DiscussionOC killed RAM??!!
DiscussionOC killed RAM??!!
Hello everyone, this is my first time on a forum, so please forgive any mistakes.
At the moment, my PC is still working properly, and I'm not looking for solutions right now. I just wanted to share my experience in case someone else faces a similar issue and might have useful insights.
I assembled my computer about a month ago:
- MSI B650M gaming plus Wi-Fi
- R5 7600
- 16 x 2 T-Force DDR5 6000MT/s CL30
- RX7900 gre (I realize I'm limited by the CPU – planning to upgrade it)
- Corsair RM750e
- Cooler Master 360 AIO
I had PBO enabled, and my CPU could easily hit 5.35 GHz, but I opted for a static overclock. I set the multiplier to 55, though I don’t remember the exact voltage setting – it wasn’t high (probably around 1.25V).
After running Cinebench, I tried Y-cruncher, which crashed during the second test. Later, it wouldn’t post at all (CPU DRAM error – no BIOS detected), so I did everything possible. I removed the CMOS battery, used the jBat jumper, and even flashed the BIOS, but nothing worked.
Then I randomly took out one RAM stick and booted straight into Windows. Swapping it back caused the same issue (CPU DRAM error). I tried every possible combination – in each slot, with both sticks together – even tested them individually. The only result was when a specific stick was missing.
I came to the conclusion: overclocking damaged the RAM?
I reattempted overclocking with the working stick again. This time I left the voltage unchanged (auto), everything stayed stable, no crashes. I then increased the multiplier to 53 and kept the voltage at its default setting, saving and closing the BIOS. The problem returned, but this time right after I closed the BIOS, it didn’t even reach Windows. The CPU and DRAM LEDs lit up, but nothing showed on the screen.
I removed the CMOS battery several times, used the jBat jumper multiple times, and even flashed the BIOS twice with different versions. I repeated all possible RAM combinations, but both seemed to be damaged.
Today, I had the PC inspected by a technician for warranty purposes. They found the RAM faulty and replaced it without any charge (thankfully, I didn’t mention the overclocking). My PC is back online and functioning, though I won’t risk overclocking it again anytime soon.
🙁
I searched Google and found nothing. From what I understand, CPU overclocking shouldn’t harm RAM, but it seems to have done so in this case.
Any suggestions or ideas about what might have caused this would be really appreciated. Please share your story if you’ve had a similar experience.
Thanks for reading.
Overclocking often affects RAM rates and other aspects too. Usually, the systems aim to maximize CPU performance regardless. In most scenarios, your graphics card becomes the main bottleneck during games.