- Jun 17, 2018
- 3
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I am upgrading my motherboard, CPU, RAM, and CPU cooler. When I power the system, it seems to be starting up, but the Q-LED indicator remains white instead of proceeding to green, and no video is displayed on the monitor.
When I turn on my system, everything spins up like it should. The CPU cooler fan starts spinning, the GPU fans start spinning, and I can hear hard drives spinning up as well. The Q-LED indicator light next to the DRAM slots initially turns on in an amber color, which shortly changes to red, and after a second or two the white LED replaces it. Although I can't find official documentation from Asus on this, I have read several agreeing reports that white means "VGA" (problem). When the white LED turns on, the CPU fan sounds like it slows down, and about 15 seconds after that the GPU fans shut off. However, no video appears on the monitor. They don't even wake up out of sleep.
When I still had my hard drive hooked up, it sounded like the drive was being read (I could hear it making that read/write clicking noise).
Attempts to solve it
I worked through the stickied checklist to no avail. I go into more detail on this at the bottom of this post.
I pulled the setup out of the case, disconnecting everything but the motherboard 24-pin power plug, the 2x4-pin CPU power plug, the GPU PCI x6 power plug, and the DVI cable to my monitor.
I hooked up my old setup (old motherboard, RAM, and CPU, but same power supply, GPU, and monitors) to verify that the parts that were being carried over still worked.
I have tried installing both DIMMs in slots A2 and B2 (recommended) as well as slots A1 and B1, and I have tried an individual DIMM in each 4 slots.
I tried each of my 2 GPUs (1050 and old 850 Ti) in each of the 3 PCIe x16 slots. I also tried multiple output ports on each in at least one slot - I tried the two DVI ports on the 850, and I tried the DVI and one of the HDMI ports on the 1050.
I read that Ryzen can take quite some time to POST on its first startup, so I have waited as long as 30 minutes after turning it on, but nothing seems to happen.
I read that excessive cooler pressure can cause problems, so I loosened the cooler. Later, when I pulled and reinstalled the CPU, I took care to tighten the screws just barely snug with a screwdriver.
I cleared the CMOS many times by cutting system power, removing the battery, and shorting the CLK RAM reset pins.
I called Asus, and the technician I talked to insisted it was a problem with my RAM, even though the Q-LED points to the GPU. In fact, if I remove my DIMMs, the light remains red, so I think it's safe to say that it turning white points to something other than RAM. Nonetheless, I am going to borrow some G.Skill Trident RAM from a friend which he has successfully ran in the X370 version of this motherboard. To be fair, my specific RAM isn't listed in Asus's QVL (although the quad-channel version and a couple different frequencies are).
Parts
Motherboard: Asus ROG Strix B350-F Gaming
CPU: Ryzen 5 2600
DRAM: 2x8GB Patriot Viper 4 3000MHz C16 (PV416G300C6K)
GPU: MSI GTX 950 Gaming 2G
Cooler: Cryorig H7
Power supply: Antec 650W Earthwatts
Troubleshooting checklist
1. Did you carefully read the motherboard owners manual?
Yes, except for the part about the BIOS interface (because I can't even get that far).
2. Did you plug in the 4/8-pin CPU power connector located near the CPU socket?
Yes. My motherboard has an 8-pin socket, and my power supply has two 4-pin plugs that connect to it. This is the same setup as my last motherboard.
3. Did you install the standoffs under the motherboard? Did you place them so they all align with the screw holes in the motherboard, with no extra standoffs touching the board in the wrong place?
Yes. Furthermore, I removed the system from its case and breadboarded it.
4.Did you verify that the video card is fully seated?
Yes, and I have removed it and reinstalled it many times. I have tried both my 1050 and an old 850 Ti (both of which are confirmed to work) each in all 3 PCIe x16 slots.
5. Did you attach ALL the required power connector(s) to the video card?
Yes. I tried first with the PCI x6 connector, and I also tried using the 2x Molex to PCI x6 adapter.
6. Have you tried booting with just one stick of RAM installed?
Yes, and I tried it in each of the four slots. I believe I tried each slot with each of my two sticks.
7. Did you verify that all memory modules are fully inserted?
Yes, they clearly clicked into place on each end.
8. Did you verify in the owners manual that you're using the correct RAM slots?
Yes, and as stated above I tried the other 3 slots as well as the recommended one (A2).
9. Did you remove the plastic guard over the CPU socket? (this actually comes up occasionally.)
I don't believe mine had one.
10. Did you install the CPU correctly?
Yes, it would only go in one way.
11. Are there any bent pins on the motherboard/CPU?
No, and I even pulled and reinstalled my CPU to check this.
12. If using an after market CPU cooler, did you get any thermal paste on the motherboard, CPU socket, or CPU pins? Did you use the smallest amount you could?
I did not get any on any other surfaces, and I used a very minimal amount.
13. Is the CPU fan plugged in? Some motherboards will not boot without detecting that the CPU fan is plugged in to prevent burning up the CPU.
Yes, and I also tried plugging a second fan into the optional CPU cooler slot to see if that would make a difference.
14. If using a stock cooler, was the thermal material on the base of the cooler free of foreign material, and did you remove any protective covering? If the stock cooler has push-pins, did you ensure that all four pins snapped securely into place?
N/a
15. Are any loose screws laying on the motherboard, or jammed against it? Are there any wires run directly under the motherboard?
No. Currently it is breadboarded with nothing between it and the table.
16. Did you ensure you discharged all static electricity before touching any of your components?
Yes, I kept part of me almost constantly in contact with the case. When handling the CPU, I used a latex glove.
17. Did you install the system speaker (if provided) so you can check beep-codes in the manual?
No. Unfortunately, I don't have one, but I believe the board's Q-LEDs serve the same function.
18. Did you read the instructions in the manual on how to properly connect the front panel plugs?
Yes. Currently it is breadboarded though, with none of those plugs connected.
19. Did you turn on the power supply switch located on the back of the PSU?
Yes. The system runs, and everything seems to power up perfectly fine.
20. Is your CPU supported by the BIOS revision installed on your motherboard?
I wasn't able to find this list, but I can't imagine this board wouldn't support Ryzen.
21. Have you tried resetting the CMOS? The motherboard manual will have instructions for your particular board.
Yes, several times.
22. If you have integrated video and a video card, try the integrated video port.
Ryzen 5 2600 does not have integrated graphics.
23. Make certain all cables and components including RAM and expansion cards are tight within their sockets.
They are.
When I turn on my system, everything spins up like it should. The CPU cooler fan starts spinning, the GPU fans start spinning, and I can hear hard drives spinning up as well. The Q-LED indicator light next to the DRAM slots initially turns on in an amber color, which shortly changes to red, and after a second or two the white LED replaces it. Although I can't find official documentation from Asus on this, I have read several agreeing reports that white means "VGA" (problem). When the white LED turns on, the CPU fan sounds like it slows down, and about 15 seconds after that the GPU fans shut off. However, no video appears on the monitor. They don't even wake up out of sleep.
When I still had my hard drive hooked up, it sounded like the drive was being read (I could hear it making that read/write clicking noise).
Attempts to solve it
I worked through the stickied checklist to no avail. I go into more detail on this at the bottom of this post.
I pulled the setup out of the case, disconnecting everything but the motherboard 24-pin power plug, the 2x4-pin CPU power plug, the GPU PCI x6 power plug, and the DVI cable to my monitor.
I hooked up my old setup (old motherboard, RAM, and CPU, but same power supply, GPU, and monitors) to verify that the parts that were being carried over still worked.
I have tried installing both DIMMs in slots A2 and B2 (recommended) as well as slots A1 and B1, and I have tried an individual DIMM in each 4 slots.
I tried each of my 2 GPUs (1050 and old 850 Ti) in each of the 3 PCIe x16 slots. I also tried multiple output ports on each in at least one slot - I tried the two DVI ports on the 850, and I tried the DVI and one of the HDMI ports on the 1050.
I read that Ryzen can take quite some time to POST on its first startup, so I have waited as long as 30 minutes after turning it on, but nothing seems to happen.
I read that excessive cooler pressure can cause problems, so I loosened the cooler. Later, when I pulled and reinstalled the CPU, I took care to tighten the screws just barely snug with a screwdriver.
I cleared the CMOS many times by cutting system power, removing the battery, and shorting the CLK RAM reset pins.
I called Asus, and the technician I talked to insisted it was a problem with my RAM, even though the Q-LED points to the GPU. In fact, if I remove my DIMMs, the light remains red, so I think it's safe to say that it turning white points to something other than RAM. Nonetheless, I am going to borrow some G.Skill Trident RAM from a friend which he has successfully ran in the X370 version of this motherboard. To be fair, my specific RAM isn't listed in Asus's QVL (although the quad-channel version and a couple different frequencies are).
Parts
Motherboard: Asus ROG Strix B350-F Gaming
CPU: Ryzen 5 2600
DRAM: 2x8GB Patriot Viper 4 3000MHz C16 (PV416G300C6K)
GPU: MSI GTX 950 Gaming 2G
Cooler: Cryorig H7
Power supply: Antec 650W Earthwatts
Troubleshooting checklist
1. Did you carefully read the motherboard owners manual?
Yes, except for the part about the BIOS interface (because I can't even get that far).
2. Did you plug in the 4/8-pin CPU power connector located near the CPU socket?
Yes. My motherboard has an 8-pin socket, and my power supply has two 4-pin plugs that connect to it. This is the same setup as my last motherboard.
3. Did you install the standoffs under the motherboard? Did you place them so they all align with the screw holes in the motherboard, with no extra standoffs touching the board in the wrong place?
Yes. Furthermore, I removed the system from its case and breadboarded it.
4.Did you verify that the video card is fully seated?
Yes, and I have removed it and reinstalled it many times. I have tried both my 1050 and an old 850 Ti (both of which are confirmed to work) each in all 3 PCIe x16 slots.
5. Did you attach ALL the required power connector(s) to the video card?
Yes. I tried first with the PCI x6 connector, and I also tried using the 2x Molex to PCI x6 adapter.
6. Have you tried booting with just one stick of RAM installed?
Yes, and I tried it in each of the four slots. I believe I tried each slot with each of my two sticks.
7. Did you verify that all memory modules are fully inserted?
Yes, they clearly clicked into place on each end.
8. Did you verify in the owners manual that you're using the correct RAM slots?
Yes, and as stated above I tried the other 3 slots as well as the recommended one (A2).
9. Did you remove the plastic guard over the CPU socket? (this actually comes up occasionally.)
I don't believe mine had one.
10. Did you install the CPU correctly?
Yes, it would only go in one way.
11. Are there any bent pins on the motherboard/CPU?
No, and I even pulled and reinstalled my CPU to check this.
12. If using an after market CPU cooler, did you get any thermal paste on the motherboard, CPU socket, or CPU pins? Did you use the smallest amount you could?
I did not get any on any other surfaces, and I used a very minimal amount.
13. Is the CPU fan plugged in? Some motherboards will not boot without detecting that the CPU fan is plugged in to prevent burning up the CPU.
Yes, and I also tried plugging a second fan into the optional CPU cooler slot to see if that would make a difference.
14. If using a stock cooler, was the thermal material on the base of the cooler free of foreign material, and did you remove any protective covering? If the stock cooler has push-pins, did you ensure that all four pins snapped securely into place?
N/a
15. Are any loose screws laying on the motherboard, or jammed against it? Are there any wires run directly under the motherboard?
No. Currently it is breadboarded with nothing between it and the table.
16. Did you ensure you discharged all static electricity before touching any of your components?
Yes, I kept part of me almost constantly in contact with the case. When handling the CPU, I used a latex glove.
17. Did you install the system speaker (if provided) so you can check beep-codes in the manual?
No. Unfortunately, I don't have one, but I believe the board's Q-LEDs serve the same function.
18. Did you read the instructions in the manual on how to properly connect the front panel plugs?
Yes. Currently it is breadboarded though, with none of those plugs connected.
19. Did you turn on the power supply switch located on the back of the PSU?
Yes. The system runs, and everything seems to power up perfectly fine.
20. Is your CPU supported by the BIOS revision installed on your motherboard?
I wasn't able to find this list, but I can't imagine this board wouldn't support Ryzen.
21. Have you tried resetting the CMOS? The motherboard manual will have instructions for your particular board.
Yes, several times.
22. If you have integrated video and a video card, try the integrated video port.
Ryzen 5 2600 does not have integrated graphics.
23. Make certain all cables and components including RAM and expansion cards are tight within their sockets.
They are.
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