Did I buy incompatible hardware? Grateful for help!

Associate
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Any help with this would be massively appreciated. I built a PC for my son but it is constantly crashing (freezing) and I am worried I have bought incompatible RAM or otherwise am just failing to identify what I've done wrong.

The spec is as follows and the freezes happen whether bios is in default settings or with various tweaks.

Asus ROG STRIX B450-F GAMING AMD B450 DDR4 ATX Motherboard - Socket AM4
AMD Ryzen 5 2600 3.9GHz Six Core
1 x Corsair CMK16GX4M2B3200C16 Vengeance LPX 16GB (2x8
MSI Radeon RX 580 ARMOR 8GB Graphics
Corsair CP-9020133-UK TX550M 550 W 80+ Gold Power Supply

I don't know if I have fundamentally mismatched the hardware, have faulty hardware or need to change bios settings. Any help giving me comfort that I haven't bought incompatible hardware would be hugely appreciated before I go back to redoing the settings (and reinstalling windows for the 100th time....)
 
Soldato
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Hello Brian,

What you listed is compatible. But may need a BIOS update to get better RAM compatibility. Recommend using just one stick of RAM, set BIOS to default, and download the latest BIOS for that board onto USB stick. And flash it from within the BIOS. When safe to do so, shut down, drain power, and add the second stick, and test.

Have you downloaded the motherboard drivers from the Asus product webpage?

Has the AMD graphics driver been installed?

If this doesn't help and nothing else ends up helping, my advice is to reject the goods (motherboard and RAM) within 14 days of purchase. Get a refund, buy a different motherboard and different RAM, and the odds are they'll work fine. While some tweaks may help, there shouldn't be any freezes with default settings.
 
Soldato
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Is it crashing just in windows, or when gaming?

What kind of crash is it? Full power reboot? Or windows BSOD (not that it blue anymore)

I would check you have all the right power connectors in the right places and they are firmly seated on both the motherboard and graphics card.

What slots do you have the ram in? This can matter - though doubt if would cause a full hard crash. Do you get same issues with single stick of memory?

Any wierd peripherals plugged in?
 
Associate
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Thanks both. It is reassuring to know the hardware should at least work in theoty; Unfortunately after messing about with it all day it has got even worse!

Upgraded BIOS and now cannot get windows to install. It always hangs 2/3 of the way through. BIOS wont downgrade so can't roll it back.

In the past the original problem with the PC was that it "froze" randomly (not a bsod, just a frozen screen which was not responsive) but now I can't get windows to even install on it.

Tried different ssds, one stick of ram, the other stick, both sticks - none of them. Checked RAM was in correct slots per motherboard manual and power cables in right place. No odd peripherals, just fans. Computer even seems very fussy about which USB key it will try and install windows from Have to keep swapping and remaking them.

I think I am going to point at the motherboard as the culprit and try a different one and then if that doesn't work I will assume it is the RAM. Too late to send anything back so am stuck with the dodgy products - wish I had bought pre built now!! Any suggestions on replacement ram types or motherboard?

Many thanks
 
Soldato
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This should work ok. It is a bit taller than the Corsair though, but should be fine if you are using the stock cooler.

You can check the QVL list and see that it is on there. Last kit on the 3200 list.

Ryzen 2000 series is the one to download.

https://www.asus.com/uk/Motherboards/ROG-STRIX-B450-F-GAMING/HelpDesk_QVL/


My basket at Overclockers UK:
Total: £137.69 (includes shipping: £8.70)
 
Soldato
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Just to confirm, what speed are you running the RAM at? Ryzen won't automatically be stable at a stick's rated speed. Hence suggestion of bios update above. For stability I'd run at stock 2133 while installing windows and testing.
 
Associate
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Just to confirm, what speed are you running the RAM at? Ryzen won't automatically be stable at a stick's rated speed. Hence suggestion of bios update above. For stability I'd run at stock 2133 while installing windows and testing.

I have tried at various speeds but the bios always ends up running it at 2133 (ie: after crashes, that is where it ends up - but it still crashes afterwards!)
 
Soldato
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Too late to send anything back so am stuck with the dodgy products

It just means you may not be automatically entitled to a refund, you can still RMA them to give retailer one chance to repair or replace (or refund).

I'd try the different RAM on same board. Bad RAM can make Windows installs fail/corrupt.
 
Associate
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OK - tried different RAM from the compatability list in the same motherboard - no improvement.

I then tried a new motherboard - a B450 Tomahawk (https://www.msi.com/Motherboard/B450-TOMAHAWK)

Again, no difference - can get into the BIOS and see RAM and CPU working, but can't install windows. Random BSDs every time it boots to the USB stick.

Tried remaking the windows boot USB stick several times on several sticks - no joy.

The process of putting everything on the new motherboard presumably rules out loose connections and so on (especially given that I am seeing the same symptoms as on the other motherboard.)

So I am coming to the conclusion that if it isn't the RAM, the motherboard, the SSD or the windows media then it pretty much has to be a problem with the CPU. Would that make sense?

One thing I am now confused about is when I set the boot priorities, I seem to get two different options for the boot USB - one of them labelled UEFI and one of them not. Neither of them work but it's a bit of a mystery to me.

Thanks for any help again, and thanks for your patience.
 
Man of Honour
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I saw some issues with the 1700 CPUs that would result in symptoms like you are describing - RMAing them sorted it but so far I've not encountered or seen reliable reports of the same kind of problem with the 2600.

I've built a few 2600 systems but on the 300 series boards and it was amongst the most trouble free builds I've ever done so sucks you aren't getting the same experience.
 
Associate
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Bought a cheap graphics card. It was recognised in BIOS but still cannot install windows.

Tried an HDD instead of the SSDs and that doesn't work either.

So I next it's the CPU, and if that doesn't work then who knows what happens next.

Please say a little prayer for me!
 
Associate
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Thanks - I'm using Windows 10 using the windows media creator .

I don't understand the UEFI thing - when I had a working PC (albeit with freezes) I had just used the windows media creator to install from a USB drive and it was fine.

I have tried booting from the USB marked UEFI and also not UEFI and neither work. But when I installed it first time I didn't really see any UEFI option marked?
 
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