Dead PC Not sure what the problem is

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xcmhx

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May 10, 2013
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Last year I built a new desktop. Asus P8Z68-V Pro/Gen 3 motherboard, Intel Core i7 2600K CPU, Cooler Master CPU cooler (sorry forgot which model its tall with 2 fans big copper pipes and was about $25 US),Corsair Vengeance 1600 16GB Ram (4 x 4), Corsair GS800 PSU, Sapphire Radeon HD 7950 OC edition GPU, WD Veliciraptor 1TB HD, Seagate Barracude 1TB HD, in a Thermaltake Chaser MK1 Case with all 4 200mm colorshift fans. I had been running fine for over a year playing games like Battlefield 3, Far Cry 3, Skyrim, Shogun 2, you name it I could do it. Never had any problems with PC and I kept it running on almost 24/7 had AVG Internet security 2013 and pc tuneup 2013, never had any virus warnings I monitored cpu temp to be usually 27 to 30c idle and around 55c full load.

A couple of weeks ago after gaming for a couple hours I shut down te game and opened internet explorer. My pc froze up and became unresponsive. After a few minutes of waiting for task manager to open unsuccessfully I grew tired and impatient and I hit the power switch and the case and shut her all down and went off to bed. The next day after I woke when I walked by the pc I hit the power button and then went about my business. After a while when I returned to it I noticed the asus bios splash screen was still on the monitor. Thinking this odd I decided to hit the del key to attempt to enter bios. No dice. Keyboard was lit up but not responsive. So I reset the machine. it shut down and restarted all the fans swirling the led lights coming on and I am still stuck on a frozen asus splash screen.

Investigating inside the case I notice the red led beside the works "boot_device" is lit up red and stays on the motherboard. Long story short I went out and bought a new psu and hooked it up. Same thing. Removed all the ram but one stick and tried all four individually same thing. Removed mobo battery for half minute put back in. Set jumper to 2 and 3 waited 30 seonds moved back to 1 and 2. Contacted asus sent the board in for repair. Waited a whole week got board back reinstalled hooked everything up same thing. Tried board outside of case with bench test. Unplugged all hard drives no boot. Removed aftermarket cpu cooler inserted stock intel cooler that had never been used noticed the fan wasn't spinning. Plugged in aftermarket cpu cooler fan works still no boot. Called intel and got them to agree to swap processors.

Now I'm waiting to get the new cpu to test it and if that doesn't work I have already gotten asus to agree to another motherboard rma should the new cpu still not function. Meanwhile I am still kind of at a loss for what happened to my beloved desktop. I'll be happy to provide more info if needed and would like any ideas on what could be going on. Did asus not really fix my board? They told me that they did replace somethings on it and said they tested it before it left their facility and say it was working. Is my processor really fried? I did ntoice that the thermal paste I applied over a year ago was all but a faint memory on the cooler after removing it the first time when the problem started.

I'm clueless. Any help much apppreciated and sorry for the walls of text. Is my computer gone forever or can it be fixed!?
 
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xcmhx

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May 10, 2013
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Yes I have disconnected all hard drives, dvd drives and usb headers. Even with just onboard gpu, cpu, psu, one ram stick, no drives, i can't get it to boot or go into bios. i also plugged in the speaker to the motherboard and it makes no beep or any sound at all.
 
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xcmhx

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May 10, 2013
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Yes I disconnected power and removed the battery for 30 seconds and then put it back in. As I said I had sent the board in to asus to be repaired and was told by them it was repaired and in working order yet my pc is still not booting.
 
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TenPc

TenPc

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Jul 11, 2012
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You sound like you know what you are doing so we assume there is no dust in your rig, at all, as any type of dust can clog up the works considerably.

The internet is becoming much of a hog for resources these days, many sites having way too much graphics and video play for advertisements and previews. Way back when, it was considered good sport not to have video auto-play and allow the user to press the play button on the web page but now it seems those good manners have gone by the wayside and many sites now cost you more than 15mb in data usage, just to load the page. If you let it just play for about 5 minutes, your processes for that page jump to as much as 20mb. It might not sound like much but that data is download data to your screen that also chews up your credit.

After game playing, the internet would need much of the resources that your game had just used and it might be that there is not much left for you so the PC shuts down. Usually it just closes the browser or other apps to desktop but in extreme cases, it could shut down the PC.

Considering that you have had many years of good service from the PC it may be that time when the PC is "past its use by date" meaning that it's time for problems to occur. Nothing lasts forever, unfortunately, and nobody has a PC that is trouble-free for more than a few years, at most.

How much free space is on the OS hdd?
At the time of the crash, had you done any auto updates or installed any update of your own?
 
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xcmhx

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While I agree that the requirements for browsing internet have certainly increased dramatically through the years, I see no reason why the components that I purchased in 2012 brand new would not be sufficient for browsing the web. I realize that my first post contains alot of information and I expected some of the details would get lost in the mix so let me reiterate my situation for anyone who may be confused as to the nature of my disposition.

2012 I bought brand new,
Thermaltake Chaser MK I Case
ASUS P8Z68-V Pro/Gen3 Motherboard
Intel Core i7 2600k Processor
Sapphire Radeon HD 7950 3GB OC edition video card
WD 1TB Velociraptor Hard Drive running Windows 7 64 Bit Ultimate
Seagate 1TB Barracude HD
Corsair 800W GS800 power supply
Corsair Vengeance 1600 4x4GB (16GB) RAM

I whole heartily disagree that my pc would be "past its use by date" and yes I keep my desktop lint and dust free. Yes Windows had been updated completely weeks or months prior to system crash and to my knowledge the raptor drive with OS on it had around 800GB of free space on it. The only thing I had done "differently" was update the bios about a month or two prior but I had no problems after the bios update or for a few weeks. It seemed everything was fine and then out of nowhere this happened.
 
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smorizio

smorizio

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Jan 22, 2010
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Sounds like asus did very quick bench test.i call them up ask for an advance replacement for the board. Tell them the error not fixed. Very rarely will a CPU fail unless you over volt it or over temp it. The only thing I say is try the mb outside the case to see if the case headers or USB are the issue or a short. If not ask asus for whole replacement mb.
 
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zooted

zooted

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Have you tried booting with one stick of ram at a time? *edit* Just re-read op nvm on that.
So the splash screen still comes up? Can you not get into the bios? Was the cpu overclocked? If so, what voltages were you using. Also, is the ram 1.5v or lower?
 
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TenPc

TenPc

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Jul 11, 2012
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Nvidia and AMD have "franchised" (out-sourced) the manufacturing of their video cards with specifications not all that clear and those manufacturers have the options to include or exclude certain features. You might not see certain versions actually listed on eother Nvidia or AMD site so you'd need to download the drivers for your video card from the producer, that being Sapphire. I thought I'd say all of that in case you had actually downloaded any drivers direct from AMD, if it was actually listed in their database.

A freeze at the logo screen seems to imply that the video ram is not doing its duty.
The PSU could be more at fault if it is not providing the adequate power for the video card.
Do you have any other hardware not listed like external devices or network cards or 15 all in one SD card drive?

You should never boot a PC with external hdd, camera, iphone, tablet, etc attached.

Seagate and Western Digital (hdd's) don't really like each other, they often complain by slowing down copy and paste to each other.
If you have your programs or games installed on the other hdd, that might slow things down a bit but not actually freeze the PC unless one or the other is having read/write problems.

You should disable auto updates and select Choose which ones to install so that you can read the information for each update and whether they actually apply to your system or programs. I've only ever used Outlook once about 3 years ago so I don't see any reason to include them for updating.

I'd suggest uninstalling the video card drivers restart then install them again using the latest (not BETA) drivers from Sapphire.
Defrag or Defraggler (for SSD) both hard drives otherwise Run command - CHKDSK /F \ALL
 
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xcmhx

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May 10, 2013
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Ok update--

Finally got the replacement processor from intel after a week. Brand new in box, popped it in and for convenience used the included stock fan. Powered on desktop and.... no go. Still dead. So at this point I have tried a new PSU, a new CPU, tried with onboard video, tried with no hard drives, different hard drives, one stick of ram. No dice. Desktop powers on, gets to bios splash screen, and then does nothing. Boot device led stays lit.

I removed all of the ram, and the system beeps. What does that mean?

I sent the board back to ASUS now for a second repair attempt. Im getting frustrated this has gone on for over a month now. What is wrong with my PC?
 
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TenPc

TenPc

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Considering that the PC hangs at Asus Logo screen, and non of us even suggessted a ram issue, it could, then, only be the ram that is halting the PC, perhaps...

http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/P8Z68V_PROGEN3/#specifications

Core i7-2600K (3.4G,L3:8M,iGPU,4C,rev.D2) - bios update 0301

The Ram support list only shows 8gb modules for the upper limits and only @1333mhz so it could be that your 4 x 4gb ram @1600mhz is not what is required for a volume 16gb or over. To attain 16gb of ram, you'd need 2 x 8gb modules @1333mhz

The other QVL list seems to be rather limited, you would best download it, and decide whether your 1600mhz is actually the correct voltage and timing for that motherboard... in the end, it may turn out that you will need 1333mhz ram modules.

The voltages vary in the 1.6 to 1.7v with only one or 2 actually being for 1.5v

http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/P8Z68V_PROGEN3/#support_QVL

I know you are going to sat that QVL lists are just a guide however, considering your issues, I'd say that they are more to the point.
 
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xcmhx

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May 10, 2013
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Update:

So it's been exactly almost two weeks now since I decided to go ahead and purchase a brand new motherboard. After reinstalling everything to the hard drive the desktop is back and working perfectly. The CPU, PSU, Video Card, Ram, Hard Drive, USB ports, everything is fantastic with a new motherboard.

As for the original board.... I'm assuming its still with ASUS RMA department? I called them about 3 days ago and the person I spoke to had no idea where my board was or anything about my situation for that matter. I intend to give them a call back on my next free day and give them all a piece of my mind. I understand that product replacement/repair can be a difficult process, but I don't understand how one item could take a company the size of ASUS almost 2 months (and counting) to sort.

I purchased an extended warranty through the vendor this time and they assured me that if a problem arises with the new motherboard that the retailer itself will provide a brand new replacement. I would recommend anyone who purchases ASUS products to do the same. ASUS RMA is nothing short of a complete and total disaster.
 
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xcmhx

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May 10, 2013
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I will post a final update on this situation just for future reference if anyone like me should find themselves in the stumbling bumbling hands of ASUS RMA.

At this point I have:

Sent defective motherboard to ASUS - shipping time was 1 day
Received motherboard back from repair 8 days later via FedEx
Realized motherboard had not been repaired issue unresolved
Sent board back to ASUS next day with a prepaid FedEx shipping label courtesy ASUS RMA - shipping time 7 days
Item received by ASUS HQ in Fremont, California
Two days later contacted ASUS to check status of RMA and was informed item arrived at incorrect location and would need to be "overnighted" back to RMA department in Jeffersonville, Indiana
ASUS rep lied about "overnight delivery" motherboard took 7 days to return to Indiana
Contacted ASUS day after item was delivered to RMA and was informed that the item was "already repaired in California facility" and would be "returned [to me] in 2 to 3 days.
Item not received in two to three days, by day 4 ASUS was contacted again.
This correspondence informed me that the item was in repair status and to "check back in one week".
Waited 10 days contacted ASUS and was informed that item was sent to Jeffersonville under a "closed RMA number" and had not been received properly and to "call back tomorrow" to get more information. When questioned the representative seemed to disagree that the information I was providing was accurate and that "no where in the system does it state that the item had ever been sent to California, but whatever".

So after over 40 days of shipping and "repairing" if I had not purchased a new motherboard I would still be without a PC even though the recorded message in their customer service line states their goal is to "minimize downtime". I have major reservations that I will receive my original product any time soon and highly doubt that it will be in working order.

The most disappointing aspect for me is that ASUS is more willing to spend its own time and resources on one product than it is actually worth. Between the man hours, phone time, technician work, and shipping costs they could have easily buried this issue with a full refund. Or even a half refund, I would gladly have accepted. But due to their policy, or maybe employee stubbornness, they will not allow their company to admit defeat and issue monetary compensation for a bum product which is no fault of mine, yet they seem intent on making me regret not only starting this process but ultimately regret purchasing the item altogether.

Thanks to all who have read any or all of this and those who have offered their advice. I hope that this will somehow help someone avoid this circumstance in the future if possible.
 
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TenPc

TenPc

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You might actually get the motherboard to work bu acquiring ram as per the QVL list and then you would ahave some substancve to your complaint, I doubt that you sent them your ram when you RMAed the motherboard, they used what was already tested whereas your ram is something else again so there was no issue for Asus, it's all your fault.
 
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xcmhx

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Ok I apologize for my misinformation that for some reason seems to have upset you. The RAM I have is not 1600 it is in-fact 1333mhz and if you would have read and comprehended my situation clearly you would understand that:

A: the board I RMA to ASUS had been working with all other components I currently have FOR ONE YEAR PRIOR to motherboard failure. So how would a problem with the ram preventing the post of a motherboard only expose itself after more than 365 days of successful operation? It would not.

B: It is ASUS's fault if you would read over all the information I have provided. I implore you to bust out your best reading glasses and have a second-go at the full contents of this web thread.

C: I purchased A DIFFERENT board recently.... which WORKS. Though I did not provide specifications for said board it would suffice to say that I am not unaware of the technical requirements of matching proper pc components to meet compatibility since I was able to purchase a new piece of equipment and it is functioning.

So it is not MY fault and with all of the frustration I have been through how dare you test me. I appreciate your concern, I really do. What I don't appreciate is someone who gets the information twisted, defends a problem department within an organization, and attempts to place blame on a consumer. Good day, sir.

PS How in the hell can I get the old motherboard to work seeing as it is not and has not been within my possession for upwards of 2 months due to incompetent ASUS!? Bah
 
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TenPc

TenPc

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OKAY, I took an extra minute of my time to actually read the opening details, it seems that you have the PC going non-stop "I kept it running on almost 24/7 " and could basically have just worn out the hdd and when you hardlarded the Power off button, the poor old hdd just couldn't handle the distress of it and has had a stroke or aneurism causing hard drive failure.


Even though the hdd works on the replacement motherboard, I doubt the performance is the same as it once was, and I expect you will be having some memory mangement problems and possibly screen freezes in the near future if you run that hdd back into the ground as you did previously on the original motherboard.

Remember, computers are people, too, treat them with respect.
 
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