Upgrading RAM PC Wont Boot

FinalSquall

FinalSquall

FinalSquall

Associate
Joined
25 Jul 2011
Posts
278
Hi there OCUK, so I purchased some new 8gb RAM that was on offer last week it was this;
https://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MY-094-KS

Now I thought I would just be able to take out my current RAM which is this;
https://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MY-104-KS

And put in this new one with no problems. However upon booting with the new RAM my PC just kept trying to boot and failing (before anything would even show up on the monitor)

My motherboard is this; MSI Z68A-GD65-G3 Intel Z68 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard (bought it here on ocuk but they dont sell it anymore)

Am I right in thinking that if I flashed the BIOS to a newer version (I am still using the stock BIOS version the motherboard came with in 2011 when I bought it)

Any help would be appreciated greatly!
 
Have you cleared your CMOS? I have the exact same board and when I added some more RAM it wouldn't boot.

Either take the battery out for a while or check the manual as there is two little pins you can touch together with a flat screwdriver and reset it.

Updating to a newer BIOS wouldn't hurt in the long run too.
 
Thanks for the reply mate;

Well I pushed the clear CMOS button on the back of the PC with Power switched off, held it down for a few seconds and PC still wouldnt boot

Edit: As in I already tried clearing CMOS with the new RAM in, PC still wouldnt boot, I then but my old RAM back in and PC booted fine, the only thing I can note is that it did say RAM frequency 1333MHz
 
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In which case try re-seating the RAM since that has been an issue I've had stopping a boot also. If that doesn't work, try booting with one RAM stick and see if that works.

If that doesn't work then if I were you I'd put your old RAM in, flash the latest BIOS and try again. Shouldn't be a reason for it to not work.
 
Wouldnt there be a beep if the RAM wasnt seated correctly?

Your saying BIOS shouldnt be the reason? Also does what I said about 1333MHz after clearing CMOS with old RAM mean anything e.g. do I need to up RAM frequency to 1600MHz using old RAM before I put in the new RAM?
 
By default the highest MHz on the board is 1333MHz which is why it goes to that speed, it only goes 1600MHz if set or with XMP.

There might not be a beep if its incorrectly seated. I wouldn't bother changing the speed, just putting in the new, clearing CMOS and it should boot fine. If not then I'd check with another PC that it works if possible, seems strange for it to not work after re-seating and clearing CMOS
 
I havent tried reseating yet and havent got a spare PC that support DDR3 RAM unfortunatly =/. I will give it another go now and get back to you, thanks a lot for your help mate
 
No problem, happy to help. I'm wracking my brains to see if I can think of a time something similar has happened to me but can't seem to think of a time a CMOS reset didn't cure the issue.

What happens if you put the sticks in that boot in the RAM slots 1&3 (Blue I believe) and the new RAM in slots 2&4 (Black I think)?
 
I actually have both those modules (the blue and the genesis) in my HTPC so you should be able to run them together fine and have 16GB.

There is a chance the new RAM could be faulty. A CMOS reset makes sense, I'd seriously suggest you get a bootdisk like Hiren or ultimatebootcd to boot from to run diagnostic tools like Memtest.
 
Hehe it would total 12GB as the blue is 4 and 8 is plenty for me anyway, have seen that having 4 slots used can cause latency issues and higher voltages so meh.

And thanks for the help Silenced, I reseated them cleared CMOS and things seem fine (last time I didnt clear CMOS before first trying to boot, I tried to boot realised it wasnt working, turned it off cleared CMOS then tried to boot, maybe it didnt like that) Anyways thanks!

Ahh what a world of difference that has made to my modded Skyrim no massive slowdowns woop
 
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FinalSquall said:
Hehe it would total 12GB as the blue is 4 and 8 is plenty for me anyway, have seen that having 4 slots used can cause latency issues and higher voltages so meh.

And thanks for the help Silenced, I reseated them cleared CMOS and things seem fine (last time I didnt clear CMOS before first trying to boot, I tried to boot realised it wasnt working, turned it off cleared CMOS then tried to boot, maybe it didnt like that) Anyways thanks!
Click to expand...

Yes sorry that was a typo my maths isn't that bad lol I'd still use the full 12GB myself. You could even set some aside as a RAMdisk and set the system temp folders and internet cache files to it.

Glad you didn't get DOA kit......we all hate it when that happens. I still recommend you grab the bootdisks they are packed with diagnostic tools and really can help you through troubleshooting hell as I like to call it ;)
 
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