Why is the new RAM not working? (Aspire M3910)

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Answers

  • JackE
    JackE ACE Posts: 44,868 Trailblazer

    So are 3 & 4 also printed on the mainboard?

    Jack E/NJ

  • Larryodie
    Larryodie Member Posts: 1,658 Community Aficionado WiFi Icon

    Have you checked your voltages going to the modules. as I see possibly 2 capacitors at the top left of picture one that are possibly bad with swollen tops. Do a visual on all the capacitors for swollen tops. Those dark green ones are very suspect as cheap caps.

    See if you can read the numbers on the 3 pin regualtor (with the center pin cut) as that number will be the output voltage. Maybe 1.2, 1.5 or 3.3 etc.

  • Larryodie
    Larryodie Member Posts: 1,658 Community Aficionado WiFi Icon

    The 2 caps. within my circle and the regulator # will give you the output volt.

    The right cap is definedtly bad in my opinion.

  • OwnsAspire3910
    OwnsAspire3910 Member Posts: 30 Troubleshooter

    Interesting point. I hadn't considered that any components would be faulty, since everything worked just fine until the one RAM went corrupt. Also, because the BIOS recognises 16gb when I put them all in, and it seems to be windows booting that's causing issues.

    But I'll shut down the PC and have a look…

  • JackE
    JackE ACE Posts: 44,868 Trailblazer

    »»Also, because the BIOS recognises 16gb when I put them all in, and it seems to be windows booting that's causing issues»»

    Agreed. Plus Windows plays nice with the two old modules. For some reason, Windows doesn't play nice the new comers. There is a possibility that Windows is picking up RAM syncing errors with the new non-EEC modules that it can't seem to deal with. So it may require EEC modules.

    Jack E/NJ

  • OwnsAspire3910
    OwnsAspire3910 Member Posts: 30 Troubleshooter

    So I really want to understand what's going wrong, and I appreciate every thought and input. @Larryodie - I just had a look inside, but it's quite hard to get a good look/pic as long as the graphics card is in. Here's the best shots:

    I can't really tell if they're swollen, but I found a similar pair on the other side of the graphics card, and they seem to have the same shape:

    I mean, they ARE old, I too have gotten a bit more swollen in recent years 😄

    I'm guessing I would experience other symptoms if the components were going bad. And the PC too.

  • Larryodie
    Larryodie Member Posts: 1,658 Community Aficionado WiFi Icon

    The cap on the right looks swollen in the picture if it is then replace both of them.

    The regulator seems to be an LR1871 ???

    The output is probably controlled by a series of resistors and not fixed. I would assume maybe 1.8V as your ram are 1.5 Volt. The main thing is if tjhe cap is swollen then replace both of them with quality 105 degree caps. Manufacturers used 885 degree ones for cheapness. I always used Panasonic, Nichon or Sanyo if available 105 degree. You can patch one in parallel to test (if you have the skills. Maybe 1000UF @ 16V . My eyes are deceptive so don't trust my guess.

  • JackE
    JackE ACE Posts: 44,868 Trailblazer

    Sorry, I can see a can-o-worms being released trying to replace electrolytic caps. If you're gonna start delving that deep into the issue on a guess, ,you might as well buy a new mainboard for this relic. Less than $60usd from Aliexpress if you're willing to wait about 3 weeks for delivery. It's just not worth trying to replace thru-hole components like these caps because of the high probability of collateral damage to other nearby components, If it was mine, I would not even considerr this since the mainboard is still functional with the old modules.

    Jack E/NJ

  • Larryodie
    Larryodie Member Posts: 1,658 Community Aficionado WiFi Icon

    I wish that I had the instructure to repair (replace bad caps for a few however it would be more than $55 as shipping would eat up $30-40

  • OwnsAspire3910
    OwnsAspire3910 Member Posts: 30 Troubleshooter

    I've decided to run a test placing one of the new RAM in slot #2, just to see what happens.

    Then I'm considering putting in all 4 RAM's and then reinstall Windows.

    If this doesn't help I'll consider buying a new PC. My Aspire has performed admirably over many years (which is why I'm reluctant to let it go now over a faulty RAM), so it is kind of due anyways… I'll do this in the weekend and post the results when done.

  • JackE
    JackE ACE Posts: 44,868 Trailblazer
    edited March 2023

    »»I've decided to run a test placing one of the new RAM in slot #2, just to see what happens.»>

    I thought we had already tried this earlier without success? At any rate, if it was mine, I'd break the RAID, reinstall Windows i n AHCI mode on one of the drives and use the other as the D drive.

    Jack E/NJ

  • Have you checked the voltage on these capacitors with a multimeter? You can also use the resistance scale in audible beep and check if the multimeter emits a signal.

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  • OwnsAspire3910
    OwnsAspire3910 Member Posts: 30 Troubleshooter

    When I did singles trials I put the RAM in slot #1 - I didn't know it was supposed to be in #2.

    Thanks for the tip, I'll keep in mind to break RAID as well!

  • OwnsAspire3910
    OwnsAspire3910 Member Posts: 30 Troubleshooter

    No, I do not own a multimeter, and I don't think there's reason to believe that there's an issue with the components, since the PC is working perfectly fine. At least I assume the PC would show other symptoms if there were a couple of faulty capacitors.

  • Larryodie
    Larryodie Member Posts: 1,658 Community Aficionado WiFi Icon

    An ESR meter is the best for in-circuit test but those 2 are most likely in parallel so it is usualess. Desoldering and out is the only way. If they are BULGED, VENTED or leaking oil.. REPLACE THEM as they're cheapy 85 degree caps.

    When I worked on TV's, I'd order 100 lots of all this caps of each value, I had tens of thousands of supply. Leaking oil, vented or domed (bulged) are always bad.

  • OwnsAspire3910
    OwnsAspire3910 Member Posts: 30 Troubleshooter

    So I ran some more tests trying out a single RAM in slot 2. Results basically the same as before; with the old RAM it starts - with the new ones it doesn't.

    Then I came across a couple of older model 2gb Samsung RAM sticks (from my dad's old PC). They're probably the same or quite similar to the ones I had before. I have put them in, and the PC seems to run just fine on those, with a total of 12gb RAM.

    I'm not sure what conclusions to draw from this. Could it be that there's been a development in the RAM hardware that makes newer RAM incompatible with the M3910 (despite the matching specs)? Is the 16gb max spec given by Acer false? Acer only ever tested 1gb & 2gb RAM's, so they can't ever have tested a total of 16gb.

    Although it would be nice to get to the bottom of this for closure, I'm quite fed up with tinkering, googling and pondering. I can live with 12gb RAM, so I'm going to leave it at that. Thanks @JackE and all others who have tried to help with this, I appreciate you all!

  • JackE
    JackE ACE Posts: 44,868 Trailblazer

    »»Is the 16gb max spec given by Acer false?»

    Doubtful. I think the machine will run fine on 16GB because of the BIOS recognition & crucial scans. But only with the original ACER OEM factory-installed operating system. Which in my opinion was the last halfway decent Microsoft Windows version. I have a feeling it'll run just fine on present-day LinuxMint too. It's all I use now due to constant update-related problems encountered with Win10 on both Win7 and Win10 era machines. Seemed to work OK when first introduced 7-8 years ago. Not anymore.

    Jack E/NJ

  • OwnsAspire3910
    OwnsAspire3910 Member Posts: 30 Troubleshooter

    This may very well be the case. It does seem like it was Windows causing the issue.

    However, I'm done for now and content with the 12gb. Thanks again, all the best!