System freezes, fails to start and powers down following replacement of PSU and RAM modules.
System freezes, fails to start and powers down following replacement of PSU and RAM modules.
Hey there! I recently upgraded my RAM and PSU, but after those changes my PC wouldn’t boot properly. For a short time—about 2 to 3 seconds—it would say new components were detected, then the screen would go dark. When I removed one stick of RAM it worked fine. I tried both RAM slots and everything seemed okay.
I found some advice online suggesting raising the DRAM voltage to 1.35 and adjusting the timing settings from T1 to T2. After making those changes, my PC booted with both RAM installed, but after a few minutes it would freeze. Once I turned it off and on again, it started up, but then it would shut down and the PSU would make clicking sounds. Now I can boot with one or two RAM sticks, but after switching to two, the screen goes blank no matter what.
I’m not very experienced with PCs, but everything seems new—no mismatched cables, CPU isn’t overclocked, identical RAM sticks, and the power supply works perfectly before this issue started. My GPU and CPU temperatures stayed normal during stress tests.
If anyone has any insights or can help me figure out what’s going on, I’d really appreciate it. Thanks!
They were likely purchased as a pair in the same package or as two separate units. This matters for compatibility. Such behavior is unusual for RAM issues. RAM might lead to crashes and prevent booting, but it won’t activate overcurrent protection. There seems to be a problem. Your power supply should work fine (500W should suffice and you receive 750W). You could try testing with another PSU or checking your current one in another system. If you still can't identify the issue, consider returning, exchanging, or initiating a return/repair request for the PSU. Good luck!
I ran some tests and things are even more puzzling now... I reset the CMOS but that didn’t help. Previously, even for a short time, I could boot with both drives installed, but now it’s not possible at all. Even one of the new drives won’t start, and my old GSKILL RAM is also not booting (by the way, the new Kingston RAM was purchased as a pair in the same package). I checked my old PSU still—no boot detected. After reseating the CPU, I looked for bent pins but found none. The new Seasonic PSU stopped working, but with the two new drives it clicked again. It would power off and on twice, and sometimes a clicking sound came through. Could my motherboard be causing the RAM to fail? It’s strange that my old GSKILL RAM stopped working just three days ago, yet one of the new sticks still worked in both slots. I’m really confused and worried I might need to replace the board and RAM. Regarding the BIOS update, I’m hesitant—I’ve never updated before and don’t trust my system now. All these issues with freezing, crashes, and black screens have happened over the past couple of days. If anyone has any advice or suggestions, I’d really appreciate it!