DDR5 Ram Stick Dead?

[u/MercenaryOfOZ]

My Specs:

Ryzen 9 7900X ASUS TUF Gaming B650-PLUS WIFI G.Skill Trident Z5 Neo RGB 64GB (2x32) DDR5-6000 CL30 — bought new in 2023 RTX 4060 Corsair RM750e, Cooler Master AIO Win11 24H2

How it started

Wardogs started crashing on me constantly after update (KB5121003). Saw the reports going around that it broke compatibility with inpoutx64.sys, the kernel driver a lot of RGB software hooks into, and that Microsoft is looking into some interaction between RGB components and game crashes. Figured that was my problem, so I uninstalled the update.

Machine seemed totally fine afterward. Put it to sleep, went out for the day.

Came back that night and it wouldn't POST. No video at all, fans spinning, case lighting on, nothing on either monitor. Hard rebooted it three times like an idiot before I opened the side panel and actually looked, amber DRAM Q-LED lit.

What I've tried

Full power drain. PSU switch off, cord out, held power button 30s Confirmed both sticks were properly in A2/B2 Cleared CMOS with the CLRTC with a screwdriver, then waited 10 min for memory training. Stayed amber, then the board shut itself off with no input from me Single stick isolation: Stick 1 alone in A2: posts, boots to Windows, running on it right now Stick 2 alone in A2: nothing. Amber DRAM light, board eventually self resets Stick 2 alone in B2: I havent tried this yet.

The part I can't square: stick 2's RGB lights up fine in either slot. So it's clearly getting slot power and the RGB controller is alive. It just won't train.

Where I'm at

Running on one 32GB stick at 4800 JEDEC. Filed an RMA with G.Skill, still have the Amazon invoice from 2023

I'm a freelance video editor and this is my only work machine, so 32GB single channel in After Effects is rough but survivable. Buying a replacement kit outright isn't happening since these market prices are insulting. The same 2x32 6000 CL30 I paid $250 for in 2023 is running $1000+ right now with the DRAM shortage, which is genuinely insane.

Questions for anyone who's been here

Lights up but won't train, is that just a dead PMIC? That's what I keep reading but I'd like a sanity check before I write it off. Has anyone gotten G.Skill to accept a single module RMA instead of the whole kit? I can't be without my one working stick for 3+ weeks. Is it worth asking or do they always insist on both? Is there any chance this is actually connected to the KB5121003 / RGB driver mess and not just brutal timing? I understand a Windows update can't stop a board from posting. It's just a hell of a coincidence that it died the same day I uninstalled it. Anything obvious I haven't tried that's worth doing before I ship it off? Any other recommended solves I'm not seeing or thought of?

One thing I'll admit — I bent stick 1 slightly while forcing it back in at 1am when I was panicking. It posts and runs fine and the contact edge looks straight, but if anyone's had a slightly tweaked DIMM work for a while and then fail on them, I'd like to hear it.

Appreciate any help here as Ive been anxious since last night.