[SOLVED] Why is my PC only booting with 1 RAM stick?

[SMASH-MASTR]

Hi everyone,

So recently I decided to upgrade from the Ryzen 5 3600 I had to a Ryzen 9 5900x, but when I went to boot it up, it would not POST. I have already tried disconnecting everything from the PSU, and even resetting the BIOS by removing the CMOS battery for 5 minutes, but none of that worked. I only managed to get it to POST when I tried one stick of 8GB ram, but I want to run 2 ram sticks of the same kind. Is there a solution to get my MOBO to POST with 2 sticks of ram?

My setup that I would like to have resolved:

MSI MPG X570 Gaming Edge Wi-Fi
Ryzen 9 5900x
Corsair Vengeance LPX 8GB x2 at 3600MHz (currently can only run the 1 stick)
GPU: MSI Radeon Gaming X 5700XT (8GB)

Edit: I, by no means, overclock my gear, so as to not run into any risk of damaging my PC.

Any help will be greatly appreciated.

 

[lvt]

What happens if you swap the RAM sticks? Does the PC work with the other RAM stick?

 

[JohnBonhamsGhost]

did you purchase the newer CPU new?
if used, it may already have a damaged memory controller.

what DIMM slot(s) are you using?
and does it matter which module you have installed or will it only work with a specific one out of the kit?

 

[SMASH-MASTR]

What happens if you swap the RAM sticks? Does the PC work with the other RAM stick?

Yes, I have tried that to see if any stick was damaged, but both are running well.

 

[SMASH-MASTR]

did you purchase the newer CPU new?
if used, it may already have a damaged memory controller.

what DIMM slot(s) are you using?
and does it matter which module you have installed or will it only work with a specific one out of the kit?

I did buy the newer CPU new. The DIMM slots I would use (as taught in classes), were A2 & B2.

For the last question... I don't follow? Are we talking about the storage where I run windows? My knowledge on troubleshooting is really bare minimum.

 

[JohnBonhamsGhost]

For the last question... I don't follow?

just the same as Ivt was asking that you previously answered.
"does it matter which module(RAM stick) you have installed"

 

[SMASH-MASTR]

just the same as Ivt was asking that you previously answered.
"does it matter which module(RAM stick) you have installed"

Ooooooh, ok. wow, I really need to brush up on my words here.

So I have tried to run each stick on its own, and it will POST. So I tried running them on the other available DIMM slots (A1 & B1), but that still wouldn't POST, and would only do so with 1 stick.

 

[JohnBonhamsGhost]

tried running them on the other available DIMM slots (A1 & B1), but that still wouldn't POST

even if dual-channel just isn't functioning correctly then i would imagine it would just load with both sticks in single-channel mode.
just out of curiosity, try installing both sticks in A_1 & A_2.

if it's a memory controller issue then it's an issue with the CPU.
do you still have the 3600 around to test with it?

 

[JohnBonhamsGhost]

make sure you are running the latest BIOS for your motherboard and that all drivers are up to date from the motherboard manufacturer's product support downloads page.

it could just be that your current BIOS version doesn't fully support this CPU.

 

[SMASH-MASTR]

even if dual-channel just isn't functioning correctly then i would imagine it would just load with both sticks in single-channel mode.
just out of curiosity, try installing both sticks in A_1 & A_2.

if it's a memory controller issue then it's an issue with the CPU.
do you still have the 3600 around to test with it?

So funnily enough, I had tried reinstalling my 3600 and it did post with both my ram sticks (because I thought at the time that maybe I had the wrong drivers). Once I did install the latest drivers from MSI (not the BIOS at the time like you mentioned in your next message), I reinstalled the 5900x, but that didn't seem to fix it. So maybe you might have a point in updating the BIOS to whatever version MSI has for my motherboard (I currently have the 7C37v1G).

 

[SMASH-MASTR]

it could just be that your current BIOS version doesn't fully support this CPU.

Update: So I just checked the support page for my motherboard, and have sadly just found out that that while the CPU is supported, it will not support dual 8GB 3600MHz RAM sticks. I had to look it up on the compatibility page, and although I don't remember all the string of text, I do recall what version they are. So as of right now, I have to run just one stick of ram.

 

[JohnBonhamsGhost]

maybe you might have a point in updating the BIOS to whatever version MSI has for my motherboard

for some reason AMD and motherboard/BIOS developers have serious issues with compatibility.
almost every board needs BIOS updates for different series Ryzen CPUs.

while the CPU is supported, it will not support dual 8GB

that's odd.
is this only for this specific memory kit or doesn't support 8GB x2 at all?

 

[SMASH-MASTR]

just this specific memory kit or can't do 8GB x2 at all?

For the moment it is just this specific kit. It IS capable with others, but for that you really have to dig into the details of the RAM you want to get. That, or hit the lottery, as I did buy another set last time and had a different version on them, but I returned them since the performance I was seeking with running 4 sticks just wasn't what I was expecting (without overclocking of course).

 

[JohnBonhamsGhost]

It IS capable with others

just copy the exact model+serial number of RAM in the QVL that is guaranteed to work.
then purchase one of those exact kits from a reputable retailer.

 

[SMASH-MASTR]

just copy the exact model+serial number of RAM in the QVL that is guaranteed to work.
then purchase one of those exact kits from a reputable retailer.

Not a bad idea. I'll have to do that then (right after I make enough money again )

Thanks for the support in helping me find the solution on this.