Those covers are called "heat spreaders", kind of like a heat sink. If you
have good ventilation in your case, you should be OK without them. However,
you could probably get some kind of thermally conductive glue and glue them
back on.

Russ Poffenberger
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-----Original Message-----
From: PCBUILD - Personal Computer Hardware discussion List
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Richard Glazier
Sent: Tuesday, February 08, 2005 7:21 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [PCBUILD] Faulty RAM (or not)


I have an incredibly "odd" question...

I bought some used RAM locally.
Took my computer and checked the RAM onsite...

BIOS skipped the long test. (Big mistake ignoring that, but I figured it was
set to short test, and the compter is so fast and the test is so short I
generally miss it while the monitor wakes up...) Dumb, dumb, dumb...

I was not using that as my primary test anyway...
I stuck in my Microsoft "Windows Memory Diagnostic" Bootable CD. (This is a
special program available on the MS site.) I ran a full memory test. The "11
test" version, and it took 20-30 min or so, and passed them all...  I have
since let that "loop" 42 times and it STILL passes them all...  (So much for
software type tests...)

Now the "bad" part.  To understand this better, you should visit the
following link. It is a simple WEB page (total size: 43K dial-up friendly)
with two pictures and some more info.

http://www.s88555144.onlinehome.us/ram-question/ram2.htm

The blue covers knocked off the little blocks at the top of the RAM stick..
(That picture is of an undamaged stick...) Those covers are a VERY bad
design.

Someone on another list said they were the de-coupling caps for noise
suppression, and if they are not there, I would have potential data loss due
to switching noise. Make sense to me. They were there for "something".......
Second opinions?

If you have any info, but don't want to post, feel free to answer off list.

Free advise, Don't buy used RAM. It can test fine and be VERY damaged...

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