DRAM LED

[gordonc53]

I have just built a new PC. Switched on for first time all seemed well got bios screen up, switched off, put Win11 flash drive into usb and when I switched it on again all I got was the DRAM orange LED lit. Tried swapping RAM sockets with individual sticks, then shorted the CLRTC header with no change. The fans run at 100%, which they did not when I first switched on.

What is peculiar, I think, is the DRAM led is lit as soon as the power supply is switched on, before turning the PC on. The red CPU led flashes at switch on as expected. All cables seem to be correctly installed. Any ideas?

AMD RYZEN ™ 7 9800X 3D CPU, ASUS TUF Gaming X870-PLUS WIFI AMD ATX motherboard, Sapphire Pulse AMD RADEON™ RX 9070 XT Gaming GPU, Crucial P310 SSDs M.2 2280 NVMe PCIe Gen4 and CORSAIR VENGEANCE DDR5 RAM 32GB (2x16GB) 6000MHz CL36-44-44-96 1.35V AMD EXPO Intel XMP 3.0 Desktop Computer Memory – Grey (CMK32GX5M2Z6000Z36)

[Silent_Scone · Accepted solution]

Hi @gordonc53 
Clear the CMOS using the button on the motherboard's rear I/O panel.

Power up the system.

Insert 1 DRAM module into slot A2.

Allow for up to 15 minutes for the system to conduct initial memory training.

If no change:
Remove the CPU cooler and CPU. 

Inspect the CPU pin-pad and CPU socket for any debris or damage.

If using a third party CPU contact frame, remove and reinstall the stock AMD retention mechanism.

Remount CPU and cooler ensuring for consistent mounting pressure as per cooling vendors guidelines.

Retest and report back

[gordonc53]

Hi, Thank you so much for the assistance. The plot has thickened. After clearing the CMOS and putting 1 DRAM module in A2, yesterday afternoon I got the PC to work for 10 mins before it stopped working without warning, then after clearing the CMOS it worked for 15 mins, then 40 mins at which point we had to go out.

This morning I switched it on and got the DRAM LED, so cleared the CMOS, switched on and started to wait for 15 mins, PC started after about 2 mins. Finished installing windows, ran updates and restarted without issues twice. Shutdown and restated twice without issues, so updated the Bios - no issues, fitted the other DRAM module - got the DRAM LED for 2 mins and it disappeared and finished starting, since then I have the full 32GB and have restarted and shut down about 10 times without any apparent issues. So I have not removed the CPU (yet).

If the PC works tomorrow am I can consider the problem resolved, however I have a question about the RAM (not my field of expertise) - I purchased 32GB of 6000MHz RAM, the Bios says I have 32GB of 4800MHz, CPU-Z says I have 32GB of 2392 Mhz - why don't they say 6000MHz?

[Silent_Scone]

That's great. Perhaps something was stuck in non-volatile memory, and a retrain resolved it. 

If you continue to get inconsistent POST behaviour, definitely consider a [CPU] remount. 

Your memory is currently running JEDEC, you need to enable EXPO in order to enable the kit's overclocked profile. However, I would recommend testing at stock a little longer to ensure the POST issue is no longer present.

[gordonc53]

Thank you again. All good today so hopefully all resolved. I will wait before enabling EXPO

[Silent_Scone]

Great! Yeah, focus on making sure the system is stable and then move forward with enabling overclocking from there. Any issues, feel free to come back.

Some appropriate testing tools here for checking stability: XMP & EXPO - Memory Stability Methodology & Tools