Question New build, long time to boot and Q-LED has solid orange light

[thexmen]

Intel i7-13700K
Asus ProArt Z790-Creator WIFI
Corsair Vengeance 2x32GB 5600MHz DDR5 RAM
Thermaltake GF3 1000W PSU

With the minimal build, when I power up the machine, the Q-LED light goes from red(CPU) for 1-2 seconds, change to yellow(DRAM) for minutes or even longer, no beep sound, fans are quite and no display. I have to hold the power button to force shut down then boot again to force the system POSTed into Safe mode to boot up within 20seconds.

Memories are installed on A2 and B2 slots as instructed on the manual.
Tried:
1. Re-insert both memory, issue persist
2. Swap memory to different ones, issue persist
3. Remove the memory at B2, issue persist
4. Replace A2 memory with the one at B2, issue persist

It seems like a memory issue.
Running the MemTest86 test, it has taken 2 hours to complete 70% of the 3/4 tests with near 900 errors. Not sure if it is normal.

And if I try to boot into no bootable device(Haven't installed any OS yet), it would not do anything or circle back to the POSTed safe mode. During installation of Windows 11, it also keeps going into this Safe mode after minutes of waiting. Have to go to BIOS to select the bootable drive(disk) to continue.

BIOS date is Feb 2023(0816), relatively new, but there is a recent update release on Aug 2023(1303).

Did some search here and googling, seems like this is a common issue with Asus motherboard?
Apart from take the hardware back to the store, anything else I could try?

 

[thexmen]

Just found out, the both memory seems good if I only use A1, B1 and B2 slots on motherboard.
Regardless which memory installed on A2 slot, it will have the long yellow light on the Q-LED.

Could I say this is a hardware issue with the A2 memory slot on the motherboard?

 

[realpao]

Check your mainboard, SSD or PSU.

 

[thexmen]

Check your mainboard, SSD or PSU.

SSD and PSU are all good.

Initially I suspect it's memory, but seems it's not.

Then I started playing with different memory slot on the motherboard, and found out it didn't work at specific slot.

Just came back from the computer shop, they tried their kingston fury, it works on both A2 and B2 slots. At this point, I am totally confused, it seems a combination of memory and motherboard memory slit?

Just did some further testing, found the results below.

Slot A1.MemoryA: boot straight into Windows
Slot A2.MemoryA: Q-LED light goes to red(1second) change to yellow(30seconds) then repeat for 7-8 times before showing POSTed to Safe mode, press F1 into BIOS, choose the boot drive, it can load into windows. But if restart/shutdown then boot, same thing happens.
Slot B1.MemoryA: boot straight into Windows
Slot B2.MemoryA: boot straight into Windows


Slot A1.MemoryB: boot straight into Windows most of times.
Slot A2.MemoryB: Q-LED light goes to red(1second) change to yellow(30seconds) then repeat for 7-8 times before showing POSTed to Safe mode, press F1 into BIOS, choose the boot drive, it can load into windows. But if restart/shutdown then boot, same thing happens.
Slot B1.MemoryB: boot straight into Windows
Slot B2.MemoryB: boot straight into Windows


Slot A1.MemoryA and Slot A2.MemoryB: Q-LED light goes to red(1second) change to yellow(30seconds) then repeat for 7-8 times then stay with yellow.
Slot A1.MemoryA and Slot B1.MemoryB: boot straight into Windows
Slot A1.MemoryA and Slot B2.MemoryB: boot straight into Windows


Slot A2.MemoryA and Slot A1.MemoryB: Q-LED light goes to red(1second) change to yellow(30seconds) then repeat for 7-8 times then stay with yellow.
Slot A2.MemoryA and Slot B1.MemoryB: boot straight into Windows
Slot A2.MemoryA and Slot B2.MemoryB:Q-LED light goes to red(1second) change to yellow(30seconds) then repeat for 7-8 times before showing POSTed to Safe mode, press F1 into BIOS, choose the boot drive, it can load into windows. But if restart/shutdown then boot, same thing happens.


Slot B1.MemoryA and Slot A1.MemoryB: boot straight into Windows
Slot B1.MemoryA and Slot A2.MemoryB: boot straight into Windows
Slot B1.MemoryA and Slot B2.MemoryB: boot straight into Windows


Slot B2.MemoryA and Slot A1.MemoryB: boot straight into Windows
Slot B2.MemoryA and Slot A2.MemoryB: Q-LED light goes to red(1second) change to yellow(30seconds) then repeat for 7-8 times before showing POSTed to Safe mode, press F1 into BIOS, choose the boot drive, it can load into windows. But if restart/shutdown then boot, same thing happens.
Slot B2.MemoryA and Slot B1.MemoryB: boot straight into Windows

 

[realpao]

it's obviously because of your memory slot. If you aren't satisfied with the current mainboard, try a better mainboard.

 

[SkyNetRising]

Just did some further testing, found the results below.

Check cpu socket. Probably some pins are bent/broken (pins responsible for ram slot A2).

 

[thexmen]

Check cpu socket. Probably some pins are bent/broken (pins responsible for ram slot A2).

Thanks, will check that, when I take everything off from the motherboard.

I thought the LGA1700 CPUs don't have those traditional pins under the processor like the old days, it's more like a touch point to the CPU socket?

 

[SkyNetRising]

I thought the LGA1700 CPUs don't have those traditional pins under the processor like the old days, it's more like a touch point to the CPU socket?

Pins are in the socket (not on cpu).

 

[thexmen]

After replace with a new motherboard, problem solved.

No pin damage from the motherboard's socket.