I recently upgraded my old PC by adding an 8GB RAM stick and I'm wondering about the compatibility of the old, smaller RAM. I'm also planning to clone my old HDD to a new SSD, and I'm concerned that any RAM errors could cause major problems during the cloning process. So, I decided to run Memtest86+ V7.20. I only let it run for 15 minutes and it didn't show any issues. If I leave it running for an hour or two and still see no errors, can I safely go ahead with the cloning, or should I just remove the old RAM stick altogether for peace of mind?
3 Answers
Just because Memtest passes doesn’t mean your hardware is completely flawless. It only indicates no faults were detected during the tests it ran. A more thorough way to check your RAM is to successfully install an OS like Windows. If that goes without a hitch, you can feel more confident about the RAM. Just remember, if Memtest shows errors, you definitely have a problem.
Memtest isn't foolproof, but if it does show errors, that's a sure sign there’s something wrong with your RAM. If it passes, it could still be fine, but there's no absolute guarantee. I'd personally keep the old drive on hand just in case things go sideways during the cloning.
Running Memtest+ doesn't guarantee that your RAM is issue-free. While it’s a solid tool for detecting problems, it doesn't cover every possible failure mode, so passing the test just means it didn’t find any faults at that moment. If you want real peace of mind, consider getting some high-quality ECC RAM, though it can be pricey. I'd recommend keeping your old HDD around until you’re certain everything went smoothly with the cloning process.
Related Questions
Lenovo Thinkpad Stuck In Update Loop Install FilterDriverU2_Reload