Call It A Comeback: Memtest86+ Returns To Scan Your DDR5 And DDR4 Memory For Defects
Over the years there have been many a recommended piece for the computer technician's software toolkit. Very few have managed to stand the test of time as well as Memtest86+. As of October 24, 2022, nine whole years after the last release, it looks like it will continue to be the case as Memtest86+ v6.0.0 has been released.
If you were not aware, Memtest86, originally written by Chris Brady in 1994, is used to stress test RAM and prove out stability. Memtest86+ is an open source fork of that original software. Boot failures and many crashes can often be rooted in RAM problems. Sometimes it's as simple as bad seating, sometimes it's damage from power failure. Those are usually pretty easy to determine, especially if you have a spare motherboard lying around or just taking it out and putting it back in. What if the issue is at the software or firmware level, though? That's where Memtest86+ comes in.
Memtest86+ v6.00 final has been released! 🎉
— Doc TB (@d0cTB) October 24, 2022
Since the last non-beta version (in 2013!), it has been rewritten from scratch and is back to active development. Memtest86+ is still 100% open-source and 100% free. Please give it a try at https://t.co/MipBsftGBU. 😍 pic.twitter.com/oudTI4p3KZ
Version 6 of Memtest86+ was a complete rewrite of the software. Thanks to this, it now has added support for the latest generation chipsets from AMD and Intel while simultaneously adding support for older NVIDIA and AMD chipsets. Of course, there are a bunch of bug fixes and enhancements overall. The change log includes support for DDR4 and DDR5, XMP 3.0, up to 256 cores, x64 long mode paging, and UEFI 32 and 64 bits.
