Question New PC build won't boot, the CPU LED is red and the DRAM LED keeps blinking ?

[shaZam999]

I built a new PC with the following specs:

Motherboard: B650E Steel Legend
CPU: R5 7600
RAM: 2x16GB F5-6000J3040F16GX2-RS5K
PSU: RM850e
GPU: 6700XT

After turning it on, there's no display and the CPU & DRAM LEDs are solid Red and blinking red respectively. I left the whole setup alone for 15 mins, but nothing changed.

NOTE: I should mention that I am not using the PSU power cable that came with the RM850e as it doesn't fit into any of my wall sockets. I'm using my older PSU's (VS450) power cable. I hope that isn't what's causing these issues.

Here's what I've tried so far:

• Reseated my CPU and RAM
• Tried booting with only 1 stick of RAM in all the slots. Tried the same with the other stick
• Disconnected GPU and connected the HDMI to the iGPU
• Reset the BIOS by removing CMOS battery and reinserting it 5 mins later

Could it be faulty RAM, or bad CPU? Or could it be a that the motherboard is bad?

I'm completely stuck right now so any help on how to proceed from here would be appreciated, thanks.

 

[Lutfij]

Make sure rams are populating slot A2 and B2. Inspect the CP{U's socket for any bent of broken pins. How are you cooling the processor?

F5-6000J3040F16GX2-RS5K
https://www.gskill.com/specificatio...X2-RS5K-F5-6000J3040F16GA2-RS5K-Specification
Do you have access to another ram kit? That one shows it to have Intel's X.M.P on it but no mention of AMD's E.X.P.O.

If you have access to another known working motherboard, then drop your parts into them. If that works out, then your board might have a corrupt BIOS on it or the board is at fault.

Could it be faulty RAM, or bad CPU?
If you want to rule out your CPU, drop it onto a known working motherboard. If it works then your board might very well be the issue. Likewise you can drop a known working CPU onto your board and see if that alleviates the issue.

 

[helpstar]

did you connect all power cables to the PSU as well as to the motherboard? there are at least three to be plugged in for the motherboard and the CPU into the PSU.
main 1 upper left 8pin connector, the big one with 18pins right of it and the CPU 8pin connector

https://assets.corsair.com/image/up...-rme-series-psu-config-Gallery-RM850e-03.webp

update to the latest BIOS by using the flashback feature

 

[shaZam999]

Make sure rams are populating slot A2 and B2. Inspect the CP{U's socket for any bent of broken pins. How are you cooling the processor?

Yes, the RAMs were on the A2 and B2 slot. After it failed to POST with that config, I tried out all the slots with both sticks, one by one. Nothig changed.

I am using the Stock cooler that comes with the 7600.

Do you have access to another ram kit? That one shows it to have Intel's X.M.P on it but no mention of AMD's E.X.P.O.

I don't have access to another kit. FYI this RAM kit was listed on the motherboard's Memory QVL.

If you have access to another known working motherboard, then drop your parts into them

Sadly I don't.

 

[digitaldata77]

Try leaving the CMOS battery out of the motherboard for a longer period of time say minimum of 2 hrs to overnight this method worked on my rig to fully reset the CMOS. Unless you know how to short the CMOS Jumper pins on your motherboard. Your board manual should explain this procedure.

Try changing the CMOS Battery.
Try updating your BIOS it is possible the CPU and RAM are not properly recognized by the motherboard. hence the red blinking lights. Most Motherboard manufacturers recommend updating the BIOS before installing hardware. This way the hardware will be recognized by the motherboard. Then you can proceed with the rest of the build.

After fully resetting the CMOS by the jumper pins or removing the battery remove your RX 6700XT Card and connect your video cable to the onboard video port IGPU and Start the computer and see if the boot splash screen appears with the options to enter the BIOS.

You will need another computer to get the latest BIOS update for your motherboard. Ask for instructions here if you don't know how to update the BIOS. Just an idea and suggestion . There are people here with experience who can resolve your issues as you have a considerable investment in your computer. Cheers and All the best with finding the solution for your rig.

 

[shaZam999]

did you connect all power cables to the PSU as well as to the motherboard?

Yup, I have connected the 24-Pin motherboard and the 2 8-Pin CPU power cables to both the PSU and the motherboard.

update to the latest BIOS by using the flashback feature

I'll try this out.

 

[thestryker]

There's a jumper at the bottom of the board in the center for resetting CMOS just use that rather than messing around with the battery.

The manual for the motherboard just seems to indicate that red lights indicate failure and says nothing about blinking. Generally speaking with lights like that it's whatever the last thing that comes on which is the issue. Of course the problem is that this doesn't rule out the motherboard or CPU being the issue when it comes to DRAM since the slots could be the issue or the CPU memory controller. Unfortunately things like this really do require swapping parts.

 

[shaZam999]

Ok after much trial and error, it seems to boot up now.

What confuses me is that I literally did nothing differently ('cept attaching the chassis speaker header this time to listen to the beeps) and it booted up after 2 mins.

Thank you all for chiming in and telling me all the troubleshooting steps!

 

[digitaldata77]

Time to enjoy your computer. Cheers

 

[digitaldata77]

There's a jumper at the bottom of the board in the center for resetting CMOS just use that rather than messing around with the battery.

The manual for the motherboard just seems to indicate that red lights indicate failure and says nothing about blinking. Generally speaking with lights like that it's whatever the last thing that comes on which is the issue. Of course the problem is that this doesn't rule out the motherboard or CPU being the issue when it comes to DRAM since the slots could be the issue or the CPU memory controller. Unfortunately things like this really do require swapping parts.

Thank you thestryker for your instructions about the jumper pins. it looks like the person had success with their computer starting up. My suggestions had worked for myself with my previous gaming rigs. Cheers.