New PC boot issues

zXTheRipperXz · 29 Nov 2011 at 13:22

New PC boot issues (SOLVED!)

Update: I've now solved the problem below. My bro suggested lowering the voltage on the RAM - the recommended and default value for the 1600MHz Kingston HyperX is 1.65v which it was set at when I bought the PC. I lowered it a little an no more boot issues. I've done a bit more digging and found some threads on here and looks like people are setting it around 1.5v.
Either way, no more boot issues and I'm a happy bunny!

Hi

I have an issue with booting my new PC and wondered if anyone has any ideas or suggestions.
The problem is not consistent - it happens on about 6 out of 10 boots, sometimes cold boots, sometimes restarts.
Basically, I press the power button or restart, the lights come on and fans start etc, but before the BIOS post beep, the system shuts down then reboots itself and starts up normally. The specs are as follows:

Corsair Obsidian Series 650D Mid-Tower Gaming Case
Asus Gene-Z Motherboard
Intel 2700k processor
8GB (2x4GB) Kingston Hyper X Memory
128GB Crucial M4 SATA III SSD
1TB SATA III 7200RPM Hard Drive
NVIDIA GTX570
Large liquid cooling kit (processor only)
1000W PSU.

I bought the system from NO COMPETITOR TALK and it was assembled by them and professionally wired.

I contacted their support and they told me that it's common for the Intel based boards to restart at boot - something to do with getting power in the capacitors. Correct me if I'm wrong but personally I think that's rubbish! It should boot first time as it does sometimes anyway.

I don't think the problem is the overclocking settings as the system ticks over nicely with prime95 torture test and temperatures stay below 60c at max load and the system is stable. I have checked the memory settings and they correspond with what's suggested on Kingstons website for the Hyper X memory that I have.

My suspicions are either a faulty PSU or faulty motherboard (maybe the capacitors) but I can't really go back to Cyberpower until I know for sure what's causing the problem. I could be completely wrong and maybe it is the overclocking settings or the memory but I'm new to all of this so any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

I have googled the problem for hours but any examples I can find of similar problems are where the system consistently doesn't boot.

Thanks!

olivier renault · 29 Nov 2011 at 13:25

difficult to say unless you can try another PSU with that motherboard. IIRC that's not the first Asus suffering from that problem. I don't like the sound of a '1000W PSU' though. Either it is overspecced or it's a POS.

lee20010 · 29 Nov 2011 at 13:26

Id remove that link aswell.

zXTheRipperXz · 29 Nov 2011 at 13:32

olivier renault said:
difficult to say unless you can try another PSU with that motherboard. IIRC that's not the first Asus suffering from that problem. I don't like the sound of a '1000W PSU' though. Either it is overspecced or it's a POS.

It's a pain because the problem is so intermittent.
If I could try a different PSU it might work, but then I still wouldn't know if that had fixed the problem without some longer term use. Unfortunately, I don't have any spare parts I can use to test with and I'm trying to avoid buying anything unecessarily. I will see if a mate can lend me a PSU to try though.

Loke · 29 Nov 2011 at 13:55

What brand is your PSU?

zXTheRipperXz · 29 Nov 2011 at 15:17

Loke said:
What brand is your PSU?

I'll check when I get home. It's not one of the major brands I don't think.

zXTheRipperXz · 29 Nov 2011 at 18:11

Loke said:
What brand is your PSU?

The PSU is a RAIDMAX RX-1000AE.

jpod · 29 Nov 2011 at 18:24

Do you have access to plug in PSU tester?

Have you tried reseating everything - unplug and plug in all the components?

And a full system check?

http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=18281472

zXTheRipperXz · 29 Nov 2011 at 18:44

Loke said:
What brand is your PSU?

jpod said:
Do you have access to plug in PSU tester?

Have you tried reseating everything - unplug and plug in all the components?

And a full system check?

http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=18281472

Thanks for the links.
I don't have a PSU tester. I have checked things are seated correctly and checked for any loose connections but everything seems solid. I haven't removed the components and reseated them though. Everythings quite awkward to get to with the liquid cooling loop and large tubing in the way. I'll give it a go but if something wasn't seated properly I would expect to get problems at more than just the boot stage i.e. crashes when the system was running. As I said, if the system doesn't boot first time it always boots on the 2nd attempt and works flawlessly, even under load tests.
I'll let you know if reseating everything solves the problem.
Thanks :cool: