Fatal1ty X399 Pro - Blinking Red LEDs, no POST |
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andrewjhead
Newbie Joined: 08 May 2023 Location: Texas Status: Offline Points: 95 |
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Posted: 08 May 2023 at 9:32pm |
Greetings!
I'm looking for any suggestions on troubleshooting this beast of a mobo/proc/RAM I inherited from a friend that doesn't want to POST. It was taken out of service working and I saw it post, but it's been in my closet for about two years and I finally decided to do something with it. Asrock Fatal1ty X399 Pro Threadripper 1950x Corsair 128GB (8x16) DDR4-3000 Corsair RM750e PSU GeForce GT710, 2GB At this point, all I've been able to get it to do is blink red from the couple of LEDs under the shroud. No Dr Diag, no post, no beep from the pc speaker, no symptom change. I HAVE been able to successfully flash the bios to the current non-beta using the BIOS Flashback Switch and a USB drive. Which makes me think that the board still has life in it. I'm having trouble finding anything that indicates what this flashing red could mean other than a potential power problem. The PSU is brand new, but just in case I went ahead and did a paperclip test and check the voltage across every pin. Everything is perfect. At this point, I've stripped the board down to laying on the bench, no CPU, no RAM, just the 24 pin (no 4/8 pin CPU power) and as soon as I turn on the PSU I get the same flashing red before even attempting to push the power button. When it was all assembled, I did try cycling random single RAM sticks through different slots, re-seating the CPU a couple of times, resetting the BIOS, pulling the battery for a short period. Everything I could think of. Does anyone have any suggestions? I'm willing to try every non-destructive idea that's thrown my way. lol Am I SOL? Thanks! Andrew. |
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ASRock Fatal1ty X399, Threadripper 1950x, Corsair RM750e, Corsair Vengeance LPX 128GB (8x16) DDR4-3000
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Xaltar
Moderator Group Joined: 16 May 2015 Location: Europe Status: Online Points: 24653 |
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If the Debug LED display isn't showing anything make sure:
1. The power connectors are all hooked up correctly, AFAIK you need the 8 pin CPU power connected, the 4 pin alone isn't enough though I think the 8pin alone is fine. 2. The CPU is properly seated and tightened down evenly and correctly. 3. A single stick of RAM is properly seated in slot A2 Power the system on and leave it on for at least 10mins. The first post on these x399 boards can take a lot longer than you may think. After the initial post it will power on normally. I had a very long first post on my current system too. |
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andrewjhead
Newbie Joined: 08 May 2023 Location: Texas Status: Offline Points: 95 |
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@Xaltar
Thanks for your suggestion. I appreciate you taking the time. I've fully hooked the board back up on the bench and left the power on for about 15 minutes and I'm still blinking. CPU is installed, a stick of RAM is slotted, 24pin power, 8 pin cpu and also the 4 pin just in case, and a video card. I did notice a slight symptom change that I hadn't picked up on when it was still in the case - When the video card is installed in the PCIE1 slot, there is an additional LED at the back of that slot that blinks as well. It's labeled LED24. I also popped the shroud off to see if any of the LEDs had specific labeling on them, but all 15 are just labeled with numeric designations. And of course all of them blink together. Also, the board was in use for many years prior to sitting dormant for two. Does that still count as "first post" by your thinking? Or does sitting long enough take it back to some kind of original state in that regard? |
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ASRock Fatal1ty X399, Threadripper 1950x, Corsair RM750e, Corsair Vengeance LPX 128GB (8x16) DDR4-3000
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andrewjhead
Newbie Joined: 08 May 2023 Location: Texas Status: Offline Points: 95 |
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I also just noticed that while it's blinking, if I push the power button on the motherboard I can the smallest "tick" in the PSU if I have my hand on it.
It's one of those "zero spin" models that doesn't run the fan unless the loads demands it, but I was able to prove that it spins momentarily on startup when doing the paperclip test. So whatever that tick noise/feeling is, it's for sure not powering all the way up. Just something else I noticed in case it's helpful..... |
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ASRock Fatal1ty X399, Threadripper 1950x, Corsair RM750e, Corsair Vengeance LPX 128GB (8x16) DDR4-3000
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Xaltar
Moderator Group Joined: 16 May 2015 Location: Europe Status: Online Points: 24653 |
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Sitting for a long time without power is more than enough to require a "first post"
again yes. When you power on the PSU, do you have any fans connected to the board? Are you sure the PSU is actually powering on? A "tick" when you press the power button the first time to power up is normal but if it ticks every time pushing it repeatedly it could indicate a power protection circuit is tripping. If the board has been in storage for 2 years it could have had a few of the component legs bent over and shorting on the underside of the board. Edited by Xaltar - 09 May 2023 at 1:16pm |
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andrewjhead
Newbie Joined: 08 May 2023 Location: Texas Status: Offline Points: 95 |
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I have had a CPU and case fan attached hoping that I would see them at least "jump" when I push the power button on the motherboard, but unfortunately they do not react in any way.
When you ask if I'm sure that the PSU is actually powering on, are you referring to when I'm pressing the power button on the motherboard or when I'm flipping on the power switch? The red blinking LEDs occur when the power switch is flipped on. Immediately and without having to press the power button on the motherboard. The "tick" that I feel/hear in the PSU is a one time thing when I press the power button the first time after having turned the PSU on via the switch. It will not occur again until the PSU is powered off via the switch or unplugged. So it is not a repeatable tick without completely starting the process over again. This PSU model when it powers up will spin it's fan a few cycles before stopping, which I have seen with a paperclip test. It's one of those zero-RPM mode models but will still spin the fan as a test or to let you know that it's working. So I know that the PSU isn't "firing up" when I press the power button as that spin up never occurs. It's fan does not jump or bump either. You make a good point about the legs and storage. It was in a bag in a mobo box, but regrettably was not on a foam pad. So I went ahead and spent some time with my cell phone camera going over the bottom of the board to see if anything looks wonky, out of place, or otherwise damaged. I have some experience with both through-hole and surface mount soldering, and everything looks to be in pristine condition. There's always the possibility that I missed something, but I feel confident that I was pretty thorough. Back onto your line of "first post" thinking. Is that something that might include these blinking red LEDs, and if so is it something that with sufficient time left on and blinking should stop? I obviously do not doubt the long "first post" concept you're describing, I'm just unfamiliar with it and don't have any experiences to draw from. These x399 board seem to have all kinds of quirks that I'm learning about. May be part of the reason that they've moved on and left this tech behind. Thanks again for all of your time! Andrew. |
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ASRock Fatal1ty X399, Threadripper 1950x, Corsair RM750e, Corsair Vengeance LPX 128GB (8x16) DDR4-3000
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Xaltar
Moderator Group Joined: 16 May 2015 Location: Europe Status: Online Points: 24653 |
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The RGB will be on from the moment the PSU is turned on, that is not an indication
of the board powering up. You need to press the power button/short the power on pins on the board for that to happen. It sounds like you either have a DOA PSU or there is a short somewhere preventing the PSU from powering on fully (it is in standby when the board RGB is lit up). |
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andrewjhead
Newbie Joined: 08 May 2023 Location: Texas Status: Offline Points: 95 |
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OK - That little piece of information about the lights blinking was as soon as the PSU is turned on put me down an interesting path. The short story is, I've got it working. And I can't thank you enough!
Here's the long story I had decided that there my only next step was to trade out my PSU. Nothing else is "new," so there was no return option for this several years old hardware. As a final nail in the coffin, I begrudgingly pulled the 24pin and 8pin from my working tower and precariously hooked the board up in an odd floating vertical position. I'll be damned the son of a bitch powered up when I hit the button and starting throwing codes. OK - PSU is bad. problem solved. Nope.... decided to try one more thing. I hooked the new PSU up WITHOUT the extra 4pin cpu cable and it worked. If I apply the 4 pin, it doesn't. Not sure what that's all about. But - for now I've been able to load video and ram to get into the bios. So I'm at a workable position to start building from. And the first thing I did was disable the LED controller to stop the blinking. lol Again, I can't thank you enough for your patience and suggestions. |
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ASRock Fatal1ty X399, Threadripper 1950x, Corsair RM750e, Corsair Vengeance LPX 128GB (8x16) DDR4-3000
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Xaltar
Moderator Group Joined: 16 May 2015 Location: Europe Status: Online Points: 24653 |
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Odd that the 4pin causes it not to power on, maybe a current overload protection.
Either way, the extra 4pin isn't essential. Glad you got it up and running Enjoy the build |
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