I built this system with a Ryzen 7 9800X3D, MSI B850 Tomahawk WiFi Max, 32GB of G.Skill Flare X5 DDR5, and an Asus TUF RTX 5070 Ti. About one out of every three boots takes one or two minutes, and once Windows loads, the desktop and every application run at roughly 5 FPS when I move the cursor. After a few minutes, everything suddenly returns to normal.
The system is about a year old. BIOS and chipset drivers are current, and I have not noticed Windows installing GPU drivers automatically. I have read that AM5 memory training can cause long boot times, but I thought that should mainly happen after changing memory settings—not randomly after owning the PC for this long. I also seem to remember the problem appearing after I enabled EXPO, although I would prefer not to lose the performance benefits.
I am frustrated because I cannot tell whether this is unstable memory, a bad RAM stick, storage or Windows corruption, a BIOS setting, or something else. What would be the best way to isolate the cause?
5 Answers
The extended boot is probably failed or repeated memory training, not normal behavior that should continue forever. Watch the motherboard's debug LEDs or error code during a bad boot, and verify the CMOS battery is healthy. Update the BIOS, load defaults, and then reapply settings one at a time so you can identify which change brings the problem back.
Test the RAM instead of assuming it is fine because the PC usually works. Run MemTest86 or another bootable memory test, first with each stick separately and then with both installed. A defective module or marginal EXPO settings can cause intermittent training failures, crashes, and strange system-wide sluggishness.
The post-boot 5-FPS behavior is separate enough that I would also perform a clean graphics-driver installation, preferably after removing the existing driver with DDU. Check startup programs and monitor CPU, disk I/O, GPU usage, and temperatures while the system is slow. Wireless mouse or keyboard problems could explain cursor behavior, but they would not normally make every application run at 5 FPS.
Start by resetting the BIOS to defaults and temporarily disabling EXPO. If the long boots and slow Windows sessions disappear, the memory settings are probably unstable. DDR5-6000 can work well on this platform, but not every CPU and memory kit can run its rated profile reliably without adjustment. On MSI boards, Memory Context Restore and Power Down Enable may also need to be configured together once the memory is stable.
Check what the system is doing during the slow period. Task Manager can show whether a process is saturating the CPU or disk, and Event Viewer may reveal driver, storage, or hardware errors. Also check the SSD's health and free space. If Windows system files may be damaged, run DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth followed by SFC /scannow. A repair install or clean Windows installation is worth considering only after hardware and driver checks.
I have a suspicion EXPO may be involved because I do not remember seeing this before enabling it. I will test with it disabled first.