I've got a long story here but I think I should try explaining everything in careful detail because I have a rather unique situation. Ok, here goes:
I bought my PC build to accommodate Macintosh OS with the intent to have both Windows and Mac operating off of different SSDs. I began by putting the PC together and installing Windows 10. Everything went smoothly and perfectly; no issues whatsoever and Windows 10 was running like a dream. As a simple test, I ran the Final Fantasy 14 benchmark test with a very high score on maximum settings and I played Killer Instinct at maximum settings. No hiccups at all.
Next, I decided to try installing Mac OS X El Capitan through www.tonymacx86.com. I tried my best at following the instructions very carefully but despite my best efforts, Mac OS simply refused to get very far in the installation. I tried different methods, such as different USB sticks, attempting an install on Legacy and then back to UEFI, trying different BIOS settings, and so on. Eventually, the big solution I found to install Mac OS was attempting the install with only one RAM stick. I gave that a try and lo and behold, it worked. Mac OS installed right away.
Here's where the problems begin. I shut down the computer, switch off the power, and attempt to reinsert the RAM sticks. One of the sticks simply wasn't fitting as snug as the others and I found myself forcing it in a little bit, even to the point where the pin that holds the RAM popped out. To my stupidity, I didn't quite realize that I was inserting the RAM upside down. I reinserted the RAM correctly and placed the pin back in place to hold the RAM in position.
I turn my computer back on and boot into Mac OS. Installing the post-installation drivers was a nightmare and nothing was working properly. It was certainly Mac OS at a glance but without audio, glitchy video, and a mess of other problems, it was practically worthless. After spending a good two days attempting to get Mac OS to work properly, I decided to give up altogether. I figured that if installing it alone was such a hassle then I don't even want to bother with upkeep.
This is when I noticed something strange. In the "About This Mac" section (similar to Control Panel > System, or My Computer > Properties in Windows 10) I noticed that it was only reading two 8gb RAM sticks when it should read four 8gb sticks. I figured at first that this might simply be Mac OS giving me further issues but just to be sure, I booted in Windows 10 to check the memory there. Unfortunately, Windows 10 also read 16gb total memory, as opposed the 32gb I should have.
I figure that I might have damaged either the RAM stick or that particular slot in the motherboard which is the 2nd starting from the left, 3rd from the right. I try switching the sticks around to see if that changes anything but the next time I power on my computer, it goes into a restart loop without even getting to the BIOS. I tried switching in and out more combinations of RAM sticks, including only one stick and no sticks but the same results remain.
At this point, I'm just tired. I just want my Windows 10 computer up and running again properly, as well as it reading my 32gb of memory. I plan to format the other SSD and keep it as a spare; forget about Mac OS. I don't have a problem with formatting the Windows boot SSD and reinstalling Windows 10; I didnt have anything important on there anyway. I don't think the problem could possibly be the CPU or GPU, as both were working perfectly fine before I tried installing Mac.
I'm not sure if my BIOS got confused when I installed Mac OS with only one RAM stick or if I damaged that slot or stick during that fiasco. I have a seperate iMac computer so I was thinking of putting in all of the RAM sticks in there to see if they're working properly. I have also been suggested to try reseting the motherboard's CMOS and see what happens. I'm going to try these different solutions once I get back home from work tonight. Does any of this make sense? Is there something else I should try? I apologize for the long story and I thank everyone who took the time to read through it all. I greatly appreciate any advice anyone can give.
Here is my computer build:
(Motherboard) Gigabyte LGA1151 Intel Z170 ATX DDR4 Motherboards GA-Z170X-UD5
(CPU) Intel Core i7 6700K 4.00 GHz Unlocked Quad Core Skylake Desktop Processor, Socket LGA 1151 [BX80662I76700K]
(CPU Cooler) Zalman CPU Cooler for Intel Socket 1155/1156/1366/775 and AMD Socket FM1/AM3+/AM3/AM2+/AM2 CNPS8000B
(GPU) EVGA GeForce GTX 950 2GB SC GAMING, Silent Cooling Graphics Card 02G-P4-2951-KR
(RAM) Ballistix Sport LT 8GB Single DDR4 2400 MT/s (PC4-19200) DIMM 288-Pin - BLS8G4D240FSE (Red) x4
(Power Supply) Corsair RM Series, RM650, 650 Watt (650W), Fully Modular Power Supply, 80+ Gold Certified
(BluRay Read/Write) LG Electronics 14x SATA Blu-ray Internal Rewriter, Black (WH14NS40)
I bought my PC build to accommodate Macintosh OS with the intent to have both Windows and Mac operating off of different SSDs. I began by putting the PC together and installing Windows 10. Everything went smoothly and perfectly; no issues whatsoever and Windows 10 was running like a dream. As a simple test, I ran the Final Fantasy 14 benchmark test with a very high score on maximum settings and I played Killer Instinct at maximum settings. No hiccups at all.
Next, I decided to try installing Mac OS X El Capitan through www.tonymacx86.com. I tried my best at following the instructions very carefully but despite my best efforts, Mac OS simply refused to get very far in the installation. I tried different methods, such as different USB sticks, attempting an install on Legacy and then back to UEFI, trying different BIOS settings, and so on. Eventually, the big solution I found to install Mac OS was attempting the install with only one RAM stick. I gave that a try and lo and behold, it worked. Mac OS installed right away.
Here's where the problems begin. I shut down the computer, switch off the power, and attempt to reinsert the RAM sticks. One of the sticks simply wasn't fitting as snug as the others and I found myself forcing it in a little bit, even to the point where the pin that holds the RAM popped out. To my stupidity, I didn't quite realize that I was inserting the RAM upside down. I reinserted the RAM correctly and placed the pin back in place to hold the RAM in position.
I turn my computer back on and boot into Mac OS. Installing the post-installation drivers was a nightmare and nothing was working properly. It was certainly Mac OS at a glance but without audio, glitchy video, and a mess of other problems, it was practically worthless. After spending a good two days attempting to get Mac OS to work properly, I decided to give up altogether. I figured that if installing it alone was such a hassle then I don't even want to bother with upkeep.
This is when I noticed something strange. In the "About This Mac" section (similar to Control Panel > System, or My Computer > Properties in Windows 10) I noticed that it was only reading two 8gb RAM sticks when it should read four 8gb sticks. I figured at first that this might simply be Mac OS giving me further issues but just to be sure, I booted in Windows 10 to check the memory there. Unfortunately, Windows 10 also read 16gb total memory, as opposed the 32gb I should have.
I figure that I might have damaged either the RAM stick or that particular slot in the motherboard which is the 2nd starting from the left, 3rd from the right. I try switching the sticks around to see if that changes anything but the next time I power on my computer, it goes into a restart loop without even getting to the BIOS. I tried switching in and out more combinations of RAM sticks, including only one stick and no sticks but the same results remain.
At this point, I'm just tired. I just want my Windows 10 computer up and running again properly, as well as it reading my 32gb of memory. I plan to format the other SSD and keep it as a spare; forget about Mac OS. I don't have a problem with formatting the Windows boot SSD and reinstalling Windows 10; I didnt have anything important on there anyway. I don't think the problem could possibly be the CPU or GPU, as both were working perfectly fine before I tried installing Mac.
I'm not sure if my BIOS got confused when I installed Mac OS with only one RAM stick or if I damaged that slot or stick during that fiasco. I have a seperate iMac computer so I was thinking of putting in all of the RAM sticks in there to see if they're working properly. I have also been suggested to try reseting the motherboard's CMOS and see what happens. I'm going to try these different solutions once I get back home from work tonight. Does any of this make sense? Is there something else I should try? I apologize for the long story and I thank everyone who took the time to read through it all. I greatly appreciate any advice anyone can give.
Here is my computer build:
(Motherboard) Gigabyte LGA1151 Intel Z170 ATX DDR4 Motherboards GA-Z170X-UD5
(CPU) Intel Core i7 6700K 4.00 GHz Unlocked Quad Core Skylake Desktop Processor, Socket LGA 1151 [BX80662I76700K]
(CPU Cooler) Zalman CPU Cooler for Intel Socket 1155/1156/1366/775 and AMD Socket FM1/AM3+/AM3/AM2+/AM2 CNPS8000B
(GPU) EVGA GeForce GTX 950 2GB SC GAMING, Silent Cooling Graphics Card 02G-P4-2951-KR
(RAM) Ballistix Sport LT 8GB Single DDR4 2400 MT/s (PC4-19200) DIMM 288-Pin - BLS8G4D240FSE (Red) x4
(Power Supply) Corsair RM Series, RM650, 650 Watt (650W), Fully Modular Power Supply, 80+ Gold Certified
(BluRay Read/Write) LG Electronics 14x SATA Blu-ray Internal Rewriter, Black (WH14NS40)
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