Long road to upgrade

A bit of history

Around 8 years ago, I upgraded my computer. That time, I went for a budget build, and buying 16 Gb of memory was quite adequate and very reasonable. But around the end of 2024, 16 Gb became a huge pain.

I typically use 2 browsers: one for serious stuff like banking, and the second one for entertainment. Both browsers had many tabs open, and together they consumed a crazy amount of memory. Many times I’ve seen 8 Gb or more memory usage just for 2 browsers combined. Add Windows, any tasks I started, and you will probably understand that my computer was constantly swapping memory back and forth.

And after that story, I left with 2 identical sets of memory. They are not a set of 4 x 8Gb but instead 2 different sets of 2 x 8 Gb of the Patriot PV416G320C6K memory. I decided to try it in my system because my computer feels quite laggy sometimes.

But when I added the second set, my computer got stuck with the CPU LED on. I tried several things, but after some time, I gave up because everybody was saying that the AMD 2000 series CPUs are quite picky about memory.

Later, many browsers fixed most of these issues in 2025 by introducing the concept of sleeping tabs. If a tab is not used for some time, then a browser will unload it from memory. It somewhat improved the situation and reduced pressure, but it was clear that 16 Gb is not adequate anymore.

Possible solution

Some time ago, I was entertaining the idea of buying a new computer. My current PC shows its age. I don’t do any heavy workloads, but my memory usage is constantly close to 16 Gb. Sometimes switching between applications is laggy. And this is after major browsers fixed insane memory usage when many tabs are opened.

But as everybody knows, right now, memory prices are simply crazy. I don’t want to buy 32 Gb of memory for $450 because I bought the same set for a different build for $100 in 2025. SSD prices are also quite crazy.

Lastly, it looks like AMD will release a new generation of CPUs at the end of 2026. Perhaps memory prices will drop to that moment, and I can buy a decent PC for a reasonable amount of money.

But is there something I can do right now? I think if I have 32 Gb of memory, then my PC will serve me for around 2 more years. Obviously, buying a new DDR4 set of 2 x 16 Gb makes absolutely no sense. It is also expensive, and it is a dead end.

And then I got an idea. The AM4 socket supports 4 generations of Ryzen CPUs. I can buy an AMD 5000 series CPU to replace my current CPU. They are quite cheap now, and from what I read, they have a much better memory controller. So I can improve performance and have much more memory.

Obviously, there is risk. There is no guarantee that the new CPU will be able to handle 4 memory sticks at a decent speed. There is no guarantee that the new CPU will work with any of my memory modules at all.

But after some research, I found that chances are quite high, and I decided to risk it and started looking at the CPUs. Initially, I thought of buying the AMD Ryzen 5500. Please note that it is a quite different CPU, and it is from a different family from the rest of the 5000 series. Do not buy it unless you know what you are doing.

So, I decided to buy the Ryzen 5600. The cheapest AMD 5600 I found was $130. But it is a tray version. AMD does not provide a warranty for tray CPUs because they sold them only to big PC builders. So the tray version has only a seller's warranty of 30 days. Typically, it is not an issue because usually the CPU works for quite a long time or does not work immediately. But I prefer to buy a boxed version that comes with a standard warranty.

I found a boxed version for $134, but it was shipping from Hong Kong, and it is a bit unreliable considering the current situation with tariffs. I found a boxed version for $154 that ships from the US, and I thought that it was the best option.

But then I got another idea. What if I can spend $20-$30 extra and buy a much faster CPU? The next CPU after 5600 is 5700X. It costs $199 in the tray version and $218 in the box version. Then I started to look for even higher SKUs, and I found 5800XT for $207 at NewEgg. But it also includes a free “Cordless Air Duster”. Its advertised price is $60, but I found it closer to $40.

This is quite a useful tool, and the effective price of the CPU dropped to $167. For an extra 33 dollars, I will get a much more performant CPU that may considerably extend the useful life of my PC. Also, it is a boxed version, so it has an official warranty and comes with a much better cooler.

Verifying chosen path

But before I buy that CPU, I need to check 2 things: can my motherboard run a 5000 series CPU, and can my motherboard handle a much more power-demanding CPU? I went to the MSI website and found that the latest beta build was released in September 2025, and it does support my CPU.

While it is a beta version, in reality, it means that MSI just replaced the AMD-provided part with a new version and did minimal testing without doing extensive testing. After doing some research on the internet, I found that it is quite stable.

Then I opened my original blog post and found that this motherboard has quite a strong VRM. Then I asked AI, and 2 different AIs confirmed with links that this board should be able to handle AMD 5800XT without any problem. You should never trust AI and check links by yourself.

I said “thank you” to myself from the past, and created the following plan:

1. Uninstall the current AMD chipset driver.
2. Update the AMD chipset driver to the latest version.
3. Make sure that the system is stable for a couple of days.
4. Reset the CMOS battery to zero all settings in BIOS.
5. Update BIOS to the latest version.
6. Make sure that the system is stable for a couple of days.

Steps 3 and 6 are necessary to reduce the number of variables to deal with. Also, it is good to do as many things as possible on a configuration that is known to be stable. By the way, there were a couple of security issues fixed with a new BIOS, so it was a good idea to update it anyway. After I finished these steps, I ordered a new CPU.

Problems. Part 1

The CPU arrived in a few days. The “Cordless Air Duster” was excellent. It has a nice storage bag, a few different nozzles, and a few brushes. When I removed my old CPU, I was able to clean everything quite nicely, and my case looked much better. I would say that it is absolutely worth $40.

Previously, I was using compressed air to blow dust from my PC, but compressed air has 2 big problems. The first problem is that it typically ships only by ground and takes a lot of time to arrive. The second problem is that compressed air during decompression considerably cools everything it touches, and this may create condensation if you live in a humid climate. And as you can imagine, water is quite bad for electronics.

After I replaced the CPU, I was able to POST with 2 existing modules. But as soon as I add 2 extra memory modules, the system gets stuck in the CPU LED on. And I would like to reiterate again on how useful these debug LEDs are. They are an absolute must on any motherboard. Otherwise, you have too many options and guesses.

Please, do not try to boot to Windows until you run a memory test. I suggest disconnecting your SSD drive to prevent accidental boot. Faulty memory can damage something when writing to the file system. Windows may decide to install an update and decompress it incorrectly. There are a lot of possibilities. Don’t risk it.

I removed the memory modules and placed them back, but it changed nothing. Then I tried to remove one memory module, and the system was able to POST. Then I replaced that new memory module with one I just removed, and the system stuck again with the CPU LED on.

Everything points to the fact that one of the memory modules is faulty. But while I was chatting to Google AI about this issue, I remembered that it suggested several times using a pencil eraser on the contact pads of the “faulty” memory module to remove oxidation. I simply ignored this advice because I inserted and removed that module multiple times, and I thought that the process of inserting and removing would remove any oxidation.

But I have nothing to lose, so I tried it. To my surprise, it helped, and the system was able to POST. Finally, after many years, I will be able to use that memory that was collecting dust in my drawer. I was quite excited. I switched XMP to Profile #2, restarted the system, and started MemTest.

MemTest was slowly testing my memory, but after 40 minutes, I found out that the memory speed is 1066 MHz. I thought I didn’t apply the XMP profile, but when I restarted my PC, the XMP profile was set. But the BIOS shows that the memory speed is 1066 MHz.

I tried using the XMP profile #1, but the result was the same. The system rebooted a few times and kept the memory speed at 1066 MHz. I tried several other things, but the result was the same.

It was getting late, and I decided to run the memory test overnight and continue the next day. I thought that in the worst case, I would have much more memory, and perhaps this would improve the quality of my life even when the memory is slower.

But the next morning, I was greeted with many memory errors on the screen. Now it really looks like one of the modules is faulty. It was a working day, so I removed 2 new memory modules, set XMP profile to 3200 MHz, ran quick MemTest, and started my working day.

Problems. Part 2

I would like to state how important it is to take a break and have time to think. Do not make rash decisions. Quite often, you will be able to find the solution to your problem that looked impossible just a few hours ago.

In my case, several hours later, I decided to test a new memory set first. It is a kind of obvious idea, and I don’t understand why this simple idea has not come to my mind before. I replaced my old memory modules with a new set and ran the memory test. It passed, so it looks like new memory modules are fine.

There are several simple possibilities in case a memory module works in one slot but does not work in another:

• The memory slot is dirty
• The CPU or the CPU socket has some issues. For example, missing pins or thermal paste in the CPU socket.

Then I remembered that when I was removing 2 extra memory modules, their memory slots looked quite dusty at the edges. And if you think about it, it is completely understandable. These slots were empty, and they are close to the CPU cooler. It blows air into them for almost 8 years, and they must be dusty.

I vacuum my PC periodically, but a vacuum can suck dust only in the middle of the memory slot, because typically I don’t remove memory modules when I clean my PC. But even if I do remove them, I don’t think the vacuum can suck dust from the corners.

So I removed all modules and carefully cleaned all memory slots with my new tools. Probably I can clear these slots with a toothbrush and my lungs, but I'm glad I have specialized tools just for that.

Then I added my new memory modules to slots 2 and 4 (DIMMA2 and DIMMB2). The reason behind this decision is that new memory modules are using memory chips from “Nanya Technology” while my old memory modules have chips from “Samsung”. From my knowledge, Samsung makes better memory chips, so I decided to put them into the more problematic slots 1 and 3 (DIMMA1 and DIMMB1).

The system failed to POST, but it did after I reset the CMOS battery. To that moment, I read that there is a chance that 4 sticks can work on a lower speed than 3200 MHz, but all XMP profiles are only for 3200 MHz.

The only way that I didn’t try before was to change the “DRAM Frequency” in the BIOS to 2666 MHz. The system was able to POST and passed a memory test. Then I tried 2933 MHz, and everything was fine. Then I changed to 3200 MHz, and it also passed a memory test.

It is really hard to tell what was the main source of the problem: cleaning the memory module pads with a pencil eraser, removing dust, or placing memory modules with Samsung chips in at least a preferred place. Perhaps a little bit of everything.

Then I booted to Windows, ran Prime95 for 20 minutes, and everything was very stable. I double-checked the memory speed in HWinfo, and it is also showing 3200 MHz. The next day, I ran the memory test for almost 9 hours, and after 8 passes, it is still stable.

Before I started adding more memory, I ran an experiment with compiling a huge project, and it took 50 seconds. After I had 32 Gb of memory, I decided to double-check that the memory frequency is correct, and it still takes the same 50 seconds.

Later, I found in BIOS settings that the CPU NB/Soc voltage is 1.212 volts. Looks like the motherboard is trying to be on the safe side and increased it for stability. After some research, I found that it is a bit on the extreme side, so I changed it to 1.15V. Obviously, I ran the memory test, and everything works fine.

Conclusion

At the end, I doubled the amount of memory for my system and greatly increased its speed. According to AI, I got 1.5X to 2X faster compilation and around 50% more FPS on average in CPU-limited games, with 1% lows often improving even more. I think my computer will be relevant for the next 2 to 4 years. I may still decide to upgrade it because modern CPUs are much faster and more efficient. But at least this computer will not be extremely obsolete, and I can sell it or give it away, and for many people, it will still be relevant.

Outcomes

At the current moment, I think there is a good chance that I would be able to run 32 Gb on my old CPU. I wish I had time to check it, but because it will take at least several hours, I decided not to do it. In any case, I will stay on my new CPU, so it is a bit pointless.

Probably in this case, I could save $207, but I think for a relatively small price, I have a huge upgrade in performance and a nice tool. Now I can wait for the upgrade for quite some time and find the best moment to do so.

Also, I wish that I would be more observant next time. I spent quite a lot of time running diagnostics instead of taking a pause and thinking. I could save a lot of time for myself because a lot of these issues look very simple and obvious now. But I learned a lot, and it is also worth something.

I hope it helps someone.