Only operating with a single RAM stick is required.
Only operating with a single RAM stick is required.
I’m using a setup like this: Ryzen 7800X3D with AsusROG B650E-F, Wi-Fi Corsair Vengeance RGB 6000MHZ, 2x16GB RAM, Samsung 980 Pro 1TB, Corsair MP600 HS 2TB, RTX 3090 FE, and HX1000i power supply. All components were purchased in April 2023 in the Netherlands, so they’re covered under warranty. The issues began a while ago—PC wouldn’t boot properly or sometimes wouldn’t POST at all. I had to force shut it down; after pressing F10 in BIOS it would boot normally. A friend suggested updating the BIOS, which I did. That’s when the real problems started. After the update, the PC still had strange boot behavior—especially with both RAM sticks installed. It wouldn’t boot at all, but when both were seated, the VGA debug LED would illuminate on the motherboard. This happened again over the weekend after I re-seated the GPU, CPU (no bulging), and RAM, then refreshed the BIOS. I also cleared CMOS while using both RAM sticks, and for a short time everything worked. Now, with both RAM installed, the PC still won’t boot, and the VGA debug light comes back on. I’m not sure what’s causing it—someone might think it’s a CPU or motherboard issue, but I don’t want to jump to conclusions. I’m hoping advice from fellow forum users will help me figure this out. Right now, the system seems to work with just one 16GB RAM stick, which isn’t ideal.
I dealt with several systems lacking the lower two slots, which were severely damaged and caused a lot of trouble. Most issues stemmed from CPU or board problems. I’d consider replacing the mainboard for testing—either a used one or a returnable new one. If that fails, look for an AM5 CPU on eBay (returnable) and try it, or opt for RAM if needed. If any components are faulty, bring them in under warranty. It’s likely the motherboard itself was the problem.
The issue is likely with the motherboard board itself, making it worth returning. The RAM should also be checked, but based on how the device acts, a CPU problem seems unlikely. Faulty CPUs are rare when bought new, so you shouldn’t blame them unless you’ve verified performance in multiple working environments.
It seems the issue could stem from a damaged motherboard or faulty CPU memory channels. The description hints at a pin shorting a memory channel and the PCIe bus.
I placed an order for a new CPU to check if that's the problem. Fortunately, the return policies are quite supportive for consumers. I plan to try another CPU and see if it resolves the issue.