Beep Code says Bad CPU?

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Evf1995

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Apr 13, 2017
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"BEEEEEEP. BEEEEEEP. BEEEEEEP. BEEEEEEP. BEEE-"

Is the best way I can describe the terror I'm going through at 4:24am without any sleep. This is my first time building a computer myself and I feel that I may have made a very costly mistake somewhere. I've gone through all kinds of guides and manuals, I've connected everything properly (I even went through troubleshooting to find that my speaker system wasn't plugged in or that I needed to plug into the cpu_fan) The computer boots up for a few seconds before giving me the beep code and shutting off abruptly after the 5th long beep, almost not even completing it.

The parts currently connected are:

MOTHERBOARD: GIGABYTE GA-Z170X-UD3
CPU: Intel i7-7700K Quad-Core 4.2GHz
RAM: CORSAIR Vengeance LPX 16GB (2x8) @ 2400MHz
PSU: EVGA Supernova NEX750G 750W Gold
Cooling my CPU is a Corsair Hydro Series H55
3 Thermaltake 200mm fans, 1 140mm fan
Samsung 850 EVO SSD

Please understand that I'm very new at this and should have had professional help, and that these questions are genuine and I'm afraid I may have ruined hundreds of dollars worth of parts.

When I placed the CPU into the holder, it felt kind of loose and it was able to wiggle a bit, but it was oriented correctly and the two notches on the sides were in the correct place. The underside of the CPU is different from my other computer's AMD chip, which has pins of its own, acting as the male part. This i7-7700K is flat-ish and it does not seem like it fits with the holder. Is it incompatible, because pcpartpicker.com said it was compatible.

I may or may not have removed the CPU shield BEFORE closing the latch; I do not know if this is vital, please tell me if it is and what needs to be done about it. I also did VERY lightly touch (because I understand that they're sensitive) the pins in the holder, because they looked flat and it did not seem right, but that was after the beeps told me the CPU was bad - so touching the pins was not the problem. So, to be clear, the pins in the holder are flat - I will provide a picture if this is not normal for this or any board that takes Intel processors.

There may have been an issue when installing the motherboard, where there was an issue with standoffs, because the board didn't seem properly aligned, and there were also 3 extra standoffs very close to the edge of the motherboard, especially the top right. It so happened that the middle standoff had become unscrewed from the case and was stuck in the motherboard, so I grabbed pliers and accidentally dinked the back of the motherboard. I believe there is a slight scratch, a very small silverish exposure mark of the circuit, maybe? I don't know if that would cause the board to malfunction.

I assumed that maybe thermal paste running over the card would be an issue, and there was some, but not on any vital parts; it only leaked over the latch thing and a little on the sides of the CPU, so I redid the installation of the CPU - this time with the shield properly on and popping off after closing the latch - and yet I still receive the same beep code.

I placed the RAM in the first two slots closest to the CPU, in DDR4_2 and DDR4_4, because that belongs to channel A according to the manual - am I wrong to do that?

I will answer any of YOUR questions almost instantly, I don't think I'll be sleeping today.

2yx4yue.jpg
 
Solution
DRagor
Your CPU is 7th Gen (KabyLake). It will support it AFTER BIOS update. But to do that, board must be able to post first, and for that you need 6th Gen (SkyLake) CPU. If you don't have it, you have two options: seek a comp shop that will do the update for you (usually for a fee); or send motherboard back and buy one with Z270 chipset.
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Evf1995

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1. Yes, I will make that edit now
2. It shuts off before a display comes up. It's about a 15 second window between me pressing the power switch and the 5 beeps. I will upload an unlisted video.
 
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DRagor

DRagor

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Jan 23, 2017
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I was asking if either:
- board got BIOS updated by manufacturer (check the box if there's any mention of KabyLake support)
- you did the update yourself using SkyLake CPU
If neither is true, the board will not start. There may be other problems, but you have to solve this one first.
 
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Evf1995

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Apr 13, 2017
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I can see your question. It does not mention any KabyLake support, but it does say, and I quote: "GIGABYTE 100 series motherboards support the latest 6th Generation Intel Core processors..."

So would this mean that this motherboard does not support my current processor? Should I consider stepping down to an i7-6700K as a 'fix'?

Also, 1 minute video of booting and the beep code:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0JtBz1lywlU
 
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DRagor

DRagor

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Your CPU is 7th Gen (KabyLake). It will support it AFTER BIOS update. But to do that, board must be able to post first, and for that you need 6th Gen (SkyLake) CPU. If you don't have it, you have two options: seek a comp shop that will do the update for you (usually for a fee); or send motherboard back and buy one with Z270 chipset.
 
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Solution
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Evf1995

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Apr 13, 2017
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I appreciate your help so much. A computer repair shop near me opens in an hour, I will be taking my computer there and I will update this thread if that is the solution.
 
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Evf1995

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Page 9-10 of the owner's manual tells me:

"This motherboard provides four memory sockets and supports Dual Channel Technology. After the memory is installed, the BIOS will automatically detect the specifications and capacity of the memory. Enabling Dual Channel memory mode will double the original memory bandwidth.

Please visit GIGABYTE's website for details on hardware installation.

The four memory sockets are divided into two channels and each channel has two memory sockets as following:
>> Channel A: DDR4_2, DDR4_4
>> Channel B: DDR4_1, DDR4_3

[insert Dual Channel Memory Configurations Table here]

Due to CPU limitations, read the following guidelines before installing the memory in Dual Channel mode.
1. Dual Channel mode cannot be enabled if only one memory module is installed.
2. When enabling Dual Channel mode with two or four memory modules, it is recommended that memory of the same capacity, brand, speed, and chips be used and installed in the same colored sockets."

^That is all that is written about memory.

Forgive me for being new at this, I don't understand dual channel, apparently. Should I be placing my RAM in the gray sockets, since I am not able to change the setting in the BIOS?
 
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Evf1995

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Also, I was met with a little hostility by a Facebook friend that saw me buy the 170 rather than the 270. Honestly, I chose whatever pcpartpicker said would be compatible, but I had no idea I would run into this issue - I know nothing about BIOS. Based on that admission, would you suggest that I just buy the Z270X-UD3?
 
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DRagor

DRagor

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Yes, you are supposed to put both sticks in slots of same color (both grey or both black). But that would not cause your machine to not boot.



It is preferred approach: to use 7th gen motherboard with 7th gen CPU. Using 6th gen board just takes more experience (and extra resources at hand).
 
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Evf1995

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You have been a big help. I will ask my local computer repairs person how much they would charge to update my BIOS, or if they even can, and then I will decide on returning the motherboard (if I can) and replacing it with a Z270X. Although it would be so much easier to just get a new motherboard, I am not so sure I can even return the one I have, so I will seek the potentially cheaper option of updating the BIOS through an expert.
 
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mjslakeridge

mjslakeridge

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It is a shame that the motherboard manufacturers sell a board that "supports" 7th generation cpus, but only if you have a 6th generation cpu on hand to update the BIOS, but you are not the first person here on Toms that has faced this issue.

$50 seems reasonable for the repair shop to charge for this service. Will they also be installing your CPU after they update the BIOS using their cpu?
 
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Evf1995

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It is a shame, it really is. I feel very stupid for not knowing all this information now before building. I was really considering havin a pc professionally built by like cyberpowerpc which would cost maybe $200 more but for a person that has never built before, it would be a godsend.

Anyways, he boosted the cost of this fix from $50 to 75-100, all because assembly will be involved (he told me that while we already went into the process, not very professional)

The reason im not just walking out the door is because i did scratch the motherboard during my building because the case I bought off my friend was all janky and the offsets caused the problem; one of them unscrewed itself from the case and required pliers, which I, in a clumsy mess, scratched the backside, very, very slightly, almost unnoticeable. I don't believe I can return it now. I also feel that I may have screwed up the CPU holder, I don't have ANY experience with intel holders - I'm an AMD guy.
 
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Evf1995

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And yes DRagor, I understand the illogical way I'm going about this, but I've made very costly, rookie mistakes that have added up, and I need to seek the help of a professional with a test bench to make sure my parts are not damaged.
 
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DRagor

DRagor

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Actually, I would blame poor PR on board manufacturer's side. There's so MANY people with this problem, it is hard to believe all of them are rookies. More likely, if board manufacturers would put more effort into making board specifications better describing this problem, less people would suffer.
 
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Evf1995

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So I got a call back from the repair guy and he literally almost mirrored everything that I told him, but in some broken English. He's going to do everything for me and send the board back to Gigabyte tech support to update the BIOS (because they knew exactly what the problem was).

I'm trying to rationalize the $85 labor cost + shipping of this repairs person with the fact that I'll be almost fully occupied with work and night classes, but I think I'll manage if it means saving my now $2100 project...

Anyways, to all that contributed to this post, I hope it helps people with this 'problem' in the future and thank you for giving me peace of mind.
 
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Tech_TTT

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Apr 4, 2017
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This is not honest . would you buy that returned CPU from the dealer?
 
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mrobscura

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a lot of places have a no questions asked return period, so you can just say you simply dont need it. then they sell it as an open box, still making money while someone else gets a discount. its win win. or they send it back to intel, write it off and intel recycles it.

but with that said im not too concerned about the occasional white lie anyway, so even if you had to say it didnt work to return it... oh well. like i said, theyd simply write it off and send it back to intel who would just recycle it.
 
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