[SOLVED] Supermicro Build does not POST, beep, or give video output

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newtonlaplace982

newtonlaplace982

Aug 1, 2021
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I need some help with a system which refuses to POST, beep, or give any type of video output. I already tried various troubleshooting measures, which are summarized below.

First of all, the system features the following components:
  • Mainboard: Supermicro X11DPL-i (dual-socket board)
  • CPU: 1x Intel Xeon 5220R LGA3647 Cache Boxed
  • CPU cooler: Noctua NH-U14S DX-3647
  • RAM: 4 x Kingston 32GB DDR4-2666MHz Reg ECC Module (DIMM 288)
  • PSU: Corsair HX750
  • GPU (removed for debugging): Zotac GeForce RTX 3090 Gaming Trinity (24GB)
  • Storage: SSD Samsung 970 EVO Plus, 1TB, M.2 2280
  • Case: Corsair Carbide 678C (Midi Tower, Insulated)
What is working:
  • On a good note, when the system is turned on, the fans of the case and the CPU cooler start spinning; if the GPU is attached, the GPU fans start spinning as well.
  • All the LEDs on the mainboard which indicate some status blink the way they should according to the manual, i.e. LE1 solid blue = unit identified, LE6 solid green = power on (when turned on), and LEDM1 blinking green = BMC normal.
What is not working:
  • No POST, no beep tones from the mainboard at all when system is turned on.
  • No video output; neither when operated without the discrete GPU (= GPU removed from case) via the VGA of the mainboard, nor when the screen is connected to the discrete GPU.
Troubleshooting already performed -- all with no change:
  • Removed mainboard from the case, tested the whole system with the board on an external antistatic surface.
  • Removed RAM one by one, also tested to boot without any RAM.
  • Changed CMOS battery, cleared BIOS by touching JBT1 contact pads.
  • Checked with GPU included (HDMI and DisplayPort to different external screens) and with GPU removed (VGA to different external screens, to make sure that the screen was not the problem). All cables were from other setups and work fine there.
  • Removed other connections or hardware one by one (e.g. SSD, USB connector, fans, etc.).
  • Tested with and without input devices such as mouse and keyboard attached.
  • Checked that the connections from mainboard to PSU are properly attached, and they should be; 1x 24-pin ATX main power supply connector and 2x 8-pin CPU power connectors, as specified in the manual. When inserted, the GPU is connected with two separate 6+2-pin connectors to the 2 8-pin slots in the PSU. I only used cables that came with the PSU.
  • Checked that I indeed populated the primary CPU socket with the CPU, attached the RAM to the proper sockets when operating only socket 1 with 4 RAMs, and put the GPU in the right PCI-E slot for CPU1.
  • Starting without CPU: The turn-on button then does not have any visible effect, mainboard LE6 remains on red (= standby, this is the normal behavior of LE6 before the system is turned on).
  • Please note that I unfortunately don't have any other LGA3647 CPU, mainboard, RAM, or different PSU, so I could not check the system with those swapped.

Questions:
  • Did I miss any troubleshooting steps which may resolve the issue?
  • The mainboard is specified to work up to a TDP of 140 W, while the CPU is 150W. Could this be the culprit? (When I talked to the mainboard company's support and stated my CPU, they did not seem to see any incompatibility, but I started to wonder about this because on their Q&A site some people were asking about CPU compatibility with surpassing the mainboard's TDPs, and the answer there states that it would cause issues.)
Any other suggestions are appreciated!
 
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Welcome to the forums, newcomer!

How old is the PSU in your build? Does the motherboard have any BIOS updates pending? Might want to source a higher wattage, similarly reliably built, PSU(preferably an 850W unit) to see if that changes your experience. It could very well be that you're beyond the supported CPU TDP but I can't seem to find a CPU support list for that motherboard, which is quite odd.
 
Upvote 1 Downvote
newtonlaplace982 said:
I need some help with a system which refuses to POST, beep, or give any type of video output. I already tried various troubleshooting measures, which are summarized below.

First of all, the system features the following components:
  • Mainboard: Supermicro X11DPL-i (dual-socket board)
  • CPU: 1x Intel Xeon 5220R LGA3647 Cache Boxed
  • CPU cooler: Noctua NH-U14S DX-3647
  • RAM: 4 x Kingston 32GB DDR4-2666MHz Reg ECC Module (DIMM 288)
  • PSU: Corsair HX750
  • GPU (removed for debugging): Zotac GeForce RTX 3090 Gaming Trinity (24GB)
  • Storage: SSD Samsung 970 EVO Plus, 1TB, M.2 2280
  • Case: Corsair Carbide 678C (Midi Tower, Insulated)
What is working:
  • On a good note, when the system is turned on, the fans of the case and the CPU cooler start spinning; if the GPU is attached, the GPU fans start spinning as well.
  • All the LEDs on the mainboard which indicate some status blink the way they should according to the manual, i.e. LE1 solid blue = unit identified, LE6 solid green = power on (when turned on), and LEDM1 blinking green = BMC normal.
What is not working:
  • No POST, no beep tones from the mainboard at all when system is turned on.
  • No video output; neither when operated without the discrete GPU (= GPU removed from case) via the VGA of the mainboard, nor when the screen is connected to the discrete GPU.
Troubleshooting already performed -- all with no change:
  • Removed mainboard from the case, tested the whole system with the board on an external antistatic surface.
  • Removed RAM one by one, also tested to boot without any RAM.
  • Changed CMOS battery, cleared BIOS by touching JBT1 contact pads.
  • Checked with GPU included (HDMI and DisplayPort to different external screens) and with GPU removed (VGA to different external screens, to make sure that the screen was not the problem). All cables were from other setups and work fine there.
  • Removed other connections or hardware one by one (e.g. SSD, USB connector, fans, etc.).
  • Tested with and without input devices such as mouse and keyboard attached.
  • Checked that the connections from mainboard to PSU are properly attached, and they should be; 1x 24-pin ATX main power supply connector and 2x 8-pin CPU power connectors, as specified in the manual. When inserted, the GPU is connected with two separate 6+2-pin connectors to the 2 8-pin slots in the PSU. I only used cables that came with the PSU.
  • Checked that I indeed populated the primary CPU socket with the CPU, attached the RAM to the proper sockets when operating only socket 1 with 4 RAMs, and put the GPU in the right PCI-E slot for CPU1.
  • Starting without CPU: The turn-on button then does not have any visible effect, mainboard LE6 remains on red (= standby, this is the normal behavior of LE6 before the system is turned on).
  • Please note that I unfortunately don't have any other LGA3647 CPU, mainboard, RAM, or different PSU, so I could not check the system with those swapped.
Questions:
  • Did I miss any troubleshooting steps which may resolve the issue?
  • The mainboard is specified to work up to a TDP of 140 W, while the CPU is 150W. Could this be the culprit? (When I talked to the mainboard company's support and stated my CPU, they did not seem to see any incompatibility, but I started to wonder about this because on their Q&A site some people were asking about CPU compatibility with surpassing the mainboard's TDPs, and the answer there states that it would cause issues.)
Any other suggestions are appreciated!
Click to expand...
It is also the case that your CPU is 150W and the motherboard only supports 140W according to the Supermicro page.
 
Upvote 1 Downvote
Lutfij said:
Welcome to the forums, newcomer!

How old is the PSU in your build? Does the motherboard have any BIOS updates pending? Might want to source a higher wattage, similarly reliably built, PSU(preferably an 850W unit) to see if that changes your experience. It could very well be that you're beyond the supported CPU TDP but I can't seem to find a CPU support list for that motherboard, which is quite odd.
Click to expand...
Thanks for your reply!
  • I got the PSU brand new from an online store. I could give it a try with a higher wattage, but 750W should be enough with the GPU removed, and even then the system is not posting.
  • I'm not sure if there are any BIOS updates pending; I could not really find detailed information on the currently installed BIOS, neither in the board's documentations, nor on the BIOS itself due to it not being accessible at all.
 
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Unolocogringo said:
It appears your motherboard only supports 1st and 2nd generation Intel scalable processors from 2017
https://ark.intel.com/content/www/u...es/125191/intel-xeon-scalable-processors.html

Your 5220r is from Q1 2020.
https://www.intel.com/content/www/u...sor-35-75m-cache-2-20-ghz/specifications.html
Click to expand...
That's an interesting piece of information! Interesting that the Supermicro phone customer support did not really pick up on this or the TDP mismatch even though they asked for the specific CPU model I am using.
I am thinking about buying an ASUS C621E (with an option to return within 2 weeks) and check with that board. My gut feeling so far is telling me that the mainboard is the issue here.
 
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Unolocogringo said:
The asus C621e board definitely supports your processor.
from everything I could find the Supermicro board did not support the Gold 5220.
Click to expand...
Thanks for checking, I also couldn't find any evidence that it's actually supported. I'm now about to order a C621E. Let's keep all our fingers crossed it will solve the problem, that would be amazing! 🆒
 
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Unolocogringo said:
The asus C621e board definitely supports your processor.
from everything I could find the Supermicro board did not support the Gold 5220.
Click to expand...
Ok, so here's an update. I purchased the Asus C621E from an online shop which allows for easy return within 14 days. Assembled the system today (with the mainboard on an antistatic mat, made sure there were no shorts, etc.). Fans working, LEDs blinking like they should, the system posts, VGA output works great. So far so good... Now comes the confusing stuff (at least for me):
  • The RAM in slot A1 is not recognized. I swapped the location of the RAM bars, tried with an increasing number of bars, etc. The interesting thing is that the RAM bars are all working, as long as they're not in slot A1.
  • The CPU, all input devices, storage, devices, RAM bars except A1 are recognized and listed correctly in the BIOS.
  • RAM in A1 is actually also listed in the BIOS as Kingston RAM, but with "0 GB".
What could be the problem? Am I so unlucky to have gotten a mainboard with a defective A1 slot? Or could it be that there is an issue with the structures on the CPU which are responsible for communication with A1?

I updated the BIOS to the newest version, but this also didn't solve the issue.
 
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