X870 will not post after switching itself off

Jerome · Saturday at 15:18

Hello everyone,

Recently completed a new build less than a week ago and today had some time to finally start using it properly. It's been running on/off all week and no issues until now.

Specs:
CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D
Motherboard: ASRock X870 Pro RS WiFi AMD Socket AM5 Motherboard
RAM: Corsair Vengeance 64GB (2x32GB) 6000Mhz DDR5 CL30 RAM

Last night I changed the RAM from 2x32GB Corsair Vengeance 6000Mhz CL40 sticks over to CL30 sticks (white to black) and it worked fine overnight and this morning. I had also enabled EXPO in the BIOS settings when setting them in originally.

Went to take a shower this morning and came back to my PC completely off - it turned itself off (not via any sleep settings).

Tried to turn it back on and solid red/orange lights on the motherboard which indicate CPU/RAM based on the manual. It won't post.

I immediately considered faulty RAM so I've swapped out to the original sticks to no avail. Right now I'm using one of the original sticks in the A2 slot (the recommended slot). I've waited for any RAM training for ~10 mins but no change. I've reseated/repasted the CPU. I've updated the BIOS via flashing it via USB to the latest beta version (I had the latest regular version before). I tried to short the CMOS pins with a screwdriver but feel maybe that's not done anything.. I'll have to remove the GPU to take out the CMOS battery.

I've gone ahead and ordered some cheap DDR5 RAM to see if that does anything (in case there's issues with the Corsair 6000Mhz which would be odd considering I've tried two separate sticks). I've also ordered a new Asus X870 motherboard (the cheapest one I can find as the one I have now is no longer in stock).

Does anyone have any ideas what this could be? The strangest part is that it had switched itself off. To say I'm frustrated is an understatement. I haven't had any issues (heating, stability, nor restarts) since the original build.

Many thanks for any advice/thoughts.

Tetras · Saturday at 16:30

Jerome said:
Went to take a shower this morning and came back to my PC completely off - it turned itself off (not via any sleep settings).

Tried to turn it back on and solid red/orange lights on the motherboard which indicate CPU/RAM based on the manual. It won't post.

To be clear, you're just getting a black screen with those lights?

Jerome said:
I've waited for any RAM training for ~10 mins but no change. I've reseated/repasted the CPU. I've updated the BIOS via flashing it via USB to the latest beta version (I had the latest regular version before). I tried to short the CMOS pins with a screwdriver but feel maybe that's not done anything.. I'll have to remove the GPU to take out the CMOS battery.

If you do take the GPU out, you can try with the onboard/integrated graphics too.

Jerome said:
Does anyone have any ideas what this could be? The strangest part is that it had switched itself off. To say I'm frustrated is an understatement. I haven't had any issues (heating, stability, nor restarts) since the original build.

What happened when you removed the RAM? Is there a cable or two that might have unseated themselves?

What cooler are you using?

You could take a picture of the build and we can check you haven't missed anything.

Jerome · Saturday at 17:47

Tetras said:
To be clear, you're just getting a black screen with those lights?

Correct, nothing on the display from either the GPU or integrated. Simply solid red/orange lights on the motherboard which don't change with time.

Tetras said:
If you do take the GPU out, you can try with the onboard/integrated graphics too.

Done, unfortunately no change. I've taken out the battery to reset the CMOS (waited 30 mins or so) but no joy.

Tetras said:
What happened when you removed the RAM? Is there a cable or two that might have unseated themselves?

Nothing changed as far as I could tell. It worked fine for a few hours with the new RAM in place last night and this morning it worked well too for a couple of hours.

Tetras said:
What cooler are you using?

Phantom Spirit 120 SE. One fan is removed (in the pics) due to changing the RAM, however normally both fans are strapped on.

Tetras said:
You could take a picture of the build and we can check you haven't missed anything.

I've attached a few here.

All cables are securely attached from what I can tell. The motherboard power cable was quite tight going through the top so I took the top part of the case off to verify they're all OK and no possible damage etc.

I'm unsure what occurred when the power went off as I wasn't in the room although it was only for the computer (my other equipment attached to the same antisurge lead were all fine).

That's what makes me think it's the motherboard or perhaps the PSU, as there was no BSOD/restart, just simply a fully powered off computer. I'd read an anecdotal comment on a different site regarding the board itself that this particular motherboard has an issue with Corsair Vengeance 32GB sticks running at 6000Mhz; not sure if there's any truth to it but that's why I ordered some cheap RAM to test it out.

The one thing I absolutely do not want it to be is the CPU given the fact it's impossible to obtain a replacement.

Images are here: https://imgur.com/a/JZXI7Hx

Thanks for your assistance.

adrichardson81 · Saturday at 20:53

I'm not seeing anything obvious in the photos. Out of interest, are the lights different if you try to post without any memory installed at all?

Have you checked the cpu base and socket for any damage?

Jerome · Saturday at 21:17

adrichardson81 said:
I'm not seeing anything obvious in the photos. Out of interest, are the lights different if you try to post without any memory installed at all?

Still the same with no sticks installed - both red/orange lights illuminated.

adrichardson81 said:
Have you checked the cpu base and socket for any damage?

I had a cursory look when reseating it earlier but nothing to note. I didn't look in depth but will do so tomorrow after the new motherboard arrives. I'm hesitant to do it now as I've already used more paste to reseat it earlier.

I was very conscious about ensuring it sat properly as damage to pins is something I was particularly nervous about in the beginning.

Plan is:

1. Test with a basic RAM stick to rule it out completely
2. Switch to the new motherboard (and check the CPU at the same time)
3. If that fails, I'll try the new PSU (which I may stick with anyway due to it having a 12 pin cable for the GPU instead of having to ues 3x PCIe cables which is a bit messy)

All three of those should arrive tomorrow. At this stage I'm actually hoping it's the motherboard.

Failing that, it's time for a new CPU, which is going to be really disappointing indeed. I don't foresee any situation where I'm not going to be significantly out of pocket (having to wait for a 9800X3D replacement but buying a seriously overpriced 7800X3D in the meantime which I'd have to sell for a loss).

Jerome · Sunday at 14:18

Latest update:

- Tried completely different branded RAM with the existing motherboard, no change
- Swapped the motherboard to a different model, no change
- Updated the BIOS via USB flashback on the different model just in case, no change
- Tried all the RAM I have on the new motherboard to see if it makes a difference, no change

The Asus X870-P Wifi doesn't even have indicators lights which is ridiculous, considering it's more expensive. Still the black screen.

It's now looking to be that the 9800X3D is the culprit. Time to shell out for an inferior processor at a higher price as there's no chance I'll be getting a replacement anytime soon.

Really aggravated.

Photos of the CPU and previous motherboard pins, can't see any indication of damage: https://imgur.com/a/6fCGxPw

adrichardson81 · Sunday at 17:27

Jerome said:
The Asus X870-P Wifi doesn't even have indicators lights which is ridiculous, considering it's more expensive. Still the black screen.

Didn't you get the memo? That's a high end feature these days!

Pins and base look fine to me, so I'd agree with the CPU being dead. 7600x is a reasonable sub until you get your replacement back.

SpellowHouse · Sunday at 17:55

Jerome said:
Latest update:

- Tried completely different branded RAM with the existing motherboard, no change
- Swapped the motherboard to a different model, no change
- Updated the BIOS via USB flashback on the different model just in case, no change
- Tried all the RAM I have on the new motherboard to see if it makes a difference, no change

The Asus X870-P Wifi doesn't even have indicators lights which is ridiculous, considering it's more expensive. Still the black screen.

It's now looking to be that the 9800X3D is the culprit. Time to shell out for an inferior processor at a higher price as there's no chance I'll be getting a replacement anytime soon.

Really aggravated.

Photos of the CPU and previous motherboard pins, can't see any indication of damage: https://imgur.com/a/6fCGxPw

Does sound like the CPU to me. That's always a possibility when you overclock the RAM, but it's extremely rare. Perhaps this is a weakness with this CPU? I don't know, I am not familiar with it's architecture.

Anyway, if you look at the tech specs of the RAM, the CL30 is higher voltage than the CL40. My guess is the higher voltage blew the memory controller.

Jerome · Sunday at 18:18

SpellowHouse said:
Does sound like the CPU to me. That's always a possibility when you overclock the RAM, but it's extremely rare. Perhaps this is a weakness with this CPU? I don't know, I am not familiar with it's architecture.

Anyway, if you look at the tech specs of the RAM, the CL30 is higher voltage than the CL40. My guess is the higher voltage blew the memory controller.

I enabled EXPO when I installed the CL30 RAM sticks. Just noticed regarding the voltage, I believe it's 1.40V instead of 1.35V. It worked fine overnight and into the next day when I tested a few games but then suddenly went.

I feel very unlucky indeed if that's the case.

adrichardson81 said:
Didn't you get the memo? That's a high end feature these days!

Pins and base look fine to me, so I'd agree with the CPU being dead. 7600x is a reasonable sub until you get your replacement back.

If it ends up being the CPU I'll keep the original ASRock X870 Pro RS board, which was almost 20% cheaper and has more features too.

Thanks for the advice on the 7600X. I think I'll go ahead with that. In my haste I was considering purchasing a scalped 9800X3D out of pure frustration but now I feel it would be unwise.

adrichardson81 · Sunday at 18:57

Jerome said:
I enabled EXPO when I installed the CL30 RAM sticks. Just noticed regarding the voltage, I believe it's 1.40V instead of 1.35V. It worked fine overnight and into the next day when I tested a few games but then suddenly went.

I feel very unlucky indeed if that's the case.

If it ends up being the CPU I'll keep the original ASRock X870 Pro RS board, which was almost 20% cheaper and has more features too.

Thanks for the advice on the 7600X. I think I'll go ahead with that. In my haste I was considering purchasing a scalped 9800X3D out of pure frustration but now I feel it would be unwise.

Definitely not worth paying scalper prices. A 7600x is great from a price/performance and resale perspective.

freddie64 · Monday at 07:47

Would it be faster to RMA the CPU direct to AMD?

adrichardson81 · Monday at 07:55

You're probably better off going direct to AMD if you've had it longer than 28 days, especially given the 9800x3d shortage.

Jerome · Monday at 09:22

freddie64 said:
Would it be faster to RMA the CPU direct to AMD?

adrichardson81 said:
You're probably better off going direct to AMD if you've had it longer than 28 days, especially given the 9800x3d shortage.

I received it just under 2 weeks ago so I'm not sure the best course of action.

Would you think it's still preferable to go direct to AMD instead of the retailer?

freddie64 · Monday at 09:29

Jerome said:
I received it just under 2 weeks ago so I'm not sure the best course of action.

Would you think it's still preferable to go direct to AMD instead of the retailer?

Was just thinking, surely AMD should have some CPU's for RMA purpose.

You may have a very long wait for the retailer to get stock in.

Jerome · Monday at 10:50

I submitted an RMA request direct to AMD, let's see how it goes.

In the meantime a new PSU arrives today so I'll give that a go. Perhaps the CPU power module on my existing supply is faulty.. doubtful but we will see. If it's not the case then it has to be the CPU (or I have a dead motherboard and the second motherboard was DoA, which again is doubtful).

7600X arrives tomorrow to finally answer that once and for all.

In the meantime I've reconnected the laptop I used previously as my workstation (i7-7700HQ, 16GB RAM, 1050Ti). It'll do but it's certainly not as good as the new one! :cry:

pastymuncher · Monday at 11:06

What make and model is the current psu and what is the new one?

Jerome · Monday at 11:20

Current: Corsair RM1000x

New: Corsair RM1000e

The current one was used less than a week. The GPU low voltage light appears correctly when the power button is on and then disappears when the computer is switched on fully indicating there's sufficient supply through the PSU itself, but perhaps specifically a fault with the CPU module or wires leading to it. Wishful thinking I suppose.

If it's not the PSU then it'll be going back as I understand the RM1000x is superior in quality.

WARburton · Monday at 11:56

How many pcie cables are you using from the psu? Are you using one with a splitter?

I had this same type of problem about a month ago and it was the psu. On paper the psu was fine but it was doing what your dose.

Power button red cpu light and nothing…

Jerome · Monday at 11:59

I believe it's 3x PCIe cables connected to the splitter provided in the GPU box. It's an Asus ProArt GeForce 4080 Super.

No issues with the GPU. For the purposes of testing I've also performed all diagnostics with both the GPU in and out (using the integrated HDMI port otherwise).

WARburton · Monday at 12:03

I was just thinking if you had the GPU drawing off one cable(from the psu) you could have killed the psu.

But what ever the problem what your saying sounds 100% like what I had and a new psu was the fix.

just a note the X and E cables may not be a match always use the cables that come in the box with the psu.