PC won't start when both RAM sticks are connected together.
PC won't start when both RAM sticks are connected together.
Motherboard: Asus B550-1 CPU, Ryzen 5 3600 GPU, RTX 2060 GPU, RAM: Two G.SKILL Trident Z NEO sticks, 8GB DDR4 3600 MHz, SSD from Samsung 980 Pro. Recently my computer froze after turning it on. Fans started spinning, then stopped instantly. Initially, unplugging helped but didn’t fix it. After resetting CMOS, nothing changed. Removing the second RAM slot worked fine; putting it back in caused a boot failure. Trying one stick in the second slot also failed. Both slots seem fine as long as only one stick is installed. I checked the board for scratches or shorts, but it was just a visual inspection in the case. I took out the CPU cooler and CPU to check for broken or damaged pins, and everything looked normal. There appears to be a leak near the motherboard, possibly a short, though I’m not certain. Recent power outages a few days prior might have contributed. The machine is protected by a surge protector. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
DOCP and XMP refer to AMD and Intel's ways of adjusting RAM speeds. Every processor has a maximum RAM velocity it can handle, as can the motherboard. It's best to align these numbers so that board, CPU, and RAM all operate at their peak. However, if your chosen board and/or processor can't support the RAM speed you pick, go with the lower of the three limits. Today's typical performance targets are around 2666, 2933, and 3200 MHz for DDR4. DDR3 usually supports slower rates like 1333, 1600, 1866, or 2400. Most modern DDR4 bundles set the default to 2666 or 2933 without XMP or DOCP enabled, so checking your board and CPU's supported speed early on is wise. If your RAM can be overclocked beyond what it can handle, turning off DOCP/XMP might resolve the problem without major speed drops—simply letting it run at its standard 2666 or 2933. View this like tuning a car for a drag race: strong acceleration is great, but adding too much power (like nitrous) can throw off control and cause crashes if the engine can't keep up. DOCP/XMP acts similarly, risking instability if your setup isn’t strong enough.
I’ll check them when I get home and see if they work. If not, do you think the motherboard might be the issue?
Even though I'm considering this path now, I wouldn't dismiss it right away. Prepare a bootable USB to test MEMTEST86 or similar on each RAM stick separately. Success on both doesn't guarantee they're perfect, but it's generally trustworthy. Even if the machine fails on one stick alone, MEMTEST86 should still function. The concern comes from the fact that disabling XMP made things worse. I've noticed problems where two identical sticks run at different speeds, which could signal RAM or board issues. Check the BIOS for options to view individual RAM speeds; mismatched speeds might indicate inconsistency. Since you've already tried booting one stick at a time, the next step is to see if the problem persists across another system or disappears with a different RAM set. Personally, I suspect the motherboard is the culprit, but confirming requires isolating the RAM—swap it out or move it elsewhere. If the issue follows the RAM, it's likely faulty. Pay attention to single-rank or double-rank listings; if one stick is double rank but the board doesn't recognize it, that could be a problem. A non-supported rank configuration might also harm the memory controller. Most assume incompatible RAM won't work long-term, but some may survive a short period before causing damage. Updated August 3, 2022 by An0maly_76