Motherboard issue

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Lifer
Apr 6, 2002
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Just set up new system and I've only got one issue. I bought four sticks of G.Skill DDR3 1600 8GB CL7 ram. The motherboard has four memory slots and I wanted to populate them all. I installed all four modules. Board would not post. Gave error of memory not installed. I tried reseating. No luck. Put one stick in default location. No luck. Tried all four slots one at a time. One stick at a time. Nothing worked. Was on slot 4 on my last stick and it booted up. Everything worked and I was able to install windows. Also changed timing from default to the XMP settings.

I tested the G.Skill ram in my P6T Deluxe v2. Worked without issue. Used my working ram (in my sig) and tested out the new mobo. Same as before. Would not work in any slot except for the last one.

So, what else can I try or do I send the mobo back to Amazon? I've had it a week.

CPU: 4790K
Mobo: Asus Z97-WS
PSU: SeaSonic 850 Platinum
SSD: SanDisk Extreme Pro 480gb
 

DrMrLordX

Lifer
Apr 27, 2000
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Sounds like a bad board to be perfectly honest, especially since the RAM tests well in a different system.
 

bigboxes

Lifer
Apr 6, 2002
41,838
12,341
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Just got finished taking the motherboard out and boxing it for the ride back to Amazon. Sigh. Before I took it out I tried again. Two sticks would send it into an endless rebooting loop (no post). What is wrong with Asus QA? I know that shiz happens, but this is a major board defect. I bought this board because it was supposed to be bulletproof.
 

PhIlLy ChEeSe

Senior member
Apr 1, 2013
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Just set up new system and I've only got one issue. I bought four sticks of G.Skill DDR3 1600 8GB CL7 ram. The motherboard has four memory slots and I wanted to populate them all. I installed all four modules. Board would not post. Gave error of memory not installed. I tried reseating. No luck. Put one stick in default location. No luck. Tried all four slots one at a time. One stick at a time. Nothing worked. Was on slot 4 on my last stick and it booted up. Everything worked and I was able to install windows. Also changed timing from default to the XMP settings.

I tested the G.Skill ram in my P6T Deluxe v2. Worked without issue. Used my working ram (in my sig) and tested out the new mobo. Same as before. Would not work in any slot except for the last one.

So, what else can I try or do I send the mobo back to Amazon? I've had it a week.

CPU: 4790K
Mobo: Asus Z97-WS
PSU: SeaSonic 850 Platinum
SSD: SanDisk Extreme Pro 480gb

Checked the specs for that model mother board, your power supply is not on its list.
http://dlcdnet.asus.com/pub/ASUS/mb/socket1150/Z97-WS/Manual&QVL/Z97-WS_Device_QVL_141104.pdf
 

Ketchup

Elite Member
Sep 1, 2002
14,559
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I wouldn't worry about the power supply as much as the RAM not being on the list. I have never had a power supply with a decent rating not work on a board (assuming the power supply wasn't dead of course.) I have heard of a board not booting due to RAM compatibility.

There are a few G.Skill 1600 models in the compatibility list for your board, so you may want to see if you have one of them. Not being on the list doesn't mean it doesn't work, it just means it's not guaranteed.

Having said that, having a stick work perfectly fine in only one slot does point to the board IMO. I tell-tale sign would be if all four sticks work in that slot, and it a stick from another rig only work in that one slot.

If you still want to play with it, flash to the latest BIOS and see if the problem still exists. BIOS 1008 is reported to improve some functionality with the 4790k (among others).
 

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Lifer
Apr 6, 2002
41,838
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Checked the specs for that model mother board, your power supply is not on its list.
http://dlcdnet.asus.com/pub/ASUS/mb/socket1150/Z97-WS/Manual&QVL/Z97-WS_Device_QVL_141104.pdf

I just got off the phone with Asus tech support. He said that the QVL list is done early before the mobo is released for sale and that the list is quite small. He said that even a crappy $20 power supply should be able to boot up the motherboard. Now, he's not recommending that for a lot of obvious reasons, but it's not a compatibility issue as far as that goes. I asked him about my memory (not on the QVL list) and he says that it's on the list for compatibility for the Z97 chipset so he didn't see any issues as it's run at the CPU's native speeds.

Long story short, he thinks it's just a bad mobo. So, now we just wait on Amazon to deliver a new one and it should work without issue. If the remote chance that one memory channel is not working then we may look at the CPU.
 

PhIlLy ChEeSe

Senior member
Apr 1, 2013
962
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I just got off the phone with Asus tech support. He said that the QVL list is done early before the mobo is released for sale and that the list is quite small. He said that even a crappy $20 power supply should be able to boot up the motherboard. Now, he's not recommending that for a lot of obvious reasons, but it's not a compatibility issue as far as that goes. I asked him about my memory (not on the QVL list) and he says that it's on the list for compatibility for the Z97 chipset so he didn't see any issues as it's run at the CPU's native speeds.

Long story short, he thinks it's just a bad mobo. So, now we just wait on Amazon to deliver a new one and it should work without issue. If the remote chance that one memory channel is not working then we may look at the CPU.

I have seen motherboards not work with certain power supplies that were well up to the task, I was searching you memory on the list(which I did not find).
 

bigboxes

Lifer
Apr 6, 2002
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I have seen motherboards not work with certain power supplies that were well up to the task, I was searching you memory on the list(which I did not find).

There is a separate QVL for the memory. And yes, my Seasonic SS860-XP power supply works just fine with the Asus Z97-WS, just like the SS1000-XP offically approved in the QVL.
 

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Lifer
Apr 6, 2002
41,838
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Update: Replacement mobo has the same issue. I'm checking each stick of ram with MemTest86 in my rig in the sig. Couldn't get MemTest86+, the preferred test of G.Skill, to boot from USB. Will call Asus and G.Skill support tomorrow to see what to do next. Thanks to all who have replied with advice.
 
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bigboxes

Lifer
Apr 6, 2002
41,838
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board had bad RAM slots?
Have you tried reseating CPU?

Put in replacement mobo. Seated cpu. That's the same as reseated to me. Everything else works. Just not the first three ram slots. Testing ram now in another working machine. No issues at all so far. Just need to troubleshoot before I call Asus and G.Skill.
 

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Lifer
Apr 6, 2002
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Well, I couldn't run Memtest 86+ from a flash drive for some reason, so I ran Memtest 86. Two of the 8gb modules ran without error. The other two would not even post.
 

bigboxes

Lifer
Apr 6, 2002
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Hopefully, I've got this all settled. The motherboard was defective. I can now use two of the modules in any slot on the motherboard. The other two modules are defective and I'm RMAing them back to G.Skill. I've initiated the RMA and am awaiting approval from G.Skill. My new computer is blazing fast and quiet. Now, I'm going to install an MSI 290X Lightning video card. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I'll have no issues with that installation. :D
 

DrMrLordX

Lifer
Apr 27, 2000
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Wow, bad mobo and bad DIMMs. Sorry to hear that. At least you've got things settled (for now! mua ha ha).
 

bigboxes

Lifer
Apr 6, 2002
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Finally heard back from G.Skill and they approved the RMA. Just sent the memory back today. On a side note, here's a pic of an MSI 290X Lightning video card that I sent back to Amazon. Notice the bent cooling fins on the heatsink on the top of the card. With the incredible packaging provided by MSI I can only assume that this defect came from the factory. Shame they tried to pass it on. I'm not accepting that after paying $370. Amazon didn't have any more in stock so they offered a refund. Looks like I'm going to wait to see what AMD has to offer. I hope I don't have to wait until July to see the new 390X.

20150304_112422_zpsni0cllkd.jpg
 

bigboxes

Lifer
Apr 6, 2002
41,838
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Update: Received the replacement ram today. Booted up super quickly with no issues. 32GB of ram goodness!

20150316_161231_zpsezbczc51.jpg
 

DrMrLordX

Lifer
Apr 27, 2000
22,703
12,653
136
It's good to see a story like this have a happy ending. Multiple component failure (in this case, a board and some DIMMs) is a headache to diagnose and potentially even worse from an RMA perspective since it puts you in a position where the manufacturers could just start pointing fingers at one another.
 

bigboxes

Lifer
Apr 6, 2002
41,838
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It puts me in a bind since I work a lot. I bought the parts as I could afford them. Think if one of the bad components was one I bought in December. Actually, the ram was purchased in mid-December and I could only RMA instead of send it back to the seller. It was pretty painless with G.Skill. However, I wish they had better communication. They required me to pay for insurance and confirmation shipping, but neglected to inform me when they received the return and that they had shipped it. I was wondering how long it would take and then there it was! Amazon is the most painless way to shop online, even if they charge me taxes.

A special thanks to everyone for their help in this (and many other threads). I'm an experienced tech, but sometimes it helps to talk it out. On a side note, I "settled" with an MSI GTX 970 Gaming 4G video card. No one had any more 290X Lightning cards. I'm really suffereing. The 970 is smooth and quiet as can be. All games that auto detect set everything to Ultra where available. Great computer!
 
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Charlie98

Diamond Member
Nov 6, 2011
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A special thanks to everyone for their help in this (and many other threads). I'm an experienced tech, but sometimes it helps to talk it out. On a side note, I "settled" with an MSI GTX 970 Gaming 4G video card. No one had any more 290X Lightning cards. I'm really suffereing. The 970 is smooth and quiet as can be. All games that auto detect set everything to Ultra where available. Great computer!

Criticism of the 4GB GTX970 issue aside, I really like my 970... glad to hear you like yours! ...and that your computer is happy once again. :)
 

bigboxes

Lifer
Apr 6, 2002
41,838
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Criticism of the 4GB GTX970 issue aside, I really like my 970... glad to hear you like yours! ...and that your computer is happy once again. :)

I was originally going to get the 970 and then the ram scandal made me mad at Nvidia's deception. I decided to go with the MSI 290X Lightning, but had bent cooling fins on the cooler. At $370, there was no way I was going to keep it. However, there were no more 290X Lightning cards from either Amazon or Newegg so I went back to the 970. The 970 seems like such a small card compared to the 290X Lightning. LOL. And yes, I am happy Charlie98. Let's just hope that Nvidia learns from their mistakes and doesn't try this again. :)
 

PhIlLy ChEeSe

Senior member
Apr 1, 2013
962
0
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I was originally going to get the 970 and then the ram scandal made me mad at Nvidia's deception. I decided to go with the MSI 290X Lightning, but had bent cooling fins on the cooler. At $370, there was no way I was going to keep it. However, there were no more 290X Lightning cards from either Amazon or Newegg so I went back to the 970. The 970 seems like such a small card compared to the 290X Lightning. LOL. And yes, I am happy Charlie98. Let's just hope that Nvidia learns from their mistakes and doesn't try this again. :)

The New TITAN is coming...............LOLZ! I don't think they did learn.