Note: Lower quality SODIMM modules are being reported!
Note: Lower quality SODIMM modules are being reported!
Hello,
I'm Rolf from Germany and this is my initial post here — I discovered a significant issue for all PC users. Let's discuss.
😉
Last week, I came across an appealing deal on a BOSGAME M4 NEO Mini-PC featuring 1GB NvMe and 32GB DDR5 RAM on Amazon. I purchased it right away. It’s a powerful machine with a fast Oculink connector. However, I encountered some BIOS/EFI problems; various components like the screen, keyboard, or WiFi adapter would occasionally fail to recognize themselves. Other minor issues also disrupted its operation. For instance, the clock kept resetting, which led to error messages in Windows.
I began troubleshooting, as the same errors appeared under Pop OS. Since those were absent in Pop, I ruled out an operating system error. When testing the RAM, I was confused — none of the benchmark results matched expectations. I swapped in new modules, even though they were slightly slower (4800MHz). The result? BIOS/EFI issues disappeared, everything functioned smoothly, and in Automobilista 2 I could set all settings to "high" and "ultra." With a 21:9 UWQHD display at 3440x1440 resolution and a stable 60FPS, performance improved by about 36% in 3DMark.
It’s remarkable what the built-in Radeon 780M paired with an AMD Ryzen 7 7840HS can achieve. Many desktops struggle to keep up. But the memory module story is still unresolved. On the Amazon product page, I noticed other users reported similar problems. The BOSGAME support mentioned: "Please press the Del or F7 key at startup to access the boot menu." In my case, I noted that the connected keyboard wasn’t recognized by the BIOS/EFI during boot — a point I should have paid more attention to.
This advice came from a poorly trained AI. The support team had apparently never encountered this issue before. It’s odd given all the error messages and returns. If I could identify the problem in an hour, they should have been able to resolve it themselves. After informing the manufacturer, they suggested returning the memory at my expense, promising a "GOOD MEMORY" in return — which I refused. So I did the return.
There was a great offer (just one day before prices rose): an "AOOSTAR GEM12 pro" with the new Ryzen 7 8745HS CPU and a 780M GPU with dedicated memory. When it arrived, I upgraded it with my 2x16GB RAM modules. Upon opening the device, I found a Crucial memory module — which I tested first. To my surprise, this one was also substandard or defective, causing the same issues! The third faulty Crucial module in a week!
Today, I received an email from someone who sold my last mini-PC. It only had 1x16GB DDR5. He described the same errors and admitted he’d bought a defective unit. Since I knew he’d purchased it online, I asked if it was from Crucial. Indeed — after replacing the new memory, everything worked perfectly again, and he apologized and thanked me.
Within just one week, I encountered three cases of defective or substandard DDR5 SODIMM modules from Crucial. This raises questions: Is this a deliberate design flaw, or are these products counterfeit? Regardless, it’s a major issue for many users. They often notice problems here and nowhere find a solution. A restart usually helps, but so many simply accept their problem without realizing they have a ticking time bomb in their computer. The 16GB SODIMM DDR5 4800MHz modules I bought directly from Crucial are fine — suggesting the problem likely affects only modules installed in OEM systems.
This is quite surprising and represents a significant challenge, in my opinion.
Best regards, Rolf
Referring to those mini-PC brands as OEM is misleading. OEM stands for Original Equipment Manufacturer—the company that actually produces the product. For example, Seasonic is a PSU OEM because they manufacture their own power supplies. Corsair does not qualify as OEM; rather, they procure PSUs from OEM manufacturers.
These mini-PC brands should be described as SI, which stands for System Integrator. SI assembles various pre-made parts such as RAM, CPU, motherboard, and PC cases into a complete system.
Regarding the RAM problem, it usually lies with the mini-PC brand itself. They might have sourced DDR5 RAM at significantly lower prices to reduce costs. Alternatively, they could be dealing with counterfeit chips, as labeling on RAM can be easily forged. Identifying genuine chips requires detailed inspection and cross-referencing with known genuine models, including checking for any markings on the chips.
SI typically purchases components in bulk, comparing prices from different suppliers to optimize costs. For instance, one supplier might offer 5000 DIMMs at a fixed price, while another offers 3000 DIMMs at a different rate. The goal is always to balance expenses effectively.
As for your approach, I would reach out directly to Crucial (the OEM) and return the RAM to them instead of sending it back to SI. Since Crucial can verify whether the RAM is genuine or counterfeit, they could initiate a recall if necessary.
Alright, that's correct. Sometimes individuals wrongly link OEM with full systems, which isn't accurate. But I'm sure the message remains understandable. I've reached out to Crucial, BOSGAME, AOOSTAR, and Amazon. It seems Amazon wasn't very interested. Let's observe what unfolds.
Sometimes it's just a coincidence, but when it happens again, it becomes a pattern.
When you reflect on it, the idea is actually quite intriguing.
Manufacturing never achieves perfection. Many RAM DIMMs, especially those in lower-priced lines, often fail quality assurance checks. What should be done with these defective units? There are two choices: either destroy them and discard them, or sell them to the market with warnings like "unstable" or similar.
Then there are the SIs. They can either obtain reliable, stable RAM, ensuring their products meet customer expectations, or they can acquire unstable RAM at a lower cost but face the consequences of unreliable systems and dissatisfied clients. The outcome often hinges on the level of customer support available. Many SIs seem indifferent to system instability and customer frustration, prioritizing profit over satisfaction. Given the vast audience in any major country—or even globally—they can still generate significant revenue before a large-scale boycott emerges.
This approach explains why so much low-quality equipment remains on sale. For instance, certain PSUs are available at extremely discounted prices, promising great value to bargain hunters.
Reusing products that failed in QA isn’t new—Intel, for example, has done this with CPUs for a while. They release models like the i9-14900K, which initially contained defective P cores. After QA testing, those cores were disabled, allowing the CPU to be rebranded as an i5-14600K. Users have sometimes found ways to reactivate these cores through firmware adjustments, boosting performance but potentially increasing instability.
Thanks for the update. I just got my BOSGAME M4 Neo and keep seeing black screens after restarting. To fix it, I have to shut it down and turn it back on. It's frustrating because it might be a RAM problem, so I'm thinking about sending it back.