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Kernel Panic during Memtest

K

KeysMac

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Mar 11, 2013
8
0
Hey guys,

First of all, I have a Early 2011 13" Macbook Pro. Originally I had 4GB of RAM but just the other day I upgrade to 8GB of Corsair RAM. I did the upgrade because I do a lot of video editing with Final Cut Pro and photo editing with Photoshop and could use the extra RAM.

The computer runs great, even with those programs opened with no issues or kernel panics. I saw online that I should do a "memtest" to make sure that my RAM is good and I downloaded Rember and did the test twice and both times I got a "Kernel Panic" and had to manually restart my computer.

Should I be worried about this? Like I said its only been a few days with the new RAM but my computer works great. I have had no issues with it, besides during the tests.

My computer right now is running about 2.85GB out of 8GB and the highest I've seen it get was around 3.5-4GB, I believe. During the test it was running at 8GB, and I don't think my computer will get anywhere near that with Photoshop or Final Cut Pro, but I could be wrong.

What do you guys think I should do? I still have the original 4GB out of my Macbook Pro.
 
alphaod said:
Return the RAM you bought and buy a new set.
Click to expand...

Return it and get the same RAM again? So do you think its a problem that I got a kernel panic during the test, even though I don't get them when actually using the computer?
 
KeysMac said:
Return it and get the same RAM again? So do you think its a problem that I got a kernel panic during the test, even though I don't get them when actually using the computer?
Click to expand...

I have a similar situation. I put 16 GB in my MBP. It worked fine but memtest found a few errors. I got a few kernel panics, mostly in iPhoto (I have 300GB of photos). I contacted centon about the RAM and they said they would not cover it because it was above Apple's recommented 8 GB.

Since you only put in 8GB, you should be able to return it for the same memory and try memtest again. You should NOT get a kernel panic at all, certainly not running memtest.
 
r0k said:
I have a similar situation. I put 16 GB in my MBP. It worked fine but memtest found a few errors. I got a few kernel panics, mostly in iPhoto (I have 300GB of photos). I contacted centon about the RAM and they said they would not cover it because it was above Apple's recommented 8 GB.

Since you only put in 8GB, you should be able to return it for the same memory and try memtest again. You should NOT get a kernel panic at all, certainly not running memtest.
Click to expand...

But I do not get errors or kernel panics while actually using the computer. I guess I will just have to send it back, but I just don't want to do all the work of sending it back if the next one is going to do the same thing.
 
KeysMac said:
Should I be worried about this? Like I said its only been a few days with the new RAM but my computer works great. I have had no issues with it, besides during the tests.
Click to expand...

You should be obviously worried about this as it means that the RAM you bought is either defective or incompatible with your computer. If you haven't seen a problem in real world usage yet, it simply means that the defect is a minor one. It is but a question of time that you will experience your first RAM-related crash. It is also possible that the RAM will degrade in time. You should most certainly return it. Maybe try a different vendor - it is also possible that your MBP is simply incompatible with that particular RAM, or that your MBP memory controller is broken in the first place. If you experience problems with every 8GB set you buy, you should bring it to Apple for investigation.
 
leman said:
You should be obviously worried about this as it means that the RAM you bought is either defective or incompatible with your computer. If you haven't seen a problem in real world usage yet, it simply means that the defect is a minor one. It is but a question of time that you will experience your first RAM-related crash. It is also possible that the RAM will degrade in time. You should most certainly return it. Maybe try a different vendor - it is also possible that your MBP is simply incompatible with that particular RAM, or that your MBP memory controller is broken in the first place. If you experience problems with every 8GB set you buy, you should bring it to Apple for investigation.
Click to expand...

Ok thanks, well I will take out the RAM and put my old RAM back in and then try getting a replacement from Corsair.
 
KeysMac said:
But I do not get errors or kernel panics while actually using the computer. I guess I will just have to send it back, but I just don't want to do all the work of sending it back if the next one is going to do the same thing.
Click to expand...

So how did you run the memtest, if not while using the computer? ;)

The point is that you should return it ASAP. I would go with a different manufacturer.
 
Well I took out the Corsair 8GB RAM and put the Stock 4GB back into my Macbook Pro and ran memtest and the test came out fine with no problems. So it was definitely the Corsair RAM. So I went online and made a replacement claim and sent it out today. Hopefully when they send me the new one it'll work. If not what do you think I should do? I could really use the extra 4GB of RAM.

----------
Count Blah said:
So how did you run the memtest, if not while using the computer? ;)

The point is that you should return it ASAP. I would go with a different manufacturer.
Click to expand...

Ha, well I meant while using the computer for tasks such as using the internet, photoshop and final cut pro.

I'm going to try and see if the replacement works and if not I will try a different manufacturer. Any recommendations on which manufacturer?
 
KeysMac said:
Ha, well I meant while using the computer for tasks such as using the internet, photoshop and final cut pro.

I'm going to try and see if the replacement works and if not I will try a different manufacturer. Any recommendations on which manufacturer?
Click to expand...
My guess is that is only a matter of time until you run into something that presents a problem with the memory.

As others have said, you can go with Crucial, or OWC. OWC is more expensive, but better piece of mind.

Good luck.
 
KeysMac said:
But I do not get errors or kernel panics while actually using the computer. I guess I will just have to send it back, but I just don't want to do all the work of sending it back if the next one is going to do the same thing.
Click to expand...
You would only get an error if the faulty segment(s) of RAM were addressed. Your normal day-to-day usage probably doesn't take up that much RAM, and the chances of hitting the bad segment are slim as a result. When you start using lots of RAM then the chance of hitting the bad segment becomes much higher.

Case in point, my first MBP from Apple ran fine unless I began virtualizing Windows and heavily multitasking. I'd usually get a kernel panic with those activities. I ran Memtest86+ and discovered a number of faulty segments. I replaced and upgraded the RAM (tested error-free) and the problem disappeared completely.

Rember is a fast and easy way to test memory, but it doesn't address all of your RAM because some is held by the operating system. I'd suggest using Memtest86+ instead. You'll need to make a bootable CD (or, I believe you can boot off of a USB drive) and then boot off of it. The computer is unusable (and for Macs, no keyboard input works), but it'll run the test and you'll see what you need to see.
 
Thank you guys. Well hopefully in the next week or so I will get that replacement memory in the mail and I can put it in my computer and test it. I will let you guys know what happens.

If it gives me errors again on the new RAM then I guess I will just purchase one from a different manufacturer and hopefully get my money back.
 
UPDATE: So I received my replacement Corsair memory in the mail today. I installed it and tested it with "Rember" with no errors! Thanks for the help. Apparently it was just a bad memory that I received the first time around.
 
Great news... at any point did you ever run Apple Hardware Test or did you stay with the memtest86 test?
 
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