My PC has an Intel Core i5-12600KF, Radeon RX 6950 XT, MSI PRO Z790-P WIFI DDR4 motherboard, and 32 GB of G.Skill F4-3200C16-8GVKB RAM using four 8 GB sticks at 3200 MHz. For a while, it has been crashing with blue screens that sometimes look corrupted or covered in static near the bottom of the display. The crashes often happened when closing a game, application, or browser tabs, sometimes after a brief freeze accompanied by a buzzing or repeating audio sound. More recently, one occurred immediately after startup.
The latest stop code has been MEMORY_MANAGEMENT (0x1A), including one crash with parameter 0x403. I suspected the graphics driver because of the visual corruption, but updating the AMD driver did not stop the crashes. Windows Memory Diagnostic reported that hardware problems were detected and recommended having the memory checked or repaired.
I have not made many other changes yet. What should I test first to determine whether the problem is a defective RAM stick, a motherboard slot, unstable memory settings, or another hardware or software issue?
4 Answers
Before replacing parts, reseat the RAM, graphics card, and power connectors. Check CPU and GPU temperatures, and return any CPU or memory overclock to stock settings. A crash inside ntkrnlmp.exe does not necessarily mean Windows itself is the cause—it can be where faulty hardware or an unstable driver is detected. The dump files may help, but the hardware-memory test should take priority here.
Test the sticks individually rather than running all four together. Power the PC off, remove the other modules, and test each stick in the motherboard's recommended slot. Then repeat with another slot if necessary. This can identify a bad module or a faulty slot. Also temporarily disable XMP and run the RAM at its default settings while troubleshooting; four modules can be harder for the memory controller to run reliably at their rated speed.
If the RAM passes multiple full tests with XMP disabled, continue by checking the dumps and drivers, then consider a clean Windows installation if the software side looks suspicious. If errors remain, test known-good compatible memory or have a repair shop check the modules, motherboard slots, and memory controller. Avoid replacing the GPU solely because the blue screen has graphical corruption; memory errors can also produce a damaged-looking display.
The memory test result makes RAM the first thing to investigate. Run MemTest86 from a bootable USB and let it complete several passes—ideally overnight. Windows Memory Diagnostic is useful, but MemTest86 is generally more thorough. Any reported error means the system is not stable, even if Windows normally starts.
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