Is there a post on a fresh AM5 build? The CPU and RAM lights should be shining up?
Is there a post on a fresh AM5 build? The CPU and RAM lights should be shining up?
So I bought a new gaming PC recently and it won't turn on. It powers up fine, fans spin, but lights stay on without the computer running. The CPU and DRAM LED lights pop up right away. I don't know why this is happening or what could be wrong. I'm hoping it's the motherboard instead of the processor. I tried swapping out some RAM sticks that worked for my friend too, but testing them one by one in slot A2 didn't help much. That made me think maybe it's a board problem or a CPU issue (hoping not the latter). I ran the test bench and those lights are still on with these parts: Motherboard MSI MAG B650 Tomahawk WiFi, CPU Ryzen 7 9700X, RAM G.Skill Trident Neo RGB 32GB (2 x16). Any help would be super grateful before I just buy a new board. Thanks!
Yeah, I had this same issue with the exact same motherboard. The only thing different was one of my RAM sticks would work on slot two, while nothing else worked in other slots. Trying to use both slots at once didn't help either. Some people said it might be because my big or fast memory sticks weren't working right, but that's not your problem here. I think though. How much is the clock speed? The only fix was swapping out for a different motherboard from another brand. It seems like a common problem on this specific board or with the B650 chipset in general. I went ahead and bought a gigabyte x870 eagle wifi7, but you probably don't need that much just for thirty-two GB of RAM.
Have you tried taking out the CPU and checking those little pins that stick in the socket? Is your 9700X listed as working with your specific BIOS settings? That means you must find another way to check what version of your BIOS is running if nothing shows up on your screen.
A computer won't turn on right away if you don't have a fan attached to your CPU. You usually figure this out by looking for 500-plus spins per minute on the socket where your processor sits.
With the RAM light coming on, I had this same issue yesterday. It felt like I needed a really bright light so I could tell if those dimmers were all the way down in their socket. I also had to push them down very hard so they would be firmly seated, especially on the right side where the clamp is. This was a new level of pushing down hard that I needed. Maybe whoever makes those dimmer sockets made them tighter than before or maybe the dimmers are just a tiny bit off spec? That takes extra effort to get them in. So if you have a RAM light on, do not underestimate how much effort it takes to push those dimmers into their sockets.
You need to share more details about your computer parts, like RAM speed and timing, power supply brand, GPU, hard drive(s), and the processor (CPU). Also, it isn't clear if this machine ever worked well or where exactly this problem started. And why are you hoping the fix is a motherboard? It's much simpler to swap out a CPU than replace a board. Did you just buy everything new at once?
First, download the newest BIOS for your motherboard. Copy it onto a USB stick. I believe the instructions say it must be named "MSI.rom" or something very close to that. Check the manual online if needed to confirm this. This is meant for a processorless update. Don't bother with extra parts like RAM, CPU, or GPU. Just keep power connected at first. Once you're ready, carefully check your CPU socket. Look for bent pins. Take a photo and use a magnifier; don't rush finding errors because they are tiny and easy to miss. Reseat the CPU. Plug in the USB stick prepared according to the manual into the specific BIOS slot highlighted on the board. Follow the instructions again from the physical manual for flashing via USB. The relevant pages in the manual are 22 and 55. After you flash the BIOS, the CPU should show up when you turn it on. Try booting with only one RAM module inserted (DIMM A2, page 28). If that works, the CPU warning light will go off and the RAM warning light will stay lit longer as it needs to learn the new timings. Then, shut down the PC gently. Add the second stick of memory following the drawing on page 28. Turn the computer back on and let the memory retrain itself. From there, turn everything off, plug in your SSD storage, restart, and install your operating system.
Motherboards are usually much cheaper than CPUs. That's why they put the pins on the board instead of the chip for the AM5 socket. It's not a special case (189 vs 309). If you bought this card recently from online, your BIOS should already know about the CPU. If it doesn't work that way, there are no cheap chips on the AM5 side to fit in low-range models, so buying a new board would save more money than just swapping out an old one for a tiny chip and hoping to get the right software running later.