Arch Linux

Worstarchuser

Member

Registered: 2026-08-04

Posts: 3

Arch installation killed my RAM stick?

After new installation my system started behaving really weird and I found out that one of my RAM sticks is faulty. I was using my PC the entire day with no problems until that, so it must have happened during the installation process. Kinda strange. Anyways, did it again with the one stick left and all is good so far, so maybe just a coincidence.

mpan

Member

Registered: 2012-08-01

Posts: 1,647

Website

Re: Arch installation killed my RAM stick?

It is hard to comment on this, without knowing what “killed” and “faulty” means. But, generally speaking, neither Arch nor any other operating system could hurt RAM.

---

Paperclips in avatars?

seth

Member

From: Won't reply 2 private help req

Registered: 2012-09-03

Posts: 77,918

Re: Arch installation killed my RAM stick?

If you want to know whether the DIMM is "faulty" see  https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Stress … Memtest86+ but as mpan pointed out: any OS would be an indicator, not the cause and RAM typically doesn't break from one minute to another lest a non-ignorable incident ("so, I left my notebook on the oven for 5 minutes and now it no longer boots => spaghetti must be bad for computers")

---

How to upload text · How to boot w/o GUI · Disable Windows Fast-Start! · Fix your xinitrc

Worstarchuser

Member

Registered: 2026-08-04

Posts: 3

Re: Arch installation killed my RAM stick?

It is hard to comment on this, without knowing what “killed” and “faulty” means. But, generally speaking, neither Arch nor any other operating system could hurt RAM.

Everyone knows what it means... I did memtest which resulted in errors. It is fucked, useless, out of commission. And you never know what can or cannot destroy a piece of HW.

seth

Member

From: Won't reply 2 private help req

Registered: 2012-09-03

Posts: 77,918

Re: Arch installation killed my RAM stick?

* voltage
* heat (these two are also called "XMP")
* you're overclocking it
* you're pairing incompatible DIMMs
* market pressure leading to sub-par DIMMs being sold off
* time
* radiation
* god hates you
* pretty much everything else
* still not software I'm afraid

---

How to upload text · How to boot w/o GUI · Disable Windows Fast-Start! · Fix your xinitrc

headkase

Member

Registered: 2011-12-06

Posts: 1,990

Re: Arch installation killed my RAM stick?

* voltage
* heat (these two are also called "XMP")
* you're overclocking it
* you're pairing incompatible DIMMs
* market pressure leading to sub-par DIMMs being sold off
* time
* radiation
* god hates you
* pretty much everything else
* still not software I'm afraid

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killer_poke

Though that probably didn't happen here in this case.