Spontaneous restart

[gavspen]

I'm as certain as I can be that I took out the correct RAM.

The tester (Rember) told me when I first ran it that there were only 2 sticks in there (there were actually 4, 2 unrecognised), each 1 gig. The ones I took out were the other two 2 gig sticks (the unrecognised ones) and Rember still says that there are 2 1 gig sticks in there, so I dont see the possibility for any mistake.

I see "AppleMECDriver" but I dont see the word "error" as I do with:

"Uncorrectable Fbd memory error detected. FERR_NF = 0x20000020 , NERR_NF == 0x02000021\n"

Why do you think that indicates a problem?

I'm surprised you say that you're surprised that it even starts up. Really? With 2 gigs? We used to surf the web and do email (which is all I'm doing right now) with a lot less than that, didnt we? I also used DP yesterday without an issue. Is there something that would tell me how much RAM is being used, out of interest?

Thanks for all the help.

[bayswater]

I see "AppleMECDriver" but I dont see the word "error" as I do with:

"Uncorrectable Fbd memory error detected. FERR_NF = 0x20000020 , NERR_NF == 0x02000021\n"

Why do you think that indicates a problem?

I don't know it is a problem, just pointing out that if you google the FDB and driver terms you will find other using the same computer as you had the same message and suggested it might be related to the graphic card.

I'm surprised you say that you're surprised that it even starts up. Really? With 2 gigs? We used to surf the web and do email (which is all I'm doing right now) with a lot less than that, didnt we? I also used DP yesterday without an issue. Is there something that would tell me how much RAM is being used, out of interest?

Yes, I used to do all this with 128K, but that world is gone. Activity Monitor shows you how much RAM is being used, and by what apps and processes.

[gavspen]

Yes, I used to do all this with 128K, but that world is gone.

So why, one wonders, does it now take 2+ gigs of RAM to do what used to be do-able with 128?

I'll take a look at the activity monitor, thanks.

[bayswater]

So why, one wonders, does it now take 2+ gigs of RAM to do what used to be do-able with 128?

It's the Full Employment For Chipmakers Act (FEFCA)

[mikehalloran]

Is there something that would tell me how much RAM is being used, out of interest?

The Activity Monitor

[cuttime]

Really? With 2 gigs?

Activity Monitor shows me using about 1.5 gigs for "kernel_task" just idling.

[bayswater]

Really? With 2 gigs?

Activity Monitor shows me using about 1.5 gigs for "kernel_task" just idling.

That will go up when TimeMachine kicks in.

[HCMarkus]

While our computers will run with minimal RAM, adequate RAM allows the machines to operate without swapping data in and out of memory, to and from the boot drive. RAM is orders of magnitude faster at delivering data to the CPU than even the fastest PCIe SSD, so swapping data to a drive slows things down big time.

Take a look at Activity Monitor's "Memory" tab and note how many processes are running continuously on your Mac. Most don't use a lot of memory, but it all adds up! Installing a couple of 8 gig RAM modules may be the best thing you could do for your computer's performance.

[gavspen]

Really? With 2 gigs?

Activity Monitor shows me using about 1.5 gigs for "kernel_task" just idling.

That will go up when TimeMachine kicks in.

Yes, you're right (as if I would ever doubt you ), it's using a lot of RAM just sitting still (1.8 gigs). But for "kernel_task", I'm only using 245.9 mb. Why so much less than yours? Also, something called "Google Chrome Helper" is in the list 7 times. In one instance using 117.7 mb (more than Chrome itself), down to as little as 2.2 mb. What is that, anyway, and why so many instances?

There's also 2.45gigs of virtual memory. Never really known what that is.

[bayswater]

for "kernel_task", I'm only using 245.9 mb. Why so much less than yours?

Your use of RAM is less simply because you don't have the RAM.

If you don't have enough RAM, the OS used the disk and moves things back and forth between the disk and RAM as needed. If you're running things like DP, you want to get enough RAM that the number of times the OS swaps things between RAM and the disk is zero.

[gavspen]

Question:

Recently I tried to up to DP9, but it introduced latency in a plug I use while tracking all the time (TC Powercore) which pretty much made it (DP9, that is) unusable. Might that be cured with more RAM? I sorta doubt it, but I dont know.

[gavspen]

New OWC RAM installed. In the interests of all who care, I'll let you know if there are still restart issues, which of course would suggest it aint the RAM.

I live in hope...

Gavin

[gavspen]

Ok, just had another restart. All 6 gigs of RAM recognized under "About This Mac" and Rember says everything is alright, although I believe it can only test "available" memory, which isnt much, it seems. Getting a bit tiresome, this.

Here's the latest report (sorry, but maybe someone will se something) which still says "Uncorrectable Fbd memory error detected."

Thanks in advance.

Anonymous UUID: 938255E5-5AF3-FBB1-0668-2D7B94FD4971

Fri Oct 12 15:28:40 2018
panic(cpu 0 caller 0xffffff7f84c6b084): "Uncorrectable Fbd memory error detected. FERR_NF = 0x00000020 , NERR_NF == 0x02000021\n"@/SourceCache/AppleMCEDriver/AppleMCEDriver-119.4.0/AppleMCEDriver.cpp:947
Backtrace (CPU 0), Frame : Return Address
0xffffff80ae82ecb0 : 0xffffff8003223139
0xffffff80ae82ed30 : 0xffffff7f84c6b084
0xffffff80ae82eda0 : 0xffffff7f84c6a3c6
0xffffff80ae82edf0 : 0xffffff7f84fdd498
0xffffff80ae82ee30 : 0xffffff7f84fdd030
0xffffff80ae82ee40 : 0xffffff7f84fe74ba
0xffffff80ae82ee60 : 0xffffff7f84fe73b1
0xffffff80ae82eeb0 : 0xffffff7f84fe9819
0xffffff80ae82eed0 : 0xffffff80036caeb9
0xffffff80ae82ef10 : 0xffffff7f84fa3b21
0xffffff80ae82ef50 : 0xffffff7f84fd4ead
0xffffff80ae82ef60 : 0xffffff7f84fdc50b
0xffffff80ae82ef80 : 0xffffff80032dc06b
0xffffff80ae82efd0 : 0xffffff80032f4649
0xffffff80d4133f50 : 0xffffff80032378fa
0xffffff80d4133f90 : 0xffffff8003237c48
0xffffff80d4133fb0 : 0xffffff80032d7c67
Kernel Extensions in backtrace:
com.apple.driver.AppleACPIPlatform(1.7)[D49DC2E0-97DF-32E6-A8ED-7A12EF1AA51B]@0xffffff7f84fce000->0xffffff7f85025fff
dependency: com.apple.iokit.IOACPIFamily(1.4)[A35915E8-C1B0-3C0F-81DF-5515BC9002FC]@0xffffff7f8429f000
dependency: com.apple.iokit.IOPCIFamily(2.7.3)[1D668879-BEF8-3C58-ABFE-FAC6B3E9A292]@0xffffff7f838c1000
com.apple.driver.AppleAPIC(1.6)[9DEBAEBC-8619-3510-8C36-663CE50BA9E2]@0xffffff7f84fa2000->0xffffff7f84fa4fff
com.apple.driver.AppleMCEDriver(1.1.9)[95CF919D-57C6-3336-B7D4-14D44861E4B0]@0xffffff7f84c69000->0xffffff7f84c6dfff
dependency: com.apple.iokit.IOACPIFamily(1.4)[A35915E8-C1B0-3C0F-81DF-5515BC9002FC]@0xffffff7f8429f000

BSD process name corresponding to current thread: kernel_task

Mac OS version:
13F1911

Kernel version:
Darwin Kernel Version 13.4.0: Mon Jan 11 18:17:34 PST 2016; root:xnu-2422.115.15~1/RELEASE_X86_64
Kernel UUID: 8926E512-6714-34FC-B27C-6AE90EB51D5E
Kernel slide: 0x0000000003000000
Kernel text base: 0xffffff8003200000
System model name: MacPro3,1 (Mac-F42C88C8)

System uptime in nanoseconds: 18229803549126
last loaded kext at 1264871554566: com.motu.driver.FireWireAudio 1.6 73220 (addr 0xffffff7f85432000, size 909312)
last unloaded kext at 307720770381: com.apple.filesystems.msdosfs 1.9 (addr 0xffffff7f85432000, size 57344)
loaded kexts:
com.motu.driver.FireWireAudio 1.6 73220
com.paceap.kext.pacesupport.snowleopard 5.9.1
com.uaudio.driver.UAFWAudio 4.1.1 16344
com.tcelectronic.powercore 4.3.1f34
com.uaudio.driver.UAD2System 7.3.0
com.apple.driver.AudioAUUC 1.60
com.apple.filesystems.autofs 3.0
com.apple.iokit.IOBluetoothSerialManager 4.2.7f5
com.apple.driver.AppleHWSensor 1.9.5d0
com.apple.driver.AppleUSBOpticalMouse 650.4.0
com.apple.driver.AppleHDA 2.6.3f7
com.apple.driver.AppleUpstreamUserClient 3.5.13
com.apple.driver.AppleMCCSControl 1.2.5
com.apple.kext.AMDFramebuffer 1.2.4
com.apple.iokit.CSRBluetoothHostControllerUSBTransport 4.2.7f5
com.apple.ATIRadeonX2000 8.2.4
com.apple.driver.AppleMCEDriver 1.1.9
com.apple.driver.AppleLPC 1.7.0
com.apple.kext.AMD2600Controller 1.2.4
com.apple.iokit.IOUserEthernet 1.0.0d1
com.apple.Dont_Steal_Mac_OS_X 7.0.0
com.apple.driver.AppleHWAccess 1
com.apple.driver.ACPI_SMC_PlatformPlugin 1.0.0
com.apple.iokit.SCSITaskUserClient 3.6.7
com.apple.driver.XsanFilter 404
com.apple.iokit.IOAHCIBlockStorage 2.3.1
com.apple.driver.AppleUSBHub 683.4.0
com.apple.AppleFSCompression.AppleFSCompressionTypeDataless 1.0.0d1
com.apple.driver.AppleIntel8254XEthernet 3.1.4b1
com.apple.AppleFSCompression.AppleFSCompressionTypeLZVN 1.0.0d1
com.apple.AppleFSCompression.AppleFSCompressionTypeZlib 1.0.0d1
com.apple.BootCache 35
com.apple.driver.AppleAHCIPort 2.5.2
com.apple.driver.AppleFWOHCI 5.0.2
com.apple.driver.AppleIntelPIIXATA 2.5.1
com.apple.driver.AppleUSBEHCI 660.4.0
com.apple.driver.AppleUSBUHCI 656.4.1
com.apple.driver.AppleACPIButtons 1.7
com.apple.driver.AppleRTC 2.0
com.apple.driver.AppleHPET 1.8
com.apple.driver.AppleSMBIOS 1.9
com.apple.driver.AppleACPIEC 1.7
com.apple.driver.AppleAPIC 1.6
com.apple.driver.AppleIntelCPUPowerManagementClient 217.92.1
com.apple.nke.applicationfirewall 153
com.apple.security.quarantine 3
com.apple.driver.AppleIntelCPUPowerManagement 217.92.1
com.apple.kext.triggers 1.0
com.apple.iokit.IOSerialFamily 10.0.7
com.apple.driver.DspFuncLib 2.6.3f7
com.apple.vecLib.kext 1.0.0
com.apple.driver.AppleSMBusController 1.0.11d0
com.apple.iokit.IONDRVSupport 2.4.1
com.apple.iokit.IOBluetoothHostControllerUSBTransport 4.2.7f5
com.apple.driver.AppleHDAController 2.6.3f7
com.apple.iokit.IOHDAFamily 2.6.3f7
com.apple.iokit.IOAudioFamily 1.9.7fc2
com.apple.kext.OSvKernDSPLib 1.14
com.apple.kext.AMDSupport 1.2.4
com.apple.AppleGraphicsDeviceControl 3.6.22
com.apple.iokit.IOSurface 91.3
com.apple.iokit.IOGraphicsFamily 2.4.1
com.apple.iokit.IOBluetoothFamily 4.2.7f5
com.apple.iokit.IOFireWireIP 2.2.6
com.apple.driver.AppleSMC 3.1.8
com.apple.driver.IOPlatformPluginLegacy 1.0.0
com.apple.driver.IOPlatformPluginFamily 5.7.1d6
com.apple.driver.AppleUSBHIDKeyboard 170.15
com.apple.driver.AppleHIDKeyboard 170.15
com.apple.iokit.IOUSBHIDDriver 660.4.0
com.apple.driver.AppleUSBMergeNub 650.4.0
com.apple.driver.AppleUSBComposite 656.4.1
com.apple.iokit.IOSCSIMultimediaCommandsDevice 3.6.7
com.apple.iokit.IOBDStorageFamily 1.7
com.apple.iokit.IODVDStorageFamily 1.7.1
com.apple.iokit.IOCDStorageFamily 1.7.1
com.apple.iokit.IOATAPIProtocolTransport 3.5.0
com.apple.iokit.IOSCSIArchitectureModelFamily 3.6.7
com.apple.iokit.IONetworkingFamily 3.2
com.apple.iokit.IOUSBUserClient 660.4.2
com.apple.iokit.IOAHCIFamily 2.3.1
com.apple.iokit.IOFireWireFamily 4.5.5
com.apple.iokit.IOATAFamily 2.5.2
com.apple.iokit.IOUSBFamily 686.4.1
com.apple.driver.AppleEFINVRAM 2.0
com.apple.driver.AppleEFIRuntime 2.0
com.apple.iokit.IOHIDFamily 2.0.0
com.apple.iokit.IOSMBusFamily 1.1
com.apple.security.sandbox 278.11.2
com.apple.kext.AppleMatch 1.0.0d1
com.apple.security.TMSafetyNet 7
com.apple.driver.AppleKeyStore 2
com.apple.driver.DiskImages 373
com.apple.iokit.IOStorageFamily 1.9
com.apple.iokit.IOReportFamily 23
com.apple.driver.AppleFDEKeyStore 28.30
com.apple.driver.AppleACPIPlatform 1.7
com.apple.iokit.IOPCIFamily 2.7.3
com.apple.iokit.IOACPIFamily 1.4
com.apple.kec.pthread 1
com.apple.kec.corecrypto 1.0
Model: MacPro3,1, BootROM MP31.006C.B05, 8 processors, Quad-Core Intel Xeon, 2.8 GHz, 6 GB, SMC 1.25f4
Graphics: ATI Radeon HD 2600 XT, ATI Radeon HD 2600, PCIe, 256 MB
Memory Module: DIMM Riser B/DIMM 1, 2 GB, DDR2 FB-DIMM, 800 MHz, 0x02BA, 0x202020202020202020202020202020202020
Memory Module: DIMM Riser B/DIMM 2, 2 GB, DDR2 FB-DIMM, 800 MHz, 0x02BA, 0x202020202020202020202020202020202020
Memory Module: DIMM Riser A/DIMM 1, 1 GB, DDR2 FB-DIMM, 800 MHz, 0x802C, 0x3138484631323837324A4438304544364434
Memory Module: DIMM Riser A/DIMM 2, 1 GB, DDR2 FB-DIMM, 800 MHz, 0x802C, 0x3138484631323837324A4438304544364434
Bluetooth: Version 5.2.7f4 15858, 3 services, 14 devices, 1 incoming serial ports
Network Service: Ethernet 1, Ethernet, en0
PCI Card: ATI Radeon HD 2600, Display Controller, Slot-1
PCI Card: pci1057,6, Slot-2@2,0,0
PCI Card: Universal Audio UAD-2 Solo, Other Multimedia, Slot-3
Serial ATA Device: Samsung SSD 840 Series, 250.06 GB
Serial ATA Device: WDC WD3200AAJS-41VWA1, 320.07 GB
Serial ATA Device: WDC WD3200KS-00PFB0, 320.07 GB
Serial ATA Device: ST1000DM005 HD103SJ, 1 TB
Parallel ATA Device: PIONEER DVD-RW DVR-112D
USB Device: Keyboard Hub
USB Device: Apple Optical USB Mouse
USB Device: Apple Keyboard
USB Device: 828 mk3
USB Device: iLok
USB Device: Bluetooth USB Host Controller
Thunderbolt Bus:

[HCMarkus]

Now that you have the new RAM... try removing the one old stick and running with 4GB to see what happens. Just a thought.

Haven't reviewed the thread... have you ever tried a fresh OS install on a spare drive and running the machine with all devices disconnected?

[gavspen]

Now that you have the new RAM... try removing the one old stick and running with 4GB to see what happens. Just a thought.

Haven't reviewed the thread... have you ever tried a fresh OS install on a spare drive and running the machine with all devices disconnected?

I can certainly try taking out the other, non-new sticks. Maybe they are failing in some subtle way that Rember hasnt picked up, God knows, they're old enough.

Dont think your second suggestion is practical, unfortunately. Yes I could do that, but running from a different drive with everything disconnected would mean I cant really use the computer for the things I need it to do, and I might wait days for another restart.