MSI B350 Tomahawk Dual Channel RAM no longer works

[raspberrypihole]

I have additional troubleshooting results posted in a comment below which could be relevant.

 

I have a MSI B350 Tomahawk motherboard and was using it with Ryzen 5800X on bios 7A34v1Q8(Beta version) and 2x16 GB of DDR4 Corsair Vengeance RAM (cmk32gx4m2e3200c16) which is all working fine. Then I packed my mobo in a cardboard box  with my old CPU Ryzen 1700 and packed my 5800X on it's original packaging. Everything is in a checked bag. When I got home, I reassembled my computer, I didn't put in the 5800X because I have a stock cooler and haven't purchase a good cooler yet. I realized I forgot the bring my PSU power cord so I borrowed a power cord from a projector which works. On the first boot, everything works, I just needed to grab some files and didn't really check what RAM I have in BIOS. The next day, I bought a Hyper 212 and installed it with a 5800X.

 

After putting both sticks of RAM in A2 and B2 with the 5800X, the CPU and DRAM LED light up and fan spins loudly and no POST. But when I removed the RAM in B2 slot, the PC posts. I also put the other RAM in A2 and works too; putting both RAM in A1/A2 it works but with both RAM in dual channel, the PC refuse to post at all. I also tried it with the 1700, the CPU and DRAM light up for a bit, but it turns off, this repeats for some time and the PC will finally post, but in the BIOS, it only has 16GB of RAM available. I have also tried it with a 2133 MHz HyperX 8GB RAM, it's the same. With 5800X, PC won't post at all; with 1700, only the RAM in A slot is detected. I have removed the CMOS battery multiple times while trying different RAMs.

 

I'm currently using the 1700 as it can boot into Windows and with both RAM. What's also weird is in Windows, both sticks of RAM are detected, in both CPU-Z and task manager, but not detected in BIOS. On taskbar manager, it says I have 2/4 RAM installed, 32GB total but only 16 GB usable. So I don't really understand what is going on here. Similarly, when I tried 8GB RAM, it was also detected in Windows but not usable.

 

Unfortunately, I do not have another AM4 motherboard to test. But with the symptoms above, I highly suspect it's the motherboard is the problem and my RAM and both CPUs are fine. I purchased the board in 2017 so I don't think RMA would be an option. I've tried many troubleshooting steps, such as swapping different parts and clearing CMOS, it's really odd to me as there are no visible damage on all my components and how my RAM gets detected in software but not BIOS. The only troubleshooting step I haven't tried is BIOS downgrade, it's not possible to do so (the most I can downgrade is 1Q7), maybe because I upgraded to the GSE Lite BIOS and MSI M-Flash won't allow me to downgrade to earlier version. 

 

What other troubleshooting method should I do diagnose and fix my motherboard problem? Would there be a chance in downgrading the BIOS (I've seen it's possible to do with CH341a or EFI Shell, but it's risky so I haven't done it)? Or time to conclude I need a new motherboard if I wanted dual channel memory? 

 

[Somerandomtechyboi]

board issue

probably just dirty ram slots though so all you have to do is buy a toothbrush and scrub the shit out of the channels that dont wanna detect

[191x7]

2 hours ago, raspberrypihole said:

I have a MSI B350 Tomahawk motherboard and was using it with Ryzen 5800X on bios 7A34v1Q8(Beta version) and 2x16 GB of DDR4 Corsair Vengeance RAM (cmk32gx4m2e3200c16) which is all working fine. Then I packed my mobo in a cardboard box  with my old CPU Ryzen 1700 and packed my 5800X on it's original packaging. Everything is in a checked bag. When I got home, I reassembled my computer, I didn't put in the 5800X because I have a stock cooler and haven't purchase a good cooler yet. I realized I forgot the bring my PSU power cord so I borrowed a power cord from a projector which works. On the first boot, everything works, I just needed to grab some files and didn't really check what RAM I have in BIOS. The next day, I bought a Hyper 212 and installed it with a 5800X.

 

After putting both sticks of RAM in A2 and B2 with the 5800X, the CPU and DRAM LED light up and fan spins loudly and no POST. But when I removed the RAM in B2 slot, the PC posts. I also put the other RAM in A2 and works too; putting both RAM in A1/A2 it works but with both RAM in dual channel, the PC refuse to post at all. I also tried it with the 1700, the CPU and DRAM light up for a bit, but it turns off, this repeats for some time and the PC will finally post, but in the BIOS, it only has 16GB of RAM available. I have also tried it with a 2133 MHz HyperX 8GB RAM, it's the same. With 5800X, PC won't post at all; with 1700, only the RAM in A slot is detected. I have removed the CMOS battery multiple times while trying different RAMs.

 

I'm currently using the 1700 as it can boot into Windows and with both RAM. What's also weird is in Windows, both sticks of RAM are detected, in both CPU-Z and task manager, but not detected in BIOS. On taskbar manager, it says I have 2/4 RAM installed, 32GB total but only 16 GB usable. So I don't really understand what is going on here. Similarly, when I tried 8GB RAM, it was also detected in Windows but not usable.

 

Unfortunately, I do not have another AM4 motherboard to test. But with the symptoms above, I highly suspect it's the motherboard is the problem and my RAM and both CPUs are fine. I purchased the board in 2017 so I don't think RMA would be an option. I've tried many troubleshooting steps, such as swapping different parts and clearing CMOS, it's really odd to me as there are no visible damage on all my components and how my RAM gets detected in software but not BIOS. The only troubleshooting step I haven't tried is BIOS downgrade, it's not possible to do so (the most I can downgrade is 1Q7), maybe because I upgraded to the GSE Lite BIOS and MSI M-Flash won't allow me to downgrade to earlier version. 

 

What other troubleshooting method should I do diagnose and fix my motherboard problem? Would there be a chance in downgrading the BIOS (I've seen it's possible to do with CH341a or EFI Shell, but it's risky so I haven't done it)? Or time to conclude I need a new motherboard if I wanted dual channel memory? 

 

 

You seem to still be on Bios Q7 while the latest seems to be Q8.

https://www.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK/support

 

Also, check the CPU-s for bent pins and check the socket (if a pin broke off it might be in the socket).

[raspberrypihole]

20 hours ago, Somerandomtechyboi said:

board issue

probably just dirty ram slots though so all you have to do is buy a toothbrush and scrub the shit out of the channels that dont wanna detect

I've done that, checked the RAM slot for abnormalities and scrubbed it, unfortunately it still didn't work.

[raspberrypihole]

19 hours ago, 191x7 said:

 

You seem to still be on Bios Q7 while the latest seems to be Q8.

https://www.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK/support

 

Also, check the CPU-s for bent pins and check the socket (if a pin broke off it might be in the socket).

I have tried 1Q7 and 1Q8 and both version doesn't detect my second RAM. I've checked both CPUs for damaged pins and did not find any. There was no problem when switching between CPUs (I'd have problem inserting the other CPU if a pin is stuck in the socket). I was still not able to get dual channel fully working.

[Somerandomtechyboi]

Just now, raspberrypihole said:

I've done that, checked the RAM slot for abnormalities and scrubbed it, unfortunately it still didn't work.

then its probably the cpu socket

 

id try spraying the ram slots and the cpu socket with some 99% IPA first before going ahead and trying to remove the socket cover/retention to try cleaning the cpu socket more as thats a massive PITA to remove and its pretty likely to break if you arent gentle with it cause retarded foxconn design with fragile ass plastic and a complicated removal procedure unlike lotes sockets where you just pull the lever backwards then to the side and it pops off with relative ease and usually no damage

 

cpus dont play a part in this unless there are missing pins and any bent pins would stop you from putting it in the socket

[raspberrypihole]

57 minutes ago, Somerandomtechyboi said:

then its probably the cpu socket

 

id try spraying the ram slots and the cpu socket with some 99% IPA first before going ahead and trying to remove the socket cover/retention to try cleaning the cpu socket more as thats a massive PITA to remove and its pretty likely to break if you arent gentle with it cause retarded foxconn design with fragile ass plastic and a complicated removal procedure unlike lotes sockets where you just pull the lever backwards then to the side and it pops off with relative ease and usually no damage

 

cpus dont play a part in this unless there are missing pins and any bent pins would stop you from putting it in the socket

Don't see any physical problems with the CPU or RAM socket except some thermal paste around the edge, but I still cleaned it with IPA and now there are not pastes anywhere near the socket. Still no dice.

 

The mobo detects it's dual channel when I have 2 RAM installed and single channel when I just have one, but still only 16GB detected despite being dual channel. 

[raspberrypihole]

Here are some additional information that may be relevant. When I clear the CMOS and it shows the setup screen, it was able to detect whether the RAM is in single or dual channel mode.

 

2x16GB RAM in it's correct locations (A2, B2) 220710.jpg

 

1x16GB RAM in A2 only 221141.jpg 221141.jpg

 

The bios versions are different, but with extensive troubleshooting I've done previously, the new BIOS version doesn't make any difference to the result and I couldn't test the old BIOS since M-Flash doesn't allow me to.

 

So Windows recognize the configuration and capacity of my RAM, but unusuable. The setup screen recognize the configuration but not the size, and due to the limited Lite BIOS, it only recognize it's 16GB.

[Somerandomtechyboi]

2 hours ago, raspberrypihole said:

Don't see any physical problems with the CPU or RAM socket except some thermal paste around the edge, but I still cleaned it with IPA and now there are not pastes anywhere near the socket. Still no dice.

 

The mobo detects it's dual channel when I have 2 RAM installed and single channel when I just have one, but still only 16GB detected despite being dual channel. 

clean the ram sticks and scrub those ram slots abit more and dual channel with full ram capacity (cause the rams properly detecting and actually usable) should work again

[raspberrypihole]

Just now, Somerandomtechyboi said:

clean the ram sticks and scrub those ram slots abit more and dual channel with full ram capacity (cause the rams properly detecting and actually usable) should work again

I've scrubbed the CPU socket, RAM slot once more with IPA. It still doesn't work. I have some photo of the CPU pins (both 1700 and 5800X, the slanted one is the 5800X), the B RAM slots (non-working ones) and the socket, don't see anything suspicious there. Other users suggested it might be cooler mounting pressure, but I adjusted that with the stock cooler and even with no contact between cooler and CPU, still no dice. It's really weird.

[Somerandomtechyboi]

one last thing to try is deep cleaning

 

take off heatsinks + cmos battery

short powerbutton + clr cmos for a minute

rinse with water making sure everything is soaked

either dunk in a bucket of water for an hour or 2 or chuck in a dishwasher with no detergent

leave to dry for a day or 2

 

if that doesnt work just replace the thing since an equivalent b3/450 is around 50$ used or less since trying to take the socket cover off is probably gonna break it due to retarded foxconn design + fragile plastic thats overly difficult to remove

[raspberrypihole]

On 5/4/2024 at 3:15 AM, Somerandomtechyboi said:

one last thing to try is deep cleaning

 

take off heatsinks + cmos battery

short powerbutton + clr cmos for a minute

rinse with water making sure everything is soaked

either dunk in a bucket of water for an hour or 2 or chuck in a dishwasher with no detergent

leave to dry for a day or 2

 

if that doesnt work just replace the thing since an equivalent b3/450 is around 50$ used or less since trying to take the socket cover off is probably gonna break it due to retarded foxconn design + fragile plastic thats overly difficult to remove

Thanks for your help. I'm just using the system in single channel mode only while waiting for a AM4 board on Facebook marketplace. Once I got a working system I'll give a last shot at repairing this board with your method, since fully working mobo sell on marketplace for more than a mobo that is half working.