No Boot DRAM Light

wxmblol

wxmblol

wxmblol

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Joined
30 May 2026
Posts
4
Location
England
New pc builder here, I built my new pc to get a DRAM light on solid and just cycles error codes then restarts after a few minutes with the end code being C1. All Fans inc. CPU fan all turn on.

So far I've tried to fix it with these;

-Left running for 30 minutes in case of ram training
-Reset CMOS by both removing battery and short the 2 pins
-Tried to re-seat both ram modules into A2 B2 as before then tried them individually in A2 slot and still didn't post
-Re-seated the CPU but waiting for more thermal paste as I only had a few g's before trying again, but I did update Bios and it still had DRAM light on.

I haven't installed GPU as of yet so maybe I could try adding GPU to see if that's the cause after doing thermal paste and CPU cooler again.

Specs:

-Ultra 7 270k Plus
-Z890 AORUS ELITE WIFI 7
-XFX Swift 9070xt
-32gb Klevv Bolt Fit V ram DDR5 c30
-NZXT C850 800W
-NZXT H7 Flow
-Lexar NM1090 Pro
-Artic III Pro 360 mm
-Artic 140mm Case Fans + Artic Controller

Any help or recommendations would be appreciated.
 
That is a proper headache for your first build, but you’ve already done some brilliant troubleshooting.

The C1 error code on Gigabyte/Aorus boards almost always points to a memory initialisation issue or a CPU memory controller issue. Since you've already tried individual sticks in A2, here are the next things to try.

Check for bent pins: When you re-seat the CPU, get a flashlight and look incredibly closely at the motherboard socket. A single bent pin can cut communication between the CPU and the RAM slots, triggering that exact DRAM light and C1 loop.

Loosen the cooler slightly: The Arctic Liquid Freezer III has quite a bit of mounting pressure. If it's cranked down too tight, it can warp the socket slightly and cause memory channels to lose contact. Try backing the thumb screws off just a fraction of a turn.

Try slots A1 or B2 individually: Even though A2 is standard, if there's a dead channel or slot issue, testing a single stick in every slot (one by one) can help isolate if it's a faulty motherboard slot or a dead stick of RAM.

Your CPU has integrated graphics, so it should boot without the GPU. However, plugging the GPU in can sometimes force the BIOS to reconfigure its PCIe and memory lanes properly.

90% of the time with a C1 code, it's just a finicky mounting pressure issue or a stubborn BIOS.
 
smsmasters said:
That is a proper headache for your first build, but you’ve already done some brilliant troubleshooting.

The C1 error code on Gigabyte/Aorus boards almost always points to a memory initialisation issue or a CPU memory controller issue. Since you've already tried individual sticks in A2, here are the next things to try.

Check for bent pins: When you re-seat the CPU, get a flashlight and look incredibly closely at the motherboard socket. A single bent pin can cut communication between the CPU and the RAM slots, triggering that exact DRAM light and C1 loop.

Loosen the cooler slightly: The Arctic Liquid Freezer III has quite a bit of mounting pressure. If it's cranked down too tight, it can warp the socket slightly and cause memory channels to lose contact. Try backing the thumb screws off just a fraction of a turn.

Try slots A1 or B2 individually: Even though A2 is standard, if there's a dead channel or slot issue, testing a single stick in every slot (one by one) can help isolate if it's a faulty motherboard slot or a dead stick of RAM.

Your CPU has integrated graphics, so it should boot without the GPU. However, plugging the GPU in can sometimes force the BIOS to reconfigure its PCIe and memory lanes properly.

90% of the time with a C1 code, it's just a finicky mounting pressure issue or a stubborn BIOS.
Click to expand...
Thank you mate I'll let you know if it works :}
 
Tested again today and so far I've tried to:

Reset bios CMOS and that didn't work,
tried the 2 ram sticks in every slot and that didn't work,
updated bios and that didn't work,
checked for bent pins couldn't see any,
re-seated cooler a lot looser (still sturdy) this time but when I updated bios it had ram light without it even on so it can't be that

Only thing I can even assume is wrong is that it's a bad motherboard, CPU or Ram so basically half the pc could be wrong, smh.
 
Did you get the components from OCUK? (if not don't say where from as it's against the forum rules)

You could see about sending all three back to the retailer and get them to check and replace what faulty.
 
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