A vivid vision of terror and suspense.
A vivid vision of terror and suspense.
So my partner gifted me a brand new Ryzen 9 5900x for my birthday, which I was really excited about. I connected it with my MSI B450 Pro Carbon AC and everything functioned fine for around ten minutes—then suddenly the screen went black, the fans spun, lights stayed on but no video appeared. I tried checking the GPU, motherboard settings, and other possibilities, but every time a CPU load occurred, the same issue happened. I purchased an MSI MAG x570 Tomahawk Wi-Fi, assuming maybe my motherboard was faulty, but it still didn’t fix the problem. My power supply is a Corsair 850 watt, so I’m confident the power wasn’t the issue. My RTX3060 is only six months old and has about 6GB of RAM. I scoured forums until I got flustered, and only one suggestion helped, but it significantly lowered my CPU’s maximum clock speed and disabled PBO while underclocking the RAM voltage. That solution worked on the Pro Carbon board but not on my Tomahawk. Anyone have any advice? I’m running out of options and considering returning the chip.
Start with updating the BIOS first, particularly for older boards. There were a few DOA 5900X units, but if it functioned initially, this seems like a minor issue. Added note: Corsair RAM and Ryzen don't work well together lately. It appears to be a specific generation Ryzens, though I'm still figuring out the details. You may want to try Crucial Ballistix or another compatible RAM that's certified for your board and processor (the 5900X supports up to 3200 MHz). Edited July 19, 2022 by An0maly_76 Updated, more info
The BIOS on the board is the most recent stable release, not a beta. I considered this because some beta versions might have minor issues. However, the version I own is the latest and most reliable one.
The newest version not in beta is 7B85v1C released in 2020. I should check more details, but I’m almost done. There’s a compatibility chart on the board’s support page.
BIOS plays just one part of the story. The 5900X generates a lot of heat, which means it needs larger, more powerful coolers and effective VRM cooling. Running it on a B450 would be impractical, but only a handful of B550 models are available. Many newer B550 VRMs are so efficient they don’t require additional cooling.
The chip is water-cooled and functions well once connected to the BIOS. It operates at temperatures between 33-36°C. In the OS it tends to idle around 40-46°C, staying safely below limits. It’s really annoying though!
To have everything work smoothly, you need to swap in the 5900X, otherwise issues arise.