Asus Maximus VII Ranger stuck on Qcode 99 at first boot

[Guest]

So I am doing my very first build and, of course, ran into a problem. At least it seems to be a known one, which is nice because that would mean that I did not accidentally break anything without even noticing. However, I still don't really know what to do. Solutions provided up until now seem to have worked sometimes and other times not, while in some cases the problem went away almost miraculously? So I decided to just ask for myself. Sorry if it's getting repetitive.

Here's my parts list:
i5 4690k
Asus Maximus VII Ranger
G.Skill Sniper 2x4GB
Coolermaster Hyper 212 Evo
Crucial MX100 256GB
Seagate Barracuda 1TB
some cheap Samsung DVD drive
XFX ProSeries 750W

BenQ XL2411Z (since monitor might be relevant?)

(The graphics card has to wait a little while because of finances, but right now it looks very much like I'm going to get one of the gtx 970 versions as soon as I have the money. my old laptop died on me early, so I need a working rig as fast as possible - well, f**k.)

The Problem:
I put together all the parts and at first, it told me there was something wrong with the RAM. After reseating it, the CPU was supposed to be at fault (qcode 58). Reseating that didn't do anything. I unplugged everything except the mobo itself and what's directly on it (CPU+Cooler, RAM). With just one stick in one of the non-recommended slots it finally ended up being qcode 99 with the boot device LED lit. My monitor tells me there's no cable connected, at least with DVI and VGA (didn't have a HDMI cable around). It seems to recognize my keyboard at least, but I never got anywhere to use it.

Should I try flashing the BIOS?
What other options could I try to fix this?
Or is the board done for anyway and I should just RMA it?


Help would be very much appreciated, thank you!

 

[Dark Lord of Tech]

Have you tried to boot with just SSD attached?

 

[Guest]

Have you tried to boot with just SSD attached?

Yes, but then the qcode just gets stuck on A2 instead, otherwise it's the same.

 

[Guest]

Update: still not working...

I mailed in my board and got a new one, but it had the exact same problem I saw before - with the exception that the RAM slots that got me to code 99/A2 instead of just 58 were different ones this time around.
I decided to try flashing the BIOS, doing exactly as was described with the newest version and everything, but now it gives me code 14 and does not move on.

any more ideas at all?

(if not, I guess I'll just give this damn thing back and get another board entirely. MSI Z97 gaming 5 or 7 maybe. will search for any known troubles with them first, though...)