There are several factors that can contribute to RAM failure, such as physical damage, overheating, power surges, manufacturing defects, or incompatible or faulty modules. Physical damage can occur due to improper handling, installation, or removal of the RAM sticks, or due to dust, moisture, or static electricity.
Sadly, RAM isn't something you can ignore—it's one of the most important parts of any computer (read our guide to RAM to learn more). It also has one of the highest failure rates out of all your machine's components.
General symptoms of bad RAM include random blue screens of death (BSOD), system crashes or restarts, operating system freezes, and missing memory. In a worst-case scenario, your system might not even post and welcome you with multiple beeps.
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Only a technician with component-level repair expertise can repair a memory module. The required soldering/ desoldering equipment is relatively complex, especially with modules and cards made with extremely thin Surface Mount Technology (i.e., devices with BGA or TSOP chips).
Files Get Corrupted
You may notice that files, particularly the ones you frequently access and save appear to be corrupted inexplicably. Perhaps this is a sign of bad RAM. Even RAM issues could worsen over time. Eventually, the file structure of your hard drive will be compromised and your machine no longer boots up.
Generally, we recommend 8GB of RAM for casual computer usage and internet browsing, 16GB for spreadsheets and other office programs, and at least 32GB for gamers and multimedia creators.
16GB is the recommended amount of RAM for playing most games and will provide a noticeable increase in performance from 8GB. You will also be able to run applications in the background without affecting gameplay.
As more and more things are being accessed online, our computers need less onboard RAM to handle things. Most people don't need that much today, which is why Chromebooks exist. On the other hand, power users will not be happy with 16GB in 5 years, because they will be doing more intensive things on their own devices.
A bad RAM module typically does not directly damage a motherboard. However, it can cause issues that may indirectly affect the motherboard or other components of the computer system.
Without RAM, your computer would have to rely on its hard drive or SSD to store and retrieve data, which would significantly slow down its performance. Hard drives and SSDs are much slower than RAM, so using them as the main storage for running applications would cause your computer to run much slower.
Random access memory is the temporary holding place where your computer stores various data and information when it runs programs. A dead memory module prevents your computer from functioning properly, as it hamstrings the machine's ability to access important data quickly and causes various errors.
But not only do they have a shelf life but they also degrade over time, losing their performance. RAMs are one of the toughest hardware created for working as long as possible. It is said that if RAM is brand new, it will last more or less up to 8 years. Similarly, a used memory works properly for more or less 5 years.
The short answer is YES: RAM does indeed "age". And some of the degradation is noticiable if you use it intensively (as servers do).
Is 64/128 GB of RAM Overkill? For the majority of users, it is. If you plan on building a PC purely for gaming and some general, basic, everyday activity, 64 GB of RAM is just too much. The amount of RAM you need will ultimately depend on your workload.
The more RAM you have, the more data your computer can access quickly, improving its overall performance. 32GB of RAM is considered high and is generally overkill for most users. For most everyday use and basic tasks such as web browsing, email, and basic office work, 8GB of RAM is more than enough.
Is 1TB of RAM overkill? On most systems, RAM is one of the worst limiting factors when running virtual machines. With 1TB of RAM, this is no longer a concern. That much RAM lets you spin up dozens of virtual systems without impacting overall system performance.
For gaming purposes, 128 GB of RAM would be considered overkill. Even the most modern and demanding games do not require more than 16 GB of RAM. While it is true that having excess RAM will not harm the system, it will add to the cost of the system without providing any significant benefits.
40GB RAM is not “bad” but could be called “unpredictable” or “mismatched” if you arrange it as 8,16,8,8GBs. Imagine running three tires of one brand with a fourth larger tire, your car may roll forward, but it is never recommended due to unpredictable traction.
If you plan on streaming or running multiple applications while your games are running — OBS Studio, a web browser, etc. — 32GB will give you a little more room, and top-tier gamers might even want to go for 48GB with a non-binary memory kit.
As with any circuit board component, the gold contacts at the bottom of your desktop or laptop computer's RAM modules must be clean and free of debris in order to maintain a solid connection. If your RAM sticks are dirty, your computer might not recognize that they're installed and may sometimes show a blue screen.
One of two DIMMs (RAM sticks) on my computer was faulty, causing errors in the GPU's ability to consistently access the graphics driver. Removing the faulty DIMM solved the issue. The issue: Many users (myself included) experience a crash while playing games or using graphic-intensive applications.
Hardware: Faulty memory (RAM), hard disk drive (HDD), solid-state drive (SSD), motherboard, processor, or a power supply unit (PSU) can all be responsible for the blue screen crashes.