PC crashes unexpectedly and often behaves oddly. I’m completely confused about what’s happening.
PC crashes unexpectedly and often behaves oddly. I’m completely confused about what’s happening.
I recently needed to swap out my motherboard because it seemed to stop functioning and prevent my PC from starting. I installed a Gigabyte b450 Aorus Pro Wifi. It’s important to note that everything operated perfectly before my previous motherboard failed, so I’m using all my existing drives and parts—my 2070 Super, Ryzen 3800x, RAM, etc.—plus a new SSD. When I power it on for the first time, no startup screen appears, and the motherboard’s RAM LED lights up. I then move the RAM from channels 2/4 to 1/3. After a second boot, it works! I log into Windows, and after about ten minutes I notice I didn’t connect my (E) drive HDD. I shut it down and plug it back in. Once I power it up again, I log in and after roughly thirty seconds I see a black screen and the PC restarts immediately. This cycle repeats endlessly. If I just keep logging in, it keeps restarting after around thirty to one minute. So I unplug the HDD, and that seems to resolve the problem. Now, instead of frequent 30-second restarts when the HDD is connected, removing it causes random crashes at any time—whether I’m watching Netflix or anything else. No error messages appear. Anyone have suggestions? Everything was fine before, except for the new motherboard and SSD. All components are less than two years old. This is strange because it keeps crashing whenever the HDD is present, but having it makes it fail faster. I’m really frustrated and stressed right now.
It could be unrelated, but you should verify your RAM's part number against the board's compatibility chart, remembering CPU selection if relevant. I just fixed a 5900X build that kept failing for months with strange POST errors that didn't show any clear reason. DIMMs worked, but another machine had problems because the RAM wasn't compatible with either board, then it stopped two weeks later. Using QVL-recommended RAM has cleared all issues in both systems, and the 5900X runs smoother. This might be worth checking if it plays a role.
I've never come across this before when picking parts for my PC. After reviewing my motherboard's memory compatibility list—something I wasn't even aware of—I noticed my RAM model "F4-3200C16D-32GVKB" isn't listed. It's worth mentioning that the 16GB version of my RAM is actually included in the list. Since I have other RAM options, I hope it's still available and it will resolve any issues.
I wasn't aware of this until I had already spent a lot of time tinkering, swapping components, yelling at people, and finally getting the board to accept a return. It struck me after I saw a QVL entry for the same RAM with different issues on another machine and a non-functioning DIMM. The 16GB model could be a 2x16 configuration, dual-rank setup, varying timings, or different voltage specs—definitely needed more research. Don't rely on XMP or DOCP for timing accuracy; they kept suggesting a 20-20-20-43 profile even though the board's list showed 16-18-18-36, matching the problematic RAM. Updated August 30, 2022 by An0maly_76 Added details
Well, switching to the RAM I already had on the QVL list and connecting the HDD has been smooth for nearly two hours without any issues. That’s a big improvement right now. If it stays stable in the next few hours, I feel confident marking this as the solution. Thanks a lot! I didn’t think I’d figure it out if I hadn’t looked into other possibilities or checked forums, especially after searching extensively. You’ve definitely saved me from what I thought would be a lot of frustration. The downside is this new RAM is 16GB and runs at 200MHz, which is slower than my previous upgrade—probably a trade-off.
NP, glad I could help. I'd theorized that maybe the RAM was my issue, but was never really sure until I ran across a QVL list (didn't know it was a thing until then, by which the RAM was causing issues in another machine). But everyone said "RAM is RAM, QVL doesn't mean anything". Apparently, though, it isn't always true, and sometimes it very much DOES matter. Food for thought, you're not the first person I've helped with this revelation. That's not to bash anyone that said this, as it seems my sounding the alarm to those I think it could help has pissed some people off. I just think this is something that is becoming a thing when it wasn't before. Oh, well, they're not the one who had to deal with my system's issues. I'm just glad we crossed paths so you don't have to go through the extended period of aggravation I did. As to the difference in specs, I wouldn't worry so much about capacity and speed. 16GB is plenty for most use, and 200 Mhz isn't that big of a drop. 3200 is optimal, but even 2400 Mhz isn't that bad. My 5900X's replacement RAM kit was running at 2400 Mhz until I got timings set correctly, and it really didn't hurt performance that much. Sure, the RAM that it liked better makes it feel a bit snappier, but enabling PBO and my RTX3060ti's OC was what made it really scream. Edited August 30, 2022 by An0maly_76 Revised, more info