The last three mb's I have RMA from Asus have had isssues...

[Kaieye]

The first K7M-RM was returned as not able to boot up properly. The second one sent back to me would freeze every time I installed a PCI modem or PCI NIC card. That is being sent back next week. I just received a a7vi-vm (another RMA) and I was just about to install the cpu and I noticed that there is a deep gash across the circuit board next to the CMOS battery. Would you folks put this mb in a mission critical situation?? I don't mind taking used stuff or refurbs but not JUNK!!!


ASUS, are you listening??

 

[EKAtBzboyz]

is the gash cutting any traces??

if so, i would again rma it

*thinks of asus* "whats up with that?"

 

[ChrisADuffy]

Where did you buy these boards?

 

[Kaieye]

The first K7M-RM was sold to me by a fellow trader here on Anandtech. I was told that it was a fresh mb returned by Asus and I purchased it. I later returned it again to Asus for being defective and they sent me another mb which locks up when I try to add a PCI modem or PCI NIC card. Do you think another try is in order or am I in a futile situtation??

 

[Iron Woode]

It freezes when booting up windows?

Did you do a format/clean install? Which OS?

 

[CraigRT]

Asus boards..... there are better out there.

 

[Insane3D]

Originally posted by: Yield
Asus boards..... there are better out there.

Yep, I think they used to be the top, but I think that title is no longer theirs. I don't think people realize that times change....Asus may have been the best in the past, but that does not mean they will be forever..

That being said, every manufacturer will have some bad boards...it just happens. It sounds like you have had more than your share though..

 

[Kaieye]

I am running Windows XP and everything runs great until I insert either a PCI modem or a PCI NIC card and then I can't even get to the BIOS screen. Once I pull out the PCI cards - then the PC behaves correctly...

So far, the a7vi-vm(scratched traces) seems to be working fine.

 

[Iron Woode]

It sounds like an IRQ/resources issue. Try a different PCI slot. Maybe even XP might be having issues.

Are you running ACPI? Do you have free irqs? Did you disable any onboard components that aren't being used?

I had an issue like that with an old Asus P5A.

 

[RanDum72]

Yep, I think they used to be the top, but I think that title is no longer theirs. I don't think people realize that times change....Asus may have been the best in the past, but that does not mean they will be forever..

That being said, every manufacturer will have some bad boards...it just happens. It sounds like you have had more than your share though

Fair share? He bought a board from a guy that 'claims' it was a fresh RMA from Asus which is highly suspicious in the first place.
As for Asus not being the best anymore, well everybody has their own opinions but so far Intel is the only other manufacturer besides Asus to offer a three-year warranty on their mobos. Unless other manufacturers are brave enough to follow this, Asus will still have to be considered one of the top, if not the top, manufacturer around. The K7M-RM is a rather old board (Slot A!), probably more than a year old. Do you think other brands would still send you a replacement?

Back to the issue though. There is probably a BIOS setting that would help. Look under 'Plug and Play' setup. . Set it to PnP aware OS (enable). Under 'Peripheral' setup, make sure any references to built-in LAN or modem is disabled.

 

[Kaieye]

I have already done the BIOS plug and play routine and I am 99.5% sure the mb is junk. About the info about the warranty is good for three years, I have gathered that they have shorten some of the new mb's to two years. Could the possibility of building their equipment in China instead of Taiwan being the cause??

 

[Regalk]

I hate defending ASUS but this time I will. I have yet to kill those darn mobos - they just keep going. I have an A7V and A7S333 back in their boxes - I upgraded and these boards just flat out refused to die - I may have to sell them now.
My MSI K7Turbo-R was RMA'd - just died one day. My Epox 8KHA+ is jittery and I am holding my breath - just do not have the confidence it its longevity. My MSI K7T266Pro2 just decided that one day its chassis fan header will not work and RAID ports just keep dissappearing!
I have moved away from ABIT since the KT7 days and have not looked back.

 

[RanDum72]

I have already done the BIOS plug and play routine and I am 99.5% sure the mb is junk. About the info about the warranty is good for three years, I have gathered that they have shorten some of the new mb's to two years. Could the possibility of building their equipment in China instead of Taiwan being the cause??

But have you checked on the peripheral setup for references to LAN/modem settings being enabled? Have you also tried different PCI slots?
I'm also curious about the brand of NIC/modem you have. Its also possible that the mobo just doesn't like the particular brand NIC/modem. It would be helpful if you have another one just test this out.

As far as I know, Asus still has three-year warranties on their motherboard. All of my Asus boards have been made in Taiwan but it shouldn't make a difference if its made in China.

 

[Kaieye]

I thank all you folks for the different opinions and anwsers. I have already reset the CMOS and tried different PCI slots to no avail...

I just want to let you folks know that if you have issues with your ASUS mb's, expect a POS coming back. I had three strikes so I am out of here with ASUS!

 

[CraigRT]

Soltek boards rule.
chugging along 100% perfect. all 5 PCI slots full, overclocked, running stable as the rock of gibraltar.. I love this brand.. I would NOT hesitate to buy Soltek again. After using this mobo, boards like Asus look a LOT less appealing for their price..this mobo was cheap, and in my experience, is far nicer than any Asus mobo I have used.

But that's just my findings. Although some other people have found the same things.

 

[piasabird]

Did you install the Chipset Update from Asus that comes on a disk with the motherboard?

 

[newbiepcuser]

Asus boards..... there are better out there.

Don't let AndyHui see that :Q

 

[JeffreyLebowski]

what wattage is your PSU?

 

[Kaieye]

For your info, I just got back my third RMA k7m-rm motherboard and I am still having the same isssues. PCI modem locking up the PC and I can't get into the BIOS screen unless I remove it.


Thanks alot ASUS - If I ever run out of toilet paper, I'll put out my ASUS manual out...

 

[GonzoDaGr8]

The second one sent back to me would freeze every time I installed a PCI modem or PCI NIC card.

I just got back my third RMA k7m-rm motherboard and I am still having the same isssues. PCI modem locking up the PC and I can't get into the BIOS screen unless I remove it.

Uhh...See a pattern here? Do you have other cards to try?

 

[mechBgon]

My work fleet now has 20 Asus AMD-based systems (one A7V333-R and 19 A7N266-VM) plus about 9 CUV4X's. I also have an A7V333-R at home. Hardware-wise, they seem to be great, so I still think of Asus as being one of the top-end manufacturers.

I can blame Asus for making a bad BIOS-flash utility for the A7V333-R's, which has been the cause of two RMA's, but both of them were handled fine and the returned boards are as good as new. Other than that, they've made a few errors, such as the jumper settings for the A7N266-VM being wrong in the manual, but if that were an insurmountable obstacle to me, then I should just buy a Dell Sorry to hear about your problems, though.

 

[RanDum72]

For your info, I just got back my third RMA k7m-rm motherboard and I am still having the same isssues. PCI modem locking up the PC and I can't get into the BIOS screen unless I remove it.

You know what, for the money you spent on shipping the mobos back and forth, you could bought ANOTHER PCI modem for around $15.00 and then try it out. Or, you can buy an external modem for around $50 (this is actually the safest route). There are hardware that just doesn't like other hardware. My former Abit KR7A would ALWAYS corrupt the firmware of an Audigy (happened twice, but thanks to CompUSA, I always had a replacement). The third replacement, I swapped it with the TB Santa Cruz in my other PC. End of story. You can also blame the manufacturer of that modem for all I care. The lesson is, why insist on making both work together when its obvious it can't be done? Try another solution.

 

[Fuzznuts]

Originally posted by: RanDum72
For your info, I just got back my third RMA k7m-rm motherboard and I am still having the same isssues. PCI modem locking up the PC and I can't get into the BIOS screen unless I remove it.

You know what, for the money you spent on shipping the mobos back and forth, you could bought ANOTHER PCI modem for around $15.00 and then try it out. Or, you can buy an external modem for around $50 (this is actually the safest route). There are hardware that just doesn't like other hardware. My former Abit KR7A would ALWAYS corrupt the firmware of an Audigy (happened twice, but thanks to CompUSA, I always had a replacement). The third replacement, I swapped it with the TB Santa Cruz in my other PC. End of story. You can also blame the manufacturer of that modem for all I care. The lesson is, why insist on making both work together when its obvious it can't be done? Try another solution.

here here

in all your so called testing the only one common factor is the PCI modem. surely common sense will prevail the chances of 3 boards being bad all for the same reasons is slim to none. try other cards