Question Is 45 seconds boot time okay ?

[Reefles]

Built a new PC and it works perfectly fine. Wondering if a 45 second boot is okay for a 7800X3D and a 4700TI? I run a 990 PRO m.2. I reapplied thermal paste and the CPU cooler after I was getting high temps initially. Also on boot there continues to be a RED CPU light and a YELLOW DRAM light. Everything seems to be fine though as well as temps. Occasionally the CPU temp will spike though going as far as a 7-10C spike from 47-57C for example. Idle usually sits around 46-52C. XMP enabled and ram from 4800- 6000MHZ. I've reseated the RAM in 2/4 slots which they were in initially. Possibly a faulty stick? They seem to be fine though but it is the only conclusion Iv'e come to.

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/TLybrv

 

[35below0]

It's not about the CPU and GPU, but the motherboard and RAM. What's the MoBo and RAM? Have you enabled an overclocking profile?

Short answer is yes, POST times can be annoyingly long, even longer than a minute. Usually caused by OC DDR5.

Of course it could be something else, but for now i suspect RAM. Does the PC boot to Windows quickly after getting to the Boot stage? Does the PC work normally once Windows is up? Or any other OS.

 

[zinkles]

I suspect its taking time to initialize the RAM. -- OK

How long does it take after the windows loading thing shows up, and till it showing the lockscreen? (if this takes long, its not OK)

 

[Reefles]

I suspect its taking time to initialize the RAM. -- OK

How long does it take after the windows loading thing shows up, and till it showing the lockscreen? (if this takes long, its not OK)

I think you might be right about the RAM. The windows loading thing MAG msi appears then 2-6 seconds later I get the pin entry screen to login instantly)
Also sometimes the boot can be a little less like 37 seconds for example until I fully reach the pin entry screen (on computer).

 

[35below0]

Ok, the good news is there is no problem.

...the bad news is there is no problem. So you have to live with this.

 

[Reefles]

It's not about the CPU and GPU, but the motherboard and RAM. What's the MoBo and RAM? Have you enabled an overclocking profile?

Short answer is yes, POST times can be annoyingly long, even longer than a minute. Usually caused by OC DDR5.

Of course it could be something else, but for now i suspect RAM. Does the PC boot to Windows quickly after getting to the Boot stage? Does the PC work normally once Windows is up? Or any other OS.

I think you are right about the RAM too. Don't think I overclock the RAM I just have xmp on and the ram which is set at 6000MHz. Initially being 4800.

 

[zinkles]

Don't think I overclock the RAM I just have xmp on and the ram which is set at 6000MHz. Initially being 4800.

Fun Fact: XMP is basically Overclocking, but automatically.

Since the Windows boot times are normal, you shouldn't be worried, the time is taken by the POST process to retrain the memory on boot.

BTW, is your BIOS updated to the latest version?

Minor tweaks are released by mobo manufacturers to improve such POST times. The latest version is 7D69v1D released on 2024-02-19. Some fixes about DDR5 memory are stated in the changelog, so I recommend updating to see if that makes a difference.

BIOS update link: https://www.msi.com/Motherboard/MEG-X670E-ACE/support#
(according to the mobo you provided in the link)

 

[35below0]

I think you are right about the RAM too. Don't think I overclock the RAM I just have xmp on and the ram which is set at 6000MHz. Initially being 4800.

Yeah that's common. A lot of DDR5 RAM modules run stock at 4800 Mhz. 6000 Mhz is a stable "sweet spot" but i don't know that many motherboards (or any) can support this without some OC profile.

You did nothing wrong. You didn't even overclock intentionally. Like you said you just enabled XMS to get the speed and called it a day. It's just that you didn't know that might cause lengthy startup times.
Some motherboards are more notorious for this than others. MSI and ASUS models have had people complaining about this. They're good models once the computer is up and running, it's just the startup can be very long.

 

[Reefles]

Fun Fact: XMP is basically Overclocking, but automatically.

Since the Windows boot times are normal, you shouldn't be worried, the time is taken by the POST process to retrain the memory on boot.

BTW, is your BIOS updated to the latest version?

Minor tweaks are released by mobo manufacturers to improve such POST times. The latest version is 7D69v1D released on 2024-02-19. Some fixes about DDR5 memory are stated in the changelog, so I recommend updating to see if that makes a difference.

BIOS update link: https://www.msi.com/Motherboard/MEG-X670E-ACE/support#
(according to the mobo you provided in the link)

BIOS is up to date with the latest version. Never realized XMS is actually overclocking! When I received the MOBO they said they updated it to the latest BIOS which they didn't. I was getting a blue screen of death shortly after startup. It was fixed by installing the latest version of the x670e bios which I flashed. Thanks for all the help. I was worried at first about the red cpu light and yellow dram but it seems to be all perfectly fine even if it still appears.

 

[Reefles]

Yeah that's common. A lot of DDR5 RAM modules run stock at 4800 Mhz. 6000 Mhz is a stable "sweet spot" but i don't know that many motherboards (or any) can support this without some OC profile.

You did nothing wrong. You didn't even overclock intentionally. Like you said you just enabled XMS to get the speed and called it a day. It's just that you didn't know that might cause lengthy startup times.
Some motherboards are more notorious for this than others. MSI and ASUS models have had people complaining about this. They're good models once the computer is up and running, it's just the startup can be very long.

I see. Yes I love this motherboard it looks great. An MSI motherboard might work even better with an MSI GPU too which I have. Thanks for the help and reassurance!

 

[PEnns]

What is your boot drive and how full is it??

Here is a similar thread:

[SOLVED] Slow bootup time even with an SSD

 

[zinkles]

What is your boot drive and how full is it??

OP mentioned the boot up times of Windows, and it was fine, so this can't be related to the boot drive. The issue was the POST times, which took some time to complete because these models of motherboards train the memory on every boot.

 

[snemarch]

You might be able to shave off some boot time by enabling "Memory Context Restore" – exactly where depends on the motherboard manufacturer, and there's been some caveats on various UEFI/AGESA versions (like requiring Memory Power Down to also be enabled), so check what might apply to your system + save a backup profile of your settings.

As other have mentioned, anything above the JEDEC standard of 4800 is technically an overclock – and this *does* matter, because even though 6000 is advertised as "the sweet spot" by AMD, you're not guaranteed to be able to achieve this, even though your memory modules support it, and have an XMP/EXPO profile for it... the memory controller in your CPU has to be good enough to handle this "pretty standard overclock", so you're at the mercy of "the silicon lottery".

Being a first mover on AM5 has been a bit of a rocky ride, I've had a fair amount of memory flakyness on my 7950x with 2x32gig modules. But it seems to have stabilized somewhat by now, and with BIOS revision F21 (AGESA 1.1.0.1) on my X670 GAMING X AX board, I can even run my memory (G.Skill Trident Z5 Neo DDR5-6000 C32) stable at 6400 rate with short boot/memory-training time 🥳

 

[Bob.B]

Built a new PC and it works perfectly fine. Wondering if a 45 second boot is okay for a 7800X3D and a 4700TI? I run a 990 PRO m.2. I reapplied thermal paste and the CPU cooler after I was getting high temps initially. Also on boot there continues to be a RED CPU light and a YELLOW DRAM light. Everything seems to be fine though as well as temps. Occasionally the CPU temp will spike though going as far as a 7-10C spike from 47-57C for example. Idle usually sits around 46-52C. XMP enabled and ram from 4800- 6000MHZ. I've reseated the RAM in 2/4 slots which they were in initially. Possibly a faulty stick? They seem to be fine though but it is the only conclusion Iv'e come to.

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/TLybrv

Turn xmp off see if it makes a diff.

 

[geofelt]

Instead of powering off your pc, use sleep to ram(no hibernate)
That puts your pc and monitor into a very low power state similar to power off.
The benefit is that sleep/wake becomes only a handful of seconds.

 

[Reefles]

You might be able to shave off some boot time by enabling "Memory Context Restore" – exactly where depends on the motherboard manufacturer, and there's been some caveats on various UEFI/AGESA versions (like requiring Memory Power Down to also be enabled), so check what might apply to your system + save a backup profile of your settings.

As other have mentioned, anything above the JEDEC standard of 4800 is technically an overclock – and this *does* matter, because even though 6000 is advertised as "the sweet spot" by AMD, you're not guaranteed to be able to achieve this, even though your memory modules support it, and have an XMP/EXPO profile for it... the memory controller in your CPU has to be good enough to handle this "pretty standard overclock", so you're at the mercy of "the silicon lottery".

Being a first mover on AM5 has been a bit of a rocky ride, I've had a fair amount of memory flakyness on my 7950x with 2x32gig modules. But it seems to have stabilized somewhat by now, and with BIOS revision F21 (AGESA 1.1.0.1) on my X670 GAMING X AX board, I can even run my memory (G.Skill Trident Z5 Neo DDR5-6000 C32) stable at 6400 rate with short boot/memory-training time 🥳

I see, this is a lot of insight. Never knew any of this. Thanks man.

 

[35below0]

Letting the PC sleep is a good idea. I've set mine to do that after about 3h, because if i'm away that long then i'm sure i forgot to shutdown or have left home. Even in Win 11 it's relatively easy to set when the screen, drives and entire system should enter sleep mode. By default it would put drives to sleep after 20 minutes which i found annoying, but that's besides the point.

The PC would still need to restart from time to time, but lengthy startups could be reduced to a minimum.

I wouldn't go fixing this problem too much. Esp. if BIOS flashing is involved. There is a risk of screwing up everything else!
This PC does work fine once the lengthy POST process completes. That is itself a side-effect of the RAM and Motherboard combination that sometimes users get stuck with. Part of silicon lottery in deed.
If it can be helped with BIOS settings, then by all means give advice. I think snemarch's idea is good. Just consider that someone's PC may end up worse off than it is or even bricked.

The original question was whether excessive POST/BOOT times are normal or sign of faulty hardware.
We've answered that.

 

[snemarch]

If it can be helped with BIOS settings, then by all means give advice. I think snemarch's idea is good. Just consider that someone's PC may end up worse off than it is or even bricked.

Yeah – while I've never had a problem with flashing BIOS/UEFI, I generally wouldn't recommend people go and flash just because there's a new version available. But AM5 is a new platform, and it was (way too!) rough around the edges at launch.

I see, this is a lot of insight. Never knew any of this. Thanks man.

IMHO the way Intel and AMD talk about XMP/EXPO is... deceptive is probably too strong a word. But the messaging is that (not super high) non-JEDEC-standard speed is the sweet spot, and if you don't go hunt through the fine print, it's easy to miss that it counts as overclocking and you're not guaranteed to reach even the (modest) sweet-spot speeds.