ASUS Z97 Pro and i5-4690k CPU: Q Code 13 and Cpu_led light flashes

[Grayep]

Summery; Mobo starts, cpu_led flashes red, qcode 13 ("11-14: Pre-memory CPU initialization is started"), computer shuts down and attempts to restart, but does the exact same thing.

I'm at a bit of a loss here; I have an ASUS Z97 Pro motherboard and a i5-4690k cpu. I built the computer and it worked nicely for about five days, before suddenly not turning on. I press the power button, the fans start to spin up, before the cpu_led light flashes red once and the Q code displays 1, which it says is "Pre-memory CPU initialization is started," before shutting itself down (not even displaying the BIOS screen) and attempting to restart, which only does the same thing. This continues until I manually shut down the power supply.

I got a replacement motherboard and cpu, exact same models, and set them up even more carefully this time, using the stock heat sink the came with the processor. I tried starting them again and had the exact same issue.

I tried resetting the cmos battery, changing the positions of the memory, putting in only one stick of memory, etc.

I have no idea what to do at this point, short of just throwing it at Best Buy or something, and I really would rather not do that.

My specs;
ASUS Z97 pro motherboard
i5-4690k CPU
Rosewill VALENS 700W power supply
Apotop 8GB (2x4gb) memory
(Addition stuff)
Gigabyte Gtx 970 graphics card
Seagate Barracuda 3.5 hard drive

 

[Alectfenrir]

Each mobo comes with a manual, the manual provides information on what the Q-code means, but right now I don't have my manual so you will have to look it up.

And CPU_LED = Red? Is your CPU seated in properly? And can you check if there are any bent pins in the socket? The Red light means there is a problem with the CPU.

 

[Grayep]

Each mobo comes with a manual, the manual provides information on what the Q-code means, but right now I don't have my manual so you will have to look it up.

And CPU_LED = Red? Is your CPU seated in properly? And can you check if there are any bent pins in the socket? The Red light means there is a problem with the CPU.

Sorry, forgot to post that, I'll edit. Q code 13 (Well, 11-14) is "Pre-memory CPU initialization is started." Yeah, the cpu_led flashes red once. There are no bent pins (literally opened the mobo this morning and babied the cpu into the socket and checked afterwards).

 

[Alectfenrir]

Can you try updating your BIOS? Use a USB to store the BIOS file and plug it into the motherboard. Q-code 13 is CPU specific so the root of the problem lies in you CPU.

Considering the i5 4690k is a Haswell Refresh the motherboard needs a BIOS update. And once its updated, it should start working.

P.S I just realised I forgot to update my BIOS on my Hero since I'm using a Haswell Refresh CPU, crap gotta update it now before anything happens!

 

[Grayep]

Alright, I'll do that and post an update soon as I can. Thing about this is the first pair of mobo/cpu didn't require any update, they worked right out of the box.

 

[Alectfenrir]

Alright, let me know what happens, hopefully this fixes it.

It worked right out of the box, but the computer may have been slowly destabilising itself due to dated BIOS. But thats just an assumption as something like this happened to me a few years ago.

 

[MatthewFree]

Alright, let me know what happens, hopefully this fixes it.

It worked right out of the box, but the computer may have been slowly destabilising itself due to dated BIOS. But thats just an assumption as something like this happened to me a few years ago.

I'm getting the exact same error with the i7-4790K. I've updated the BIOS and still get the Q-Code 13. Not sure where to go from here other than RMAing the MB. One thing to note is that my problem started shortly after I finished the build, but then went away when I rearranged what I had in the USB ports. Maybe a short? I dunno.

Sadly, the problem returned after a couple weeks of working properly.