BIOS keeps restarting repeatedly after installing new RAM or experiencing general system issues.
BIOS keeps restarting repeatedly after installing new RAM or experiencing general system issues.
Hey all! I'm coming across some odd issues that I've been unable to figure out for about a week now, I'm hoping that y'all might have some insight. I recently upgraded my RAM from 2x16GB to 4x16GB, and I made sure to buy the same brand, speed, and timing that I had installed previously - DDR4, 3200mHz, CL16-18-18-38. Not perfectly matched, I know, due to the difference in manufacturing date (a little over a year between the pairs), but I was hoping that wouldn't be an issue. Perhaps I was wrong. The first pair I got was almost certainly defective, crashed every 30 minutes, but something is still not quite right with the replacement, and I'm not convinced that it's entirely the RAM's fault this time. As an aside, this was not just a RAM upgrade, I also upgraded the GPU and PSU. Currently, my BIOS resets almost every time I turn my computer on. This might be in relation to the XMP profile I set, as best I can find through Google. I'm also having to deal with web pages crashes, saying they ran out of memory, as well as programs not loading as fast. Thankfully, I've only had two crashes since installing the replacement, which was installed about a week ago now. The first time, BSOD, specified memory management as the reason, the second time, while trying to write this post - everything froze up, no BSOD that time. In both cases, the BIOS had reset to default values prior to the crash. The BIOS settings that I've edited are as follows: XMP Profile 1: 3200-16-18-18-38-56-1.35V XMP High Frequency Support: Type 1 PCIe x16 Slot Configuration: Gen4 Above 4g Encoding: Enabled Resizable BAR Support: Auto I've found that when the BIOS resets, my computer is much more unstable. Since coming across and changing those specific settings to those values, I have very few problems with stability. In fact, since coming across the high frequency support setting, everything has worked fine on the desktop, until things reset. Also, fairly often when I enter the BIOS, and it has told me that it was reset, after confirming, it won't enter the BIOS at all, just a blank screen, and I have to hard reset the computer. I don't know if any of that information is useful, but I figured that I would include it, just in case. Before upgrading the GPU, PSU, and RAM, I updated my BIOS, to version F37d. However, in troubleshooting, I checked with the Gigabyte App concerning updating it, and it downgraded to vF36. Neither of these versions seemed to have affected this issue, for good or bad. I'm unsure if I should re-update to the latest, not sure if it matters much, though I have no issue doing so. I'm not entirely sure what version I had before, but until the upgrade, I'm fairly certain that I didn't update it since getting the board. At this point, I'm starting to suspect that this is an issue with the motherboard. From what I can find online, apparently four populated RAM slots isn't always entirely supported or stable. Rather annoying, if so. Finding any definitive information has proven difficult, though, unfortunately. So, I'm really looking to see if y'all have any insights that you wouldn't mind sharing. Or if my hopes of upgrading RAM on the cheap were misplaced. In any case, I have until September 20th to return it, so if it's just not going to work, I can at least get the money back. Current hardware: AMD 9 3950x EVGA RTX 3090 FTW3 Gigabyte Aorus Elite Wifi x570 Corsair RM1000x G Skill Ripjaws 64gb RAM (4x16) 3200mHz, CL16-18-18-38, 2 kits of 2x16gb. 1 WD Black 1tb NVMe M.2 1 2tb HDD 1 1tb HDD 1 256gb SATA SDD If any other information is needed, or if anything needs clarified, just let me know. Thanks! PS: I've seen on Reddit that someone solved their problem by manually entering timings, instead of using XMP. Can't say I know the first thing about that, though they did mention a Ryzen DRAM calculator, which might be of use. I don't mind investigating that further, if it would be more stable than an XMP profile. I don't know if any of ya'll have had a positive experience with that, but I would love to hear your thoughts on that, as well. PPS: Prior to upgrading the RAM, I was able to have an XMP profile enabled for just the two sticks, no BIOS reset, though all other settings mentioned were at their default values, at that time. PPPS: I had a few days before the new RAM arrived, with the GPU/PSU installed, and didn't have any issues with those regarding stability. Figured that might be worth a mention, as well.
I faced comparable challenges because of RAM not being QVL'd for both board and CPU, which seems resolved after installing QVL'd memory. Another issue was timing and voltage mismatches, making XMP and DOCP unreliable. My Patriot Viper 4 Blackout supports 16-18-18-36 at 1.35V, but DOCP often reported strange readings like 20-20-20-43, so I had to adjust timings manually before it stabilized. It’s also important to check if the kit is dual rank versus single rank—my old setup was double, and some configurations struggle with that. The RAM I used previously came in two SKUs, making it hard to confirm which one was present without inspecting the heat spreader. Hope this clears things up. Edited August 26, 2022 by An0maly_76 Added details
Remove all but one RAM stick, clean CMOS, verify stability, then reinstall the RAM one at a time and confirm there are no issues.
Thanks for sharing the details! From what you shared, your motherboard matches the requirements, and your dual-rank RAM is confirmed. I’ll look into the manual timings now. Just let me know if anything changes before I proceed. Appreciate the advice—it’s helpful!
They might not display the issue doesn't mean it isn't happening. Ram can act odd when something isn't working properly. It can be frustrating, but it's necessary to figure out what's wrong. You need to check each part step by step. There could be a problem with the motherboard or power supply unit. If you have extra components, build a test setup and experiment with different parts. Based on my experience, these kinds of problems are usually not software-related, though they can occur. I'm sorry I couldn't give a better solution. Good luck!
Manual timings overrode the mismatch in DOCP detection, anyway. Check to see whether the original sticks are single rank versus the new ones possibly being dual rank. That is known to be an issue with some setups. ADDED: And FWIW, the RAM that previously caused issues tested fine until it failed. Edited August 26, 2022 by An0maly_76 Revised, more info
I believe I could assemble a test rig this way. I was planning to set up a home server anyway, so it gives me a reason to do that. Regarding RAM slots, should they be included? That is, can I swap the two new sticks into the opposite slots and vice versa? I’m not very experienced with RAM troubleshooting, so I’m a bit unfamiliar with this. From what I understand, they’re likely the same type—dual, same rank—but I don’t have much information. The listings seem to match up nicely. I purchased the first kit on Newegg and the second one on Amazon.
Chose a pause from this problem. At least the BIOS didn't restart until this morning. Woke up and fixed it this morning. I could fix things, but I'm not feeling the energy right now to handle all this. Better return the RAM and swap in two higher-capacity sticks. Saves headaches. Prefer avoiding cheap fixes. Thanks for the support!