I recently got a bit too confident with my computer skills after watching some YouTube videos, especially after installing new RAM. I tried to tweak some settings in the UEFI to increase the speed to 3200 MHz. After hitting F10 to save the changes, I got impatient waiting for the PC to reboot and decided to just turn it off and back on. Now, when I power it on, my mouse and keyboard don't light up, and my monitor is blank. The only sign of life is the stunning RGB on my new RAM. I'm using an ASRock X570 Pro4 motherboard and an AMD Ryzen 7 2700X processor with G.Skill TridentZ 32GB 3200 memory. Can anyone help me figure out if I've bricked my motherboard?
8 Answers
Honestly, I got a giggle from your comment about the RGB on your RAM looking beautiful. At least you found a silver lining, right?
If your motherboard has an XMP profile, use that. Also, consider just upgrading your RAM instead of trying to push for speed—sometimes it's better to just add more RAM than to squeeze out just a few extra FPS.
You probably didn't brick it! Most likely, you just need to reset your BIOS to the default settings. There’s usually a button on your motherboard for that, or you might find a jumper that you can connect with a screwdriver. Check your motherboard manual for specific instructions. It's quite common to accidentally set memory settings that won't boot, so just reset them back to defaults and try again!
It worked!!! THANK YOU!!!
I'm trying this right now since I realized my motherboard really only supports up to 3000 MHz. I’ll keep you posted!
If you're having trouble, look up how to clear the CMOS. Just pull out the small battery on your motherboard and make sure everything is unplugged. Let me know if that helps!
I tried that already, but it didn’t work. Thanks for the suggestion, though!
Unplug your PC, remove that silver battery from the motherboard, wait about 5 minutes, then put it back and power it on. It’s a simple fix!
I grabbed a jumper switch off AliExpress for under $2 to reset the BIOS easily. It’s really handy!
I just opened my case and used a fork to make the connection, haha!
No need to worry; you probably haven't broken anything! Just take a deep breath and go through the resetting process. Disconnect the battery, find the CMOS connection, leave it disconnected for at least 30 minutes (this is key!), then reconnect everything and try powering it up. It might take a few minutes for the RAM to recognize the settings, so be patient!
Yeah, if you get it working again, this was a cheap lesson learned. If not, then it's an expensive one.
It's okay, just traction on the wrong settings. You should look for a YouTube video on resetting the CMOS to defaults; that might be all you need!
I’ve been hearing about using the XMP setting in the UEFI. What's your take on that?