PC Year Old PC, DRAM & CPU White LED's
PC Year Old PC, DRAM & CPU White LED's
Hello everyone, I've been facing this problem for some time now, and it's becoming more frequent. I'm trying to figure out what's going on, hoping someone with more experience on these forums can assist me.
I purchased my PC in December 2019, which is now around four years old. All the parts are still identical to when I bought it. In the past year, I've noticed that my peripherals often disconnect completely—no video output to monitors, no keyboard, mouse, or audio. The PC starts up normally, runs for hours without issues, but whenever I try to activate any peripherals, they stop working. The fan continues to run, there are no beeps from the motherboard, yet the DRAM LED turns white once all peripherals shut down. The problem persists and doesn't seem to fix itself. I sometimes unplug the PC at the case and the socket, and it works again, but not always.
I've tried troubleshooting on my own. I moved the RAM from slot 1 to slot 2, which seemed to help before, but the issue returned. It might be that the RAM isn't receiving enough power, though when I enter BIOS and set it to the correct frequency and voltage, the problem still occurs. It could also be the GPU, possibly due to wear and tear, but adjusting its position helped it boot once before.
Recently, the issue resurfaced and this time the CPU light lit up instead of the DRAM. It was a single white LED, and the CPU cooler fan spun for about five seconds, then stopped, turning off for a second before restarting. I set the LEDs to cycle through RGB colors so I could see each reset in red, not the original color.
I'm really puzzled about what might be causing this. Since the build isn't brand new, I can't follow the detailed POST troubleshooting steps. Also, it's been stable for about three years before this started, so I'm wondering if the motherboard is failing. I'd rather fix what I have rather than risk spending around £1000 on a new system.
Details:
- Motherboard: MSI B450M PRO M2
- Processor: AMD Ryzen 7 2700x
- CPU Cooler: AMD Wraith Prism
- RAM: 1x 16GB Corsair (currently in slot 2, moved from slot 1)
- GPU: MSI GeForce RTX 2060
- Power Supply: Corsair VS650
- Storage: 256GB SSD, 1TB HDD
- Operating System: Windows 10 22H2/10.0.19045
Please share any advice or information you have. I'm open to more details if needed—prefer fixing what I have over replacing it.
Do you have another stick of RAM available to try instead of the one you're using now? I'm concerned because the computer shuts down but doesn't restart when turned back on or restarted. You might also want to look into driver and BIOS updates.
I can install another RAM stick to test, but I'm uncertain about the root cause of the problem, which might take a week before it reappears. This will help determine if the issue is related to the RAM.
I've managed to get the PC back up and it's been running for about an hour. I stopped it completely for around 10 minutes before attempting a reboot and adjusted the case fans to higher speeds once it started. This seems to have resolved the problem this time.
Since the trigger isn't clear and each fix appears inconsistent, I'm unsure where to begin troubleshooting.
Edited to add: I've been regularly checking for BIOS and driver updates, and everything is currently up to date. I've also run BitDefender multiple times after an incident, but it can't detect anything, so it doesn't appear to be a virus.
Hey there,
So what bios are you running on the mobo? It should be 7B84v2I (there is also a beta available). Older bios' have both a USB bug, and GPU bug (Specially MSI), that can only be solved by updating the bios, and then clearing CMOS.
When you updated the bios, did you lear CMOS afterwards?
The BIOS version you mentioned is E7B84AMJ.4A1, and it seems you might be running an outdated system. I don’t have specific guidance on updating BIOS or clearing CMOS, but you can typically find the latest updates on the manufacturer’s website or through a trusted BIOS updater tool. For clearing CMOS, consult your motherboard manual or the manufacturer’s instructions.
Update to the newest version (not beta), then proceed with shorting two pins.
Hi, I’ve updated the BIOS to the latest version, but the resolution is too large for my screen and I can’t clear CMOS because of the case spacing. I’m unable to reach the pins with a screwdriver in the right position. I plan to try again tomorrow with assistance. Should I perform this while the system is powered on in BIOS mode or during a regular boot?
Good question. Only clear CMOS after fully disconnecting the system. Power off the PC, shut down the PSU (if possible), unplug the cable, and remove all connections. Open the case, remove the CMOS battery, and touch the pins together with a flathead screwdriver for 30 seconds. Reinsert the battery, then reconnect cables and restart. You might see a new screen, which will guide you through BIOS setup. Proceed carefully.
Checking the manual, the CMOS battery is located behind the GPU, so I’ll need to remove it to access it. I’ll probably have to wait for help before doing that. Will any BIOS or onstartup settings I’ve adjusted need changing? If so, this should reset the BIOS to its original factory state.
Yes, that might be necessary. The incorrect location for the battery could be problematic. If your previous settings remain intact, the clear CMOS won't function properly. You can safely store a bios profile on a USB drive before proceeding, and later restore it once the CMOS is cleared.