New PC fails to start without any dedicated graphics card installed.
New PC fails to start without any dedicated graphics card installed.
Hey there, I’m facing a tricky issue with my new setup. I own an Intel 265k build with 96GB DDR5 RAM, an i9-13900K processor, an Intel Arc B580 graphics card, a 750W Lian Li PSU, and a Samsung Pro NVMe Gen 5 SSD. The system starts up fine without a GPU, but I see red and yellow diagnostic lights on the motherboard indicating CPU and RAM problems. It boots and runs Windows, though it’s stable only with the integrated graphics. When I try the B580, it won’t power on at all—fans spin but then shut off completely. I need to clear the CMOS and remove the GPU before it can work again. The situation gets worse: the B580 works in my previous build, but my old card doesn’t function here either. I’ve swapped motherboards, used different boards, tried various PSUs and RAM amounts, but nothing changes. No GPU works with any of these components. It’s confusing—everything seems to be compatible individually, yet together it fails completely. I’m really stuck and feeling frustrated. Any advice or insights would be greatly appreciated!
I noticed the manual you shared shows a very poor debug interface, with no troubleshooting steps and only vague color meanings. It seems like the issue might be related to outdated BIOS settings. Have you confirmed your motherboard's BIOS is up to date? This behavior could indicate a problem with the firmware rather than a hardware fault. Try booting with the latest BIOS enabled, then test with fresh components if possible.
Yeah, no combination of any motherboard will boot with any ram, any cpu, and any gpu. But all variations work without any gpu. I literally have windows running with 96gb ram detected and editing a project in lightroom and it's completely fine. The bios has been updated as well. The other mobo I have is the ASUS ROG STRIX B860-I. Neither this one nor the other two msi boards will boot with a gpu. I also get yellow diagnostic lights on the asus. It literally does not make any sense to me. Literally about to return everything and build on the ryzen platform at this point.
This seems completely unusual. I'm not accusing Intel, but maybe the last attempt was swapping the motherboard and CPU to test a Ryzen and an X870 setup so you can see what works. If that works, it might point to an Intel problem—though it still feels very strange. Do you have four RAM sticks? If yes, try removing two and see if the system boots. I recently noticed issues with DDR5 on AM5 boards when using four sticks, so give it a shot and remove two if applicable.
It's quite unusual! Which Ryzen processor would you like? I'm using Lightroom, Premiere, After Effects, DaVinci Resolve, and DXO. If none of those work, maybe bring it to a repair shop or microcenter for a fix, and if that doesn't help, I can switch to something else.
I would opt for at least a Ryzen 7 9700X or better, a Ryzen 9 9900X based on your power needs. I’m not very familiar with Intel, but the Ryzen 7 should be comparable to the Core 7 Ultra you own. If you have a budget, I’d choose the Ryzen 9 for better performance. Just check a few benchmarks for productivity to decide better. I think the Ryzen 7 should suffice, just keep in mind that AM5 doesn’t like having all four RAM sticks fully loaded—opt for 6000MHz with CL30. I started this thread recently about my future build, and the RAM section came up, so if you want a clearer explanation on frequency and latency, here’s the link below.
It should work fine with your setup. DDR5 RAM at 5200MT/s offers solid performance, and while speed matters less than capacity in many tasks, your system should handle it well on an AM5 platform.
from what i grasped, RAM speed and CL are linked to how quickly data moves through the memory. The quickest currently is around 10ns. If i interpreted correctly, 6000MHz at CL30 offers the best balance of speed and reliability. You might try 7200MHz at CL36 for even better performance, though it could affect stability. Latency can be calculated using this resource: https://notkyon.moe/ram-latency.htm. Generally, 10ns is the optimal choice for both speed and stability. I personally tested 64GB with 6000/30 MHz because the cost is lower than faster options, but stability was more important to me.
It's a bit off but you're heading in the right direction. The AM5 chip has a minor memory controller limitation where 6000mhz CL30 is the maximum stable data exchange rate, possibly around 6400mhz for CL32 depending on the specific silicon and conditions. Beyond that, stability problems arise, so developers often lower RAM speeds to maintain performance. Higher speeds like 7200mhz CL36, 8400 CL42, etc., can cause instability, making it necessary to compromise on speed to keep the system reliable. This situation is similar to how AI features in many smartphones are included mainly to boost pricing rather than pure performance.