Hi all,
I have recently had a bad experience with a brand new NUC5CYPH. In summary:
I added the RAM and SSD, and installed Windows 7. I was most of the way through downloading and installing about 200 updates when the machine started to behave a bit erratically: 100% processor use while simply searching for upgraded using Windows update, and very high RAM use, too. About an hour later I got a BSOD with random white dots all over it. When I tried to re-boot the NUC it simply power-cycled every few seconds (cooling fan switching on and off) without ever reaching the POST screen. At this point the NUC had been powered up for maybe only 8 hours total.
Troubleshooting:
There was no video output from VGA, or at least nothing my monitor could display. My monitor was detecting a signal and momentarily showed the selected resolution and refresh rate, but this was displaying nonsense (refresh rate of 11Hz instead of 60Hz). I have two VGA inputs on my monitor and both gave the same result. So far I have not been able to try it on another screen.
I removed the RAM and SSD and tried to boot from there, but I got the expected “three flashes” from the power light, indicating that there was a problem with the RAM. When I re-inserted that module, the original symptoms came back. At this point I decided it was dead and boxed it back up ready to return to the supplier.
I have since found that the RAM module I bought, while it does meet the physical and electrical requirements of the NUC, is not on the approved list
http://compatibleproducts.intel.com/ProductDetails/ExportPeripheralInfo?moduleName=Intel%C2%AE%20NUC&productType=Kits&productName=Intel%C2%AE%20NUC%20Kit%20NUC5CPYH
The RAM I bought is here https://www.scan.co.uk/products/4gb-(1x4gb)-corsair-ddr3l-so-dimm-value-select-pc3-12800-(1600)-non-ecc-unbuffered-cas-11-11-11-28-1
My question is: Could the “non-approved” RAM module I bought have been the reason my NUC failed so early? I know that the NUC is supposed to tell you if the RAM isn’t electrically compatible, and will refuse to boot, but I had no problems whatsoever until the BSOD.