RAM slots 1 3 & 4 do not work on Asrock extreme3. Only 1 Ram possible to reach bios

[Menicolas]

Hi all,

Some of you might remember me, I had asked for advice last week for my new build. Thanks again!
Now that it has arrived, I put it together, but I am having a problem. :-(
My problem is that the motherbaord doesn't boot, and I seem to have errors related to RAM
The errors I get: 2E and in some case I get 30 (when I have 2 modules on slot 1 +2). That is before reaching Bios.
Here is my config: asrock z68 extreme3 gen3 + 2500k + G.Skill Ripjaws+ CM Hyper 212 plus

I was just testing the basic with only CPU+ CPU cooler+ ram in my case. Therefore I had not yet connected DVD drive & hard drive, so it cannot be either.

PS: Also, I never hear any beep... even with the Ram in the slot working... and reaching bios. I thought the beep normally come before bios :-/

Here is what I have tried so far:
-> I also tried to play with ram voltage, since it is 1.5v rams, and the voltage was at 1.58. But putting it to 1.5v did not help.
-> I have tried combination of 4 ram modules, combining 2 modules in slot 1+3, in slot 2+4, in slot 1+2, in slot 3+4, in slot 1+4.
-> I have tried using only 1 module on each slot and the only slot which work is slot 2. All the others report error 2E
-> I have tried to use different modules in the slot where it doesn't work, but all the modules work only in slot 2

I will probably have to RMA the motherboard, but I wanted to check with you first to see if you had an idea, or suggestions of what to try

Thanks a lot!

 

[Duvie]

I think the beep comes through your PC speakers now....so make sure they are plugged into the line out (light green)...


I have same setup...ram and all....so I dont think it is a compatability issue with the ram sticks...hard to believe multiple bad sticks...

How many sticks do you have and have tried independently into each of those slots? Are we 100% that no memory stick works in 1,3&4?

 

[Menicolas]

How many sticks do you have and have tried independently into each of those slots? Are we 100% that no memory stick works in 1,3&4?

I have a kit of 4 modules. The first thing, I had tried is all of them in, but that didn't work, then I tried 2 at a time, but that didn't work either.
Then I went to try them all one at a time in the different slots, and Mr n.2 was the only kind one with me... lol And that with all the 4 modules.. and none of them work in the other slots

I think the beep comes through your PC speakers now....so make sure they are plugged into the line out (light green)...

Nope! No beep coming from there either... :-/

 

[Doougin]

the beep comes from a little buzzer on the motherboard. it either has one built in or theres a spot to plug the buzzer in. as for ur problem id say try clearing cmos. if ur able to u could update the bios as well

 

[Menicolas]

the beep comes from a little buzzer on the motherboard. it either has one built in or theres a spot to plug the buzzer in. as for ur problem id say try clearing cmos. if ur able to u could update the bios as well

I have tried many times to clear cmos, but no success there.
For updating the bios... Good idea, but not sure if I want to go through that... if I send it back. I will phone the seller now and see what he says...

 

[Menicolas]

I have contacted customer support of where I bought the board, and the guy was telling me for sure it is the pins bent. He said this type of RAM problems is almost always because of that problem, and it is very common. He said I probably mishandled it, and warranty wouldn't work. I seriously doubt I bent anything. He said they can also have a look at it if I don't see anything.
So I looked at it, taking off CPU and didn't see any bent pins. I am going to bring it back in a few hours, and be with them when they look at it.
What do you guys think?

 

[Menicolas]

I wanted to give the last update to that problem:
I went to the seller and they looked at the board very very and extremely carefully, making clear that they will surely find something I did wrong on it. After looking very intensively at the CPU socket pins, then looked at the CPU to see if they can spot where the pins had not touched the CPU... :-/ seeing nothing... they agreed it might not be that. So looked inside the RAM slot...

Then... they tried the working slot + one of their own CPU cooler and arriving in the bios noticed high CPU temperature... 60-70C, said it must be it. I kindly replied to them that at home I got 34C, and when he switched it off noticed that he had forgotten to put any paste between the CPU and CPU cooler. (My poor CPU!! :-( )
Then brought another CPU to test if it worked better or not, but it wasn't my CPU the problem.

After blaming me for the wrong brand of RAM (G.Skill), my bad care of pins, my CPU who could have created the problem, and also at some point my bad screwing of the CPU cooler, he agreed that he cannot find any other reason that the board having a problem.

He offered to send it back, so that Asrock could repair it and send it back, but that coudl take days...
They couldn't exchange the board as they had just sold their last one an hour before I arrived (telling me I was too late... lol, Nice to hear when I left work very early, and drove an hour to reach them). They also happened to have sold that board 7 hours after I phoned them - but they couldn't have trusted me by phone, as normally it is the reason is usually customer mishandling anyway... before faulty boards...

I felt put at blame from the start, and really don't feel like buying from them again, so asked to get my money back, and just have ordered a new board from amazon, as I do trust them more, and should have done that from the start.

So... bad experience but luckily in 3 days or so will get a new board to test. Hopefully I am not as unlucky this time. But if I am I feel that customer service might be less blaming...

Thanks for all your nice advices!

 

[Magusigne]

Mind you, you may not have any options. However. Amazon i've heard cross-ships no problem and their customer service is astounding.

Microcenter is usually great (Especially with the service plan)

Newegg/NCIX are both good as well.