I’m facing some pretty strange issues with my PC, and it's a bit of a complex situation, so let me explain from the start. All of my troubles began after installing MSI Center to test the RGB lights. The next morning, when I powered on the PC, I noticed the fan RGB colors were flashing in random static colors. This was unexpected since I had uninstalled MSI Center the night before and switched to OpenRGB, setting the case fans and memory sticks to a solid white.
After this, I turned the PC back on, only to find it still cycling through static colors. I decided to clear the CMOS, but the problem persisted. Then, another issue cropped up: I couldn't run any of my four sticks of DDR4 at their rated speeds of 3600MHz or 3200MHz XMP. They were stuck at 2133MHz, regardless of the settings I tried in the BIOS. I adjusted the memory timings significantly and manually set it to 3200MHz. I even raised the system agent voltage to 1.250V and the memory to 1.5V with very loose timings, but nothing worked.
I then attempted to reflash the BIOS, even though it was already updated. I thought it might be corrupted due to several power outages from the freezing rain this week, which could have caused some issues. However, when I went into M-Flash, I didn't even have time to select the BIOS file before the system shut down and rebooted back into the BIOS. At this point, I suspected I might have one or two faulty RAM sticks or bad DIMM slots. I tested each stick in all four slots, and they all posted fine. I haven’t run Memtest yet, though.
To eliminate dirt or debris as a factor, I thoroughly cleaned the DIMM slots with a vacuum and then used 99% alcohol to clean them as well. After letting everything dry for about an hour, I reinserted all four memory sticks, but the same issues continued—no success in running the memory at normal XMP speeds, and the problems with M-Flash remained.
Interestingly, the PC loads into Windows without crashing, even when all four sticks are at 2133MHz, and it runs games fine. If I use just two sticks in slots 2 and 4, 3600MHz XMP is stable. So, I decided to order a used motherboard from eBay (MSI Edge Wifi) in hopes that it’s the root of the problem. There’s also a possibility of a degraded IMC (integrated memory controller) on the CPU or a corrupted BIOS.
I contacted Intel support, and even though my CPU is out of warranty, the support representative mentioned that he might make an exception and replace it for free, so fingers crossed. Lastly, I tested the PC with a different power supply (a Corsair 550W), but the issues persisted. I find it hard to believe that my main PSU, a Super Flower 850W Gold Leadex VII, which I purchased just a few months ago, could be faulty. I’ve already tested both power supplies with my PSU tester, and they passed.
I even pulled the motherboard out, thinking it might be grounding against the case. So, that’s where I’m at. Any insights or suggestions would be hugely appreciated!
Thanks!
I am all ear's what do you think my problem is or is multiple problems
After this, I turned the PC back on, only to find it still cycling through static colors. I decided to clear the CMOS, but the problem persisted. Then, another issue cropped up: I couldn't run any of my four sticks of DDR4 at their rated speeds of 3600MHz or 3200MHz XMP. They were stuck at 2133MHz, regardless of the settings I tried in the BIOS. I adjusted the memory timings significantly and manually set it to 3200MHz. I even raised the system agent voltage to 1.250V and the memory to 1.5V with very loose timings, but nothing worked.
I then attempted to reflash the BIOS, even though it was already updated. I thought it might be corrupted due to several power outages from the freezing rain this week, which could have caused some issues. However, when I went into M-Flash, I didn't even have time to select the BIOS file before the system shut down and rebooted back into the BIOS. At this point, I suspected I might have one or two faulty RAM sticks or bad DIMM slots. I tested each stick in all four slots, and they all posted fine. I haven’t run Memtest yet, though.
To eliminate dirt or debris as a factor, I thoroughly cleaned the DIMM slots with a vacuum and then used 99% alcohol to clean them as well. After letting everything dry for about an hour, I reinserted all four memory sticks, but the same issues continued—no success in running the memory at normal XMP speeds, and the problems with M-Flash remained.
Interestingly, the PC loads into Windows without crashing, even when all four sticks are at 2133MHz, and it runs games fine. If I use just two sticks in slots 2 and 4, 3600MHz XMP is stable. So, I decided to order a used motherboard from eBay (MSI Edge Wifi) in hopes that it’s the root of the problem. There’s also a possibility of a degraded IMC (integrated memory controller) on the CPU or a corrupted BIOS.
I contacted Intel support, and even though my CPU is out of warranty, the support representative mentioned that he might make an exception and replace it for free, so fingers crossed. Lastly, I tested the PC with a different power supply (a Corsair 550W), but the issues persisted. I find it hard to believe that my main PSU, a Super Flower 850W Gold Leadex VII, which I purchased just a few months ago, could be faulty. I’ve already tested both power supplies with my PSU tester, and they passed.
I even pulled the motherboard out, thinking it might be grounding against the case. So, that’s where I’m at. Any insights or suggestions would be hugely appreciated!
Thanks!
I am all ear's what do you think my problem is or is multiple problems
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