HELP! New Build Turning Off and On After First BIOS

antone3x7

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Jun 24, 2009
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I'm having an issue with my new system build. The specs are:

ASUS P5Q SE Plus
Intel Core 2 Quad Q8200 2.33Ghz
VGA SAPPHIRE 100245HDMI HD4850 512M
G.Skill 4GB (2G x 2) DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit
Antec 480 W Power Supply

The mobo, CPU, VGA, and memory are all new. The power supply is confirmed good from my current rig.

On first startup, everything works fine. It recognizes that this is a new CPU and asks to either a) enter BIOS, or b) use default and continue. I did A and verified the CPU and mobo temp are stable at ~33C, so the CPU fan is mounted properly and cooling. I let this sit for a few minutes to confirm no overheating. Without changing ANY settings in the BIOS, I hit "Save & Quit" and instantaneous it shuts off. It then starts up, doesn't POST, and then turns off, turns itself on a second later, doesn't POST, then shuts off.

I then reset the CMOS and restart it up. It POSTs and I get the A) or B) choice again. This time I hit B), it proceeds to prompt me that there's no boot device (I didn't connect any hard drives or CD drive). So I hit reset and the off/on/off/on problem starts.

It seems that as soon as I save the BIOS, the problem occurs. I think I've eliminated overheating issues. Is this just a bad mobo? Should I flash the BIOS or just RMA it back to newegg? Thanks for any help in advance.
 

antone3x7

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Antec NEOPOWER 480W
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.aspx?Item=N82E16817103924

Its 4 years old but I've used it as recent as today on this rig I'm using to post message.

I've went over the checklist. Everything POSTs okay until after the first time I go through the BIOS.

Here's what I found on ASUS on CPUID:

Core 2 Quad Q8200 (rev.M1,2.33GHz,1333FSB,L2:4MB,4 cores) ALL
1407

Core 2 Quad Q8200 (rev.R0,2.33GHz,1333FSB,L2:4MB,4 cores) ALL
2002

How do I tell if its rev M1 or rev R0? I think I'll try flashing the BIOS.
 

antone3x7

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No luck with the updated BIOS. This is really frustrating. Thank you for all your help so far, Proximon. Any suggestions? I'll probably try ASUS tech support tomorrow morning.
 

antone3x7

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I've re-applied the Arctic Silver 5 and reseated the CPU heatsink-fan and to no avail. The BIOS has been updated, but I still need to reset the CMOS everytime in order for it to POST. As soon as I set the BIOS, it kills the power immediately. Based on everything, do you think its just a bad mobo?
 

antone3x7

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Thanks, I'll try that and then RMA it back to Newegg. Thanks for taking the time to help me with this. I'm using the PSU to power my Pentium 4 rig. I've also installed the video card into that one. I was actually surprised that when I powered it on, THAT triggered a "New CPU installed, do you want to run set up?" Mainly because that rig has been working fine for 4 years and I didn't reset the CMOS settings on that one.
 

antone3x7

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Just an update, I've looked at several other troubleshooting forums and I've found that many others are having the same problems as me. I think the P5Q SE PLUS are just duds. I've returned the P5Q SE PLUS and got the P5Q, and voila! No problems.

Thank you Proximon for taking the time to help me.

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