Gigabyte AORUS Master Z390 w i9-9900k code 65??

Larry Gaglio

Larry Gaglio

Larry Gaglio

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bought my cpu from Overclockers (great svc btw had it here in the US 3rd day after ordering), and my motherboard came in this afternoon so i assembled the computer right after dinner. Finished, hit the power button and can't get to POST ?? NO signal to monitor and all activity in the computer seems to stop when it hits that code.

I had the same issue when i tried this CPU on an Asrock Z390 Taichi, with the exact same code, and Asrock RMA'd the board but i was anxious and after getting my hands on the Taichi board, wasn't as happy as i thought i'd be so i ordered the AORUS Master. Dr Debug is showing a code 65, which by the manual is "CPU DXE initialization is started"

I've tried every trick i can find on the web, the Asrock manual suggested CLRing CMOS and/or Reset - no love. And for the record, i powered off (hard reboot) and then turned the PSU off, hold power button 30 seconds, then unplug the psu, then clear CMOS - i've tried both the CMOS button and removing the battery for 15 minutes.

So when this new motherboard came in, and is showing the same code, the Gigabyte manual shows the code to be "CPU DXE initialization is started" - researching that code brought me here to Overclockers forums, apparently there have been a few folks with code 66 (which shows same description) but their issue has been it's simply showing that code but their computer is loading OS - mine is not showing any signal to the screen, no POST, nothing.

I've tried every trick, removing all but one stick of ram, tried that one stick in every slot, tried every stick (4 sticks G.Skill TridentZ , one at a time in every slot - no luv. I've tried different ram (Corsair Vengence LPX (that's also on the QVL list for both boards), doing the same one stick at a time in each slot - no luv.

As these boards both use AMI BIOS, i found a recovery method that the AMI BIOS folks put up on the web, but it didn't work (and it was kind of old as it indicated to put the BIOS release you wanted on a floppy disk, renaming it "AMIBOOT.ROM" . Again, no luv

I'm coming to the conclusion it's my CPU, when i'm seeing the same result on two different boards from two different manufacturers - is there any way to tickle this CPU into getting past that DXE initialization?

Or should i contact overclockers about an RMA on the CPU?

Any suggestions appreciated

forgot to mention - system only had one SSD installed and a ODD connected, no GPU - and i'm halfway tempted to installing it but the other half of me is afraid of frying it - not sure what to do at this point
 
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Sure it's 65 and not b5? Make sure you pull any SATA off whilst testing also. 1 stick of ram, nothing else apart from monitor.

Ocuk rma is usually spot on. If nothing works then give them a ring. They'll be able to check it on their end and advise from there onwards.
 
actually never got to the part of viewing my BIOS screens, from the gitgo had zero display.

Called into Overclocker's tech support earlier, John after hearing all the details, made the comment he'd never heard of a BIOS damaging or corrupting a CPU - he suggested i install my GPU to see if that gave me a signal to the monitor and sure enough it did. Kind of strange though, when it got to the POST splash screen, if i didn't hit a key, the screen would go black after 5 seconds. I hit a key and the POST screen came back - hit F2 & got into BIOS. Took the GPU back out, and again, zero signal to the monitor. It could be the CPU just decided to fail when the Asrock updated BIOS got flashed - not sure, and way above my computer literacy to determine. -

So the CPU is going home to Overclockers - i will say Overclockers attitude (ie John's) and svc really were head & shoulders above what you ordinarily experience with online vendors.
 
odd that its 2 mother boards, both high end and same error codes . If you can quick flash to latest bios, least then you have ammo and these thread posts to show OCUK that you've tried everything
 
Doug2507 said:
Sure it's 65 and not b5? Make sure you pull any SATA off whilst testing also. 1 stick of ram, nothing else apart from monitor.

Ocuk rma is usually spot on. If nothing works then give them a ring. They'll be able to check it on their end and advise from there onwards.
Click to expand...

definitely 65
Doug2507 said:
Sure it's 65 and not b5? Make sure you pull any SATA off whilst testing also. 1 stick of ram, nothing else apart from monitor.

Ocuk rma is usually spot on. If nothing works then give them a ring. They'll be able to check it on their end and advise from there onwards.
Click to expand...

yeah - a "b" wouldn't have the horizontal legr that you see at the top of the "6". John also asked that, and it would be an easy mistake to make

4575Qgh.jpg

appreciate the suggestions, but tried all of that - 1st this issue occurred while assembling this computer, so i only had one SSD (unallocated) for Win 10 installation, and an ODD with no media in the tray
BUt i've probably spent 10-12 hours researching and trying different test protocol, 1st was one of the four G.Skill TRidentZ sticks, and tried in each slot, then the other 3 sticks, the same, oe at a time in each slot. THen i had some other known good ram Corsair Vengence LPX, tried all four sticks, one at a time - no luv.
Between trying each stick, power off, turn off PSU, hold power button 10+ seconds, then either the clear CMOS buttong or remove the battery for 15 minutes - no luv.

THen i found on the AMI BIOS web, BIOS recovery instructions, but they were obviously dated as they instructed to put a known good BIOS release on a floppy disk renamed AMIBOOT.ROM. No luv - another John, at tech support Asrock, said it doesn't work on a lot of motherboards, ASROCK'S fall into that category

It wasn't until i started researching Gigabyte's interpretation of that code, ie "CPU DXE initialization is started" that i came across this forum. One of the threads here, re code 66, one poster stated (and apparently accurately) that the Dr Debug codes aren't all error codes, but status reports. So apparently the CPU stopped initiating instruction sets at or after DXE
 
orbitalwalsh said:
odd that its 2 mother boards, both high end and same error codes . If you can quick flash to latest bios, least then you have ammo and these thread posts to show OCUK that you've tried everything
Click to expand...

Not if it's something common to both, ie the CPU

and reading back over my earlier post, i may have communicated something poorly - John at Overclockers, when he said he'd never heard of a BIOS affecting a CPU, said it in a manner that he didn't think the BIOS had anything to do with the issue. The issue remains, without a GPU there's no video signal (and the CPU does have a iGPU, and with a GPU the monitor does get a signal. So there is something internal to the CPU, either a failed component or corrupted instruction set.

Overclockers has actually pretty decent, both in tech support and attitude - they've already sent a RMA ticket
 
one comment i'll make on the two boards - the Taichi, while it has some decent specs, the build quality doesn't appear as good as the Gigabyte's - i'm not really electrically literate but i am in manufacturing ie making metal chips, and just the presentation of the board, the chipset cover with the, to me, tackily done gear / sprocket theme seem a little elementary. But one feature on the AORUS Master (that doesn't appear on any of the other models, that i found, is the mechanical switch to switch over to the backup BIOS. Simple operation, shut down the computer, slide two switches, basically an "on/off" switch for each BIOS. If the backup BIOS chip switch is in the off position, then it's isolated and shouldn't be vulnerable to corruption. The Taichi didn't have that mechanical switch, to select the backup BIOS you made the selection in BIOS, which in the case above was impossible

My Asrock X99 board had that mechanical switch, and i liked it just for it's simplicity & security. You can also use it to store an OC BIOS but i always just left a known stable BIOS on the backup.

THe GIgabytes BIOS though could use some updating & improvement - a little on the rudimentary side, but i only had a few minutes to look around in the one pre-installed on the board

fwiw
 
true with Gigabyte bios, everyone here knows it and so does Gigabyte. over haulling 'Easy mode' so far but only on latest bios updates.

but least with a bios it can be updated, and mother board design can't

and think half go for Gigabyte here due to rep and support to be honest
 
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