- Nov 5, 2010
- 75
- 1
- 18,635
Two years ago I bought an Acer Aspire XC-885 with i5 8400 and 1x 8GB 2666MHz RAM after my previous system stopped working, as I was desperate to get a new computer asap after my old system (which was pretty outdated by then) had stopped working and I was unable to figure out the problem. Because it's a SFF PC I wasn't able to install my GTX 1050 Ti, and because I wasn't aware at the time that the UHD 630 chip supports 4K resolution I sold my TV. Two months ago I got a new 4K TV, and I decided to buy a new computer from Ebuyer, a Xenta Desktop PC with Ryzen 5 2400G and 1x 8GB 2400MHz RAM (Corsair Value RAM).
The computer worked fine with the APU, but after adding a few USB devices (mainly RGB mousepad and keyboard) the AMD driver kept crashing every few hours. I figured out that it was probably a power supply issue after finding out that the installed PSU only supplied 240W, and after upgrading to an EVGA 650 PSU the problem was resolved. This also allowed me to dust off my old GTX 1050 Ti and use it.
Because I recently started using Blender I decided to upgrade the memory, and I bought a 2x 16GB 2400MHz memory kit (Corsair Vengeance C16). After installing it the computer would no longer boot, and I found out that only one of the DIMMs worked, and only in the B1 slot. The previous 8GB DIMM worked in both slots. So I got an RMA and received a replacement last week.
This is where the real problem started.
When I installed both DIMMs the computer would no longer boot. When I tried each one individually (testing them in both slots) I had the same problem. But the worst part is that the original 8GB stick no longer works, either!
The week before that I had ordered an 8GB stick of 2666MHz Crucial RAM to complement the existing 8GB Kingston RAM in my older (i5) computer. I made sure that I matched both the speed and the latency (C19). But only one of the DIMMs was recognised. So I decided to test the Corsair RAM in that computer. And exactly the same thing happened - the computer wouldn't boot with any configuration (both sticks, one stick in 1st slot & 2nd slot), and after replacing the memory with the one I had bought it with I once again found out that the computer would no longer boot with any of the DIMMs!
I cleared the CMOS several times in both computers, but once again my TV and monitor only showed me the dreaded 'no signal' message. I decided to focus on the newer (Ryzen) computer, and tested both the 5V and 12V rails with a multimeter, which gave me readings of 5.10V and 12.20V. Then I completely took everything apart (including CPU and cooler), and I treated myself to a better case (Fractal Design Meshify C) so that I would have more space and better cable management. But despite ending up with the cleanest looking computer that I've ever had, it would still not boot. The fans (which I hooked up to the only fan header using a splitter) were spinning nicely, and so was the stock AMD cooler. But nothing else happened. With some configurations my RGB keyboard and mouse pad lit up (as well as the power LED), and with some everything stayed dark.
Needless to say that I will never buy a prebuilt computer again, and I will go back to building them myself, like I was doing until about ten years ago. So I have ordered an ASUS Strix B450-F Gaming II motherboard, and next time when I get paid I'm going to get a Ryzen 5 3600 or 3600X and suitable RAM after I've made some enquiries which one to use. I don't want to use any of the existing components in that build though, due to the risk that something is wrong that will cause everything to stop working again. But if any parts are still salvageable (especially the 2400G and i5 processor, and the 2x 16GB DIMMs), I would like to find out.
I also just rememered that the older computer (i5) gave me a long continuous beep when I tried to boot. The newer one (2400G) hasn't got a speaker, or any other way of showing POST infos.
Sorry about the long-winded explanation - but I didn't want to leave anything out that might be relevant. I have tried to highlight the main issue and any internal components in bold text.
What is going on here?
The computer worked fine with the APU, but after adding a few USB devices (mainly RGB mousepad and keyboard) the AMD driver kept crashing every few hours. I figured out that it was probably a power supply issue after finding out that the installed PSU only supplied 240W, and after upgrading to an EVGA 650 PSU the problem was resolved. This also allowed me to dust off my old GTX 1050 Ti and use it.
Because I recently started using Blender I decided to upgrade the memory, and I bought a 2x 16GB 2400MHz memory kit (Corsair Vengeance C16). After installing it the computer would no longer boot, and I found out that only one of the DIMMs worked, and only in the B1 slot. The previous 8GB DIMM worked in both slots. So I got an RMA and received a replacement last week.
This is where the real problem started.
When I installed both DIMMs the computer would no longer boot. When I tried each one individually (testing them in both slots) I had the same problem. But the worst part is that the original 8GB stick no longer works, either!
The week before that I had ordered an 8GB stick of 2666MHz Crucial RAM to complement the existing 8GB Kingston RAM in my older (i5) computer. I made sure that I matched both the speed and the latency (C19). But only one of the DIMMs was recognised. So I decided to test the Corsair RAM in that computer. And exactly the same thing happened - the computer wouldn't boot with any configuration (both sticks, one stick in 1st slot & 2nd slot), and after replacing the memory with the one I had bought it with I once again found out that the computer would no longer boot with any of the DIMMs!
I cleared the CMOS several times in both computers, but once again my TV and monitor only showed me the dreaded 'no signal' message. I decided to focus on the newer (Ryzen) computer, and tested both the 5V and 12V rails with a multimeter, which gave me readings of 5.10V and 12.20V. Then I completely took everything apart (including CPU and cooler), and I treated myself to a better case (Fractal Design Meshify C) so that I would have more space and better cable management. But despite ending up with the cleanest looking computer that I've ever had, it would still not boot. The fans (which I hooked up to the only fan header using a splitter) were spinning nicely, and so was the stock AMD cooler. But nothing else happened. With some configurations my RGB keyboard and mouse pad lit up (as well as the power LED), and with some everything stayed dark.
Needless to say that I will never buy a prebuilt computer again, and I will go back to building them myself, like I was doing until about ten years ago. So I have ordered an ASUS Strix B450-F Gaming II motherboard, and next time when I get paid I'm going to get a Ryzen 5 3600 or 3600X and suitable RAM after I've made some enquiries which one to use. I don't want to use any of the existing components in that build though, due to the risk that something is wrong that will cause everything to stop working again. But if any parts are still salvageable (especially the 2400G and i5 processor, and the 2x 16GB DIMMs), I would like to find out.
I also just rememered that the older computer (i5) gave me a long continuous beep when I tried to boot. The newer one (2400G) hasn't got a speaker, or any other way of showing POST infos.
Sorry about the long-winded explanation - but I didn't want to leave anything out that might be relevant. I have tried to highlight the main issue and any internal components in bold text.
What is going on here?
Last edited:
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