I've been having a major issue with my RAM lately. It worked like a charm for the first couple of months after I built my PC, but now for the last few weeks, it's been acting up. The strange thing is, the RGB on my 360mm CPU cooler isn't working either, and I'm stuck with a constant red light on the RAM. Just a couple of days ago, out of frustration, I switched off my PC quickly using the PSU button, and suddenly, the cooler RGB lit up and the red RAM light went away. It seemed to be working fine then! But when I tried to shut it down normally, it just wouldn't turn on again like it did before. I've already updated the BIOS, reset the CMOS multiple times, tried different RAM slots, and even got a new CMOS battery, but nothing seems to help. When I built the PC, I had issues with the default BIOS as well until I got a new USB to install it properly. I feel like there's something super obvious going on, but I can't figure it out. I've got a 5090 gaming OC, a 9800x3d, a B650 Eagle, and 32GB of Kingston Fury DDR5 RAM. Any ideas on what's happening?
2 Answers
I feel your pain! I had a RAM issue once that seemed completely random. It also turned out the RAM was just being finicky with the motherboard. Have you tried checking compatibility with your BIOS version? Sometimes a newer version can handle RAM speeds better. Also, testing with just one stick at a time can help isolate which one might be faulty, if it is a hardware issue.
Definitely a good point on compatibility! Make sure to check your motherboard’s QVL list for RAM compatibility. It might save you a lot of hassle!
It sounds like you're dealing with some frustrating RAM issues! First off, you might want to double-check that the RAM sticks are seated properly in the slots, because loose connections can sometimes cause those weird issues. Also, since you've mentioned changing the BIOS settings a lot, it could help to try resetting the BIOS to default settings and then re-enable XMP after. It’s odd that the cooler RGB is tied to the RAM, though, so keep an eye on your power supply as well. Sometimes an unstable power supply can cause weird behavior in components. Good luck!
You might be on to something with the power supply. I had a similar issue where a failing PSU caused random hardware malfunctions. Definitely worth investigating!
I agree! Another thing to try is changing the RAM voltage settings if you have control in the BIOS. Sometimes adjusting that can help stabilize things.
Yeah, isolating each stick is key! I had something similar where one module was faulty and would cause all kinds of boot issues.