I won’t let you go! 10 years of PC RAM issues to consider.
I won’t let you go! 10 years of PC RAM issues to consider.
After two years and ten years of use, this PC won’t start properly with the two RAM modules. It attempts to boot repeatedly, but the system hangs at 100% fan speed without progress. Memtest86 completed successfully, suggesting the memory issue is resolved. The RAM slots appear unreliable. What should I do next? I’m open to tackling the hardware side. This machine has been around for a decade; its parts are consistently i5-4690k, often overclocked to 44/43/42/42 MHz. It uses a Z97-C Corsair Vengeance Pro 1600 MHz motherboard with two 4GB sticks from Corsair, a Cx750m PSU, and a second-generation Zotac GTX 960 power supply. There are two Toshiba drives, one WD NVMe SSD, and a Kinston SSD. It has traveled over 6,000 km with me through school, university, and various trips. Buying another unit now seems like the best value, but I won’t give up. Even if I have to replace its components, I’m determined.
Component-level fixes have been attempted before—PSU and motherboard work have been done. I’ve seen similar issues before, so I’m ready to dig deeper. This PC has had problems with certain RAM pairs not working together; I settled for A2 and B2 slots. The display issue persists: it shows a dot matrix as a back screen and doesn’t render images properly. Not resolved.
I recall a past incident where a 12V short through a Molex connector damaged the PSU, but the USBs, Ethernet, and audio stayed functional. A knowledgeable Dell technician helped restore partial operation by removing ESD protection diodes on the motherboard. I have photos of the Z97-E board, which is nearly identical except for the audio section.
Recently, after a move, the system arrived fully working—no strange behavior for five days as an HTPC. During testing, I tried booting in BIOS with Turbo Performance mode while watching a movie. An IRQL_not_less_or_equal BSOD interrupted playback. Shortly after, an error message appeared: “KMODE EXCEPTION NOT HANDLED.” This caused the movie to stop. I’m not sure what happened next, but I suspect I addressed earlier issues by replacing RAM and then tried booting again.
I’ve tried adding extra cards to bypass the non-functional I/O three years ago, which helped fix Ethernet and USB by removing ESD protection diodes. The motherboard layout is similar to a Z97-E except for the audio circuitry.
Current concerns:
- After my last move, everything seemed normal for five days.
- While working on it 8 years ago, I damaged the PSU and integrated components.
- A Dell technician helped me recover partial functionality.
- About a year ago, shorting 12V via a Molex connector caused PSU damage but kept USBs, Ethernet, and audio working.
Recommendations:
- Test RAM slots individually—some may be faulty.
- Check for proper power delivery; consider replacing the PSU if it’s failing.
- Inspect the motherboard for physical damage, especially near audio traces.
- If unsure, swap components one at a time to isolate the problem.
- Keep documentation of changes and test after each adjustment.
Let me know your thoughts or if you’d like guidance on specific tests!
Check for driver updates or try a different graphics card if available.