can ram voltage cause a system to not boot?

elgee

elgee

elgee

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Joined
2 Mar 2011
Posts
6
hello forum,

i have just purchased components for a new system but i am having problems booting it. could ram voltage cause the system to not boot?

mb: GA-890GPA-UD3H 890GX - supported ram 1.5v
ram: OCZ (2x2gb) (OCZ3G1333LV4GK) - supported ram 1.55-1.65 Volts

any insight / advice appreciated!
 
havent made any changes to mb/ram config (havent been able to get that far). have already replaced the mb with same model, but same result
 
need more info

did it ever boot?
have you tried to reinstall windows?
does it stop at the same point every time?
have you tried a memory test?
does it boot in safe mode?
exactly where does it boot to and what does it do?

possibly post full spec with all components could be the video card is overloading the PSU
 
thanks for the responses...

- it a new system, all new components (except for HDD)
- fresh hardware so no previous OS installed (reused hdd with old data on it, no OS at the moment) - unable to get to that point
- no "beep" from pc speaker, no video output, optical light from mouse goes on for a second when power on, then goes off
- not able to boot / show bios / any video output
- mb does get power cause fans/hdd spins up
- tried booting outside chasis in case shorting with screws/chasis
- 2 ram chips, tried 1 at a time in diff slots
- if boot with 24pin from psu - solid system light on front panel of chasis, if also plug in 8pin from psu - light flashes
- ive actually exchanged mb as suspected was faulty, but now same thing on second mb, so racking my brain what else it could be


SYSTEM SPEC:
cpu > AMD Phenom II X4 Quad Core 955 Black Edition "125W Edition" 3.20GHz (Socket AM3)
chasis > Coolermaster HAF 912 Plus
ram> OCZ Gold 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 PC3-10666C9 1333MHz Low-Voltage Dual Channel Kit (OCZ3G1333LV4GK)
psu > Coolermaster GX 750W PSU
motherboard > Gigabyte GA-890GPA-UD3H 890GX Socket AM3
hdd > spare sata drive i have (can hear spin up)

no additional pci / graphics cards installed
 
1) boot outside case
2) reseat the CPU
3) reset the bio by removing the bios battery
4) remove all cables even kb / mouse / hdd
5) install 1 memory stick
6) reset the power connectors
7) make sure the PSU fan is connected to the correct mobo connector
8) short the power on jumpers with a jumper (or paper clip what ever) dont use the case power switch

if that does not work try the other memory stick, if that fails try another memory slow

if all that fails you have a faulty CPU (very unlikley) or PSU (more likley) or two faulty memory sticks (almost impossibly) or incompatible memory (more likley than a faulty cpu but still not likley)

(inspect the cpu and socket for dammage when you reseat it)

thats everything I can think of
 
1) tried that on anti-static paper
2) tried that (pain cause had to remove from heatsink to make sure didnt bend pins)
3) tried that - battery removed for a few mins
4) tried that with no kb/mouse/hdd/chasis fan - although only tried on serial output
5) tried that - single stick at a time and in different slots
6) what do you mean reset the power connectors? take out and put back in?
7) tried that - only fits in 1 place
8) interesting - you mean instead of using front panel IO's to power on, use a jumper (like what use for setting primary / secondary drive on ide's?) - would you put it in to power on? now 100% sure what you mean...

faulty cpu > not sure how i would check? ive looked carefully at the pins and seem ok. havent checked mb cpu slot yet - but able to replicate issue on new mb so not sure thats the prob, will check anyway
faulty PSU > does power other devices (fans/hdd)
faulty ram > mb supports 1.5v, mem is higher than this, which is my question i guess

i have ddr2 mem - but prob not compat? what would happen if i booted with no ram... hmmm...
 
No it shouldn't be because of the ram voltage. Most/all DDR3 ram will run fine at 1.5v, and usually 1600 ram need XMP turning on in the bios before it works at full speed, so by default you're ram is probably running underclocked and will be fine.

My money would have been on the mobo but if you've already replaced it then it's prboably the CPU
 
6) what do you mean reset the power connectors? ** ment reseat ***
8) interesting - you mean instead of ...

there is a gillion to one chance the power button is stuck and powers the machine on then off again... never seen it happen other than when the plastic case button actually jammed in... but considering its a 5 second test it alsways try it.. (If shorted by a jumper you have to take it back off again)

ddr2 ram would kill the machine if its ddr3 probably - dont try that..

faulty PSU > does power other devices (fans/hdd) *** thats not a good enough test it could be a loose wire on one of the power wires to the mobo, it may be it puts out very dirty power that the HD can deal with but the cpu / mobo cannot handle

without the ability to fully test the CPU and PSU you are stuck and will have to guess... unless anyone else has an idea..

memory compatibility jsut because it says it should work does not mean it will (but we are talking about a tiny probability almost too small to bother about but worth trying a different make / model of ram if its available)
 
6) yep, already reseated power
8) will try that - good tip

checklist to try:
PSU - will check cables / wiring as best i can
CPU - other than visual check, not much else i can do
RAM - no alternatives i can try

not looking good - does anyone know OC's policy to return something for testing?
 
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