Tried to upgrade to 16gb of ram. No display.

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Phillyrider807

Commendable
Sep 28, 2016
8
0
1,510
Hey. So i consider myself a fairly tech savy person. Had my gaming pc for over 3 years. During that time period I've installed new video cards/SSD/HDD/Disk drives/Sata cables etc.

So Gears of War 4 comes out and next week and the recommend specs says i should have 16gb of ram. So of course i decide it's time to upgrade my ram.

My motherboard is a "GIGABYTE H8 GA-H81M-H" Turns out it only has 2 slots for ram sticks(Which i though was weird since all the guides i was looking at before i went to install it said it should have 4)

But i didn't really think anything of it. So looking at the 2 slots. I see one of them already contains my 8gb of ram?(1x8gb) and there's a 2nd slot for another 8gb stick to go into. Seems simple enough

So i install the new 8gb stick of ram ("Crucial 8gb DDR3L-1600-. Model number-CT102464BD160B)

Turn my computer back on(It's still working at this time) It boots up normally. I get to my desktop. Go into systems. It still says 8gb of ram.

So again. Not really thinking much of it. (Thinking maybe i didnt snap it in all the way or something) I turn my cmputer off and reinstall the 8gb stick of ram in the 2nd slot.

Turn computer on again(still working) and again not recognizing the addition 8gb of ram. So now im starting to get confused. Thinking maybe my slot isn't working.

So i turn computer off. Take the new 8gb stick out. Uninstall my original 8gb stick and switch it over to the 2nd slot.

Try to turn computer on and this is when it doesn't work. So now im thinking to myself(well damn guess my 2nd slot isn't working)

So now im getting tired and decide i'll deal with this in the morning. Let me just get my computer back to normal. So i remove my original 8gb stick from the 2nd slot. Put it back in the original slot and turn computer on.


Working fine again. So now im thinking to myself(Well let me at least check to make sure the new 8gb ram stick works).

So i turn computer off. Uninstall original 8gb of ram. Install new 8gb of ram in the first ram slot and turn computer back on.

No display again.(So now im thinking there's something going on with the stick as well)


So now i just want to get it back to normal and leave this for tomorrow. So i uninstall new 8gb stick in original slot. Install original 8gb stick in original slot. Bolt back up my case and turn it back on thinking its going to boot up fine.


This is where im currently at now. It never booted back up with the original 8gb stick in the original slot.

Reading through this form i've tried everything i read. I tried removing the cmos battery. I've tried turning it on with both sticks installed. I've tried turning it on with just the original stick and also with the new stick. Nothing works. Computer turns on. Fans spinning but the display on my monitor never comes up so i can't enter bios.(Led lights on my keyboard also doesn't light up when it should light up as soon as i turn my computer on)


So obviously im a lil scared now and thinking something blew in my computer(which doesn't make any sense because only thing i did was mess with the ram sticks)

Additional hardware
GTX 970(Zotac)
i7-4770K



So there's my long story. Any help???
 
Solution
InvalidError

For the third time: ESD - Electrostatic Discharge.

If you have no clue what ESD is, then chances are you didn't take any sort of precautions to avoid killing components with it and it was only a matter of time before it happened. Don't open a PC case again until you have done your homework on it.

What may have been damaged? For the second time: you new RAM, your old RAM, your motherboard and your CPU.
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Phillyrider807

Commendable
Sep 28, 2016
8
0
1,510
My original ram stick is

"Crucial" CT102464BA1339.C16FER

I forgot what website i used but it scanned my hardware and told me the one that was compatible with my system. So i bought it.

But even if the new ram stick isn't compatible that shouldn't have anything to do with why my computer is not booting with my original ram stick installed.
 
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InvalidError

InvalidError

Titan
Moderator
May 18, 2007
23,815
5,265
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You can mix memory, it just isn't guaranteed to work by anyone due to the many extra variables it introduces and the chances of running into issues get worse at higher speeds due to tighter tolerances.

Since OP's PC refuses to boot even with only the new DIMM installed - and even with only the original DIMM after messing around with it - something must have gone wrong with either the CPU or motherboard. Perhaps OP zapped the DIMM with ESD at first and then zapped his motherboard/CPU while poking around.
 
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Phillyrider807

Commendable
Sep 28, 2016
8
0
1,510
"something must have gone wrong with either the CPU or motherboard. Perhaps OP zapped the DIMM with ESD at first and then zapped his motherboard/CPU while poking around."

Ok this is way over my head. What does this even mean?? Only thing i did was remove the ram sticks. I didn't touch anything else in the computer.
 
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Phillyrider807

Commendable
Sep 28, 2016
8
0
1,510
"your motherboard and ram are both likely to be fried."

You can fry a motherboard from just removing a ram stick?? How is that even possible??

How do i know 100% my motherboard is fried? What tests can i do??
 
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Kevin_Genesis

Commendable
Sep 14, 2016
60
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1,660


have you tried booting without ram ?
 
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InvalidError

InvalidError

Titan
Moderator
May 18, 2007
23,815
5,265
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If you didn't take any sort of precaution to discharge static electricity to a safe place before touching the DIMMs and the motherboard, static electricity may have jumped to a data pin and fried/damaged the IO pin's transistors, either on the DIMM or the CPU/motherboard, possibly all three.

How do you "find out 100%" that the motherboard is good/bad? You order a new CPU+MoBo+RAM, test them to make 100% certain they all work, then swap parts to find out which ones work and which ones don't. If you are extra unlucky, one of the components you swap in/out may have a fatal fault which will kill formerly known-good components. (Ex.: VRM with a high-side FET shorted to 12V.)
 
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Phillyrider807

Commendable
Sep 28, 2016
8
0
1,510
So booted computer up with no ram installed. No sounds at all. Not sure if my motherboard has a speaker or not but this is the model number-"GIGABYTE H8 GA-H81M-H

But my motherboard being fried i guess makes sense because my keyboard no longer lights up. It usually lights up as soon as computer starts up.

So a couple questions here

1-How in the world is it possible to fry a motherboard from only removing a ram stick? Im really freaking out about this. If something so small can literally destroy my motherboard whats stopping this from happening again down the line. As i said in the first post. I've installed new video cards harddrives etc and nothing like this ever happened. But me removing a ram stick literally fries my motherboard?? It just makes no sense to me.


2.If my motherboard is dead(which it looks ike it is) How do i know what motherboard is compatible with my computer?(well i guess case?? not sure) Don't have any experience with motherboards at all so im really lost right now.

3.Only bright side of this is im googling motherboards now and they dont seem "that" pricey. Around the 150$ range. And knowing my computer is 3 years old im not "that" mad(Really just confused at this point to how something like this can happen)

Is installing a new motherboard fairly easily? Ir is this something i should take to the shop and let a pro do?

4.Being that it looks like i have to get a new motherboard. Is there anything else that could of also died that i should check?? What about the ram? Is there any tests i can do (using just my computer. Don't have any spare computers lying around) to see if the ram sticks are still working?


Thanks for your help!!!
 
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Kevin_Genesis

Commendable
Sep 14, 2016
60
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1,660
Get whatever you have that was working, tested first. before you make any purchase. Recently, I thought that only my MOBO died. But ended up, my mobo, cpu and ram was all shorted. and i already bought a MOBO replacement before that, so being stuck with the MOBO, i had no choice but to purchase the CPU and RAM as well. I broke my savings to save my desktop.
 
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Phillyrider807

Commendable
Sep 28, 2016
8
0
1,510
"anyway, if your computer is 3 years old, i would just suggest you getting a revamp.."

It's 3 years old but as i said i've made upgrades throughout that entire period.

So my cpu could also be fried?? This is getting ridiculous. I just bought a 30$ ram stick to play gears of war Wtf.


Im going to take it to a shop tomorrow so they can test my entire computer.
 
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InvalidError

InvalidError

Titan
Moderator
May 18, 2007
23,815
5,265
108,890

For the third time: ESD - Electrostatic Discharge.

If you have no clue what ESD is, then chances are you didn't take any sort of precautions to avoid killing components with it and it was only a matter of time before it happened. Don't open a PC case again until you have done your homework on it.

What may have been damaged? For the second time: you new RAM, your old RAM, your motherboard and your CPU.
 
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Solution
K

Kevin_Genesis

Commendable
Sep 14, 2016
60
0
1,660


oh my bad, getting tired on my side. Alright, get them to do an individual component check for you. Ensure that you are there while they do a check, so that they will not get you to change workable parts. best of luck!
 
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