Your mouse stops. The keyboard doesn’t respond. You hit Ctrl+Alt+Del… nothing. And then, the system just comes back like nothing ever happened. Sound familiar? That kind of random freeze can drive you nuts, and while it might seem like a Windows bug, in many cases the real culprit is your memory – your RAM.
RAM Issues Aren’t Always Obvious
- People think bad RAM always causes blue screens. Not true.
- Inconsistent freezing, apps crashing, or files getting corrupted during download – that’s often bad memory.
- Sometimes it only happens under load—gaming, editing, or having 30 Chrome tabs open.
How to Test Your RAM (The Right Way)
- Use the built-in Windows Memory Diagnostic: press
Win + R, typemdsched.exe, and restart. - But honestly? It’s not thorough enough. If you’re serious, download MemTest86.
- Put it on a USB, boot from it, and let it run for at least 3 full passes. This takes time, but it’s worth it.
- Any errors at all mean you’ve got a faulty stick, or a timing/voltage mismatch in BIOS.
Bonus: Check Your BIOS RAM Settings
- Many people enable XMP without checking stability. If your RAM is rated at 3200MHz but the motherboard pushes it to 3600MHz automatically, that can cause freezing.
- Try lowering frequency slightly or increasing DRAM voltage by +0.01V – it can make a huge difference in stability.
RAM problems can hide in plain sight. If your PC’s acting weird and you’ve ruled out software, don’t skip memory testing—it’s a simple step that can save you hours of frustration.