Question No POST, plus Red CPU Light and Yellow DRAM Light on new build?
Question No POST, plus Red CPU Light and Yellow DRAM Light on new build?
Hello everyone,
My initial try at setting up the system went according to plan. But the motherboard kept displaying the Red CPU and Yellow DRAM indicators constantly. At first, when I powered on the PC, no lights appeared—though I noticed no signal reaching the monitor. I tested three different monitors and used three HDMI cables. I also plugged the HDMI cable through both the GPU and the motherboard. After removing the GPU to inspect the connections more closely, I tried connecting it from the motherboard’s HDMI port since the GPU handled graphics internally. I left it idle for a while, then restarted again without success. The Red and Yellow lights finally came on (possibly earlier than expected before removing the GPU).
Later, I realized I hadn’t connected the 4-pin CPU power lead—only the 8-pin. Since I’m using an MSI PSU, I had to split it for the second 4-pin slot. I also missed a screw on the motherboard, which I fixed. This didn’t change the issue; the lights persisted, and the PC wouldn’t shut down via the case power button (though I could still turn it on).
I’ve attached some photos in case anything is clearly missing from my setup. I’ve been looking into possible fixes this morning, like resetting the CPU or checking connections. The Wraith cooler was securely installed. Should I reapply thermal paste if I inspect the CPU? My Ryzen 7 7700 came pre-applied, and I don’t have any left. I tried powering it up with both the main PSU and individual RAM sticks—though each stick is 6000Mhz, which is above the stock limit. It should run at stock speed during first boot, right?
There’s also discussion about updating the BIOS or clearing CMOS. I cleared the CMOS by shorting it and removed the motherboard battery to reset. Compatibility sites didn’t flag any problems with a BIOS update before purchase (they mentioned updates in other builds). However, I’m concerned about voiding the warranty if I try any of these steps, especially if it’s a motherboard issue that needs replacement.
Here’s my build summary:
- AMD Ryzen 7 7700
- Corsair Vengeance RGB 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-6000
- Crucial P3 Plus 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME
- Crucial P3 Plus 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME
- Sapphire PULSE Radeon RX 6750 XT 12 GB Video Card
- MSI MPG A750GF WHITE 750 W (80+ Gold Certified, Fully Modular ATX)
- MSI PRO B650M-A WIFI Micro ATX AM5 Motherboard
Please let me know if you have any advice or can assist—I’d really appreciate it.
Best regards.
I'm facing the same issue with a matching motherboard and would appreciate any advice you might have.
Hi Jaqzz,
Are you able to access the MSI bios screen to apply m-flash or are you attempting an update directly from the motherboard? I noticed that helped resolve the problem. I managed to fix all my issues, thankfully. It seems the issue was related to my RAM and the default BIOS version not being fully compatible.