team's Recommended Builds - 2016



Are the parts on those lists (well, specifically the PSUs) placed on there due to amiable experiences or just from a budget standpoint?


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## DBCooper

Hi there,

When it comes to power supply brands, check out "SEASONIC". Seasonic is a pretty good brand when it comes to power supplies.

Also, try running your CPU speeds at default speed and then try running the Memtest86 overnight again. see if the same issue happens.


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## Rich-M

There is a sort of prejudice here for Seasonic psus and that includes XFX and Antec HCG units but I doubt anyone canj deny Serasonic are considered the best by most techs anyway but there are other good quality ones. 550 watts and over EVGA are made by Super Flower which are also real good quality and Enermax is excellent quality IMHO as I have always had good service with Thermaltake units as well.


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## SkillerPenguin

Update:


So, prior to the test, I re-installed the free version of Memtest86 on my USB drive out of principal, I cleared my CMOS (to revert all overclocks back to default) removed a stick and moved the remaining stick to a different DIMM slot.

This morning, the black screen was once again there. 

What are your thoughts so far? 
Is it possible that there's some sort of power saving feature within my motherboard/other components that could be doing this? I've never heard of something like this, but hey, I might as well throw my ideas out there.

As for the second stick of RAM, I'll be testing it tonight, also in a different slot than last night's.


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## SkillerPenguin

Update #2:

Prior to this test, I switched out the RAM sticks and changed the DIMM slot, unplugged all unnecessary USB devices (once again out of principal) and also left my monitor on during the duration of the test.

The result: There was no black screen and not a single error. Screenshots below.


I will test the first RAM stick in the same DIMM slot as the second one tonight. 






















Tonight I will be doing the same with the first RAM stick in the same DIMM slot as last night.


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## SkillerPenguin

After furthing testing the past few nights, I have come to the conclusion that black screens only occur when my USB devices remain plugged in to the system. 

What are your thoughts? Do you already have an idea as to what's going on or would you like me to further diagnose the situation and find out which of these devices is causing the issue?


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## Rich-M

I think I would try to see if one particular device is causing the problem....


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