[SOLVED] The PC restarts 15 times, bios resets, RAM problem?

khrystiano

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Hi, everytime I turn on my PC it doesn't show signal to monitor and it reboots like 10-15 times before initiates, and it also resets the BIOS everytime I turn on the PC.

The thing is... after the PC finally decides to start, if I reboot it or shut down to inmendiately turn it on, it works perfectly.

and I think it's the RAM but I'm not sure, I'll try to explain as good as I can.

My actual build is this:

i5-8600K
Gigabyte z390 Gaming X
16GBs de RAM (8x2) DDR4 (CMK16GX4M2D3000C16)
GTX 970 MSI
PSU EVGA 650 BQ

I adquired the new i5/motherboard/PSU/RAM a few weeks ago.

and I had this old config (I got rid of it):

i5-6500
ASUS H170M-Plus
Antec HCG 520w
8GBs DDR4 (4x2) (HX421C14FBK2/8)

When I bought all the new components the RAM arrived first so I decided to use it while I waited for the rest of the components but the PC started to do strange things, when I installed the new ram, everytime I turned on the PC is took like 4-5min to start without signal, then it appeared a message, something like: "Error (A7) Me FW Downgrade", then the PC started normally, I discovered that was the RAM because when I installed back again the old one the PC was just fine.

Then the rest of the budget arrived and I installed all, apparently it was nice so I turned off the PC and went to sleep. The next day when I turned on the PC the problem I did write at the beginning of this post started to happen, I tried to install the old memory to check it but it gives me 4 long beeps and 1 short beep...

I tried to explain it as good as I can, sorry... I hope you guys can help me.

Thanks!
 
Solution
I'd agree. It might. Doesn't mean the problem is compatibility though. A different set of the same memory modules might work fine. And then again, they might not. Some boards simply do not like certain memory for no discernible reason.
If you have four memory modules installed and are getting errors, you need to bump the DRAM voltage UP a bit. Try .005v increments (Some boards will only allow .020v increments, minimum, so if that's the case try bumping by .020v increments) and then save bios settings, restart. You'll need to probably use only a single module to begin with in order to change the settings. Install it in the A2 (DDR4_1 on some boards. same spot though) slot which is the second slot over from the CPU socket.

If you can't boot with any of the four sticks individually, then there is some other problem.
 
Your specs say 4x2 which would be 4 x2GB. I guess that should have thrown a flag since there aren't any consumer DDR4 2GB memory modules in the wild.

Normally, you should say 2 x4GB, for 8GB total using two sticks.

On the new system it should say 2 x8GB, for 16GB total.

In that case, you probably shouldn't NEED to bump the DRAM voltage. It SHOULD be capable of running at the stock voltage.

Have you set the XMP profile in the BIOS for the memory? Have you tried ONE stick, installed in the A2 slot? Try one stick, if it will POST, go into the BIOS and set the XMP profile, then save settings, shut down, install the other stick in the B2 slot (These are the 2nd and 4th slots over from the CPU socket going towards the edge of the motherboard. The B2 slot will the one closest to the edge of the motherboard.) and power up to see if it will POST.
 

khrystiano

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Oh, sorry and thank you.

I tried all these things u mentioned. I already have the XMP enabled again (3000mhz at 1.35x v) and if I restart the PC or shut it down to turn it on in the next minutes it'll be fine but... if I wait hours like for example, turn it off and go to sleep, tomorrow it will take like 15-20 reboots without showing any signals on the monitor to work, it's super strange :S
 
Normally I'd say this sounds like you have bent pins on the motherboard, but since you had the same problem when you used the memory in the old system, that's unlikely.

I'd RMA the memory. First though, I'd run Memtest to check for problems and errors.

Memtest86


Go to the Passmark software website and download the USB Memtest86 free version. You can do the optical disk version too if for some reason you cannot use a bootable USB flash drive.

Create bootable media using the downloaded Memtest86 (NOT Memtest86+, that is a different, older version and is outdated). Once you have done that, go into your BIOS and configure the system to boot to the USB drive that contains the Memtest86 USB media or the optical drive if using that option.


Click here to download Memtest86 USB package

Create a bootable USB Flash drive:


1. Download the Windows MemTest86 USB image.

2. Right click on the downloaded file and select the "Extract to Here" option. This places the USB image and imaging tool into the current folder.

3. Run the included imageUSB tool, it should already have the image file selected and you just need to choose which connected USB drive to turn into a bootable drive. Note that this will erase all data on the drive.



No memory should ever fail to pass Memtest86 when it is at the default configuration that the system sets it at when you start out or do a clear CMOS by removing the CMOS battery for five minutes.

Best method for testing memory is to first run four passes of Memtest86, all 11 tests, WITH the memory at the default configuration. This should be done BEFORE setting the memory to the XMP profile settings. The paid version has 13 tests but the free version only has tests 1-10 and test 13. So run full passes of all 11 tests. Be sure to download the latest version of Memtest86. Memtest86+ has not been updated in MANY years. It is NO-WISE as good as regular Memtest86 from Passmark software.

If there are ANY errors, at all, then the memory configuration is not stable. Bumping the DRAM voltage up slightly may resolve that OR you may need to make adjustments to the primary timings. There are very few secondary or tertiary timings that should be altered. I can tell you about those if you are trying to tighten your memory timings.

If you cannot pass Memtest86 with the memory at the XMP configuration settings then I would recommend restoring the memory to the default JEDEC SPD of 1333/2133mhz (Depending on your platform and memory type) with everything left on the auto/default configuration and running Memtest86 over again. If it completes the four full passes without error you can try again with the XMP settings but first try bumping the DRAM voltage up once again by whatever small increment the motherboard will allow you to increase it by. If it passes, great, move on to the Prime95 testing.

If it still fails, try once again bumping the voltage if you are still within the maximum allowable voltage for your memory type and test again. If it still fails, you are likely going to need more advanced help with configuring your primary timings and should return the memory to the default configuration until you can sort it out.

If the memory will not pass Memtest86 for four passes when it IS at the stock default non-XMP configuration, even after a minor bump in voltage, then there is likely something physically wrong with one or more of the memory modules and I'd recommend running Memtest on each individual module, separately, to determine which module is causing the issue. If you find a single module that is faulty you should contact the seller or the memory manufacturer and have them replace the memory as a SET. Memory comes matched for a reason as I made clear earlier and if you let them replace only one module rather than the entire set you are back to using unmatched memory which is an open door for problems with incompatible memory.

Be aware that you SHOULD run Memtest86 to test the memory at the default, non-XMP or custom profile settings BEFORE ever making any changes to the memory configuration so that you will know if the problem is a setting or is a physical problem with the memory.
 

khrystiano

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Hi, I thought it could be bent pins but I've tested many games and no crashes, all the games are going smooth (Witcher 3, AC:Odyssey, PUBG, Apex Legends) and the temps are great, also I passed the Intel CPU Diagnostic TOOL... and about the MEMTest, I passed it with no fails in both rams (old ones and new ones).

I dont know what else should I do..
 
Try increasing the memory voltage, in the BIOS, by .005v. Save settings and shut down. See if you have the same problems starting the system.

I'm tempted to start looking at that BQ PSU, which is not a very good model to begin with, or that GTX 970 which is getting rather long in the tooth now, but the fact that this happens so intermittently and then works fine for a while makes it terribly difficult to nail down.

Also, and this is VERY IMPORTANT, make sure you have the MOST recent motherboard BIOS version installed. If you do not, then install the latest stable BIOS version which for your board is version F7 which was released on 3-15-2019.
 

khrystiano

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Ill look how to increase the voltage on ram and Ill let you know if it worked, but right now my PC is like a reactor, it needs to warm up to turn on so thats because it reboots 15 times... weird...

About the PSU, like I said same thing happened to me on my last build :s since I installed the ram so I think it is the ram... maybe

I updated the bios this morning and still doesn't work, I have that bios!

Thank you
 

khrystiano

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Yeah, I'll RMA the ram as a set. New one is coming, I'm afraid that is not a problem of this ram in particular but more like a QVL problem... or worse.. not the ram..
Whatever, I have set the voltage to 1.360 since the bios doesn't let me increase 0.005 or 0.05, it is good to 1,360?
 
Yes, 1.36v is fine. If no love, try 1.38v. If still no love, then it's likely the memory or motherboard are the problem BUT it is probably worth at least looking to see if there are any funky looking "teeth" on the memory modules or any bent pins on the motherboard CPU socket.

QVL is worthless. There are usually double or triple the number of memory kits that will work on any given board aside from what is shown on the QVL list, which is only a SMALL sampling that they actually bothered to TEST on that board. Also, just because a kit is listed on the QVL list doesn't mean the kit will run at the advertised speed, only that it will RUN, at ALL. A DDR4 3000mhz kit might be listed, but might only run at 2133-2666mhz, or it might run at 3000mhz, or even 3200mhz, but that is not what the manufacturer tested it at. They are always ONLY tested at whatever the default speed of the platform is so that they are confirmed to be JEDEC compliant for that board.
 
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khrystiano

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Okay, I got new results:

This morning I turned on the PC and it did the same thing, started to reboot on loop sooo many times until it decided to start (bios got reset too) so I tried to use the old ram again, it gave me 4 long beeps and 1 short so I tried with one stick of ram and I did shut down the PC for at least 2 hours to confirm if it was a RAM problem.

After 2 hours the PC turned on good and all was fine, no reboots at the beginning and no bios restarts, now I'm with 4GB of ram and I'm waiting for a replacement of the new RAM, but since MEMTest was OK with the new ram I'm afraid that it could be an incompatibility thing with the RAM (CMK16GX4M2D3000C16).

Tonight I'll try to turn it on again to confirm 100% that is the new RAM but, do we confirm that is a RAM problem then?

Greetings
 
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I would try each stick separately, to see if one of the sticks triggers the problem while none of the others do. I seriously doubt it is a problem of simply not being compatible. Intel is extremely compatible across the board unless you are using AMD/Ryzen specific memory modules like the Flare-X sticks by G.Skill or another model with AMD specific timings.

And those are few and far between, and yours, are not those.
 

khrystiano

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Hi,

I tried new ram on all sticks separately and it does the same, it reboots on loop and then after many reboots it starts.

I tried the bad module of the old ram (the one who gave me 4 long beeps and 1 short) in my old PC and ir worked, I passed a MEMtest and 0 errors so this morning I tried to stick it again in my new build and it worked, I waited 2 hours to turn on the PC and all was just fine.

Maybe it is ram incompatibility?

Right now I don't have thermal paste so I can't check if the pins are bent but like I told you the games are going good, no errors, no crashes... just that weird thing with the ram
 
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One pass in Memtest86 means almost nothing. You need to do FOUR passes, which will take a LONG time, several hours probably, before you can say that a stick doesn't have problems or errors. Just to clarify.

I'd wait and see if the problem returns with the memory that's in there now. Usually when issues exist or return regardless that the memory was changed it will turn out to be a problem with a CPU cooler that is too tight or improperly mounted, bent CPU or motherboard pins or a bad motherboard. Occasionally a weak or faulty power supply. Rarely is it ever the memory if the same thing happens with more than one memory kit, especially if you are testing at the default stock memory configuration and have not set the XMP profile values yet.
 

khrystiano

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One pass in Memtest86 means almost nothing. You need to do FOUR passes, which will take a LONG time, several hours probably, before you can say that a stick doesn't have problems or errors. Just to clarify.

I'd wait and see if the problem returns with the memory that's in there now. Usually when issues exist or return regardless that the memory was changed it will turn out to be a problem with a CPU cooler that is too tight or improperly mounted, bent CPU or motherboard pins or a bad motherboard. Occasionally a weak or faulty power supply. Rarely is it ever the memory if the same thing happens with more than one memory kit, especially if you are testing at the default stock memory configuration and have not set the XMP profile values yet.

Yes, ram made it throught 4 passes. I passed Memtest all night long.

I will just let this ram until the new one arrives to see if the PC turns on properly without reboots.

About the cooler or bent pints. I'm wondering, is that a possiblity? I mean, I tried triple A games and programs like Prime95 without crashes or problems, temps are just good, max. 55c on games and 65c with Prime95... If its a CPU/Cooler problem wouldn't I have more symptoms?

Greetings!
 
I'd agree. It might. Doesn't mean the problem is compatibility though. A different set of the same memory modules might work fine. And then again, they might not. Some boards simply do not like certain memory for no discernible reason.
 
Solution

khrystiano

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I'd agree. It might. Doesn't mean the problem is compatibility though. A different set of the same memory modules might work fine. And then again, they might not. Some boards simply do not like certain memory for no discernible reason.

Hi, new ram arrived this morning, I seated it and the pc started good so I activated the XMP profile to set it up to 3000mhz and I did shutdown the PC about 1 hour to check it it starts and it did it good... I'll try to do some more tests tonight or tomorrow, see if it starts it ok, it it does that it just means a ram problem 100%, right?

Greetings

PS: https://www.userbenchmark.com/UserRun/17246308