ProArt X870e (7900x + PNY 5070ti OC + CMH64GX5M2B6000Z30) takes so long to boot

[kevinhecox99]

Hi all!

I've having a bit of a predicament where my newly build PC is taking so long too boot. It always takes at least 6 minutes to boot (and up to 16 minutes).

Sometimes it stucks on Q-LED DRAM (yellow) for 3 minutes, but the majority of time, it stucks on VGA (white) with the boot logo showing for roughly 5 minutes. Sometimes it can't even boot.

I've turned on Memory Context Restore and Power Down Enable. I've also turned off iGPU as I think it might conflict with my 5070ti. I've turned on EXPO I (tried EXPO II, EXPO Tweaked with no results...)

Do you guys have any tips with this?

Thank you all!

[ROGn8270r0qrccl]

Several possibilites and/or things to try:

1.  Boot with RAM at default settings (4800Mhz and auto-timings) to see if that fixes it. If it does, you might check the topic about Memory Training.
   
   
2. Try settings the PCIe-connection fixed on 5.0 or 4.0 and see if that changes anything.
   
   
3. Boot without your 5070Ti inserted and use the IGP. If that fixes it, something is wrong with your GPU. Could be as simple as it not being connected securely into the PCIe-slot, or the power-cable is not entirely connected. Could also be an imminent GPU-death...

Either way: Slow boots can occur regularly when "retraining memory" on AM5-motherboards, but there should be faster boots (1 minute or less) in between if all settings are optimal.

[kevinhecox99]

Thank you for replying back to me!

Regarding your suggested things to try:

1, The default settings run find, always boot into windows under 5 min. Tested with other testbench and machines I have, works fine... 

2, I've tried putting the PCIe into 5.0 mode only, or 4.0 mode, same things still happened.

3, I've also tried pulling the 5070ti out and use the iGPU, it still takes that long too boot. I have another testbench where I put my 5070ti in, it works fine, boot in under 3min no problems (GIGABYTE x870e aorus). Power cable for the GPU is the 12vHPWR that came with the HX1200i (2025) (I also tried with the 3x8-pin to 12vHPWR provided by PNY but same thing happened)

What I found is that if I tried restarting it from Windows, it will always manage to get stuck at DRAM Q-LED light and I have to force shutdown it using the power button to then boot back (waited for 4 hours before doing so). Regarding the memory training thing, it's only normal if the DRAM Q-LED is lit for 15-16min top, sometimes it takes mine 20-30min to pass that, then another 15 min stuck at the Boot Q-LED.

Another thing DIMM Fit, which I think might be the cause... I was trying DIMM Fit out, click Yes and let it do its thing, but it always boot back into Windows after 30min (and according to the manual, it should be booting back to UEFI to indicate DIMM Fit is successful or failed).

Would that be the problem? Thank you so much!

[ROGn8270r0qrccl]

Based on your tests I'd say it's probably a RAM-related issue, rather than GPU. Do you know the exact specs of your RAM, clock speeds and timings? If it has an EXPO or XMP-profile, you might enter those specs manually in the UEFI instead of letting the "automatic" EXPO-settings take care of it. Or you might dial it back a bit, as there's clearly some mismatch between the memory controller and your RAM going on.

Your exact RAM-set isn't on the QVL-list as far as I can see, but there's some very similar sets so it's still pretty weird. I have just about the same Corsair-set specs-wise (just the one without RGB) and it ran just fine on the X870E ProArt using the indicated EXPO II-preset.

What BIOS-version are you running? The later versions (like v1605) specifically focused on improving RAM-compatibility, so that might help as well.

[kevinhecox99]

Hi! Thank you for replying again!
The exact specs for the RAM are:

- Memory Size: 64GB (2 x 32GB)
- Tested Latency: 30-36-36-76
- Tested Speed: 6000 MT/s
- Tested Voltage: 1.40V
- SPD Voltage: 1.1V
- Speed Rating: PC5-48000 (DDR5-6000)
- SPD Speed: 4800MHz
- SPD Latency: 40-40-40-77

The closest that I could find on QVL list are CMK64GX5M2B6000Z28 and CMH64GX5M2B6000Z28.

I don't think it's a concrete rule that I must follow the QVL list right?

I'll try using the manual overclock method using the settings above (or dial it back a bit)

I'm running the latest BIOS (v1605) FYI.

[ROGn8270r0qrccl]

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I don't think it's a concrete rule that I must follow the QVL list right?

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Not really, but speaking from experience I've found that almost all RAM-related issues come from either faulty RAM or the specific kit not being tested by the motherboard manufacturer. When purchasing RAM from the QVL you at least rule out those possible issues for about 99,9%, so then it's almost definitely down to faulty RAM.

I've also found that DDR5-demands are a lot more stringent on the whole data-chain than with previous generations. The way it's wired up is a lot more complicated than DDR4, with every RAM-module being controlled as dual-channel internally. So when using two modules, the demands on the CPU-memory controller are comparable to a quad-channel setup in DDR4-terms, which wasn't even available for the consumer market back then (only very expensive platforms supported that, and usually with slower speeds/timings).

Have you tried switching to EXPO-II? With EXPO-I there are some (sub)timings left to the motherboard to figure out (same as leaving those timings on "auto"), while EXPO-II tries to set every possible timing according to what the RAM-module itself reports. There should be less stuff for the BIOS to check when using EXPO-II, so this might cut down some of the slowdown at boot.

[ProUser1]

Hi! Slow boot on a new build can be super frustrating — I’ve run into similar issues before. A few things you can try:

Check BIOS version – Make sure your motherboard is on the latest BIOS. Many early BIOS releases (especially for AM5 boards) had memory and VGA initialization issues.

Memory training – Long hangs on the DRAM Q-LED usually point to memory training. Even with EXPO enabled, some kits take ages. You could try:

Testing without EXPO (run at JEDEC speeds) to see if boot improves.

Trying only 1 stick at a time to rule out a bad DIMM/slot.

GPU checks – Since you’re stuck on VGA sometimes:

Reseat your GPU and double-check power connectors.

Test with another GPU (if possible) or test your 5070 Ti in another PC.

If your CPU has an iGPU, try enabling it again just for troubleshooting.

Fast Boot / CSM settings – Disable CSM if you’re on UEFI, and try toggling Fast Boot in BIOS. Sometimes that helps with boot loops.

Storage – Ensure your boot drive is set as first in the boot priority list. A misconfigured boot order can add minutes to startup.

Clear CMOS – Sometimes after multiple changes, clearing CMOS and reconfiguring fresh helps stabilize things.

If none of that works, I’d focus on BIOS updates and memory compatibility first. Can you share your motherboard + RAM model? That’ll help narrow things down.

[kevinhecox99]

Hi! I've posted all of my tested things above but I'd go through again for the sake of my sanity:

Check BIOS version – v1605, latest at the date of posting

Testing without EXPO (run at JEDEC speeds) to see if boot improves. only minor improvements to boot time

Trying only 1 stick at a time to rule out a bad DIMM/slot. Tried this, still the same behaviour when butting

GPU checks – Since you’re stuck on VGA sometimes:

Reseat your GPU and double-check power connectors. Used another PSU to check, reseated the GPU and the 12vHPWR cable as well

Test with another GPU (if possible) or test your 5070 Ti in another PC. Tested with GTX Titan reference card and RX580 Aorus, same problems (GPU is plugged into the x16 slot closest to the CPU)

If your CPU has an iGPU, try enabling it again just for troubleshooting. Tested this as well, only minor improvement, still takes >4 minutes to boot

Fast Boot / CSM settings – Disable CSM if you’re on UEFI, and try toggling Fast Boot in BIOS. Sometimes that helps with boot loops. CSM? That's disabled by default, I haven't even tried enabling if. Fast Boot is on by default too.

Storage – Ensure your boot drive is set as first in the boot priority list. A misconfigured boot order can add minutes to startup. Yes, I've done this.

Clear CMOS – Sometimes after multiple changes, clearing CMOS and reconfiguring fresh helps stabilize things. Cleared CMOS, and removed CMOS battery twice to do sanity checks but same thing happened.

If none of that works, I’d focus on BIOS updates and memory compatibility first. Can you share your motherboard + RAM model? That’ll help narrow things down.

It's ProArt X870e with CMH64GX5M2B6000Z30 RAM

Thanks

[Ershin]

I get this when I set local apic to x2apic it takes forever to boot and reading and writing to disk is incredibly slow. 😕

[kevinhecox99]

May I ask how I'd change this? Thank you