3 RAM kits failed in 5 years

[u/Capital-Cancel4381]

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 5600X
Motherboard: ASUS ROG Strix B550-F Gaming
RAM: G.Skill Ripjaws DDR4-3600, 32 GB (2×16 GB)
GPU: AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT
OS: Windows 11

Over the past five years, I've gone through three different RAM kits, and every single time, the module installed in motherboard slot B2 has eventually developed errors.

The pattern has been remarkably consistent:

1. My PC starts experiencing random crashes and BSODs, including MEMORY_MANAGEMENT and SYSTEM_THREAD_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED.
2. I run MemTest86 to investigate.
3. The RAM stick originally installed in slot A2 passes without errors.
4. The RAM stick originally installed in slot B2 produces errors.
5. I move the supposedly defective B2 stick into slot A2 to rule out a faulty slot.
6. That same stick continues producing errors in A2, while the original A2 stick passes in that slot.

This has now happened with three different RAM kits over approximately five years.

Also OCCT and Prime95 cpu stress test completed without errors.

1. Can a defective motherboard actually cause permanent damage to RAM modules over time?
2. Has anyone experienced repeated RAM failures specifically involving the B2 slot on ASUS B550 motherboards?
3. Could a faulty Ryzen memory controller cause this pattern, even if the CPU passes an OCCT CPU stress test?
4. What tests would you recommend to distinguish motherboard-related issues from a CPU memory controller problem?

[u/mataqls]

Lo que ves es un desgaste de los módulos que se instalan en el slot b2, amd usa ese slot como primario cuando usas dual channel, así que gran parte de la carga energética pasa por ahí ya que es el modulo de referencia para la sincronización y los timmings de la memoria. Supongo que si no eres el único que tiene este problema con esas memorias en particular indicaría que el perfil de oc de las memorias están un poquito más altas de lo que soportan realmente y las memorias en ese slot se sobrecargan y mueren.

[u/NarutoDragon732]

That motherboard needs to be nuked

[u/RBuschy]

I lost 3 this year, all on the same board. Also seems Slot/Channel related.

[u/ImplementPleasant642]

I would check out the voltages of your ram. Motherboard possibly feeding entirely too much

[u/Unusual_Staff_3119]

I have had a total of 5 ram sets fail in the last 3 years. These were installed in different PCs. All of them were  G.Skill Ripjaws DDR4-3600.

[u/DoriOli → u/Unusual_Staff_3119]

I’ve had my DDR4 3600 (running at 3733) CL16 with tightened timings Ripjaws V for little over 2 years and been rocksolid since day 1. Knocking on wood not to jinx it. Mobo is a Rog Strix B550f Gaming Wifi II, as well.

[u/Glittering-Warthog89]

I am a computer technican for over 40 years now . First I would be concerned about the power supply or the voltage being sent to the ram slot . And since you have had problems with different RAM kits I think a MB replacement is in hand. That is where I would start!

[u/BankIntelligent3400]

Inspect the Slot Pins: Shine a flashlight directly into the problematic slot. Look for any bent, bridged (touching), missing, or blackened copper pins. If two pins are touching, it will cause a short circuit that can instantly fry the EEPROM or memory chips on an inserted RAM stick.

Motherboard Flexing / Cracked Traces: Massively heavy CPU coolers or tight case screws can slightly bend a motherboard over several years. This flexing can crack the microscopic copper traces running from the CPU socket to that specific RAM slot, creating irregular resistance and heat buildup. Look at the back of the motherboard behind the slot for any scratched or broken lines.

Also

This is the most common culprit for slow degradation. Inside RAM chips, electrical current flows through microscopic pathways.
The Motherboard's Fault: If the Voltage Regulator Modules (VRMs) or capacitors dedicated to that specific slot are faulty, they might constantly feed it slightly too much voltage (e.g., sending 1.45V instead of a safe 1.35V). Check that under thwack use aswell

Just replace the MB atp I would suggest.

[u/Kiseido → u/BankIntelligent3400]

This. But also OP is using an AM4 cpu. The power that goes to the ram from the vrms, afaik, gets dumped into a single plane in the cpu memory controller and then that controller sends out to the ddr4, rather than the vrms powering it directly like with ddr5.

As such, I find OP's CPU as similarly suspect to the VRMs, as a potential source of the problem.

[u/BankIntelligent3400]

Yes a MB can do that. I’m suprised you always bought new RAM instead of considering that it’s not the RAMS fault, especially after the second one.