Orange DRAM Light, No Display

I recently helped my friend with an issue he was having with his new computer build. After a lot of head scratching, we finally cracked it.

Computer Specs

1. AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D processor
2. ROG STRIX B650-A GAMING WIFI motherboard
3. RTX 4070 Ti video card
4. 32GB DDR5-6000 RAM
5. ID-COOLING FROSTFLOW X 7.45 / 240 CPU cooler
6. Corsair RM850 (850W) power supply

The Problem

After building the computer, upon booting it will not output to a display, either using the dedicated GPU or onboard graphics. The ‘DRAM’ light on the motherboard is illuminated orange. He tried various RAM configurations (one stick in different slots, both sticks in alternating channels, no sticks), but the light persisted. The BIOS was updated/flashed with no change.

The Solution

I suggested leaving it for a while to see if anything happen. As it turns out, DDR5 needs time to ‘synchronise’ (I can’t think of a better term) with the processor. After approximately five minutes, a new screen appears to say ‘New CPU detected’ with the following error: “fTPM NV structure corrupted or changed“. He pressed ‘Y’ to proceed and voila! The computer now works absolutely fine.

So if you encounter the same issue, turn your computer on, go and make a tea, and by the time you’re done, it should work. You may need to wait up to fifteen minutes.