Hi,
I bought a few months ago a kit of 4x8gb DDR4 dominator platinum for a future build, it has now been months and I havent used them yet, and am now thinking I should probably test in the unlikely event they a faulty? If I temporary swap out my current ram and stick these in will my OS (w10 pro) go mental and give me issues with my license key? Also if it does will just swapping back to the original ram fix it?
Windows 10 can’t complain if it never boots under the new RAM. Though it probably won’t care about the memory swap. However, if it does complain about the hardware swap, historically speaking Windows hasn’t been cool with just replacing the original hardware. You may need to spend some time on the phone with Microsoft and attest that you are only using your key on 1 machine.
How did you store it to be concerned that it’s bad? if it’s still in it’s origional plastic packs, I wouldn’t worry, but can test when you finally use it.
You could check the web site- some premium kits have good warranties, so maybe just register it now, on the off chance it’s bad later.
If you stored the sticks on your carpet, ocasionally kicking it around, yeah, might be worth checking…
lifetime warranty
so time isn’t relevant unless you need the build working immediately.
I haven’t tried Memtest86+ on anything newer than Broadwell-E, but I presume that it is still ok. Just test the memory in the system once you build it.
I second the memest86 suggestion. Just make a bootable USB with memtest. Won’t even have to deal with Windows to test the ram sticks.
Windows licensing also depends on the version you bought. If it’s OEM then it’s linked to your hardware. If it’s the other type then I believe it can be reinstalled on other platforms.
I’ve never had Windows complain about changing ram. They throw a red flag when you change motherboards. I swapped an i5 for an i7 and had no issues, but I can’t recall if it was on a W10 OEM install or not.
netboot.xyz has memtest and various other things. It’ll make a more useful USB stick (assuming the test machine is connected to the internet).
AFAIK the Windows license with regard to hardware is only connected to the motherboard. I added 16GB of RAM to my PC and not a pip from Win10. It’s not a prebuilt but it is an OEM license.