The CPU and DRAM appear to be stuck unless a particular slot is used with a specific RAM stick.
The CPU and DRAM appear to be stuck unless a particular slot is used with a specific RAM stick.
I’m getting really puzzled about this setup. Yesterday I assembled a new configuration: Asrock B650E PG Riptide WiFi (latest), AMD Ryzen 7600x (new), two 16GB DDR5-4800 RAM sticks (CL40-40-40-77) with on-die ECC, NH-D15 motherboard (previous build, reliable), Seasonic Prime TX-750 750W power supply (old build, reliable), and a GTX 770 graphics card (also old build, reliable). Before starting, I confirmed the RAM slots were in the correct order. When I powered it on for the first time, everything started spinning up—fans kicked in at full speed, RGB lights flashed, and the CPU and DRAM LEDs lit up steadily until I pressed power. After a minute, the OS booted with graphics ready. Testing different RAM configurations helped: using Alice in the farthest slot plus GPU and all others connected worked perfectly; leaving the farthest slot empty for Bob and everything else also succeeded. However, when I tried other combinations—removing Mobo and CPU fans—I still got failures, even after waiting 20 minutes. The CPU+DRAM lights stayed on indefinitely in several cases. I’ve been reading that AM5 boots can be slow, so patience was key. I haven’t touched the CPU yet, fearing thermal paste issues or damage. No visual problems were noticed. My BIOS is version 1.11 (the latest non-beta release), and all components look fine. I’m unsure what’s going on, but it seems like Bob might not be working and a few RAM slots could be faulty. If anyone has seen similar issues or knows how to troubleshoot this, I’d really appreciate any advice.
It might be the motherboard that damaged the RAM or the RAM slots. Since Alice is using some slots while Bob isn't, consider returning the motherboard.
It functions only when Alice occupies the last position and Bob isn't connected to any other slots. I understand after checking every possible arrangement of memory cards and ports yesterday. - Alice at the end + GPU, all others linked: Success! I can boot the OS with graphics output after a minute. Alice at the end with everything except Mobo and CPU fan off: Success! I manage to get into BIOS fine after a minute. These are the only setups that lead me to the desktop or BIOS. I also tried the latest beta BIOS from ASRock, but it didn’t help. What are the chances this is due to bad CPU contact? I’m torn—should I risk reseating the pins or just send the motherboard back? Also, since this is getting long, here’s a quick summary for others: Two new RAM sticks, Alice and Bob, on a fresh motherboard with a new CPU. Bob doesn’t work in any slot. Alice only works if she’s in the last slot. Any mix fails.
Updated the CPU installation; no visible changes. Carefully checked all pins during removal—no bending or misalignment. Still experiencing the same behavior. Anyone have suggestions for further troubleshooting? It seems like replacing the board might be the next step.
I've placed an order for new RAM, including two Samsung sticks. The updated RAM is also available on the QVL, and I’ve got two 16GB sticks. Since we’re close to Christmas, delivery will take some time. If the board issues persist after that, I’ll replace it. I’m confident with this plan because I can wait for the new sticks before sending the Samsung ones out—so I’ll have four sticks ready to test before the Samsung shipment arrives. ; )
Alright next and final update – it functions. I received the new RAM sticks via mail (thank you to the delivery person who brought them on Christmas). As promised, I placed them in the farthest and third-farthest slots (following the manual instructions), and they started up within seconds. 32 GB was detected and everything worked smoothly. It turns out the single Samsung stick was non-functional, and my motherboard seems to be quite strict about which slots you use for RAM – only the first slot works, and even then it doesn’t boot. I’m curious if this is specific to AM5 boards or just ASRock models, or maybe tied to a particular BIOS version. If you’re purchasing an AM5 board, that’s something to keep in mind. At least that’s what I learned now. And that’s the end of my hardware journey.