I think I have a problem

[Curption]

I bought a new ssd the Crucial P310 2280 PCIe Gen4. However now I am having an issue with my pc not even posting a picture and reading a c4 code on my motherboard (z390 aorus ultra) but now been doing some research an I do not think these 2 are compatible

. 
so my question is, do I just do a compete system upgrade considering I’m about 4-5 generation old now.

 

or return ssd and get a compatible one.

 

or the dream somehow get my pc to work.

 

thank you

[whispous]

What's the rest of your spec, including other plugged in drives

 

And why have you deliberately chosen to make your text small?

[johnt]

Gen4 drive compatibility seems to be hit or miss with older motherboards. I've been dealing with this myself. I bought a Gen4 card, but my X99 platform won't even recognize it. The goog's says it is something dealing with a handshake. I was under the impression that compatibility issues were a thing of the past and the devices would just negotiate at a slower speed for maintain compatibility. Apparently not.

 

A BIOS update might be helpful for you. It didn't do anything for me. I've had zero issues with Gen3 cards for reference.

[leclod]

if you have another M.2 slot available, did you try it ?

[leclod]

What's a C4 code ?

(I've never heard of an incompatible SSD)

Edited December 14, 2025 by leclod

[WoodenMarker]

Are you encountering the same issue with the drive removed?

[Thomas53]

 

1 hour ago, leclod said:

What's a C4 code ?

(I've never heard of an incompatible SSD)

A C4 error means that  a problem with the DRAM, meaning that the system is unable to detect or properly use the RAM. It could mean that either he RAM is faulty or there is an issue with the motherboard itself.

[leclod]

21 minutes ago, Thomas53 said:

A C4 error means that  a problem with the DRAM, 

but where did he get C4 from ?

[Thomas53]

14 minutes ago, leclod said:

but where did he get C4 from ?

Various methods, including pop-up messages, the Device Manager, and the (BSOD) among others all of which will display error codes.

[leclod]

4 minutes ago, Thomas53 said:

Various methods, including pop-up messages, the Device Manager, and the (BSOD) among others all of which will display error codes.

"now I am having an issue with my pc not even posting" I understand his pc doesn't post

[Thomas53]

2 minutes ago, leclod said:

"now I am having an issue with my pc not even posting" I understand his pc doesn't post

From the way I read it, the error code was displayed and after rebooting, it no longer worked. But not being familiar with his motherboard can display the code on the board itself.

[leclod]

30 minutes ago, Thomas53 said:

But not being familiar with his motherboard can display the code on the board itself.

It takes two minutes checking the motherboard, it can't display a code

Edited December 14, 2025 by leclod

[Sawa Takahashi]

7 hours ago, Curption said:

I bought a new ssd the Crucial P310 2280 PCIe Gen4.

Where did you buy that SSD ? In the past I got issues with Crucial P3 drives from Amazon. They were either cheaply made or counterfeit and did last about 2 or 3 weeks before the controller failed.

If the P310 has the same issues, return it as soon as possible.

Among the brands of SDs I got no issues over the years there are Kingston, Western Digital and Lexar and XPG/Adata.

7 hours ago, Curption said:

or return ssd and get a compatible one.

Compatibility should ne be an issue -in theory- but it can be hit or miss in practice. I got not problems with the previous brands I mentioned before about compatibility. That said, make sure you can return the SSD if it doesn't work properly in your system.

[Curption]

I’ve resolved the issue. After testing multiply ssd slots nothing so I used my brothers pc which is like new, same issue where pc is not booting so I might be jumping to conclusions but its the ssd in my head. 
as I wasn’t coming into the issue with the ssd removed
I did buy it off of Amazon where I read other people had issues.

also not sure why font was different size I just started typing.

thanks everyone for the response I tried all of your suggestions.

[Bjoolz]

14 hours ago, Thomas53 said:

 

A C4 error means that  a problem with the DRAM, meaning that the system is unable to detect or properly use the RAM. It could mean that either he RAM is faulty or there is an issue with the motherboard itself.

C4 is reserved. A motherboard model could use it, but it would be specific to that board. His board does NOT have anything specified for C4. Screenshot from the manual of his motherboard:

 

14 hours ago, Thomas53 said:

Various methods, including pop-up messages, the Device Manager, and the (BSOD) among others all of which will display error codes.

No. It's a Q-Code, which is displayed on display on his motherboard. Example: