Z390 Phantom Gaming ITX/ac no boot

Hi,

I am building a new pc with the following specs:

Case: Fractal Design Define Nano S
MB: Asrock Z390 Phantom Gaming ITX/ac
CPU: Intel i7-9700
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D15
Ram: Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR4-3200MHz
Gfx: Asus ROG Strix RTX 2070 OC 8GB Gaming
HHD: Samsung 860 EVO
PSU: EVGA Supernova 650 G2

Everything except the PSU are brand new.

Now, when I connect everything and boot it this happens:
mobo lights up red (pulsating)
CPU fans spins up and then stops
GPU is not doing anything - no fans spinning and no lights.
Case fans spins up and works fine.
After some seconds, the whole system shuts down and then starts up again. This repeats itself.
There is no display on the monitor.

So where do I go from here?

Further findings:

Removed GPU, booted.
Tried RAM in both slots, both individually and together.
Removed CPU cooler.

Only thing attached is motherboard, CPU and PSU.

For all the above, System shuts off after 30 seconds, then start again.

I've tried resetting CMOS with the button on the back. Didn't help.

Is my board faulty?

The i7-9700 (is it the exact proper name?) probably needs bios v4.00, as stated: https://www.asrock.com/MB/Intel/Z390%20Phantom%20Gaming-ITXac/index.asp#CPU
Is your motherboard upgraded to that bios? Sometimes, on the bios chips on the board there a tiny pieces of paper glued on top showing the installed version.
If you don't know the bios version, it may be you have a "lesser" bios version like 1.50 or so. In such case there is nothing you can do other than use a (older) CPU that runs also with such "lesser" bios version.
Once you're able to get into bios, you can then upgrade the bios, i reccomend the "flash" method. Once upgraded, it should run properly then also with the i7-9700.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/antonyleather/2019/03/29/intels-new-r0-stepping-9th-gen-cpus-will-crash-windows-10-without-new-bios-update/

Gives the direction. Although Asrock and other manufacturer claim, the CPUs with P0 stepping WOULD work also with lesser bios versions, there are many reports that this is not forcedly true and the new (9th) generation of CPU like that i7-9700 only works with an upgraded bios.

CHnuschti wrote: The i7-9700 (is it the exact proper name?) probably needs bios v4.00, as stated: https://www.asrock.com/MB/Intel/Z390%20Phantom%20Gaming-ITXac/index.asp#CPU

Yes, the CPU is i7-9700. I didn't get the K version (not sure why really :))

CHnuschti wrote: Is your motherboard upgraded to that bios? Sometimes, on the bios chips on the board there a tiny pieces of paper glued on top showing the installed version.

You are correct. The BIOS chip has a small label with P1.30 on it.

CHnuschti wrote: If you don't know the bios version, it may be you have a "lesser" bios version like 1.50 or so. In such case there is nothing you can do other than use a (older) CPU that runs also with such "lesser" bios version.

Is there really no other way? As a consumer I am really shocked that I need to purchase an older CPU just to get the board working with newer technology.

CHnuschti wrote: Once you're able to get into bios, you can then upgrade the bios, i reccomend the "flash" method. Once upgraded, it should run properly then also with the i7-9700. https://www.forbes.com/sites/antonyleather/2019/03/29/intels-new-r0-stepping-9th-gen-cpus-will-crash-windows-10-without-new-bios-update/ Gives the direction. Although Asrock and other manufacturer claim, the CPUs with P0 stepping WOULD work also with lesser bios versions, there are many reports that this is not forcedly true and the new (9th) generation of CPU like that i7-9700 only works with an upgraded bios.

Thanks for the explanations. I will see if I in any way can force the bios update without having to purchase a new and older CPU.

MikaelS wrote: How did you get it to boot into POST? Mine does absolutely nothing. I will give the flash upgrade through USB a try. If it doesn't work, I will return the board and buy another brand. This is not really consumer friendly.

I managed to get it booting at some point when I removed and switched some DDR4 modules (I've tested those modules and don't think they're the issue btw). I think it forced a reset of bios because of that? Not sure why it then would boot. From there I could flash bios using instant flash, with the bios on the usb stick.

I'm considering buying a new one as well. I mean, the vendor now wants to repair it again, this time by replacing the entire cpu socket. That will cost quite some repair costs, as they claim that it's my fault for destroying it in the first place so it's not within the warranty.

But to be honest, I don't trust this board at all right now. It worked at some point, using default settings in the bios, ran smooth, then after a few days it stopped working completely after a night not using it at all. So I have the feeling that replacing the cpu socket wont be the solution anyway.