Hey everyone! I recently upgraded my CPU from a Ryzen 1600 to a Ryzen 5600, and now I'm facing an issue where about half of my RAM is labeled as 'hardware reserved.' I've tried several solutions like updating the BIOS, swapping the RAM sticks, checking for bent CPU pins, cleaning the socket, tweaking the paging file settings, and even going back to my old CPU to see if that would help. None of these steps have worked for me, so I'm really hoping for some guidance! Here's what I'm seeing: When I boot with both RAM slots filled, I have 16GB total memory but only 7.9GB is usable, while 8.1GB is hardware reserved. When I try to boot with just Slot 1, it won't boot at all, but with only Slot 2, it boots with 8GB (again, showing 7.9GB usable). Any advice would be appreciated!
2 Answers
Another thing to check is whether your motherboard has any limitations on RAM capacity with different CPUs. The Asrock AB350M might have specific updates needed to recognize the newer Ryzen CPU properly. Also, ensure that the RAM sticks are seated correctly and try different configurations if you haven’t already.
It sounds like you're dealing with a possible memory mapping issue or a BIOS setting that's causing that hardware reservation. One common culprit is the settings in BIOS related to memory remapping. Make sure that memory mapping is enabled. Also, it might help to check if your motherboard has the latest firmware updates that support your new CPU.
Thanks for the tip! I’ll definitely check the BIOS settings again. I missed the memory remapping option last time I looked through there.
Good point! I remember running into similar issues with older motherboards after an upgrade. If the slots are fine, it might just be a firmware issue.