Asus P4P800-E Deluxe startup problem

[netloss]

Well, I sent my mobo back for replacement. Hopefully I will get it shortly, and I will be sure to test the replacement with a different power supply if it exhibits the same problems. I will post when I do this...

 

[Paratus]

Netloss I think boOmer was right. I've read online (newegg and elsewhere) that Antec PSUs and the P4P800 E don't mix. I don't know exactly what happens or why but you may want to let Asus know you plan on using an Antec. I belive they can mod the board to work with it

I actually have a P4P800 E but I'm not building yet for another couple months so I don't have first hand knowledge - just what I've read.


Good luck

Paratus

 

[netloss]

Update: I got a replacement - same board, it worked this time. I suspect I fried the original mobo by using an AGP card that was the wrong voltage - one of those "tweeners" that have the three gold slots but are not 4x or 8x.

I have no problem with the Antec power supply now, at least that I can tell..

 

[jstover]

Update:

RMA'd motherboard to Asustek, and received good replacement. Completed system build, and have been running for two weeks with no further incidents. The new system has achieved all of the goals I anticipated with it.

Problem was not caused by the video card, CPU heatsink pressure, mouse or Antec Sonata power supply; it was simply a DOA MB (when you hear hoofbeats in Texas, think of horses, not zebras).

Insights:
I found that this MB does not provide fault beeps through the case speaker hookup by default, so speakers MUST BE attached to MB line out audio to get verbal startup failure prompts. Doing a step-by-step startup test of the replacement MB (i.e., installing one component at a time: CPU, RAM, video card, etc.), I thought I had another bad MB until I tried the audio connection. Once I connected speakers to the line out audio, the MB ROM provided detailed verbal fault notices, and the process worked very smoothly. If the Asustek manual had made this clear, I might have saved a lot of time in troubleshooting the first MB.

Tech Support ratings (scale of 1-5) for this episode:

Asustek - 2 (E-mailed responses were too generalized, and did not answer my specific questions. I could have gotten the same information from Website FAQ's. No explanation given for original MB failure. No advice to hook up line out speakers before startup.)

Intel - 0 (Did not even respond to e-mail inquiries.)

 

[houblon]

I put together a p4p800e-deluxe (rev 1.02), Intel 2.8GHz in an Antec Sonata case with the truepower 380W PSU. It did not boot with the message "system failed CPU test". I tried everything from re-seating cpu, relieving the pressure of the heatsink, removing all components, etc. nothing worked until I replaced the PSU with a generic one (starlogic 400W) which is noisy and in every spec inferior to the Antec.
( I guess the additional 20W just go for noise).

System works fine since - however no more ultraquiet. Is there any possibility to modify the PSU, motherboard, bios, etc to make the Antec run? Whose fault is it anyway, the mobo or the psu?

Could the fault lie with the 4 pin plug? I noticed that it is hard to insert correctly. And removing it produces the same symptoms...

 

[slobbie]

I am scouring the Net for a solution to the same Asus P4P800 Deluxe problem. I, too, am installing this mobo I've been using for the past 3 months into an Antec Sonata case. I also used Acstic Silver ceramique between the Zalman CNPS7000A-ALCU for my first time. Is it bad if I get the paste in that little hole in the Intel 2.8GHz Northwood?

Anyway, after just reading this thread, I am feeling better others have had the same prob. I also think there is a compatability issue between this mobo and the Antec power suppler 380 Watt TruePower.

Now I have to exhaust all solutions before having to deal with returning the motherboard. Poor.

Thanks for the thread and forum, though.

Slobbie

 

[slobbie]

Well, well, well. I thought for sure I had a mobo/PSU problem since I have the same symptoms as others here and elsewhere (techsupportforum.com).

My situation was a bad or badly seated RAM stick. I did try re-installing it once before but it didn't help my prob. Eventually I installed another Kingston 512MB PC3200 stick and that worked. Mind you, the "bad" RAM was working just fine before I moved the mobo to the new case. After I got it working, I put the "bad" RAM in the B1 slot for dual channel and all is good...1 GB shows as being installed and working. I will try some RAM stress tests. If the RAM was bad or intermittently bad, it wouldn't be the first time a Kingston memory flaked out. I had another stick from the same lot (well, bought at the same time) that crapped out on me. Memo to self: try a different brand next time.

On a side note, I really love the HDD sliding trays on the Sonata case. I really got full use out of them troubleshooting my probs.

Now to see what all the fuss is about this Doom 3 game...

I luv the internet.
Slobbie

 

[houblon]

Update:

I RMAed my motherboard with a description of the symptoms. I couldn't find out what Asus did exactly, but it seems they tested it, found that it worked, and send it back. Still it does not work with the Antec PSU. To rule out the PSU, I bought an Antec 430 true power - same problem - system failed CPU test.

I called Asus again, and they told me that other Antec users have no problem, and that the fault must be with the PSU. However, I insisted that since the board does not run with two new good quality PSUs, they should be concerned. Finally they agreed to take it back and change it. I'm still waiting...

(Antec never returned my e-mails about this problem - it would be interesting whose fault it is actually)

It is quite interesting that in other cases re-seating the memory or modifying the heat sink helps. But it is not really increasing the confidence in this board. Even when I used the cheap PSU sucessfully, I got the "system failed CPU test" once in a while.

Latest update:

I got the replacement today (same rev 1.02), hooked it up, and everything works perfectly in my antec sonata with the original 380 W truepower...