wth?!? got a STRANGE one - need some help...

[PcTek9]

You really need to try to keep KNOWN GOOD parts for testing. It really is important to keep different parts that you know are good. Make it a point to list the common types of things and have some good ones.

Really I saw you tested with their ram, so you still don't know if it is their ram or their motherboard. I think it is less likely that two ram chips are bad, but there is a certain feeling like you are ACCOMPLISHING something, if you can absolutely say this part or that part is ok, and rule that out.

This makes you feel like you are working toward a solution as you cross items off the list that it isn't. Otherwise you are left feeling unsure, and insecure about your diagnosis and your skills.

There were - a few years ago, photos of blown caps on this site, certainly they exist on the internet, however, caps can short out internally, especially electrolytic with no outward evidence of what has happened.

I feel that's unlikely. I would encourage you to use different memory tests. I've seen one memory test diagnose a system as fine, and another blow up like hiroshima.

In diagnostics there shouldn't be any maybe's, you should be certain. Good luck.