Missing Pins?

[rtomas]

New hardware
: Asus Prime x299 Deluxe MB
: i7 7740x
: Corsair Dominator Platinum Ram 4X8GB

Getting random, but frequent boot errors
: A2 (disk error) is most common one.
: 01 (memory detect) second

With these errors cannot even boot into BIOS. Then, all of a sudden I can!
Emailed ASUS tech and showed them a jpg of the socket on the MB. Seems to have several missing pins. Is this in fact the case? How odd is that? Or is it normal? Anyone know? ASUS suggests I send it back to Amazon.
What do you folks think?

 

[Burpo]

Definitely a manufacturing defect. Send it back.

 

[rtomas]

I've never encountered anything like this before. A new board is on the way. Here's hoping!

Thx for your reply.

 

[WhoBeDaPlaya]

The only time I've seen something like this was someone trying to pass off a used mobo with bent pins as not having any (ie. by yanking out the bent pins).

 

[rtomas]

So, indeed, I did send the MB back to Amazon and today received it's replacement. I had hoped my problems would be solved, but, unfortunately not. The previous errors were resolved, now I've two new issues that are unique in my experience. First is that whenever I populate the X299 with 4 sticks of 8GB ram, I get a "memory detection" error and the board will not boot. I kept changing memory configurations until I established that the error occurred whenever the D2 slot was filled. One or two or three sticks of ram would be fine and allow boot to continue. Why the fourth slot is an issue is unknown. I changed out all 4 sticks to verify that they all worked fine. Another MB issue? Really?

The second issue is that, when in the above example, the boot does continue, it gets to this screen (see attached) and no further. The PC will go no further and shuts off in 15 sec as it states. Cannot get into setup. What issue is this highlighting and what does "USB over current status detected" mean?

 

[RLGL]

Will the board boot with one stick? Put that stick in the next slot and try again. Rinse and repeat with all sticks and slots. Put memory in another box and run Memtest on each stick. Is the memory on ASUS QVL list?
USB over current may be a bios setting. If you cannot get into setup....new board time

 

[ViRGE]

Another MB issue? Really?

FWIW, when I helped a friend do a Skylake build last year, we went through two Asus mobos before everything behaved. The first had bent pins (may very well have been his fault), and the second was an ornery pile of junk (I forget the exact issue, but it required swapping it out).

So yes, it does happen in rare occasions. Still, it's best to rule out everything else first before swapping the same component a second time.

 

[rtomas]

OK, more to the story.
Noting the reference to a USB device I looked at the MB again. There are/were two USB connections. One was for the NZXT Kraken2 control for the pump and pretty lights, going to the boards USB header. The other was a connector extending USB3 ports from the MB to the front panel of the case. Unhooking that connector seems to have solved all issues. All memory works now, and the board boots to windows. Repeated this several times, connecting and attempting to boot which gave same error. Why is this an issue now? Not 3 days ago, with the previous X299, no issues with "USB Device Over Current Status" errors. It's just a cable extension. No damage to the cable, no shorts, nothing changed that I know of.
Could this still be a defective MB issue, or is it my issue? PITA if have to lose usb port connection to the front case.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

OK, more to the story.
Noting the reference to a USB device I looked at the MB again. There are/were two USB connections. One was for the NZXT Kraken2 control for the pump and pretty lights, going to the boards USB header. The other was a connector extending USB3 ports from the MB to the front panel of the case. Unhooking that connector seems to have solved all issues. All memory works now, and the board boots to windows. Repeated this several times, connecting and attempting to boot which gave same error. Why is this an issue now? Not 3 days ago, with the previous X299, no issues with "USB Device Over Current Status" errors. It's just a cable extension. No damage to the cable, no shorts, nothing changed that I know of.
Could this still be a defective MB issue, or is it my issue? PITA if have to lose usb port connection to the front case.

Looking at your story, I'm experiencing a sort of reality-check. I've been buying ASUS boards consistently since 2011, after a brief separation from the brand in 2008 when I got some Gigabyte mATX-ers and an EVGA 2nd-tier board.

In 2014, I thought to try an AsRock socket-1155 board for an Ivy Bridge processor. I ordered a new "Extreme" model -- can't remember it specifically -- from Newegg. For some odd and unexplainable reason, I chose to examine the socket with a magnifier before I even put the system together the first time. In addition to missing pins, there were pins jammed into parts of the socket where there shouldn't have been any pins. So I RMA'd the board for refund.

I suspect that something like this is due to a malfunctioning assembly-line device that puts the pins in the sockets. A manufacturing error . . . that needs to be addressed.

And I thought that my experience was due to lower QC practice by AsRock -- which is supposed to be an ASUS spinoff.

Moral of the story: Pull out your magnifying glass immediately after opening the retail motherboard box for the first time . . .

 

[LTC8K6]

Looking at your story, I'm experiencing a sort of reality-check. I've been buying ASUS boards consistently since 2011, after a brief separation from the brand in 2008 when I got some Gigabyte mATX-ers and an EVGA 2nd-tier board.

In 2014, I thought to try an AsRock socket-1155 board for an Ivy Bridge processor. I ordered a new "Extreme" model -- can't remember it specifically -- from Newegg. For some odd and unexplainable reason, I chose to examine the socket with a magnifier before I even put the system together the first time. In addition to missing pins, there were pins jammed into parts of the socket where there shouldn't have been any pins. So I RMA'd the board for refund.

I suspect that something like this is due to a malfunctioning assembly-line device that puts the pins in the sockets. A manufacturing error . . . that needs to be addressed.

And I thought that my experience was due to lower QC practice by AsRock -- which is supposed to be an ASUS spinoff.

Moral of the story: Pull out your magnifying glass immediately after opening the retail motherboard box for the first time . . .

Yes, do not assume that "brand new" = correctly made and ready to go.

Had you put a fresh new CPU into the board with the faulty LGA socket pin arrangement, and fired it up, you might have needed a new CPU as well as a new board and maybe a new power supply.

 

[bigboxes]

When I built the rig in my sig, I had similar issues with Asus. First, a couple of the ram slots were defective. Sent back to Amazon and received a good board. Then I found out that two of my sticks of ram were bad (memtest). It was beyond my 30 day window by then and I had to RMA to G.Skill. No issue with G.Skill customer support.