Problem with MSI X58M; doesn't get to BIOS.

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26 Sep 2009
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Hello there. Hopefully someone can shed light on the problem I’m having with my new MSI X58M board.

I recently bought the components for a new rig from OC, the important bits being the following;

Motherboard: MSI X58M
CPU: Core i7 920 DO Stepping (2.66)
Memory: Corsair XMS3 3Gb DDR3 (3x1Gb)
PSU: Be Quiet! Dark Power Pro (650W)
Graphics: XFX ATI Radeon HD4870
CPU Cooling: Corsair Hydroseries H50

Upon opening the order my friend and I performed a quick visual inspection and nothing appeared to be burned out or damaged. On assembling the system we performed a routine BIOS check, we could hear the normal boot process and both the green ‘power’ LED and all 6 blue LEDs were on, and no red memory fault lights appeared. However, there was no signal going to the monitor.

At this point we checked that the cooling had been correctly fitted, that all fans were flowing in the right direction and that the graphics card was correctly seated and connected. We checked that both the monitor and DVI cable were functioning, using a different computer. We tried using both PCI-E slots and booting with one stick of memory, ensuring that we were using the correct channel(s) and checking each DIMM as advised. We also replaced the XFX ATI graphics card for an ATI X1650 we knew to be working, but none of this had any effect.

At this point the LEDs stopped functioning, however we could still hear the drives powering up and powering down.

Having eliminated everything else (we could think of!) we suspect that the problem is with either the motherboard or the CPU. On top of our original problems, now that the lights have stopped working on the Mboard I’m concerned that the CPU may have been fried.

Has anyone else had this problem either with the X58M or a similar board? Does anyone have any suggestions or advice as to what to do next? We’ve contacted the OC support service too to be on the safe side and I have a horrible feeling this is going to be a case of RMA.

Thanks.

JSW
 
My Asus board would not give me any signal in any of the x16 ports but did in the 8x. Had to rma that one.
Have you tried resetting the cmos to see if the lights start up again?
Do you know anyone else with X58 setup you could try parts on?
 
Thanks for the advice.

Tried resetting the cmos as you suggested, that hasn't made any difference to the lights. Unfortunately I'm the only one with a X58 setup at the moment, which also means I can't check to see if the CPU is the problem or the board. I'm also not sure what caused the lights to stop working in the first place; I really hope it isn't a cpu issue. Is that particularly likely?

It's just my luck that this all happened Saturday evening, meaning the longest possible wait before customer services can get back to me. Could have been worse I suppose; it could be a bank holiday on Monday!
 
Have you checked the CPU socket for any bent pins?

Also, when you reset the CMOS, did you just press the Clear CMOS button or did you close the jumper on the mobo and remove the battery for 10 minutes?
 
There doesn't appear to be any bent pins, at least not that I can see. Comparing the PCI-E slots to ones on a different motherboard they seem kinda loose. There's room for a bit of wiggle on both slots, whereas on the older board its a firm, solid grip. I'm not sure if that's where the problem lies, but I'm close to concluding that it is definitely a problem with the board.
 
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