Question Asrock A320m Pro4 with Ryzen 5; lots of issues

[Scorpionwasp]

Hello, I have recently assembled an Asrock A320m Pro 4 with Ryzen 5 2600, GTX 1050, single Kingston HyperX 2400 CL15 8gb RAM; system drive is a Kingston SA400, and I have a couple older 1TB HDs (Seagate Barracuda and Western Digital).
Uefi is updated to the latest (5.50) and I have no interest whatsoever in overclocking. Running a clean, formatted install of Windows 10 Pro.

I'm having 3 issues with it:

1 - The manual says a single ram chip should go into slot A2, but it won't post that way; fans reset every 15 or so seconds. System works if I put the chip into B2, which theoretically should only be used in dual chip configurations. Does this mean slot A2 is damaged, or is that just a documentation error? This is the boondocks and I can't get a second chip to test...

2 - This is the most serious issue... BSoDs. The system starts out reasonably stable, and as I go about installing updates and drivers, it gets worse, progressively. At first a couple BSoDs a day, only "IRQL not less or equal than" as an error message, system restarts. Before I know it, it's hitting every 20 mins, some 6 different error messages, sometimes it freezes when the counter reaches 100% and won't even post a minidump. It happens regardless of workload; in fact the PC is idling or doing very light browsing most of the time.

3 - Another very strange phenomenon: some boots seem to... well, to go "sour". As soon as the system finishes loading, the performance is so atrocious you can't use it. Scrolling a browser or clicking a menu item will take 2-4 seconds before it'll even register. Rebooting the system will usually fix the issue, and sometimes, a boot that started unaffected will go sour after some time (completely random). Process Explorer doesn't show anything that would justify this behavior, everything appears to be idling.

I don't know what to do at this point. NewEgg has some very bad reviews of this board, but on Amazon it seems to be well liked. Maybe they just got a bad batch? MemTest86 thinks my RAM is fine after 5 passes, but maybe I haven't tested extensively enough? I ran stress tests on all components in BurnInTest 9.0 and everything passes with 0 errors. Motherboard is the only thing you can't test directly after all...

How should I go about identifying the culprit?

 

[VirtualLarry]

How should I go about identifying the culprit?

PEBCAK error.

Seriously, though, why go so low-end on the mobo, with a mid-range CPU? Especially with no overclocking support?

I wouldn't be too surprised if it's just a garbage board. The AB350M Pro4 wasn't such a great board either. (I've owned a few of them.)

Get a decent AM4 board, then we can talk.

Edit: For completeness, what PSU are you using, and did it come pre-installed in the case?

 

[Scorpionwasp]

I just have no use for what higher end mobos offer (Recommended specifications are already way above overkill for me to bother with temperatures, voltages, and potentially lowered life expectancies just to get some extra 10% or something. Likewise, I'm never going to use dual GPUs in crossfire. I just want to game in 1080P, do some light productivity on the side, and have a cheap energy bill at the end of the month.) I realize the price difference might be trivial in the US, but here in Brazil, higher end electronics cost an arm and a leg.

The PSU is a 400W Cooler Master, but like the SSD, it came from a rock solid stable Windows 7 setup with pretty much identical TDP (Core 2 Duo E7500 instead of Ryzen 5 2600. DDR2 chips were probably even more wasteful...)

 

[VirtualLarry]

So PSU is not new? How old is it?

 

[Scorpionwasp]

I reckon 3 or 4 years, but while not completely impossible, it would be one hell of a coincidence for it to deteriorate right as I switch the old stable system for the new, no?

The problems happen even when the system is idling too, which I imagine are low power consumption scenarios.

 

[whm1974]

I just have no use for what higher end mobos offer (Recommended specifications are already way above overkill for me to bother with temperatures, voltages, and potentially lowered life expectancies just to get some extra 10% or something. Likewise, I'm never going to use dual GPUs in crossfire. I just want to game in 1080P, do some light productivity on the side, and have a cheap energy bill at the end of the month.) I realize the price difference might be trivial in the US, but here in Brazil, higher end electronics cost an arm and a leg.

The PSU is a 400W Cooler Master, but like the SSD, it came from a rock solid stable Windows 7 setup with pretty much identical TDP (Core 2 Duo E7500 instead of Ryzen 5 2600. DDR2 chips were probably even more wasteful...)

A PSU that old should be replaced when you do a new build. 80% Bronze is the minimum you should get.

 

[VirtualLarry]

The problems happen even when the system is idling too, which I imagine are low power consumption scenarios.

Which might be precisely the issue. There was an update to ATX PSUs when Haswell was released. Do you know if your current PSU is "Haswell Ready"?

Edit: Although, that issue largely shouldn't matter if you've got a dGPU sucking down from the +12VATX, although that GPU doesn't require a supplemental power connector. So, honestly, I'm not sure if that issue applies.

But if your PSU is low-end, and four years old, then yes, it should be replaced with something better and more modern, for a new rig.

 

[oynaz]

Your symptoms point to defective hardware. RAM or mobo is almost certainly defective and should be replaced. Probably the mobo

 

[Scorpionwasp]

I have reinstalled Windows 10 and started creating Restore Points after each driver or update to see when things start going to hell. Out of the box, I only get BSoDs every 5 or so hours, it's always one of two error messages (IRQL not Less or Equal; Kmode Exception not Handled) and the system always manages to restart and create dumps. Surprisingly, it's the latest update from Microsoft that causes the system to truly collapse.

 

[Flayed]

The error message sounds like a device driver problem. See here:
https://www.reviversoft.com/blog/2012/09/irql-not-less-or-equal/

 

[RLGL]

Is the memory on the QVL list? If yes, test it and each slot with memtest. If not get some that is.

 

[Scorpionwasp]

It is, I mean, they haven't published Pinnacle Ridge memory QVL yet, but it is listed on the Summit Ridge. It's Kingston HyperX 2400 memory, not exactly a problematic product. Have run a few Memtest86 tests, as well as other stress tests, zero errors.

Oh and... the only slot that accepts RAM is B2. All others, the fans keep resetting and I get no post. That IS strange, as the manual instructs you to place a single RAM chip in slot A2...

 

[Scorpionwasp]

I'm in love with the features of this board, the more advanced audio codec, the two m.2 slots, the type C USB; without having to pay for useless extras like Overclock or Crossfire. Gonna be a shame if it turns out to have inherent design flaws...

 

[LTC8K6]

I can't find any instruction in the manual regarding using slot A2 if you have just one memory stick.

Have you tried manually setting the memory to 2400? Perhaps it is trying to run the ram at 2933?

 

[Scorpionwasp]

https://www.asrock.com/mb/AMD/A320M Pro4/index.asp#Specification (Memory section)

But I think I just solved it! The RAM slots on this board are tricky in that they only have the plastic lock that holds the chip in place and ensures it's all the way in, on one side. Fear of applying too much pressure and breaking the board and all, I believe I must not have inserted it correctly before, because I just went in a third time, and this time slot A2 accepted the chip. I have currently installed all updates and the system has been stable as an ultralight for almost 2 hours now!

My precious is not defective! ^^

 

[LTC8K6]

Virtual Larry wins!

 

[LTC8K6]

https://www.asrock.com/mb/AMD/A320M Pro4/index.asp#Specification (Memory section)

But I think I just solved it! The RAM slots on this board are tricky in that they only have the plastic lock that holds the chip in place and ensures it's all the way in, on one side. Fear of applying too much pressure and breaking the board and all, I believe I must not have inserted it correctly before, because I just went in a third time, and this time slot A2 accepted the chip. I have currently installed all updates and the system has been stable as an ultralight for almost 2 hours now!

My precious is not defective! ^^

I've seen those memory sockets for a long time now. I like them better.