ASUS Sabertooth Z87 memory channel issue, stuck in reboot loop

[Golfreak]

I just completed a new build. The build and S/W install was done with a stock air CPU cooler. The build was uneventful and without issue.

After the liquid cooling was installed, the system would not complete boot.
It powers for about two seconds then reboots in an endless loop.

I verified the install of the liquid cooler, removed (including mounting bracket) and reinstalled. This had no effect. Verified no short in pump or radiator fans (it still reboots, even with liquid cooler not electrically connected)

Tracked the issue to the memory channel assignment:
2 X 8GB DIMMs
If plugged into slots 1 & 3, endless reboot.
If plugged into slots 2 & 4, endless reboot.
If plugged into slots 1 & 2, boots normally.
If plugged into slots 3 & 4, boots normally.

1 X 8GB DIMM
Both memory sticks will work in any slot, (one at a time)

I'm about to request an RMA for the MOBO. Am I missing something? Is this a known issue with an existing fix?

Thank you in advance for any information.
Steve

Build Includes:
Cooler Master Seidon 120XL - PC CPU Liquid Water Cooling System, Push-Pull Kit with 120mm Radiator and 2 Fans

Rosewill BLACKHAWK Gaming ATX Mid Tower Computer Case, come with Five Fans, window side panel, top HDD dock

Rosewill FORTRESS-750 750W Continuous @50°C, Intel Haswell Ready, 80 PLUS PLATINUM, ATX12V v2.31 & EPS12V v2.92, SLI/CrossFire Ready, Active PFC Power Supply

ASUS SABERTOOTH Z87 LGA 1150 Intel Z87 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

G.SKILL Trident X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 2400 (PC3 19200) Desktop Memory Model F3-2400C10D-16GTX

Intel Core i7-4770K Haswell 3.5GHz LGA 1150 84W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics BX80646I74770K

SAMSUNG 840 Pro Series MZ-7PD256BW 2.5" 256GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)

Seagate Barracuda 7200.14 ST3000DM001 3TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive Bare Drive

EVGA GeForce GTX760 SuperClocked w/EVGA ACX Cooler 2GB GDDR5 256bit, Dual-Link DVI-I, DVI-D, HDMI,DP, SLI Ready Graphics Card (02G-P4-2765-KR) Graphics Cards 02G-P4-2765-KR
Win7 x64

 

[smorizio]

before you rma the rig...make sure the mb has the newest bios code.use the usb flashback and update it. before you put the cpu in did you check for bent pins on the mb?? with the newer intel cpu the lids are weak if you put to much force on the lid you can cause the lid to hit the top of the cpu inside and cause issues.

 

[Golfreak]

Thanks for your reply.
There are no bent pins. The PC worked fine until the liquid cooler was installed.
There is no damage on the CPU latch and the entire cooler assy is only snug and not torqued.

BIOS has been updated to the latest version with no change.

Another point of interest:
If i press the Mem button with my DIMMs in slot 1 & 3 the system restarts but the BIOS does not initialize. The PC will hang up until a power cycle.
It will not load with the DIMMs in the correct channel locations. They must be installed in slot 1 & 2 or 3 & 4.
I have two more sticks of the same memory on the way. This should further eliminate the memory as a variable.
I'm not overclocking, but am going to enable XMP to see if the different timings change anything.

Regards,

 

[Tradesman1]

Try XMp, and may want to loosed the cooler then re-snug it, if a corner is tigher than the others it can cause an imbalance that throws the MC off a bit

 

[zombiecurse]

I'm having a very similar problem to this, wondering if you managed to get it fixed?

My thread: http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/answers/id-2138432/odd-issue-ram-asus-sabertooth-z87.html