I recently decided to take the plunge and build an up to date system, primarily for gaming, for the first time in nearly six years. So all this new hardware was a lot of fun to read up on, since I'd had my head in the sand pretty much all those years. Anyway, on to the point.
After a some research, I purchased the ASUS Z170-A motherboard and a set of Corsair Vengeance LPX RAM (2x8GB, DDR4, 3000MHz, PC4-24000, etc.). The install went pretty smoothly I think, some of the power connectors to the motherboard were stubborn and took some force to get in but nothing I'd deem excessive or dangerous. And me being my usual clumsy self the RAM was obnoxious to finally get seated, but again it was nothing that seemed problematic.
The computer powers on fine, all the components turn on and whatnot, but I got no video either from onboard or the video card. The motherboard comes with some LEDs on it for quick and basic troubleshooting, as in the corresponding LED will stay lit if there is an issue with the component during boot. The RAM LED stays lit, and the so-called 'MemOK!' diagnostic (its a little button on the motherboard that forces a reboot then it runs some tests) is unable to resolve the issue.
Now here's where the fun begins. I've never had RAM go bad on me before (lucky I know), so I scrutinize the motherboard's manual. It has a list of compatible RAM and mine is not listed. But the exact same RAM, just in 4GB modules instead of 8GB, is listed as compatible. That shouldn't make a difference, should it? I cannot wrap my head around why it would. I tried pretty much every slot with each stick of RAM together and separate, and I got the same issue each time.
Needless to say I'm stumped. Everything else seems to be getting power and working just fine, but obviously if I can't even get to the BIOS I can't know for sure. So in the mean time, I'm returning that RAM and getting some that is listed as compatible. Because I'm perhaps stupid, I decided to get that same RAM but in the 4x4GB variant instead, just to see what will happen. But what are the odds of both RAM sticks being bad right out of the box? It's not improbable but it seems fishy, don't you think? How can I even tell if the motherboard is the problem here? I guess I just have to assume it is if the next RAM doesn't work, right?
After a some research, I purchased the ASUS Z170-A motherboard and a set of Corsair Vengeance LPX RAM (2x8GB, DDR4, 3000MHz, PC4-24000, etc.). The install went pretty smoothly I think, some of the power connectors to the motherboard were stubborn and took some force to get in but nothing I'd deem excessive or dangerous. And me being my usual clumsy self the RAM was obnoxious to finally get seated, but again it was nothing that seemed problematic.
The computer powers on fine, all the components turn on and whatnot, but I got no video either from onboard or the video card. The motherboard comes with some LEDs on it for quick and basic troubleshooting, as in the corresponding LED will stay lit if there is an issue with the component during boot. The RAM LED stays lit, and the so-called 'MemOK!' diagnostic (its a little button on the motherboard that forces a reboot then it runs some tests) is unable to resolve the issue.
Now here's where the fun begins. I've never had RAM go bad on me before (lucky I know), so I scrutinize the motherboard's manual. It has a list of compatible RAM and mine is not listed. But the exact same RAM, just in 4GB modules instead of 8GB, is listed as compatible. That shouldn't make a difference, should it? I cannot wrap my head around why it would. I tried pretty much every slot with each stick of RAM together and separate, and I got the same issue each time.
Needless to say I'm stumped. Everything else seems to be getting power and working just fine, but obviously if I can't even get to the BIOS I can't know for sure. So in the mean time, I'm returning that RAM and getting some that is listed as compatible. Because I'm perhaps stupid, I decided to get that same RAM but in the 4x4GB variant instead, just to see what will happen. But what are the odds of both RAM sticks being bad right out of the box? It's not improbable but it seems fishy, don't you think? How can I even tell if the motherboard is the problem here? I guess I just have to assume it is if the next RAM doesn't work, right?
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