GA-965P-DQ6 Bad batch???

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rfs12307

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Sep 6, 2006
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This one has me stumped. I build systems all the time, and have 4 orders for Core 2 Duo systems with the new Gigabyte GA-965P-DQ6 motherboard. I got 2 of the motherboards from Newegg and the other 2 from ZipZoomFly. I have an E6300, E6400 and 2 x E6600 processors to go with them, along with DDR2-533 1.8v sticks from Mushkin for all of them. Two of the systems have Mushkin 550Watt PSUs, and the other two have Antec TruePower2 550s. All 4 have different cases, graphics, optical, hard drives, etc.

The problem:
All four builds are giving me the same exact issue. When powered up for the first time, all of them each power on for maybe 2-3 seconds, then power off, then power on again for another 2 seconds, then power off again...and again forever and ever, until I flip the power switch on the PSU. The only activity seen when they briefly power on is that the CPU and case fans spin for a moment. That's it...no graphic output, no BIOS beeps...nada. Initially, these symptoms made me think that the motheboard was shorting out or a faulty PSU.

What I've done to verify what's wrong:

1. Tried each motherboard outside of the cases as well as installed properly in the cases, making sure that no shorts were happening. When trying them outside of the cases, no case pinouts were connected. I just shorted the power button pinouts briefly on each board to start them up, in order to rule out faulty case power button connections.

2. Tried with no peripheral except CPU, heatsink/fan, 1 stick memory and graphics card. Made sure that the CPU fan was plugged in properly on all four boards.

3. Tried different combinations of known-good memory (single/dual channel) in all slots in all boards, as well as different known-good power supplies and graphics cards on all four boards. These are standard spec 1.8 volt DDR2-533 memory sticks, chosen to run synchronously with the motherboard/CPU 1066 MHz Front Side Bus.

4. Checked all PSU connections to all boards numerous times, thinking I was going insane. Each motherboard has a 24-pin ATX connector, 8-pin 12V EPS connector and a 4-pin standard molex connector for providing extra 12V to PCI-Express graphics cards. All 4 power supplies (different reputable models) have the proper 24-pin, 8-pin and molex connectors, and they're all plugged in securely and correctly in each motherboard. All graphics cards have the 6-pin PCI-Express power cable attached to each card.

5. I even double-checked the UPS power sources that the power supplies were connected to, to rule out the possibility of something being wrong with the building's wiring. Other working systems, when plugged into them, work just fine.

The only common denominator between all four builds is the motherboard and the brand/type of memory, but each memory stick has been tested in other systems...so I'm out of ideas, except to come to the conclusion that all 4 motherboards are DOA.

Anyone have any clues? I did see a couple mentions of the same problem with the same board by googling forum posts. There is this "CrazyCool heatsink that Gigabyte puts on the back of the boards, possibly shorting something else out on each board, but I'm not going to rip them off to find out

I'm just thinking: one board, even maybe two could be a possibility with a new motherboard release...but 4 in a row from different distributors? I'd very much appreciate any input anyone could provide.
 
I have the exact same problem and it kept me up till 6am T.T

After I get some sleep I'll try again and make some phone calls, if anyone has solved this please share.
 
Mine did the same thing until I put some SuperTalent ddr2-667 in it and booted. Then I set the memory voltage +0.50v. After that, it would boot with the memory I was trying to use. The 965P chipset is hypersensitive to memory voltage.
 
I agree, it sounds like a RAM issue. See if someone will let you borrow some el-cheapo RAM, but remember to clear the CMOS before you try to boot with it or it will do the same thing. Once you boot flash the bios on all of them, the newest official release is F3, and there's F4 beta bioses floating around if you're feeling lucky. Which, at this point, you probably aren't. Let us know if you get it working.
 
I put my new build together last night using the DQ6 and had the same issue (flash on for 1-2 second then off and back on) with some OCZ 800MHz memory. I put in a 533Mhz stick from a Dell I had and it booted fine, bumped the voltage +.30v and all is well now.

My 2¢
 
My DQ6 worked fine without any adjustments (although initially I did forget to connect the Power Station module of the PSU so it didn't do anything when I pressed the power button...DOH!!!!)


RAM is Geil DDR2-800 running at 4-4-4-12

Clicky
 
Well, thanks to everyone for responding so far. The RAM and the motherboards themselves are the only 2 remaining components that could be the troublemaker.

As I said originally, these memory sticks are known good in other systems and are not higher voltage DDR2-667/800, but standard 1.8v DDR2-533 value line.

I'm fortunate to live a 20 minute drive from Mushkin in Denver, so I'm going to call a contact there, then see if they'll let me just bring in one of these systems to try out some alternate memory right there on the spot.

I'll let everyone know how it works out. If I can't solve this, all 4 boards are going to be RMA'd, then I'll contact the people I'm building these for and see if they'll accept an alternate motherboard from another manufacturer.
 
Just to add, without any RAM modules installed, the mobo does exactly the same thing except it beeps like crazy for the 2 seconds it's on, while it does it's on/off thing. Based on that, I'm ruling out an issue with RAM because the system should stay on while it continues to beep.

Correct me if I'm wrong, perhaps powering down and restarting is a feature of this motherboard.
 
Still waiting on someone else from Mushkin to get back with me. In the meantime, I tried with no RAM. No beeps at all for me, just the continual 2 second powerup/powerdown cycle. I reset CMOS first, and no change.
 
What a coincidence... Had exactly the same problem last night. Searched the web and found a suggestion to move the DIMMS to slots 2 & 4. Tipped my box on its side, moved the DIMMs, and the system booted fine. Figuring the problem was solved, I set my box upright again. Lo and behold, back to the power on/power off cycle. I'm keeping my mobo horizontal until I hear back from Gigabyte support.
 
What a coincidence... Had exactly the same problem last night. Searched the web and found a suggestion to move the DIMMS to slots 2 & 4. Tipped my box on its side, moved the DIMMs, and the system booted fine. Figuring the problem was solved, I set my box upright again. Lo and behold, back to the power on/power off cycle. I'm keeping my mobo horizontal until I hear back from Gigabyte support.
Click to expand...
Sorry to hear you're having problems (but, somehow pervertedly comforting to me to know that I haven't completely lost my mind and troubleshooting skills. :wink: )

I've just received an e-mail from Brian at Mushkin, and he says it's fine for me to come in tomorrow with a sample system to test out alternate memory using different chips. If we can get the system to boot up with anything they have, I'll bring along a BIOS flash file and flash it while I'm still there, then retry with the memory that I already have.

I'll let you know how it turns out.
 
you and me both (skills that is)

i am so relieved in one respect, but totally cheezed off in another.

i am using a matched pair (2G) of corsair twin2x xms2 6400 memory and i have the same symptoms. (2 sec start stop) have tried relocating the ram to no avail. now i have to go shopping to see if i can find some chapo stuff just so i can get it to boot and change the voltages.

gigabyte this is crap 8O you really need to sort something out on this issue.

i know the xms2 ram is not listed in your ram test document but other corsair stuff is and seems to work fine.

god i am so annoyed :twisted: i have had the chip in and out about 5 times and was starting to panic that the mobo , chip was damaged :evil:
i just hope that when i try to borrow some ram i can get this xms2 stuff working , as it cost me dear. and i really hope that i have not done any damage taking the chip in and out 5 times.

i am so angry :x
 
I'm posting this from a computer built around a GA-965P-DQ6

I'm using SuperTalent DDR2-667 5-5-5-13 (2 1GB sticks) at 1.8v and its stable as a rock.
 
trouble is i don't have any ddr2 ram lying around , i will have to go buy something cheap in an attempt to get it to boot.

it is really frustrating :wink:
 
OK...I spent an hour with Brian at Mushkin today (great guy, by the way.)

😀 It was the memory! I was using their standard EM2-4200 (DR2-533) 1GB sticks, which is spec'd at a standard 1.8v. They're based on Micron chips, which seem to have issues with the new P965 chipset. He had some Infineon chip-based 1 GB memory sticks (DDR2-533) with the same SPD latencies, and as soon as we popped them in, the system booted up like a champ! Tried DDR2-667 and DDR2-800 as well, and all OK.

If you want to use Mushkin, buy it direct from their website at http://www.mushkin.com and specifically ask for Infineon chips, and you should be good to go. Online retailers like Newegg and ZZF probably have the Mushkin sticks with Micron chips.

This whole thing was so weird, because the constant power-off/power-on 3 second cycle was occuring even with no memory in the board with no BIOS beeps, which would lead one to suspect the power supply, a shorted board, or a hardware/BIOS issue with the board. It was just a simple case of incompatible chips on the memory sticks.

I'm sure glad we got everything sorted out, and I do hope this helps some of you others having this problem with the GA-965P-DQ6.
 
Great news! Seems like such a minor issue, amazing how it can make a system inoperable. Wonder why other 965 boards don't have the same problem, is it a Gigabyte-only thing? I know lots of people have had similar problems with DS3 boards, connection? Anyway, glad you got your system up and running, hopefully this will help out a lot of people. Even more hopefully, Gigabyte will fix whatever issue is causing this in future revisions of the board.
 
Man I really wish I had known this before making my purchases. I had done some research on memory when building my new system and read great news about the Micron chips and not so good news about the Infineon chips. So obviously, I went with a G.Skill 2GB HZ pair that utilized the Micron chips.

I had no problems at first but then my system kept shutting down while gaming for 30-60 minutes. I thought maybe I should up the voltage since the memory is 2.1-2.2 specc'd. That did not help so I tried a lot of different things. I even tried to overclock according to the guide on this site thinking maybe everything just needed to sync up (worked great for 5 minutes lol). I tried a few more things in an attempt to get it stable and eventually my system died. I could not get it to boot no matter what I did (unplugged the power, removed the battery for 30 minutes, shorted the reset BIOS pins, etc.). I was so mad and frustrated I wanted to punch my mobo. Luckily I did not and decided to just let it sit overnight. The next day, I put it back together, set everything to default, botted it up and it has worked like a champ ever since.

I have come to the conclusion that these boards are very finicky when it comes to memory and I am patiently awaiting a BIOS update that will hopefully fix whatever problem it is. I would really love to overclock this baby, but until that time comes I do not dare touch any settings.

(BTW, if you get an error trying to load the website's RAID drivers after pressing F6, remove the floppy disk and then reinsert it and hit enter again. No idea why but they don't like to load on the first try sometimes and this somehow fixes it with no need to reboot and go through it again.)
 
trouble is i don't have any ddr2 ram lying around , i will have to go buy something cheap in an attempt to get it to boot.

it is really frustrating :wink:
Click to expand...


just an update. i have tried some adata 5300 mem, didn't work
triedsome ocz 5400 gold gx xtc , didnt work
tried some ocz 5400 high performance , didn't work

have logged tech enquiries with corsair (memory) and gigabyte (mobo)

no replies as of yet :cry:

unfortunately i live miles from any decent suppliers and cant find a super talent or mushkin dealer locally here in the uk.
 
posting this with the system in my sig based on the DQ6. when i put it together i had this problem (except it wasnt a cycle just a quick surge to teh fans) called up gigabyte (customer service was great btw) and they told me to unplug everything in the pci slots except the video card. i did and as i did it i noticed my X-fi was not plugged into the front panel on both sets of pins so i canged that first and tried it and it booted up and has worked fine since and overclocks great too. so the DQ6 is a great board as long as you get some compatable ram and i think the range has broadened now since the F4 bios was officially released. good luck to all and hopefully your DQ6's treat you well as i know mine has and i now stand behind the gigabyte line and DQ6 especially.
 
My particular problem seems to be due to some grounding weirdness. I need to have my side panel on (the one closest to the mobo tray), and even then I had to gently press down on the mobo to boot this morning. I did notice that the heatsink on the backside of the mobo is very close to (and may actually be touching) the mobo tray. I reseated all my power connectors but that didn't help. I can make my system crash by booting it horizontally and then tilting the case vertical. No sparking or anything that would indiate a short. Case is a Raidmax Sagitta with the stock power supply ripped out and replaced with a 630W Raidmax Volcano. Only a VGA card in right now (cheap Quadro). Wiggling the HDs, floppy, optical drive, etc has no effect. Gigabyte suggests removing and reinstalling the mobo, adding devices one at a time; I guess that's the next step.
 
posting this with the system in my sig based on the DQ6. when i put it together i had this problem (except it wasnt a cycle just a quick surge to teh fans) called up gigabyte (customer service was great btw) and they told me to unplug everything in the pci slots except the video card. i did and as i did it i noticed my X-fi was not plugged into the front panel on both sets of pins so i canged that first and tried it and it booted up and has worked fine since and overclocks great too. so the DQ6 is a great board as long as you get some compatable ram and i think the range has broadened now since the F4 bios was officially released. good luck to all and hopefully your DQ6's treat you well as i know mine has and i now stand behind the gigabyte line and DQ6 especially.
Click to expand...

My video card was the only hardware I had in my slots, so that wasn't the problem for me. Do you have a link to the official F4 BIOS because it is not listed on Gigabyte's website?
 
i have the very same problem and have now tried 6 types of memory i have removed the board and benched it, still 3 sec on off, i have had it boot with wierd charachters on the bios screen, i have had it boot sucessfully but it soon locks. i have never been able to get more than about 5 mins stability and have the same trouble as yourself , if i get it to boot on its side and lift it up it fails.

this cannot just be a coincidence "can it " :?:

of course i have tried different graphics cards and psu so it now seems a mobo problem for definate

cant speak to gigabyte till monday to see what they say.

all in all i don't recomend this board 🙁 which is a pity as the features look great.

and i have had many good gigabyte based systems before . :?
 
I'm getting more consistent boots now by pushing down on the VGA card during power-up. It looks like the mobo sits a little low in its tray and the VGA card (a cheap Quadro NVS 280 pulled from a Dell) isn't fully seated.

BTW, I upgraded to the F4 BIOS and it's changed the default voltage to 1.85 for my Corsair XMS2. Seems very stable once I manage to boot. This memory should do 4-4-4-12 at 2.1V, but I haven't tried upping the voltage yet.
 
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