diff --git a/src/boards/famicombox.cpp b/src/boards/famicombox.cpp
index a47823fa..077931f9 100644
--- a/src/boards/famicombox.cpp
+++ b/src/boards/famicombox.cpp
@@ -70,7 +70,7 @@ static void SSSNROMPower(void) {
 	regs[0] = regs[1] = regs[2] = regs[3] = regs[4] = regs[5] = regs[6] = 0;
 	regs[7] = 0xff;
 	Sync();
-	memset(WRAM, 0x00, WRAMSIZE);
+	FCEU_MemoryRand(WRAM, WRAMSIZE, true);
 //	SetWriteHandler(0x0000,0x1FFF,SSSNROMRamWrite);
 	SetReadHandler(0x0800, 0x1FFF, CartBR);
 	SetWriteHandler(0x0800, 0x1FFF, CartBW);
diff --git a/src/boards/malee.cpp b/src/boards/malee.cpp
index ca369a75..9bf4fa63 100644
--- a/src/boards/malee.cpp
+++ b/src/boards/malee.cpp
@@ -35,6 +35,7 @@ static void MALEEPower(void) {
 
 void MALEE_Init(CartInfo *info) {
 	info->Power = MALEEPower;
+	FCEU_MemoryRand(WRAM,sizeof(WRAM),true);
 	SetupCartPRGMapping(0x10, WRAM, 2048, 1);
 	AddExState(WRAM, 2048, 0, "WRAM");
 }
diff --git a/src/boards/mmc1.cpp b/src/boards/mmc1.cpp
index 09e1e497..bfe07a78 100644
--- a/src/boards/mmc1.cpp
+++ b/src/boards/mmc1.cpp
@@ -272,7 +272,7 @@ static void GenMMC1Power(void) {
 
 		// clear non-battery-backed portion of WRAM
 		if (NONBRAMSIZE)
-			FCEU_dwmemset(WRAM, 0, NONBRAMSIZE)
+			FCEU_MemoryRand(WRAM, NONBRAMSIZE, true);
 
 		SetReadHandler(0x6000, 0x7FFF, MAWRAM);
 		SetWriteHandler(0x6000, 0x7FFF, MBWRAM);
@@ -303,11 +303,6 @@ static void GenMMC1Init(CartInfo *info, int prg, int chr, int wram, int bram) {
 
 	if (WRAMSIZE) {
 		WRAM = (uint8*)FCEU_gmalloc(WRAMSIZE);
-		//mbg 17-jun-08 - this shouldve been cleared to re-initialize save ram
-		//ch4 10-dec-08 - nope, this souldn't
-		//mbg 29-mar-09 - no time to debate this, we need to keep from breaking some old stuff.
-		//we really need to make up a policy for how compatibility and accuracy can be resolved.
-		memset(WRAM, 0, WRAMSIZE);
 		SetupCartPRGMapping(0x10, WRAM, WRAMSIZE, 1);
 		AddExState(WRAM, WRAMSIZE, 0, "WRAM");
 		if (bram) {
diff --git a/src/boards/mmc3.cpp b/src/boards/mmc3.cpp
index 0f795dd4..6a93ba92 100644
--- a/src/boards/mmc3.cpp
+++ b/src/boards/mmc3.cpp
@@ -279,11 +279,11 @@ void GenMMC3Power(void) {
 			setprg8r(0x10, 0x6000, 0);
 		}
 		if (!(mmc3opts & 2))
-			FCEU_dwmemset(WRAM, 0, WRAMSIZE);
+			FCEU_MemoryRand(WRAM, WRAMSIZE, true);
 	}
 	MMC3RegReset();
 	if (CHRRAM)
-		FCEU_dwmemset(CHRRAM, 0, CHRRAMSIZE);
+		FCEU_MemoryRand(CHRRAM, CHRRAMSIZE, true);
 }
 
 static void GenMMC3Close(void) {
diff --git a/src/boards/mmc5.cpp b/src/boards/mmc5.cpp
index 771ea7ec..e11ca083 100644
--- a/src/boards/mmc5.cpp
+++ b/src/boards/mmc5.cpp
@@ -958,6 +958,12 @@ static void GenMMC5_Init(CartInfo *info, int wsize, int battery) {
 	MMC5fill = (uint8*)FCEU_gmalloc(1024);
 	ExRAM = (uint8*)FCEU_gmalloc(1024);
 
+	// MMC5fill is and 8-bit tile index, and a 2-bit attribute implented as a mirrored nametable
+	u8 nval = MMC5fill[0x000];
+	u8 aval = MMC5fill[0x3C0] & 3; aval = aval | (aval << 2) | (aval << 4) | (aval << 6);
+	FCEU_dwmemset(MMC5fill + 0x000, nval | (nval<<8) | (nval<<16) | (nval<<24), 0x3C0);
+	FCEU_dwmemset(MMC5fill + 0x3C0, aval | (aval<<8) | (aval<<16) | (aval<<24), 0x040);
+
 	AddExState(ExRAM, 1024, 0, "ERAM");
 	AddExState(&MMC5HackSPMode, 1, 0, "SPLM");
 	AddExState(&MMC5HackSPScroll, 1, 0, "SPLS");
diff --git a/src/boards/n106.cpp b/src/boards/n106.cpp
index abe8de5b..76c93405 100644
--- a/src/boards/n106.cpp
+++ b/src/boards/n106.cpp
@@ -400,8 +400,8 @@ static void N106_Power(void) {
 	FixCRR();
 
 	if (!battery) {
-		FCEU_dwmemset(WRAM, 0, 8192);
-		FCEU_dwmemset(IRAM, 0, 128);
+		FCEU_MemoryRand(WRAM, sizeof(WRAM), true);
+		FCEU_MemoryRand(IRAM, sizeof(IRAM), true);
 	}
 	for (x = 0x40; x < 0x80; x++)
 		FixCache(x, IRAM[x]);
@@ -419,6 +419,8 @@ void Mapper19_Init(CartInfo *info) {
 	if (FSettings.SndRate)
 		Mapper19_ESI();
 
+	FCEU_MemoryRand(WRAM, sizeof(WRAM), true);
+	FCEU_MemoryRand(IRAM, sizeof(IRAM), true);
 	AddExState(WRAM, 8192, 0, "WRAM");
 	AddExState(IRAM, 128, 0, "IRAM");
 	AddExState(N106_StateRegs, ~0, 0, 0);
@@ -440,6 +442,7 @@ void Mapper210_Init(CartInfo *info) {
 	is210 = 1;
 	GameStateRestore = Mapper210_StateRestore;
 	info->Power = N106_Power;
+	FCEU_MemoryRand(WRAM, sizeof(WRAM), true);
 	AddExState(WRAM, 8192, 0, "WRAM");
 	AddExState(N106_StateRegs, ~0, 0, 0);
 }
diff --git a/src/fceu.cpp b/src/fceu.cpp
index 38f542c1..2ba2a748 100644
--- a/src/fceu.cpp
+++ b/src/fceu.cpp
@@ -798,8 +798,6 @@ void ResetNES(void) {
 
 int RAMInitSeed = 0;
 int RAMInitOption = 0;
-// Note: this option does not currently apply to WRAM.
-// Would it be appropriate to call FCEU_MemoryRand inside FCEU_gmalloc to initialize them?
 
 u64 splitmix64(u32 input) {
 	u64 z = (input + 0x9e3779b97f4a7c15);
@@ -842,7 +840,7 @@ u64 xoroshiro128plus_next() {
 	return result;
 }
 
-void FCEU_MemoryRand(uint8 *ptr, uint32 size) {
+void FCEU_MemoryRand(uint8 *ptr, uint32 size, bool default_zero) {
 	int x = 0;
 
 	while (size) {
@@ -850,7 +848,10 @@ void FCEU_MemoryRand(uint8 *ptr, uint32 size) {
 		switch (RAMInitOption)
 		{
 			default:
-			case 0: v = (x & 4) ? 0xFF : 0x00; break;
+			case 0:
+				if (!default_zero) v = (x & 4) ? 0xFF : 0x00;
+				else               v = 0x00;
+				break;
 			case 1: v = 0xFF; break;
 			case 2: v = 0x00; break;
 			case 3: v = (u8)(xoroshiro128plus_next()); break;
diff --git a/src/fceu.h b/src/fceu.h
index bea3e656..1b76249b 100644
--- a/src/fceu.h
+++ b/src/fceu.h
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ extern char romNameWhenClosingEmulator[];
 #define DECLFR(x) uint8 x (uint32 A)
 #define DECLFW(x) void x (uint32 A, uint8 V)
 
-void FCEU_MemoryRand(uint8 *ptr, uint32 size);
+void FCEU_MemoryRand(uint8 *ptr, uint32 size, bool default_zero=false);
 void SetReadHandler(int32 start, int32 end, readfunc func);
 void SetWriteHandler(int32 start, int32 end, writefunc func);
 writefunc GetWriteHandler(int32 a);
diff --git a/src/fds.cpp b/src/fds.cpp
index 0de068d9..463ba327 100644
--- a/src/fds.cpp
+++ b/src/fds.cpp
@@ -752,13 +752,11 @@ int FDSLoad(const char *name, FCEUFILE *fp) {
 
 	CHRRAMSize = 8192;
 	CHRRAM = (uint8*)FCEU_gmalloc(CHRRAMSize);
-	memset(CHRRAM, 0, CHRRAMSize);
 	SetupCartCHRMapping(0, CHRRAM, CHRRAMSize, 1);
 	AddExState(CHRRAM, CHRRAMSize, 0, "CHRR");
 
 	FDSRAMSize = 32768;
 	FDSRAM = (uint8*)FCEU_gmalloc(FDSRAMSize);
-	memset(FDSRAM, 0, FDSRAMSize);
 	SetupCartPRGMapping(1, FDSRAM, FDSRAMSize, 1);
 	AddExState(FDSRAM, FDSRAMSize, 0, "FDSR");
 
diff --git a/src/unif.cpp b/src/unif.cpp
index 627c9a3a..fe0cff04 100644
--- a/src/unif.cpp
+++ b/src/unif.cpp
@@ -114,6 +114,7 @@ static void MooMirroring(void) {
 	if (mirrortodo < 0x4)
 		SetupCartMirroring(mirrortodo, 1, 0);
 	else if (mirrortodo == 0x4) {
+		FCEU_MemoryRand(exntar, sizeof(exntar), true);
 		SetupCartMirroring(4, 1, exntar);
 		AddExState(exntar, 2048, 0, "EXNR");
 	} else
@@ -534,7 +535,7 @@ static int InitializeBoard(void) {
 					CHRRAMSize = 256;
 				else
 					CHRRAMSize = 8;
-                CHRRAMSize <<= 10;
+					CHRRAMSize <<= 10;
 				if ((UNIFchrrama = (uint8*)FCEU_malloc(CHRRAMSize))) {
 					SetupCartCHRMapping(0, UNIFchrrama, CHRRAMSize, 1);
 					AddExState(UNIFchrrama, CHRRAMSize, 0, "CHRR");
diff --git a/src/utils/memory.cpp b/src/utils/memory.cpp
index 088c9a8d..80e072e1 100644
--- a/src/utils/memory.cpp
+++ b/src/utils/memory.cpp
@@ -39,11 +39,7 @@ void *FCEU_gmalloc(uint32 size)
   FCEU_PrintError("Error allocating memory!  Doing a hard exit.");
   exit(1);
  }
- //mbg 6/17/08 - sometimes this memory is used as RAM or somesuch without clearing first.
- //this yields different behavior in debug and release modes.
- //specifically, saveram wasnt getting cleared so the games thought their savefiles were initialized
- //so we are going to clear it here.
- memset(ret,0,size);
+ FCEU_MemoryRand((uint8*)ret,size,true); // initialize according to RAMInitOption, default zero
  return ret;
 }
 
@@ -57,11 +53,7 @@ void *FCEU_malloc(uint32 size)
   FCEU_PrintError("Error allocating memory!");
   return(0);
  }
- //mbg 6/17/08 - sometimes this memory is used as RAM or somesuch without clearing first.
- //this yields different behavior in debug and release modes.
- //specifically, saveram wasnt getting cleared so the games thought their savefiles were initialized
- //so we are going to clear it here.
- memset(ret,0,size);
+ memset(ret,0,size); // initialize to 0
  return ret;
 }
 
diff --git a/src/utils/memory.h b/src/utils/memory.h
index 34676d38..559c7bad 100644
--- a/src/utils/memory.h
+++ b/src/utils/memory.h
@@ -24,8 +24,8 @@
 
 #define FCEU_dwmemset(d,c,n) {int _x; for(_x=n-4;_x>=0;_x-=4) *(uint32 *)&(d)[_x]=c;}
 
-void *FCEU_malloc(uint32 size);
-void *FCEU_gmalloc(uint32 size);
+void *FCEU_malloc(uint32 size); // initialized to 0
+void *FCEU_gmalloc(uint32 size); // used by boards for WRAM etc, initialized to 0 (default) or other via RAMInitOption
 void FCEU_gfree(void *ptr);
 void FCEU_free(void *ptr);
 void FCEU_memmove(void *d, void *s, uint32 l);