Hey everyone! I could really use some help with a frustrating issue I'm having with my PC. Whenever I try to change anything hardware-related—like swapping out the SSD, changing cases, or even just cleaning—I find that my PC won't post for hours. I've managed to get it to work in the past, but I'm not sure how. Here's what I usually do:
- Clear the CMOS.
- Try each RAM stick one by one (usually, it boots with just one stick).
- Once, loosening the motherboard helped.
However, I just did a case swap, and I'm stuck with the same posting issues. I'm seeing error lights on the motherboard indicating problems with the CPU and DRAM. Most of the time, it's the DRAM light that stays on when I try using two or more sticks of RAM.
I'm exhausted from trying to pinpoint the problem each time. As of now, I can only boot with a single stick, but all of them work individually, and so do the RAM slots. If anyone has thoughts or suggestions on what might be causing this, I'd really appreciate it!
Here are my specs:
- Motherboard: Z690 MSI PRO DDR4
- RAM: Corsair Vengeance Pro RGB 3200 MHz
- CPU: i7-12700k
- GPU: 4060 MSI Gaming X
1 Answer
It sounds like your issue may stem from either the CPU or the RAM, especially since those error LEDs are indicating problems in those areas. You mentioned you have four sticks of RAM, right? Make sure you're running them at stock speeds and not using XMP; that could be causing instability. It's also worth considering that the memory controller on your CPU might be malfunctioning, which can happen. Keep an eye on how the system behaves when you test different configurations!
Thanks for the input! I've tried both XMP and stock speeds, but sometimes even a single stick won't post. I just find it frustrating that fiddling with the motherboard often fixes things after hours of trying. I hope it’s not the CPU either!