[SOLVED] Msi z97 g43 ram issues

[SystOmatic]

Hi guys, new to Tom's hardware but learnt so much on here so thought I would ask for some help in here, I'm stuck and I'm at wits end with this issue.

Mobo: msi z97 g43
Bios: click bios 4 legacy
Ram: 2 x 4GB ddr3 1600mhz
Gpu: msi gtx 760 twin fozr OC
Cpu: i5 4460k 3.6mhz OC
Psu corsair ax860 atx

Okay so I've had this build for about 5 year or so now and never cleaned it out, decided while I was in there Id strip it down give it all a good clean can of air and a soft cloth to wipe it all down also changed my cmos battery whilst I was in there, put everything back together and it does 1 of 2 things on boot

1) continues power all led's light up but get no display on the monitor just says signal is not connected and yes I did make sure it was connected haha
Or
2) boots up for a few seconds powers off and reboots gets to the blue windows logo and crashes

Now the only thing that I think it could be is the ram cos with 1 ram stick in the first slot I can actually get it to boot into windows but then after a while it crashes again and I have to reboot but then I have the boot issues again I'm stuck on what to do maybe replace the ram as a starting point? But where would I go next? Previous to this my pc was running perfectly no issues

 

[SparkyTech934]

Hi there,

Firstly, welcome to the forums!

Is there any error codes on the motherboard, such as a digital code, or an LED next to components, etc? Having that may narrow down what is causing the issue.

My suggestion would be to clear the CMOS again, and start the PC in a simplified configuration for the first time. To do that:

1. Turn PSU off, unplug PC.
2. Press the power button on the PC (to drain capacitors).
3. Take the CMOS battery out and wait for 5 minutes.
4. Remove all of the RAM modules except for 1.
5. Uninstall the GPU and plug your monitor into the motherboard port (CPU integrated graphics)
6. Unplug your SSDs/HDDs
7. re-insert the CMOS battery.
8. plug PC in, turn on PSU
9. Try to boot the PC and get into the BIOS if possible.

If that works, you can shut the PC down, turn it off, and reinstall your components, the BIOS should detect the changes again. Hope this helps

 

[SystOmatic]

Hi there,

Firstly, welcome to the forums!

Is there any error codes on the motherboard, such as a digital code, or an LED next to components, etc? Having that may narrow down what is causing the issue.

My suggestion would be to clear the CMOS again, and start the PC in a simplified configuration for the first time. To do that:

1. Turn PSU off, unplug PC.
2. Press the power button on the PC (to drain capacitors).
3. Take the CMOS battery out and wait for 5 minutes.
4. Remove all of the RAM modules except for 1.
5. Uninstall the GPU and plug your monitor into the motherboard port (CPU integrated graphics)
6. Unplug your SSDs/HDDs
7. re-insert the CMOS battery.
8. plug PC in, turn on PSU
9. Try to boot the PC and get into the BIOS if possible.

If that works, you can shut the PC down, turn it off, and reinstall your components, the BIOS should detect the changes again. Hope this helps

Thanks for the speedy response!

No theres no LEDs or anything to detect faults other than my case LEDs and the HDD LED but they dont detect faults.

I'll try what you said and get back to you thanks

 

[SystOmatic]

Thanks for the speedy response!

No theres no LEDs or anything to detect faults other than my case LEDs and the HDD LED but they dont detect faults.

I'll try what you said and get back to you thanks

Okay so I did as you said striped everything down got into bios tried my ram in every slot I have 3 and 4 slot faulty so I cant use alternate channels I'm gonna have to use 1 and 2 chan instead of 1 and 3 so far so good

then I tried installing my gpu

This is where I'm getting frustrated I think I need to replace my mobo because when my gpu is plugged in i get to the blue windows logo and it crashes but if i use integrated it loads up fine

Really cant afford to replace anything at the minute so gutted man

 

[SystOmatic]

Update: okay so I worked out the new windows update is causing the crash after going back and uninstalling the update it's now booting to windows fine with ram in slot 1 and slot 2

However slot 3 and 4 seem to have issues I've now got 4 x 4GB ddr3 the channels are alternate so 1 and 3 should work ins sync and 2 and 4

I cant see any issues with the ram slots and all sticks work in chan 1 and 2 but not in 3 and 4 is there a setting in bios to like enable or disable different channels?

 

[SparkyTech934]

So, generally there isn't a BIOS option for that sort of thing. I would definitely look into the MOBO's manual under the memory section to look for specific details and see if there are any suggestions. Overall though, you shouldn't have an issues installing all 4 modules. I would inspect the RAM slots and see if you can spot any physical damage or something blocking the pins, it may just be obstructed or something. I would also try cycling your RAM modules in slots 1 and 2 (the working ones) just to make sure that the modules themselves are working correctly. Let me know if you have any more questions. Hope this helps

 

[SystOmatic]

So, generally there isn't a BIOS option for that sort of thing. I would definitely look into the MOBO's manual under the memory section to look for specific details and see if there are any suggestions. Overall though, you shouldn't have an issues installing all 4 modules. I would inspect the RAM slots and see if you can spot any physical damage or something blocking the pins, it may just be obstructed or something. I would also try cycling your RAM modules in slots 1 and 2 (the working ones) just to make sure that the modules themselves are working correctly. Let me know if you have any more questions. Hope this helps

Thanks bro found the issue though may have to deal with single chan for now until I can replace the mobo the cpu slot has bent pins 🥺

 

[SparkyTech934]

Hey man,

Sorry to hear about the motherboard! I'm glad you were able to find the issue though. To be honest, bent pins aren't the worst thing you could find. broken pins are really bad, but bent pins can be fixed. I'd recommend trying to coax them back into position with a pair of fine tweezers or something similar. If not, getting your hands on a new MOBO in the future will be great. Either way, good luck, and let me know if you have any more questions. I'd also recommend choosing a best answer since the question was answered. Hope this helps!

 

[SystOmatic]

Update: spent around 4 hrs last night straining my eyes at the pins i found a sharp knife the easiest to use and took my time with it and finally managed to get it fixed

 

[SparkyTech934]

Update: spent around 4 hrs last night straining my eyes at the pins i found a sharp knife the easiest to use and took my time with it and finally managed to get it fixed

Fantastic! That's great news! Hopefully everything continues to work out. No need for a new motherboard right away.