[SOLVED] I have to underclock my CPU to get my system to boot up?

saitamas

Distinguished
Nov 10, 2015
100
0
18,580
Hello recently changed out my CPU/RAM/mobo/GPU. I did a fresh install of windows 10. However, when I try to run everything as normal, it says "preparing automatic repair" and then I get a BSOD. The only way I am able to use the computer is by underclocking the CPU in the bios. I literally have no idea what to do. I've updated the bios, have all the current drivers, reset my CMOS, reinstalled windows 10 numerous times, and disabled windows fast boot. I've run memorytest86 and there were no errors and ive also done the chkdsk and scannow with command prompt. My temps with the underclocked cpu are ~35 C while idle and 70 C while gaming. I have a R5 3600X, rx 5700 xt, b450 tomahawk max, 16 gb 3600 memory, and xfx ts 550w. The only thing I can think of now is maybe my PSU is too low wattage? It worked fine on my old system but I don't know. I don't want to dump more money in for a new PSU for it to just have the same outcome.
 
Last edited:
Solution
According to the manual, the voltages are shown to the left of the corresponding setting in the OC Settings menu (Page 53). I would leave the voltages alone for now (ESPECIALLY the CPU voltage), as improper adjustments can damage your hardware.

To start, open the CPU Frequency setting to see what options you get to adjust the CPU clock. Keep it as close to the base clock of 3.8Ghz as you can possibly get it. If no obvious options exist to do this, don't change anything and leave it on Auto.

Next, note the "Adjusted DRAM Frequency" line in the middle of the screen. If the "DRAM Frequency" line above Adjusted DRAM Frequency reads as "Auto" as seen in the image in the manual, open the setting and change it to match whatever the...
Power supply should be sufficient. CPU and graphics should draw at most a little over 300W collectively when fully stressed at stock settings.

When running at stock clocks/voltages, do you leave the settings on Auto in the BIOS to let it adjust the clocks and voltages automatically?

I once had a weird system that would revert an "overclock" that had never been applied to the system, any time the power was cut (by power supply switch, or unplugging from the wall). When I went into the BIOS and actually set the CPU multiplier, RAM clocks and RAM voltage settings to a fixed value instead of Auto (with things like SpeedStep still enabled so it could still dynamically adjust clock speeds based on CPU load), it ran stable. Maybe give that a shot?
 

saitamas

Distinguished
Nov 10, 2015
100
0
18,580
Power supply should be sufficient. CPU and graphics should draw at most a little over 300W collectively when fully stressed at stock settings.

When running at stock clocks/voltages, do you leave the settings on Auto in the BIOS to let it adjust the clocks and voltages automatically?

I once had a weird system that would revert an "overclock" that had never been applied to the system, any time the power was cut (by power supply switch, or unplugging from the wall). When I went into the BIOS and actually set the CPU multiplier, RAM clocks and RAM voltage settings to a fixed value instead of Auto (with things like SpeedStep still enabled so it could still dynamically adjust clock speeds based on CPU load), it ran stable. Maybe give that a shot?
Ya I leave it at auto, maybe Ill try to manually set it. What should the stock settings be? I usually change the CPU ratio and vcore. For a 3600x, should I put the ratio at 38 for 3.8 Ghz and the vcore to 1.4v? Also, I set my ram to 3600 but what should I set the ram voltage to? Thanks!
 
Last edited:
Your BIOS should ideally indicate the current values next to the corresponding setting, but this is not guaranteed. Before you go changing anything, post your actual motherboard model so we can get a better idea from the manual what the BIOS setup screen looks like.
 

saitamas

Distinguished
Nov 10, 2015
100
0
18,580
Ya I leave it at auto, maybe Ill try to manually set it. What should the stock settings be? I usually change the CPU ratio and vcore. For a 3600x, should I put the ratio at 38 for 3.8 Ghz and the vcore to 1.4v?
Your BIOS should ideally indicate the current values next to the corresponding setting, but this is not guaranteed. Before you go changing anything, post your actual motherboard model so we can get a better idea from the manual what the BIOS setup screen looks like.
My mobo is the MSI b450 tomahawk max
 
According to the manual, the voltages are shown to the left of the corresponding setting in the OC Settings menu (Page 53). I would leave the voltages alone for now (ESPECIALLY the CPU voltage), as improper adjustments can damage your hardware.

To start, open the CPU Frequency setting to see what options you get to adjust the CPU clock. Keep it as close to the base clock of 3.8Ghz as you can possibly get it. If no obvious options exist to do this, don't change anything and leave it on Auto.

Next, note the "Adjusted DRAM Frequency" line in the middle of the screen. If the "DRAM Frequency" line above Adjusted DRAM Frequency reads as "Auto" as seen in the image in the manual, open the setting and change it to match whatever the Adjusted frequency currently reads.

At this point, try saving the settings and restarting. If any of the settings don't work, the BIOS will either revert automatically to the last known working settings, or you will need to bridge the Clear CMOS jumper pins near the CMOS battery on the motherboard (or just pull the CMOS battery out for 30 seconds while the system is unplugged if that's easier for you).
 
Solution

saitamas

Distinguished
Nov 10, 2015
100
0
18,580
According to the manual, the voltages are shown to the left of the corresponding setting in the OC Settings menu (Page 53). I would leave the voltages alone for now (ESPECIALLY the CPU voltage), as improper adjustments can damage your hardware.

To start, open the CPU Frequency setting to see what options you get to adjust the CPU clock. Keep it as close to the base clock of 3.8Ghz as you can possibly get it. If no obvious options exist to do this, don't change anything and leave it on Auto.

Next, note the "Adjusted DRAM Frequency" line in the middle of the screen. If the "DRAM Frequency" line above Adjusted DRAM Frequency reads as "Auto" as seen in the image in the manual, open the setting and change it to match whatever the Adjusted frequency currently reads.

At this point, try saving the settings and restarting. If any of the settings don't work, the BIOS will either revert automatically to the last known working settings, or you will need to bridge the Clear CMOS jumper pins near the CMOS battery on the motherboard (or just pull the CMOS battery out for 30 seconds while the system is unplugged if that's easier for you).
Hmm I did that but now the screen just goes black on boot up. Should I have xmp enabled?
I’ll reset CMOS and try again
 

saitamas

Distinguished
Nov 10, 2015
100
0
18,580
According to the manual, the voltages are shown to the left of the corresponding setting in the OC Settings menu (Page 53). I would leave the voltages alone for now (ESPECIALLY the CPU voltage), as improper adjustments can damage your hardware.

To start, open the CPU Frequency setting to see what options you get to adjust the CPU clock. Keep it as close to the base clock of 3.8Ghz as you can possibly get it. If no obvious options exist to do this, don't change anything and leave it on Auto.

Next, note the "Adjusted DRAM Frequency" line in the middle of the screen. If the "DRAM Frequency" line above Adjusted DRAM Frequency reads as "Auto" as seen in the image in the manual, open the setting and change it to match whatever the Adjusted frequency currently reads.

At this point, try saving the settings and restarting. If any of the settings don't work, the BIOS will either revert automatically to the last known working settings, or you will need to bridge the Clear CMOS jumper pins near the CMOS battery on the motherboard (or just pull the CMOS battery out for 30 seconds while the system is unplugged if that's easier for you).
Maybe I just have to return and replace my mobo/cpu?
 
Hmm I did that but now the screen just goes black on boot up. Should I have xmp enabled?
I’ll reset CMOS and try again

I'm curious... was XMP already enabled? Either way, if you're getting nothing but a black screen now, I would reset the CMOS and let it boot up again.

If that still results in the same behavior as your original post, you could also try opening up the system and removing and re-seating the CPU.
 

saitamas

Distinguished
Nov 10, 2015
100
0
18,580
I'm curious... was XMP already enabled? Either way, if you're getting nothing but a black screen now, I would reset the CMOS and let it boot up again.

If that still results in the same behavior as your original post, you could also try opening up the system and removing and re-seating the CPU.
By default it want enabled but I enabled it. I tried both disabling it and enabling it but neither worked.
I probably need to pick up some thermal paste to do that right?
 
By default it want enabled but I enabled it. I tried both disabling it and enabling it but neither worked.
I probably need to pick up some thermal paste to do that right?

Thermal paste is for the CPU, not the RAM. The thermal paste that's on there now should be fine, unless your CPU is getting so hot that it's causing the system to not run stable. Typically excess CPU heat causes more slowness than instability though.

XMP stands for eXtreme Memory Profile... XMP settings are what get you to that 3600Mhz speed. When you order any RAM kit advertised as 3400Mhz or 4000Mhz... etc. those are NOT the default speeds the memory operates at.

My RAM for example was advertised as DDR4 at 3200Mhz, but if I do not enable XMP, I cannot run the memory any faster than around 2666Mhz, but usually more like 2400Mhz.
 

saitamas

Distinguished
Nov 10, 2015
100
0
18,580
Thermal paste is for the CPU, not the RAM. The thermal paste that's on there now should be fine, unless your CPU is getting so hot that it's causing the system to not run stable. Typically excess CPU heat causes more slowness than instability though.

XMP stands for eXtreme Memory Profile... XMP settings are what get you to that 3600Mhz speed. When you order any RAM kit advertised as 3400Mhz or 4000Mhz... etc. those are NOT the default speeds the memory operates at.

My RAM for example was advertised as DDR4 at 3200Mhz, but if I do not enable XMP, I cannot run the memory any faster than around 2666Mhz, but usually more like 2400Mhz.
Wait ya weren’t you telling me to reseat the cpu. I need to reapply the thermal paste to do that I thought
 
Indeed I did... sorry I may have just read your post weird and created an association in my head that didn't exist.

That said, if your new build was set up within the last few weeks, I wouldn't bother removing and re-applying the thermal paste. I know it's generally accepted that it should be replaced when you pull up the heatsink, but that's really only if you're removing it after 9 months to a year or more after building the machine. If you put it together like a month ago, just be careful about not touching the existing paste on the CPU when re-seating the chip and you should be fine. When the heatsink is reattached to the board, the paste will re-settle in a day or so and should perform just like it did before you pulled it apart.

If you're removing and reapplying fresh paste every single time and it hasn't been a year since you first did it (and the paste isn't like super dry and crusty of course), it's really nothing more than a waste of new paste.
 

saitamas

Distinguished
Nov 10, 2015
100
0
18,580
Indeed I did... sorry I may have just read your post weird and created an association in my head that didn't exist.

That said, if your new build was set up within the last few weeks, I wouldn't bother removing and re-applying the thermal paste. I know it's generally accepted that it should be replaced when you pull up the heatsink, but that's really only if you're removing it after 9 months to a year or more after building the machine. If you put it together like a month ago, just be careful about not touching the existing paste on the CPU when re-seating the chip and you should be fine. When the heatsink is reattached to the board, the paste will re-settle in a day or so and should perform just like it did before you pulled it apart.

If you're removing and reapplying fresh paste every single time and it hasn't been a year since you first did it (and the paste isn't like super dry and crusty of course), it's really nothing more than a waste of new paste.
Well taking the cpu out and putting it back in led to the same result. I’m getting really hopeless here, I think I just have a faulty cpu.
 

saitamas

Distinguished
Nov 10, 2015
100
0
18,580
Certainly possible. It's rare that a CPU would be faulty like that, but not unheard of. When you removed it, did you happen to notice if any of the pins were bent?

If there were no obviously bent pins, I would suggest setting up an RMA for a replacement.
Any chance it could be a mobo issue? I just wanna make sure I’m replacing the right thing

all the pins seemed to be straight. They would let me get a replacement even though I already tried using it right? Would I just wipe off the thermal paste before sending it back?
 
Last edited: