Asrock Extreme will not post - help needed

[barmaley]

Configuratrion:

Asorck Extreme
i7 920 D0
Scythe Mugen 2 w/ Arctic Silver 5
EVGA 275 GTX 2 in SLI
Seagate 7200.11 750GB
Corsair HX1000
OCZ Gold 1600 8-8-8-24
Case fans x12


So, the computer was working. At the time when it happened had a mild overclock of 3.6Ghz, was running temp monitoring software, CPU core temp never exceeded 72C. I was in Windows Vista 64bit SP2. Was just doing file transfers at the desktop. No 3D applications were running when all of a sudden the whole computer shut down in a similar manner as if someone just pulled the plug on it - black screen with no warnings. No smells or abnormal sounds noted at the time and before incedent. Pushing the power button did not turn it back on. Verified there is voltage in the outlet and plugged power cable directly in it. Tried clearing CMOS with the button as well as the jumper. Tried removing battery and reinstalling it - no change. Went to Corsair web site and read about conducting a "paper clip test" to make sure PSU still working and it is. With paper clip installed all fans are turning and voltage is present on the plugs. When ATX connector is installed on the board and the power button is pushed, initially the fans turn on for a microsecond and then turn back off. No lights turn on on the motherboard. Removed the board from the computer case and inspected front and back of it - looks normal, no wires hanging, no loose washers. Placed it on electrostatic bag and red foamy pad the board came with. Reconnected all power cables, only one video card and hard drive. Verified everyting is tight. Still the same issue - after pushing the power button, fans make 1/16 of a full revolution and then turn back off, while the motherboard shows no signs of life whatsoever. There is a diagnostic LED light panel that shows codes when board is on and manual has a chart to tell what they mean, but it will not turn on anymore.

Unfortunately, I don't have access to another PSU and another motherboard. What are the other things I could do to test what's wrong?

 

[barmaley]

Well, I have received am email from ASRock tech support. Since this thread might be read by someone who's looking answers to the same problem I paste it in here:

Hi,

Try to find out if the mainboard will give you any beep code. Try to test the mainboard outside of the computer case. Remove all the devices that connect it on the mainboard. Only device need to connect on the mainboard is the Processor and Processor cooling fan, and make sure all the power connector are fully plug in 12V rail connector (4pin / 8pin), and 24(20)pin ATX power connector. If you do hear the beep code like 1 long beep and follow by 3 short beep. Please insert 1 single memory module, and go ahead insert the video card to the PCI-E slot. Below is the troubleshooting guide. If you still can’t get the problem resolve please give us a call at 909 590 8308.

1 Short Beep
One beep is good! Everything is ok, that is if you see things on the screen. If you don't see anything, check your monitor and video card first. Is everything connected? If they seem fine, your motherboard has some bad chips on it. First reset the SIMM's and reboot. If it does the same thing, one of the memory chips on the motherboard are bad, and you most likely need to get another motherboard since these chips are soldered on.
1 Long, 3 Short Beeps
You've probably just added memory to the motherboard since this is a conventional or extended memory failure. Generally this is caused by a memory chip that is not seated properly. Reseat the memory chips.
1 Long, 8 Short Beeps
Display / retrace test failed. Reseat the video card.

 

[barmaley]

I tried hooking everything up the way the described, and still no beep codes. Speaker was tested and it is good. Board was RMA'd yesterday. Now waiting on replacement. Hopefully the second try will be more exciting...

 

[barmaley]

Another update for those who might be interested. I received another Asrock Extreme from Newegg after RMAing the bad one. And last week, same thing happened to me again. New board will not post and it demonstrates the same symptoms again. Emailed Asrock tech support and got a reply from tech department saying that customer service will contact me regarding an RMA shortly. That was on Monday. On Wednesday, I emailed tech department again letting them know that I still had not been contacted by customer service. Well, today is Friday and still no reply. Feels like they had forgotten about me; not good, makes me unhappy customer. Luckily, Newegg is treating their customers with much more respect: they had made an exception and I'm now returning this board for refund. Will now be buying something like the new Gigabyte UD7 board maybe, since I don't really feel like taking the chances with cheap stuff anymore. My Asrock experience is negative, and I will stay away from them from now on.

 

[jebiya]

Hi barmaley,

I am in the same position you are. My board just died after 4 days of using it. No debug led, tried the same thing you did to no avail.

I am in the process of RMA'ing it back to newegg now, but I dont want a replacement. I want a refund so I can purchase another board, probably the asus p6t deluxe v2.

I was so happy with my first time build, and now I'm feel like crap. I blame myself because I should have listened to the negative reviews out there on this board.

Any luck yet with your new board?

 

[barmaley]

So, refund from newegg is now received and I ended up ordering the new ASUS P6X58D Premium board

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131614&nm_mc=EMC-IGNEFL121009&cm_mmc=EMC-IGNEFL121009-_-MotherboardsIntel-_-LC4B-_-13131614

It was $279.99 with free shipping and promo code: EMCMNML43. I figured it was a better deal than p6t v2 that I also considered. I don't really care for the USB 3.0 and SATA III too much, just wanted a fresh piece of brand name hardware for a good price.

To answer your question, board is coming in tomorrow. I can update in here once installed if you are still interested.

And, oh yeah, btw! Asrock customer service still hasn't contacted me regarding the RMA. Service department won't respond anymore either. So, if Newegg did not come through and refund me, I would still be sitting with the dead Asrock X58 extreme. Buyer beware !

 

[jebiya]

Good for you on getting a refund from newegg on the asrock.

I RMA'd my first dead board to them, but I only had the option of "replacement" and not "refund" working for that item. I sent it back to them, and sent them an email saying I wanted a refund instead of a replacement, but I just got another confirmation email stating they've shipped another asrock to me.

Also after reading more on the order, it says:

Limited Replacement Only 30-Day Return Policy

* Return for refund within: non-refundable
* Return for replacement within: 30 days

Products that state "This item is covered by Newegg.com's Replacement Only 30-Day Return Policy", or items labeled as “Non-refundable” (or similar labeling) must be returned to Newegg within 30 days of the invoice date for this policy to apply. Products covered by this return policy may only be returned for a replacement of the same or equivalent item. “Return” constitutes receipt of the product by Newegg, and not the mere issuance of an RMA.

How were you able to get a refund? Am I supposed to have my second one be defective as well before they offer a refund?

I already ordered the ASUS p6t deluxe v2 and it should have come in today. I dont want to be stuck with another asrock board :/

 

[barmaley]

I have no knowledge of how exactly it works and what triggers a refund, but here is what I did to get it. Returned the first one for replacement. When second one blew out, did not use online tool but sent an email to customer service explaining that I had 2 boards fail on me for the same thing and would like to get a refund this time. And btw, this was 45 days after the original purchase. Got a response from customer service that they are approving it on exception basis and I can get a refund. I logged in my account and saw that they created all RMA related stuff in there themselves.

So, it's a little unclear of what the exact refund criteria is, but yes you are right, based on their rules they are certainly not obligated to give you one.

In your situation, I would recommend selling your second Asrock on Ebay or CL. (Ebay preferred).

 

[jebiya]

Great news! I received another email the next day saying that there was an RMA error and my product had not been shipped yet. I emailed them about the refund, and their customer service said they would check to see if they would change it to a refund as a one time exception.

I got another email the next day with the invoice of my refund! Gotta love newegg's customer service!

 

[barmaley]

Ok, another update. ASUS P6X58D Premium is received, installed and now up and running. Comparing to my both Asrock boards it is day and night. My computer is now rock solid and stable, all tests are passing with flying colors. I can now see all of these mandatory OC options in BIOS. All guides mention them but they were missing on Asrock Extreme. Overcolcked it to 4Ghz and so far it's stable, but I haven't run 24Hr of Prime95 yet. Only 1 hour test and it passed. Temps are 68C highest under load, 41C idle. Vcore 1.25V. HT is on.

I am very happy that it turned out all of my other hardware is working properly and everything got resolved after a mobo change.

 

[barmaley]

Best answer selected by barmaley.