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Level 1

0 points

Suspected iMac factory RAM problem, kernel panics?

I've lurked on these forums for a while, and had a mostly problem-free experience with my Mac, but I believe I have some circumstances which warrant creating my own topic. Here's my system specs:

iMac 21.5, mid 2011

2.7Ghz Intel Core i5

AMD 6770m 512mb

12GB RAM (2 2GB Apple default DIMMS, and 2 4GB Crucial DIMMs.)

OS X 10.7.5 Lion (the product listing in my username was made before the .5 update.)

I have had my mid-2011 iMac for 17 months, and began experiencing random kernel panics about once a day, for the last week or so. At first I suspected it to be an issue with the sound card because most of these panics happened while I was in Skype calls. I ran AHT and everything came up clean: I checked Skype, iTunes and Software Update (no updates were found for any of them.)

Even though AHT passed my RAM, I read up on kernel panics again--and even though my computer had no signs of being slow at the time of the panics, I dreaded that that might be the issue. I ran Rember, a frontend for memtest, with all of my RAM installed, and the computer panicked during the block sequential test. No other programs were running at the time. I have been using the 8GB of Crucial RAM for nearly a year without issues, but I still removed the bottom pair of DIMMS, which turned out to be the Apple-installed RAM. (It is likely that my father switched the Apple sticks to the bottom while helping me install the upgrade.)

I ran Rember again and found that the Crucial RAM passed all tests; since no other programs were running at the time, it leads me to believe the factory DIMMs may be faulty. My plan is to use the computer with only Crucial RAM for a day and make sure no panics occur, then run memtest with only Apple RAM installed; if a panic occurs, then I will know they're faulty.

My iMac has AppleCare, but the nearest Apple Store is about 3 hours away (no AASPs here, rural area.) Is it possible to get in contact with Apple and have them shipme some new RAM, in exchange for the old? Can I contact the store and UPS or mail the computer in for service and have it shipped back? If the RAM turns out to be faulty, should I just replace it with more Crucial RAM?

In case someone can pinpoint the issue as something other than a RAM problem, here's my latest kernel panic log, which occurred during memtest. During all of these panics, I was multitasking (games, iTunes, Skype) but hardware temperatures were never beyond what they usually are under load (Processor below 50c, GPU below 70.) The "BSD process in active thread" has varied from kernel-task to cider, as well as Skype.

Wed May 15 13:15:05 2013

panic(cpu 2 caller 0xffffff80002c4794): Kernel trap at 0xffffff800063d4b1, type 13=general protection, registers:

CR0: 0x000000008001003b, CR2: 0x00000001000dc000, CR3: 0x0000000000100000, CR4: 0x00000000000606e0

RAX: 0x000e050e5193c9d8, RBX: 0x0000000000000000, RCX: 0xffffff80196d8480, RDX: 0x0000000000000000

RSP: 0xffffff81600dbf00, RBP: 0xffffff81600dbf30, RSI: 0x00000000283baec0, RDI: 0xffffff801a6cf780

R8: 0xffffff7f80fd0523, R9: 0xffffff7f80fd0534, R10: 0x8000000000100000, R11: 0xffffff80002dad00

R12: 0xffffff7f80a1d258, R13: 0x0000000000000000, R14: 0x0000000000000000, R15: 0x0000000000000000

RFL: 0x0000000000010206, RIP: 0xffffff800063d4b1, CS: 0x0000000000000008, SS: 0x0000000000000010

CR2: 0x00000001000dc000, Error code: 0x0000000000000000, Faulting CPU: 0x2

Backtrace (CPU 2), Frame : Return Address

0xffffff81600dbbb0 : 0xffffff8000220792

0xffffff81600dbc30 : 0xffffff80002c4794

0xffffff81600dbde0 : 0xffffff80002da55d

0xffffff81600dbe00 : 0xffffff800063d4b1

0xffffff81600dbf30 : 0xffffff800063c250

0xffffff81600dbf70 : 0xffffff800063c0f4

0xffffff81600dbfb0 : 0xffffff8000820057

BSD process name corresponding to current thread: kernel_task

Mac OS version:

11G63b

Kernel version:

Darwin Kernel Version 11.4.2: Thu Aug 23 16:25:48 PDT 2012; root:xnu-1699.32.7~1/RELEASE_X86_64

Kernel UUID: FF3BB088-60A4-349C-92EA-CA649C698CE5

System model name: iMac12,1 (Mac-942B5BF58194151B)

System uptime in nanoseconds: 5297713283430

last loaded kext at 48556268997: com.apple.driver.AppleHWSensor 1.9.5d0 (addr 0xffffff7f81d21000, size 28672)

last unloaded kext at 175520151624: com.apple.driver.AppleUSBUHCI 5.1.0 (addr 0xffffff7f80a7d000, size 65536)

loaded kexts:

com.razer.naga.driver 2.0.0

com.apple.driver.AppleHWSensor 1.9.5d0

com.apple.filesystems.autofs 3.0

com.apple.driver.AppleMikeyHIDDriver 122

com.apple.driver.AudioAUUC 1.59

com.apple.driver.AppleUpstreamUserClient 3.5.9

com.apple.driver.AppleHDA 2.2.5a5

com.apple.driver.AppleMikeyDriver 2.2.5a5

com.apple.kext.ATIFramebuffer 7.3.2

com.apple.driver.AGPM 100.12.75

com.apple.iokit.IOUserEthernet 1.0.0d1

com.apple.driver.AppleSMCPDRC 5.0.0d8

com.apple.iokit.IOBluetoothSerialManager 4.0.8f17

com.apple.Dont_Steal_Mac_OS_X 7.0.0

com.apple.driver.AppleSMCLMU 2.0.1d2

com.apple.driver.ACPI_SMC_PlatformPlugin 5.0.0d8

com.apple.driver.AudioIPCDriver 1.2.3

com.apple.driver.ApplePolicyControl 3.1.33

com.apple.driver.AppleLPC 1.6.0

com.apple.ATIRadeonX3000 7.3.2

com.apple.driver.AppleBacklight 170.2.2

com.apple.driver.AppleMCCSControl 1.0.33

com.apple.driver.AppleIntelHD3000Graphics 7.3.2

com.apple.driver.BroadcomUSBBluetoothHCIController 4.0.8f17

com.apple.iokit.IOAHCISerialATAPI 2.0.3

com.apple.driver.AppleIRController 312

com.apple.iokit.SCSITaskUserClient 3.2.1

com.apple.driver.AppleUSBCardReader 3.0.6

com.apple.AppleFSCompression.AppleFSCompressionTypeDataless 1.0.0d1

com.apple.AppleFSCompression.AppleFSCompressionTypeZlib 1.0.0d1

com.apple.BootCache 33

com.apple.driver.XsanFilter 404

com.apple.iokit.IOAHCIBlockStorage 2.1.0

com.apple.driver.AppleUSBHub 5.1.0

com.apple.driver.AppleFWOHCI 4.9.0

com.apple.driver.AirPort.Atheros40 505.67.1

com.apple.iokit.AppleBCM5701Ethernet 3.2.4b8

com.apple.driver.AppleEFINVRAM 1.6.1

com.apple.driver.AppleAHCIPort 2.3.1

com.apple.driver.AppleUSBEHCI 5.1.0

com.apple.driver.AppleACPIButtons 1.5

com.apple.driver.AppleRTC 1.5

com.apple.driver.AppleHPET 1.7

com.apple.driver.AppleSMBIOS 1.9

com.apple.driver.AppleACPIEC 1.5

com.apple.driver.AppleAPIC 1.6

com.apple.driver.AppleIntelCPUPowerManagementClient 195.0.0

com.apple.nke.applicationfirewall 3.2.30

com.apple.security.quarantine 1.4

com.apple.security.TMSafetyNet 8

com.apple.driver.AppleIntelCPUPowerManagement 195.0.0

com.apple.driver.AppleBluetoothHIDKeyboard 160.7

com.apple.driver.AppleHIDKeyboard 160.7

com.apple.driver.IOBluetoothHIDDriver 4.0.8f17

com.apple.kext.triggers 1.0

com.apple.driver.DspFuncLib 2.2.5a5

com.apple.iokit.IOSurface 80.0.2

com.apple.iokit.IOSerialFamily 10.0.5

com.apple.iokit.IOFireWireIP 2.2.5

com.apple.driver.IOPlatformPluginLegacy 5.0.0d8

com.apple.driver.AppleSMC 3.1.3d10

com.apple.iokit.IOAudioFamily 1.8.6fc18

com.apple.kext.OSvKernDSPLib 1.3

com.apple.driver.AppleHDAController 2.2.5a5

com.apple.iokit.IOHDAFamily 2.2.5a5

com.apple.driver.IOPlatformPluginFamily 5.1.1d6

com.apple.driver.AppleGraphicsControl 3.1.33

com.apple.driver.AppleSMBusPCI 1.0.10d0

com.apple.driver.AppleThunderboltEDMSink 1.1.8

com.apple.driver.AppleThunderboltEDMSource 1.1.8

com.apple.driver.AppleBacklightExpert 1.0.4

com.apple.driver.AppleSMBusController 1.0.10d0

com.apple.kext.ATI6000Controller 7.3.2

com.apple.kext.ATISupport 7.3.2

com.apple.iokit.IONDRVSupport 2.3.4

com.apple.driver.AppleIntelSNBGraphicsFB 7.3.2

com.apple.iokit.IOGraphicsFamily 2.3.4

com.apple.driver.AppleThunderboltDPOutAdapter 1.8.5

com.apple.driver.AppleThunderboltDPInAdapter 1.8.5

com.apple.driver.AppleThunderboltDPAdapterFamily 1.8.5

com.apple.driver.AppleThunderboltPCIDownAdapter 1.2.5

com.apple.driver.AppleUSBBluetoothHCIController 4.0.8f17

com.apple.iokit.IOBluetoothFamily 4.0.8f17

com.apple.iokit.IOSCSIMultimediaCommandsDevice 3.2.1

com.apple.iokit.IOBDStorageFamily 1.7

com.apple.iokit.IODVDStorageFamily 1.7.1

com.apple.iokit.IOCDStorageFamily 1.7.1

com.apple.iokit.IOUSBHIDDriver 5.0.0

com.apple.iokit.IOSCSIBlockCommandsDevice 3.2.1

com.apple.iokit.IOUSBMassStorageClass 3.0.3

com.apple.iokit.IOSCSIArchitectureModelFamily 3.2.1

com.apple.driver.AppleUSBMergeNub 5.1.0

com.apple.driver.AppleUSBComposite 5.0.0

com.apple.driver.AppleThunderboltNHI 1.6.0

com.apple.iokit.IOThunderboltFamily 2.0.3

com.apple.iokit.IOUSBUserClient 5.0.0

com.apple.iokit.IOFireWireFamily 4.4.8

com.apple.iokit.IO80211Family 420.3

com.apple.iokit.IOEthernetAVBController 1.0.1b1

com.apple.iokit.IONetworkingFamily 2.1

com.apple.iokit.IOAHCIFamily 2.0.8

com.apple.iokit.IOUSBFamily 5.1.0

com.apple.driver.AppleEFIRuntime 1.6.1

com.apple.iokit.IOHIDFamily 1.7.1

com.apple.iokit.IOSMBusFamily 1.1

com.apple.security.sandbox 177.9

com.apple.kext.AppleMatch 1.0.0d1

com.apple.driver.DiskImages 331.7

com.apple.iokit.IOStorageFamily 1.7.2

com.apple.driver.AppleKeyStore 28.18

com.apple.driver.AppleACPIPlatform 1.5

com.apple.iokit.IOPCIFamily 2.7

com.apple.iokit.IOACPIFamily 1.4

Thank you for reading. I apologize for the long post.

iMac, Mac OS X (10.7.3)

Posted on May 15, 2013 3:44 PM

18 replies

SeaPapp

Level 7

26,486 points

May 18, 2013 7:39 PM in response to Ascherose

LOL, I prefer to think that the Razer hardware is corrupting Apple's sound drivers! Man....you sure love that Razer stuff don't you?

Ascherose Author

Level 1

0 points

May 19, 2013 1:25 PM in response to Ascherose

It's possible, but since the headphones use a standard 3.5mm jack (although the cable is "split" into the headphone and mic jacks seperately), there shouldn't be an issue. Yesterday, I tested with the Apple mouse for a while, without the headphones in. No panics. I plugged the Naga mouse in and used it (without the headphones) until 2 in the morning. No panics. The issue seems to be narrowed down to "no headphones, no panic, headphones=panic."

Since I reset the PRAM last night, I guess I'll test the headphones again today and see what it does.

Yes, I know it seems like I'm devoted to the brand, but the truth is that Razer only provides products that meet my needs for the lowest price (the Naga mouse being the best example.) I bought these headphones purely because of their size, since I need a large, full ear headset that's relatively inexpensive. Smaller and/or cheaper headphones make my ears hurt after about 30 minutes, but I was able to wear these headphones for a full 14 hours without issue. My circumstances mean that I'm at the computer all day--the only time it's off is when I sleep it when I go to bed. The only time it's ever restarted is for program installs, software updates, or kernel panics.

I still don't understand why these headphones would be panic free for a week or two and then start crashing my Mac out of the blue. IF it is a driver issue, which is still somewhat likely, then I'll wipe and reinstall the OS--but I'm seeing if I can get an old backup machine to use during the process.

Ascherose Author

Level 1

0 points

May 22, 2013 8:27 PM in response to Ascherose

Good, if confusing news:

Since resetting the PRAM I haven't had any kernel panics for about four days now, even with the headphones plugged in. I had forgotten to do that when I reset the SMC earlier. While I'm glad the issue is resolved, I'm confused as to how something as low-level as the PRAM could cause kernel panics. Maybe something in the sound settings was not what the kernel expected.

Either way, I thank all the respondents for their support and information.

Suspected iMac factory RAM problem, kernel panics?