I'm trying to figure out if my motherboard is the bottleneck in my system. When I try to use all four of my 8GB RAM sticks, my PC won't boot. But when I use just two sticks, everything runs smoothly. A friend of mine suggested that my RAM isn't compatible with my motherboard, and that I should upgrade it. Here are my specs: Motherboard: MSI MPG X570S EDGE MAX WIFI, CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 5600X, GPU: Zotac GAMING Twin Edge OC GeForce RTX 3060 12GB, Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR4-3600 CL18 (4 x 8GB), Storage: Samsung 970 Evo Plus 2 TB, PSU: Thermaltake Toughpower GF1 850 W 80+ Gold Certified. Also, I've noticed that while gaming, my CPU and GPU never hit full power, and my RAM frequently runs at 90-100%. Should I invest in a new motherboard, or would trying different RAM sticks be a better first step?
3 Answers
First, check if your motherboard has the latest BIOS update. Then check the MSI memory compatibility page to see if your RAM can work with all four slots filled. If the current sticks don’t work and you decide to upgrade, you can find a decent pair of 16GB sticks for under $100. Just ensure any new RAM is tested to work with your motherboard. If you go for a new build later, your GPU and power supply should carry over just fine.
It could be a PSU issue rather than the motherboard. Make sure your cables are set up properly—try using separate cables instead of daisy chaining. Also, plug your PC directly into the wall instead of a surge protector to see if that helps. And honestly, if your friend thinks DDR4 RAM shouldn’t work on a DDR4 motherboard, maybe get a second opinion. A BIOS update could help, but I doubt that's the main problem here.
You're hitting the max on 16GB RAM, but if you want to go to 32GB, consider using a 2x16GB kit instead. Usually, 2 DIMMs run faster than filling all four slots, but you could also try lower RAM speeds with all four sticks.
Does daisy chaining mean connecting multiple cables back to back instead of directly to the source?