RAM slot not working with growing confusion even after reading some forum posts

[donald_slowin]

> i7 4790
> Some Gigabyte mobo
> Had two working RAM slots with each 8GB
> Decided to change CPU fan
> One messy installation later and only the slot closer to CPU is working
> Tried every combination to rule faulty sticks out
> Read some forum posts
> Following solutions were not it::::
Mobo being not leveled
Increasing RAM voltage
Swapping back to old fan
> Currently looking for bent pins

> I personally don‘t see anything wrong

Can someone help me out?
Thanks for your time!

 

[alexoiu]

Pins look ok, Try re-seating the CPU, cooler, and testing again.

 

[donald_slowin]

@alexoiu
Something to look out for or maybe something to avoid when re-seating?

Also I noticed some, in my view, sketchy things on the backside:

Can these things on the back of the slots have an impact?

 

[geofelt]

Pins look OK to me.
If in the process of changing out the cooler, you left the cpu in the socket(recommended) then a bent pin is unlikely.
When you reinsert, be careful to drop the cpu in.
Do not smoosh it around.
The socket is designed for a max of 15 insertions.

Sometimes, ram is not inserted all the way or evenly.
You might check that.

You indicated a "messy" cooler installation.
What do you mean by that?
What kind of paste did you use?
Did you use too much such that it overflowed? (a rice sized drop is sufficient)
I don't know how thermal paste would have got to the back of the motherboard.
If those white bits are conductive paste, you could be shorting something important.

I might try to wipe it off using alcohol.

 

[donald_slowin]

Alright so maybe this is the culprit.
As in the Picture:

There is a scratch on a connection which leads to the second slot.
Maybe this is it?
Is there a way to fix that connection with the scratch?

 

[mdd1963]

Exposed copper won't do anything, especially since the largest scratch is across a single line anyway....; as long as the copper is not gouged out enough into creating an open/disrupting continuity along one of the runs...

 

[donald_slowin]

What if it is gouged out enough?
Is that fixable?

 

[mdd1963]

If it were gouged out enough to break the contact, yes, anyone with some soldering skills could likely wire a replacement 1 cm piece of run to reattach..if that were even the issue...; you could determine if it were with an ohm meter above and below the gouge (you'd have to puncture thru the protective conformal coating)....; if it shows open, the gouge has broken the run...

 

[donald_slowin]

What do you think of conductive paint and a toothpick to just fill in that tiny tiny little gap?
Since I'm not really a professional and want to keep it home