Question New motherboard, infinite restarting 7 secs after turning on

[Wood123]

Hello, my friend replaced his old motherboard with a new "MSI Z390-A Pro" but after plugging everything in and starting it, it boots up for around 7 seconds before stopping and trying again.

We noticed the "EZ Debug LED" lights, and we can see that it successfully gets past the CPU, but a few seconds after the RAM light is on, all lights turn off and the CPU light flashes once, then it restarts. I have read this indicates that it can't properly detect supported RAM, but am not 100% sure.

We have tried putting either RAM sticks in all slots alone or together, even going so far as to clean the connectors with a cotton swab and some rubbing alcohol, but no difference. I also brought over my own RAM and put it in but the same thing happens.

Other things we have already tried:

• Swapping the GPU with a different one (GTX 970 4GB)
• Moving the graphics card to the other slot
• Removing the motherboard to make sure it is placed properly in the case
• Disconnecting the HDD, SSD and ODD drive
• Insuring the small pins like power switch and reset switch are properly placed

I have only experienced an issue like this once before with my own PC, but I don't remember how I fixed it.

ANY ideas/help will be greatly appreciated!

Specs:
PSU: Coolermaster B700 v2
GPU: GTX 1060 6GB
MB: MSI Z390-A Pro
RAM: 2x4gb DDR4
HDD: 1TB
SSD: 250GB
CPU: i5-6700

Picture of EZ Debug LED lights in different stages from start to finish (google drive shareable links):
Before turning on
stage 1 - CPU light on
stage 2 - CPU light off, DRAM light on
stage 3 - DRAM light turns off (all off now)
stage 4 - CPU light flashes briefly before shutdown and computer restarts, cycling through these motions forever.

 

[nick_v15]

Clear the CMOS.

 

[Wood123]

So, it turned out that the person who sold the motherboard to my friend was wrong about it being compatible with the CPU. My friend bought a new CPU and now it works perfectly!