PC Processors

[foolishendeavor]

My build

Motherboard/Case/PSU	ASRock DeskMini X600
CPU	Ryzen 5 8600G
CPU Cooler	Noctua L9a-AM5
Memory	Kingston Fury Impact DDR5-6000 (2x16 GB)
Storage	T-Force SATA SSD (256 GB)
Storage	Inland SATA SSD (256 GB)
OS	Fedora 40 (GNOME)
OS	Windows 10

The problem

The screen has flickering dots/pixels/artifacts.

https://imgur.com/a/ZMrmKvc

The symptoms

It's most noticeable when RAM is running at fast speed. At the default DDR5-4800, they're almost nonexistent. After setting higher speeds with in BIOS, they become more aggressive.

https://imgur.com/a/qV0J7yn

The workaround

I've found this solution on the Arch Wiki, but it's only for Linux, and only temporary, as it stops working after waking from sleep/suspend. The Wiki claims it's related to refresh rate, but that doesn't matter in my case, as it happens on 60 Hz monitors and 75 Hz monitors, no matter what rate is actually set.

I've tried to study what exactly this command does, and as far as I can tell, it sets "fclk" to 500 Mhz and "socclk" to 400 Mhz. I don't know if that's considered good or bad.

https://imgur.com/a/FxtU81T

What I've tried

• Reinserting the CPU and RAM, carefully checking the sockets for bent/damaged/dirty pins
• Using each RAM stick individually
• Different HDMI cables, VGA cables, and monitors
• Memtest86+ (passed without errors)
• Adjusting voltage and timings in BIOS, following this article and this Reddit thread (they're for the 8700G, but I assumed my 8600G was similar enough)
• Turning PBO on and off in BIOS
• Turning DDR Nitro on and off in BIOS
• Increasing VRAM size in BIOS
• Manually setting different FCLK values in BIOS (made the artifacts more aggressive)
• Reinstalling Windows and the oldest version of AMD Adrenalin (24.1.1) from the 8600G support page, in case the latest drivers are causing the problem on Windows
• Buying new RAM; I returned my original DDR5-6400 kit (which my videos were recorded with) and got a new DDR5-6000 one

None of these solved the issue.

Where I am now

Since replacing the RAM didn't work, I suppose it's either a problem with AMD drivers or something in BIOS.

There are many people on YouTube and Reddit who have a similar builds and they don't seem to have this problem, so I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong.

Hoping for any advice on how to solve this!

[MongooseProXC]

I have this same exact problem with my 8600G and just made a similar post. Anything over 4800mhz for me causes the display artifacts. If I go too high, my wifi cuts out or my screen turns black requiring a reboot. I hope this gets resolved!

[MongooseProXC]

I think you might be onto something with the Expo thing. I reset all the Bios settings to default and ran it for a while. I just manually bumped up the frequency to 6000mhz, stress tested, and no more dots that I can tell. We'll see if it holds and I'll report back with any issues.

[MongooseProXC]

So, I'm still getting the random flickering dots running Memtest64 running at 6000. However, they are very seldom. There's no memory errors and everything seems fine otherwise. I've also tried to roll back to AGESA to ComboAM5 1.1.0.3 but they still remain.

[cheshirec5]

I had the same flickering issue on my 8600g with latest BIOS. Reducing memory freq to 4800mhz fixes it. (Started at 6k, reduced to 5600 was not enough).

[cheshirec5]

I've updated everything to the latest - chipset & graphics as of 9/30, Windows 11 24H2. Still seeing flickering when memory clock is set to Auto (6k). My MSI B650 board supports max 5400mhz so I'm trying that now.

Seems like I was able to run at 6k two bios's ago. Also I see it more when machine wakes from sleep.

[RylieColette]

Have there been any recent driver updates for the 8600G that might resolve the flickering problem?

[foolishendeavor]

I ended up "solving" it by replacing the 8600G with a new one.

It's now 1 week later (I waited to see if any other problems would pop up), but the moment I installed the new one, the result was instant: all artifacts gone. I tested different RAM speeds, monitors, and refresh rates on both Windows and Linux. No artifacts whatsoever, no matter what combination I throw at it; currently running XMP DDR5-6000 at 75 Hz.

Seeing how weeks of troubleshooting went nowhere, but swapping the CPU instantly solved it, I can only assume my original CPU was defective in some way, perhaps a faulty iGPU. To reiterate, it was artifacting at all speeds, including DDR5-4800 (albeit extremely rarely and hard to notice) and DDR5-5200, which is within specification.

[L0rdec]

Hello! I have the same problem. I tested several things, but I had not yet tried to lower the speed of the RAM (which I enabled 6000 before installing Windows). I'll try, but I don't want to have to lower it. Do you think it is a case of activating the warranty? I bought my CPU 20 days ago. This is bothering me a lot!

[foolishendeavor]

The official max speed is DDR5-5200, so try that first. If it's still artifacting, and you've tried your best to rule out every other possibility, then you could have a faulty unit like I did.

[cheshirec5]

What finally worked for me is not enabling XMP, so memory is running at 4800. I would return mine if I could. 

[Davidnasa]

Has anyone else experienced display artifacts or Wi-Fi issues when overclocking their 8600G past 4800MHz? What steps have you taken to resolve this, or do you think it's a hardware limitation?

[MongooseProXC]

Yes! I have those exact problems! I have updated my bios, did a CMOS reset, and turned off Memory Context Restore and Windows Fast Start. I think something might have seemed to help. I will keep you posted.

[MongooseProXC]

I tested it again yesterday and still can only get 4800mhz without artifacting. I give up!

[foolishendeavor]

In your original thread, you said the artifacts and blackouts occur even at DDR5-5200. In your position, I would definitely request an RMA on the basis that the CPU isn't behaving within specification.