New ASRock Z370 fails to boot - error code 00

[jhnddy]

Yesterday I bought a brand new ASRock Z370 Fatal1ty Gaming K6 motherboard, together with a I7-8086K. After assembling all parts - with making sure being grounded all the time - it was time to test. On power, the lights of the Mobo were flashing red. Attempting to start using the onboard power button made the fans spin for ~1 second, after which error code 00 was displayed. This code is related to not having the CPU correctly installed.

Now, the strange things are:
- the CPU fit correctly into the slot;
- the pins for the CPU appears to be correctly positioned. (All under a 45 degree angle - is this normal for this mobo?)
- the 8x power cable was connected
- I worked through the troubleshooting list on this site
- I tried to start with only the CPU, PSU and fans installed, however this didn't fix anything.

Unfortunately, I do not have a spare 8th gen CPU to get test if either the motherboard is broken or the cpu.

Now, after reading the compatibility list for CPUs, it appears that the i7-8086K needs firmware 1.8. I'm unable however to detect which version is installed, as the mobo doesn't boot. Is this a possible problem? And if this is a problem, is it possible to update the firmware without a working CPU installed?

Question 2: should I return the CPU for warranty? Or the Mobo?

 

[CrazyDingo]

How to identify the BIOS version of your motherboard (https://www.asrock.com/support/index.asp?cat=FindBIOS)

There is a sticker on the BIOS chipset, which contains the default BIOS version. If your BIOS version has never been updated, then the version marked on the sticker is your current BIOS version:

See above link for location of the sticker if this isn't clear.
If, according to the sticker, your bios is earlier than 1.8 then you will need another CPU to flash an update - unless a kind computer store or friend can help you out with this.

2. Surely you need to work out what / where the problem is before returning a part (unless the retailer offers change of mind returns).

 

[jhnddy]

Unfortunately, the sticker was painted black with a marker. That is strange, as it is sold as a brand new product.

Under the marker, P1.30 is readable - but P1.80 is needed based on ASRocks compatibility list. So the only solution is fix a cpu from someone else?

 

[CrazyDingo]

As far as I know, you need either a CPU compatible with the existing bios to update the bios or a replacement bios chipset.
That marking on the bios chips doesn't look good.