Memory Slot Dead: more likely cpu or mobo?

I have a dell gx series optiplex sitting here waiting to either be chucked or be made into a firewall. I’ve kept it because I don’t have very many socket 775 machines anymore, and my issue, per title, isn’t that big of a deal overall.

But I am wondering, and hoping, someone has an answer.

One of the ram slots is dead. NBD as it has 4 slots, but it has a pentium 4 slotted in the socket. As I’ve never had this issue before, I’m curious. Which is more likely to burn out? A ram slot, or the memory controller on the processor? Atm I don’t really have a spare processor to drop in offhand, so if its more often the cpu that causes the issue, I’d like to hold on to the machine and drop a core 2 in it later, or a xeon.

Thanks.

Is there some sorta diagnosis tool that you can use to detect hardware issues?

If you have all sticks loaded, does the BIOS notice the sticks?

I’ve tried different kits, different combo’s of kits, 4th slot is not showing up. But the slot itself isn’t damaged, theres no burst caps, etc. I was wondering if the CPU would be damaged, but the cooler has a copper cold plate so its not like it could have over heated. Plus the cooler is MASSIVE.

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You got a voltmeter? Could it be possible that a cap is dead but not blown?

Unless I had a board schematic I wouldn’t even know where to start looking.

Post a picture, can’t be too hard to spot.

Upon closer inspection of looking under the PSU, where port of the board is covered up, I have spotted one lone popped cap.

Aight, never mind. mobo issue. Trashing it.

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Why you no solder a new one on… or see if plain wire would do

hmmmm… maybe. IDK if I have spares

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