Question Red CPU light and Yellow DRAM light on motherboard ?

[Jason H.]

Okay so Im trying to help my buddy resolve an issue with his new PC. He bought the PC prebuilt from ABS about 1 month ago and has been using it fine since then.

Before I explain the issue here are his specs. Im not sure of the exact brand of the ram or psu.

CPU: R7 7700x
GPU: 4070ti
MOBO: Msi b650 p wifi
MEMORY: 64gb 6000mhz
PSU: 750w gold
STORAGE: a cheap 50$ 1tb kingston m.2 ssd that I told him to upgrade.

So apparently he went into the bios to switch his memory to XMP 6000mhz .. after this his system would not boot and has a steady red cpu light and orange dram light on the mobo. I checked his mobos specs and I believe it said in dual channel mode the max mhz is 5800mhz.. please correct me if Im wrong..

• So I figured it would just be as easy as resetting the cmos.. I was wrong. This didnt fix it.

• I then had him remove the battery for 5 minutes which required removing the gpu.. didnt work.

• So I had him test the ram with his 16gb kit that he got in the prebuilt, still didnt work. I had him try 1 stick, didnt work. And then again, 1 stick from the 64gb kit, no luck. But that tells us its not the ram.

• I had him update the bios (even if it was with the same bios version) .. didnt work.

• I had him check all connections even though he said he didnt touch anything inside the pc.. they were all properly connected.

I wanted him to pull out the cpu, but he doesnt have thermal paste so I had him buy some mx-6 off Amazon. Once he gets it he will try re-seating the cpu or checking for any damage that could have been caused during ABS's building process.

ABS provides a 1 year warranty. I suggested he contact them to see if he can send it back for repair.

Does anyone here have ANY other troubleshooting options if re-seating the CPU does not work? Or any idea what could be causing this issue? The pc was working fine and simply by him trying a XMP profile of 6000mhz now the pc wont post even with a reset cmos..I would really appreciate some other input because I feel I have tried everything so far.

Thanks ahead of time!

 

[Lutfij]

So I had him test the ram with his 16gb kit that he got in the prebuilt, still didnt work. I had him try 1 stick, didnt work. And then again, 1 stick from the 64gb kit, no luck. But that tells us its not the ram.
Could you pass on a link to the rams you're working with? Both the one that came bundled with the ABS prebuilt and the one that was later added on.

I had him update the bios (even if it was with the same bios version)
For the sake of relevance, please mention the BIOS version.

CPU: R7 7700x
MOBO: Msi b650 p wifi
How are you cooling that processor?

You could try reseating but if you're working with an aftermarket cooler, perhaps see if loosening the mounting pressure just a little to see if you're able to get the system to POST.

PSU: 750w gold
Make and model of the PSU used in the build?

It could eventually be a corrupt BIOS chip...meaning the BIOS flash utility on the board has a problem or the BIOS file is corrupt.

 

[Nemesia]

Like Lutfij said it could really be a CPU not properly seated (Too much pressure on the CPU affecting the Memory Controller inside the CPU).

Normally an XMP profile doesn't do this. Normally the system reboots and tells you the XMP profile coudn't stick or it returns to not being activated.

 

[Jason H.]

So I had him test the ram with his 16gb kit that he got in the prebuilt, still didnt work. I had him try 1 stick, didnt work. And then again, 1 stick from the 64gb kit, no luck. But that tells us its not the ram.
Could you pass on a link to the rams you're working with? Both the one that came bundled with the ABS prebuilt and the one that was later added on.

I had him update the bios (even if it was with the same bios version)
For the sake of relevance, please mention the BIOS version.

CPU: R7 7700x
MOBO: Msi b650 p wifi
How are you cooling that processor?

You could try reseating but if you're working with an aftermarket cooler, perhaps see if loosening the mounting pressure just a little to see if you're able to get the system to POST.

PSU: 750w gold
Make and model of the PSU used in the build?

It could eventually be a corrupt BIOS chip...meaning the BIOS flash utility on the board has a problem or the BIOS file is corrupt.

The bios we tried was 7Dv11 (2022)

He has since tried the newest beta bios with no luck either.

(Later added) 64gb kit https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BRTJDWYD?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details

(Abs kit) 16 gb kit
https://a.co/d/hGvEBPG

He is using an AIO however I cannot tell what the brand is. Here is his pc if you can make out what the brand is from the logo. The description doesnt say a model and he cannot find it on the aio. https://www.newegg.com/abs-ta139kf490w-tempest-aqua/p/N82E16883360362?Item=N82E16883360362

The PSU model is also not mentioned in the pc description all it says is 700w gold+ (so its not even 750w and the gpu recommends 750w) , however I had him remove the back panel and check the psu itself and this is what he sent me: thermaltake sp-700aah2nlg

He doesnt want to reseat the cpu until his thermal paste comes in tomorrow.

For the record.. I feel this is a expensive pc with crap parts and if he would have just sent it to me before buying it I would have advised him in a different direction.

 

[Lutfij]

You're not mixing the old rams with the new, correct?

The PSU model is also not mentioned in the pc description all it says is 700w gold+ (so its not even 750w and the gpu recommends 750w) , however I had him remove the back panel and check the psu itself and this is what he sent me: thermaltake sp-700aah2nlg
As for PSU, regardless of high or low I look, I can't find the PSU with that model/part number/SKU.

Pertaining to the motherboard in it
+
checked his mobos specs and I believe it said in dual channel mode the max mhz is 5800mhz.. please correct me if Im wrong.
https://www.msi.com/Motherboard/PRO-B650-P-WIFI/Specification

Memory Support DDR5 6400+(OC)/ 6200(OC)/ 6000(OC)/ 5800(OC)/ 5600(OC)/ 5400(OC)/ 5200(OC)/ 5000(OC)/ 4800(JEDEC) MHz
Max. overclocking frequency:
• 1DPC 1R Max speed up to 6400+ MHz
• 1DPC 2R Max speed up to 5800+ MHz
• 2DPC 1R Max speed up to 6000+ MHz
• 2DPC 2R Max speed up to 4000+ MHz

The bios we tried was 7Dv11 (2022)
He has since tried the newest beta bios with no luck either.
Once it was verified that the BIOS was successfully updated, was the CMOS cleared? As in the system disconnected from the wall and display, CMOS battery removed from the board, press and hold down the power button for 30 seconds to drain residual power, then replace the CMOS battery after 30 mins...?

 

[Jason H.]

You're not mixing the old rams with the new, correct?

The PSU model is also not mentioned in the pc description all it says is 700w gold+ (so its not even 750w and the gpu recommends 750w) , however I had him remove the back panel and check the psu itself and this is what he sent me: thermaltake sp-700aah2nlg
As for PSU, regardless of high or low I look, I can't find the PSU with that model/part number/SKU.

Pertaining to the motherboard in it
+
checked his mobos specs and I believe it said in dual channel mode the max mhz is 5800mhz.. please correct me if Im wrong.
https://www.msi.com/Motherboard/PRO-B650-P-WIFI/Specification


The bios we tried was 7Dv11 (2022)
He has since tried the newest beta bios with no luck either.
Once it was verified that the BIOS was successfully updated, was the CMOS cleared? As in the system disconnected from the wall and display, CMOS battery removed from the board, press and hold down the power button for 30 seconds to drain residual power, then replace the CMOS battery after 30 mins...?

He has not removed the battery since the beta bios install. And when he did (under my guidance) I only had him remove it for 5 minutes because in my experience I have never had to leave it out longer than that.. I will have him try 30 minutes.

No he did not mix the ram. I had him try them seperately as Im very aware of the issues of mixing ram.

As far as the memory max speed, Im just not really sure how to read the 1drc 1r .. etc .. I just googled it and I believe that would mean 1 module with single row chips?

It also said that all modules over 16gb are 2r and based on my minimal knowledge on how to read the ram specs Im assuming his 2 32gb chips are both 2r? And itd be limited to 4000mhz?? Kinda lost tbh haha. However, he did end up telling me it actually worked for about a week on the xmp 6000mhz setting with his 2 32gb modules.. but he neglected to tell me that part in the beginning. So the whole time until now I was under the assumption the pc stopped booting directly following the xmp change.

Also, thats what he sent me for the psu. After further inspection it seems he added an extra a in the model. Its actually "thermaltake sp-700ah2nlg" and I just found a link for one on eBay.. hope it helps. https://www.ebay.com/itm/2757327353...624&ssuid=&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

Hes being slightly sparatic at this point and has bought a new motherboard as he really believes (with 0 pc knowledge) that its the motherboard, which is very well may be. He also bought a new ssd to replace his kingston (i agreed he should) and he also bought a new psu since his psu is lower than the recommended for his build. I wanted him to just send it back to ABS as its under warranty but he says "he wants to use it as a learning experience" and I mean.... sure. Its the best way to learn and I guess hes got money to blow so.. not my business in that regard lol.

 

[Jason H.]

He replaced the motherboard and it fixed the problem. I wasnt aware on the new 650/670 boards that the pins are on the motherboard. There was a few bent I guess and him enabling the 6000mhz XMP must have fried something.

Idk, but the issue is solved.