Unusual boot issue
Unusual boot issue
Hello, welcome to the forum! I’m a long-time YouTube viewer, but I’m new here. I recently decided to assemble a PC as a gift for my father. The build is complete, and it’s running smoothly except for one unresolved issue. Here are the details:
My system specs include AMD RYZEN 5 7600X, ADATA XPG 32 GB DDR5 6000MT/s, CL30 Lancer Blade Black, Samsung 990 EVO Plus, 1 TB SSD, ASUS PRIME B650-PLUS, Wi-Fi XFX Swift, and AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT (16GB). I’ll explain my problem now.
When I configured the RAM to EXPO 1 or EXPO2 at 6000MHz, I set the expo profile in BIOS. After that, during heavy tasks like Cinebench or OCCT, the PC remains stable—performance tests, memory checks, and gaming run smoothly. However, after a heavy load, the system freezes. Instead of restarting, it shuts down abruptly. I hear a click from the PSU and then it restarts. This occurs every time after a stress test.
The PC won’t boot normally, the power LED flashes erratically, and it gets stuck. Restarting via the power button a few times is necessary to enter safe mode. During these restarts, the power LED blinks unpredictably—sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly. It may take 10 or more button presses to get into safe mode. When I turn off the PC and don’t restart, everything works fine.
During normal operation, when I wake up from sleep, it sometimes freezes. But replicating this is difficult. After hours or days of troubleshooting, I tried a workaround: set RAM to EXPO 1 and adjusted the clock speed to 5200MHz with a slightly higher voltage (from 1.4V to 1.375V). It worked temporarily. Now, after a heavy load, it tries to restart but gets stuck. But this time, without the PSU click, it boots again on the first try. It only happens after heavy usage and restarts.
When I turn off the PC, everything is fine. I’m unsure if the issue is related to sleep mode or if it’s something else. Also, this problem appears even when the RAM profile is set to auto (without using EXPO). At first, I thought it was related to CPU tuning or underclocking, so I reset everything to default BIOS settings. The behavior remains consistent.
I updated the BIOS, disabled fast boot in both BIOS and Windows, tried SATA/SATA II, installed chipset drivers, checked cables ten times, re-seated the CPU, verified RAM slots and connections. All seem fine. I also ran OCCT and MemTest86 with the same results.
Honestly, it took me a lot of time and effort. I’m frustrated but determined to fix this. This PC is a gift, and I want it to function perfectly. It looks great, cooling works, cables are organized, games are installed, and temperatures are normal. Still, after stress tests, this strange behavior occurs only under heavy load or after a restart.
I’m not sure what’s causing it, but I’d appreciate any suggestions or insights. Thanks for your help!
Bios is current. It seems memory training continues after a Windows restart. Is there a way to initiate it?
I attempted to reinstall Windows multiple times, but the issue persists after the fourth try. I’m considering giving up since this is my last purchase of components.
After multiple attempts, I reinstalled Windows and re-flashed the BIOS. The issue turned out to be faulty RAM modules. Adata XPG was marked as supported on the ASUS site, but they don’t appear to be compatible. I replaced them with Partiot Viper DDR and it resolved the problem. With a full 6000MHz EXPO1, there were no restart issues.