My custom-built PC worked normally for about a year and then suddenly stopped posting this morning. The motherboard shows a solid orange DRAM indicator. The system uses a Ryzen 7 9700X, Radeon 9070 XT, Asus TUF Gaming B650-Plus WiFi motherboard, and 32GB of Crucial Pro DDR5-6400 CL38 memory. The fans and GPU lighting turn on, but there is no display output, and the keyboard and mouse do not power up. I've reseated the RAM, tested each stick individually in different slots, unplugged the power supply, and held the power button for 30 seconds. Since this wasn't a fresh build and everything worked yesterday, what hardware should I test next?
3 Answers
A sudden failure after a year can still be caused by a bad RAM stick or a motherboard issue. Try testing each module by itself in the recommended slot, then run MemTest86 from a USB drive if you can get it to boot. RAM often has a long manufacturer warranty, so an RMA may be an option if testing shows errors.
Because the DRAM light stays on and there’s no USB power or display, focus on the memory-training process first. Clear the CMOS, use one RAM stick in the board’s recommended single-stick slot, and allow several minutes for DDR5 memory training on the first boot. If that changes nothing, the most likely suspects are the RAM, motherboard, or possibly the CPU’s memory controller.
The power supply is another possibility. A failing PSU can sometimes provide enough power for fans and RGB while not delivering stable power for the CPU or memory initialization, so the fans spinning doesn’t completely rule it out.
I wasn’t sure whether a PSU problem was still possible since the fans and GPU lighting turn on, but I’ll try testing with another known-good power supply if I can.