I just got a new system.. 1 long beep 2 short beeps (sometimes)

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TRE IzDOPE

TRE IzDOPE

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Okay, so I ordered a bundle.. came with
MSI A68HM-E33 V2 MB
AMD Athlon X4 860K Kaveri Quad-Core 3.7 GHz Socket FM2+
Team Elite 8GB 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)
and a hard drive

There are 2 memory slots.. ever other MB i have ever had has had 4 slots
I put one of my Gskill 2GB rams in and made it 10GB of ram.. so one was 8GB and one was 2GB
it turned on.. all was good

I turn it off that night, next day i turn it on and it does not wake my monitor.. but the keyboard and mouse light up.. and there is 1 LONG BEEP, and 2 short beeps.. like
BEEEEEP....... BEEP BEEP

I turn off and on... finally after 3 times it turns on and all is fine

well today i couldnt get it to turn on at all.. I looked up the beep codes and 3 codes means memory failure.. i removed the 2GB gskill and it turns right on

is this because there are only 2 slots and both arent the same size? they are both 1600 speed wise.. not like its 1333 or something

OR

is there a certain order I need to put them in? I had the 8GB closest to the CPU and the 2GB ont he outside... I have (4) 2gb sticks from my old pc i upgraded from.. so im still running 8 like i was on my old pc... just curious if they both have to be the same size.. like (2) 8GBs or what?

Cause when i go to upgrade my memory i need to know if I need to buy another 8GB so this does not happen again..
or if I should just order one 16 and remove the 8.. or if I order a 16 can I still use the 8? know what Im saying? cause the MB can go up to 32.. which is my long term goal.. but if I can order a 16 and use the 8 to bring it to 24 that would be fine for awhile

I have tried to research and find out if there is a certain order i need to put the ram... i have read some people say there is sometimes a certain order to put them in.... but I cant find it

I should also mention I am running windows 10 pro... and have a gtx 560 GPU and have a 560 watt seasonic PSU
 
Solution
bgunner
OK here is what the GPU makers do when they rate the GPU wattage. The max a GPU will actually use is between 250 watts and 275 watts and no more. So when manufactures say the System requirements are 400W this includes CPU, HDD, 2 x fans, GPU, Ram and board usage.

Since you have a really good PSU you will be more than fine with that Nvidia 960 GPU. as long as you have 1x 6 pin and 1x 8 pin PCI-e connectors.

What uses wattage in a PC? mostly everything if you think about it but the biggest users are the following in highest usage first: GPU, CPU, HDD, Ram, Fans, motherboard, SSD's. everything needs to be counted when looking into a PSU but GPU manufactures help us by listing a safe wattage that most PC's will use at max.
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bgunner

bgunner

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Look in your motherboard manual and look up trouble codes. What does it say the 1 long beep and 2 short means?

My guess is that code says there is an issue with the memory. Not all memory is compatible together, you may have just found this out the hard way. To help ease compatibility issues ( but does not always work) do the following: set the ram to the slowest peed of the 2 types of tam and set the timing to the Higher of the 2 ram sticks. Also set the voltage to the higher of the two sticks. This will help ease it but may not cure it as like I mentioned not all ram is compatible with each other.
 
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TRE IzDOPE

TRE IzDOPE

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The crazy thing is my motherboard didnt come with a manual.. I was blown away.. it only came with a piece of paper u could unfold that showed where to put the power +/- pins and stuff.... I did look up on the website and u can download a manual.. i didnt see anything in that manual about the beep codes.. but.. what I did find was a website that showed what the beep codes meant.. https://forum-en.msi.com/faq/article/bios-beep-codes

it shows that 3 beeps is... 3 beeps - Base 64K memory failure - bad memory

I removed the 2GB ram after it wouldnt start and kept giving me the beeps.. also.. again I would like to mention that my monitor wouldnt wake.. wouldnt show anything on the monitor, and the power button stayed yellow.. but I did see my keyboard lights light up, and my mouse has lights on it.. and it lit up..

so.. im not sure.. i have 3 other sticks I could try to put in.. all of those are 2GB also... but i would rather just run with 8GB for the time being if having the 2GB in also is going to cause issues

I would also like to mention

if I left my computer on for a few hours.. and it would go to sleep.. I wouldnt be able to wake it from sleep... it would do the same thing.. where I would see the mouse and keyboard was on... but the monitor wouldnt wake... my MB or CPU does not have onboard video.. and in the bios I see nothing about making sure the GPU PCI E is chose

 
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TRE IzDOPE

TRE IzDOPE

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also.. im not sure how to set the speeds, timing and all of that... here is the 2 types or ram that im using.. the actual models

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820313472&nm_mc=TEMC-RMA-Approvel&cm_mmc=TEMC-RMA-Approvel-_-Content-_-text-_-
^ the 8GB that came with the bundle

and here is the type that im trying to add.. the 2gbs
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231193

as you can see.. both sticks of ram are 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)
Im not a pc master... But.. I do know a decent amt from building them over the years... those in theory should work together being they are the same type and both are 1600 ddr3 sdrams.. unless there is something that I am missing

EDIT

I SEE NOW... the 8GB is DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)
Timing 11-11-11-28
Cas Latency 11
Voltage 1.5V

and the 2GB is
DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)
Timing 9-9-9-24
Cas Latency 9
Voltage 1.5V

would it even be worth adjusting timing and all of that just for 2 extra GBS? in your opinion?
 
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TRE IzDOPE

TRE IzDOPE

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American Megatrends inc
version 8.1
and thats the newest version of the bios thats available
 
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bgunner

bgunner

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Found this: 1 long, 2 short Failure in video system An error was encountered in the video BIOS ROM, or a horizontal retrace failure has been encountered from here: http://www.bioscentral.com/beepcodes/amibeep.htm.

But since it only happens with the other stick of ram inserted IT is more of a ram issue of either bad settings or not compatible.
 
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TRE IzDOPE

TRE IzDOPE

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that dont sound good.... i googled that.. and from what I read.. some others had to move their gpu to a different pciE slot.. which I do not have.. i only have 1 pciE slot... and my main goal on this pc is gaming... so.. i might this happen again next time I start it up? I just think its odd that it only happens sometimes.. last night I kept powering off and on.. i finally had to turn the power off from the PSU then turned it back on and it turned on
 
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TRE IzDOPE

TRE IzDOPE

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also have read that if the GPU isnt bad.. which it shouldnt be.. cause i was using it just fine in my other system... i will also mention that the bundle came with another PSU that I didnt use.. it came with a 500 watt piece of crap with the case... i swapped it out with my 560 watt seasonic PSU.. which again.. i used just fine in my other pc... I dont know.. my issue MIGHT be fixed.. being that I took out the memory and it started right up... im half way afraid to turn it off and back on in case it does it again... if you have any ideas I would appreciate it. Someone said something about clearing the Cmos.. not sure exactly how to do that... I think its the round battery looking thing right? like a BIG Watch battery.... u just remove that for a couple of hours or something? If it is the motherboard.. im not sure how much time I have to return it.. i got it from newegg.. only had it for about 3 days
 
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bgunner

bgunner

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Ahh there is one part I bet they didn't tell you and many over look it, Newegg puts together "kits" and says that all the parts are not guaranteed to work together. But this is Just FYI.

What is the Cmos? The Cmos is the user inputted settings if the BIOS.
How to clear the Cmos: There are 3 ways to do so. 1 if the board has the "option" of a CLR_Cmos button you can press it and it will wipe it for you. 2 All motherboards have a CLR_Cmos jumper (which is a 3 pin with a 2 pin jumper on Pin 1&2) Move the Jumper from pins 1&2 to 2&3 and back again. There is no time interval to keep the jumper on 2&3 so swap it back when your ready. 3rd is remove the button battery (watch battery) for 30 seconds and replace it.

Before going this far wait to see if you have issues with out the 2GB stick inserted. Like I said not all ram is compatible. Due to what you said happened I believe it is a ram issue. No matter what the Beep code says about a GPU issue lets see what happens after a couple days of use, sleep and power cycles.
 
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TRE IzDOPE

TRE IzDOPE

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k, thank you... I will report back if I have anymore issues... if in a couple of days I have no more issues.. i will put this as solved.. thank you for your help, i really appreciate it.. and I DO HOPE that it was only the memory
 
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TRE IzDOPE

TRE IzDOPE

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so far so good on the starting issue... i was wondering if u could help me with something else... I was wanting to upgrade my GPU... and I found this one
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125778&ignorebbr=1

it says power req 400watts
I have a seasonic 560 watt psu

would that be able to run this card? or would I need to uprade the psu as well? Im thinking that my CPU is 90 watts... so 400 for the GPU and 90 on the CPU is 490... but what about the MB? does that take watts as well? sorry.. im not good with these types of issues.. if u could help me out I would greatly appreciate it
 
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bgunner

bgunner

Judicious
Feb 13, 2009
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32,515
OK here is what the GPU makers do when they rate the GPU wattage. The max a GPU will actually use is between 250 watts and 275 watts and no more. So when manufactures say the System requirements are 400W this includes CPU, HDD, 2 x fans, GPU, Ram and board usage.

Since you have a really good PSU you will be more than fine with that Nvidia 960 GPU. as long as you have 1x 6 pin and 1x 8 pin PCI-e connectors.

What uses wattage in a PC? mostly everything if you think about it but the biggest users are the following in highest usage first: GPU, CPU, HDD, Ram, Fans, motherboard, SSD's. everything needs to be counted when looking into a PSU but GPU manufactures help us by listing a safe wattage that most PC's will use at max.
 
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