Z68A-GD80 (G3) power loop

Hi,
I have an MSI Z68A-GD80 G3 motherboard stuck in a loop. When I switch it on the lights and fans are on for a second then they switch off. Then, they switch on again for another second and switch off, repeat. Hard drives and optical drive will switch off and on too if they're plugged in. During this the screen stays blank. The BIOS light on the motherboard doesn't switch on and doesn't blink. A few power phase lights across the top of the motherboard switch on and off. The motherboard's previous owner told me this problem started after a BIOS update.
I read about a flash tool available from the forums. I haven't tried the flash tool, yet, but at this point I suspect the motherboard won't run long enough to do anything with a flash drive.
I read maybe the current BIOS is having trouble with the CPU. I put in a Core i7-2600K. I don't know what CPU the previous owner was using before the problem started. I could try a different CPU but I'm not sure which one. I thought this motherboard was supposed to work with the Core i7-2600K when it was knew out of the box- no BIOS updates needed.
There were a few bent pins in the CPU socket when I got the motherboard. However, I straightened them and now you can't see which ones were bent. I guess a pin not being connected properly to the underside of the CPU is possible but the pins look ok.
Suggestions?

Today I tried removing the RAM and CPU and powered on the motherboard. It behaves the same as earlier- powers on for a second, then off, then on and so on. Only the first two CPU power phase lights on the motherboard switch on when the CPU is out of the socket and the same when in. Seems like if one or two pins in the socket weren't connecting correctly with the CPU then I'd get different results with the CPU in the socket compared to having the CPU entirely gone. However, the specific pin(s) not connected to the CPU might make a difference.
I have a different Intel Z68 motherboard that works, more or less, that I could use to check the behavior of a motherboard when a pin doesn't connect but not sure I want to do that to a Core i7-2600K CPU. I could put a tiny piece of insulating material on one of the CPU lands, put the CPU in my working motherboard, and see what happens- assuming both motherboards behave the same when having CPU connection issues. There are CPU socket testers but I'm not sure I'd understand the results on the readout from one.
I noticed there's a header labeled JSPI1 on the motherboard. Looks like an SPI header for reprogramming the BIOS without desoldering the chip. I peeled the stickers off the BIOS chips. The labels were difficult to read. Looks like they are Winbond 25Q64CVSIG 1126. Any suggestions (brand name, model number) for a low cost SPI flash programmer that will work with those chips? What is the JCP1 header next to the JSPI1? The JCP1 header isn't mentioned in the manual.

Similar Messages

  • Z68A-GD80 B3 Boot Loop and Failed BIOS LED Flashing

    I've been having "boot loop" issues with my system since it was built in June. Basically, when the system is powered on the lights/fans come on for around 3 seconds then it shuts itself off for another 3 seconds and repeats the loop infinitely. Meanwhile there are no POST code beeps and nothing shows up on screen. I also noticed today that the Dual BIOS control LED is flashing during boot loops indicating that the primary BIOS has failed.
    As this was my first build in quite a while I didn't initially worry about it too much, figuring that it was probably just a BIOS setting or improperly seated hardware issue. Shortly there after my son was born and needless to say there wasn't a whole lot of time to trouble shoot a PC for a couple of months. Fast forward four months later to today and the boot looping is driving me nuts. It seems to occur when the system has been powered down overnight and more frequently if the reset button is used. I've read a lot of stuff saying that the Gigabyte boards are prone to this issue, but can't find anyone else with the same issue on a MSI z68 board. I've check/done the following to try and trouble shoot the issue.
    1. Flash to BIOS 17.3 (twice)
    2. Installed system speaker to hear post codes. Got a whole lot of nothing.
    3. Installed one stick of RAM in slot one. Tried all four sticks. Nothing works.
    4. Set BIOS values to default.
    5. Tried disabling and enabling XMP profiles for the RAM.
    6. Upped the voltage on the RAM to 1.5V, since the board reports an under-volt around 1.48 on auto. No effect.
    7. Disabled PLL overvolt.
    8. Enabled VDroop (still not clear on what this is).
    9. Removed both video cards and used the on chip video. No effect.
    10. Unplugged all USB devices.
    11. Tried XMP enabled and disabled for the memory.
    12. Hard drive plugged in and removed makes no difference.
    13. Bare system with only one stick of RAM installed, no difference.
    11. Lots of other crap that I can't think of right now.
    Any help would be great as I'm at a loss here.
    System specs are as follows;
    Intel 2600K
    Corsair H50 Cooler
    MSI z68a-gd80 B3 with BIOS v 17.3
    PNY Geforce GTX 560 Ti (2x in SLI)
    Linksys Wireless G PCI card
    Crucial Ballistix Sport RAM (4x2GB at 1600 MHz XMP enabled)
    Segate Barracuda 7200 RPM Drive 500GB (2x in RAID0)
    OCZ Vertex2 64 GB SSD as system cache
    Corsair TX750 Power Supply
    Corsair 600t case

    More wierd stuff.
    I couldn't get the board to boot without looping last night, tried the usual unplugging and clearing the CMOS nothing. Boot loops at every turn.
    I wonder if maybe I've got some bad pins or a poor connection on my RAM slots. I removed the RAM and began testing one by one. First stick gave a boot loop. Second stick worked. On restart the BIOS LED wasn't flashing anymore, which is odd since I hadn't yet set the BIOS fix feature to enabled. I powered down again and put my RAM back in, set my BIOS settings as suggested, and then clocked the RAM to 1333MHz. Seemed stable last night through a number of restarts.
    As for the backup BIOS reporting v 17.3. Yeah, that is odd. The manual says it can't be flashed either. Maybe BIOS just reports what the primary version number is no matter which chip (primary or secondary) is actually active and being booted from?
    I'd like to think this is over, but I'm sure when I go home and power up I'll get another boot loop. I'd rather not be without a PC for a couple weeks, but I may just have to RMA so I don't have to deal with this anymore. It's quite frustrating to have fiddle around for 10+ minutes to get your PC up and running, plus with a RAID0 setup and SSD cache I'm just asking for a system failure with all these power on/off cycles.

  • MOVED: Z68a-GD80 (G3) Boot-Looping

    This topic has been moved to Intel Core-iX boards.
    https://forum-en.msi.com/index.php?topic=160958.0

    Quote from: Golono on 16-August-12, 06:02:23
    I am unable to locate these green stickers. Could you specify their location? Also, just wondering, how would the information on those stickers help diagnose/solve the problem?
    Quote from: Golono on 16-August-12, 06:02:23
    I am unable to locate these green stickers. Could you specify their location?
    look at my image that i give you, they are on the bottom left side just below "MSI" heatsink.
    Quote
    Also, just wondering, how would the information on those stickers help diagnose/solve the problem?
    it can tell us what's the board shipped BIOS version.
    If its not the latest BIOS version, you can't boot with your Ivy Bridge CPU

  • Z68A-GD80 Memory Choices

    I've got an MSI Z68A-GD80 board and an i7 2600k that I plan on running but I'd also like to run 16GB of RAM and I'm having trouble finding it in a kit. I did find this Corsair Vengeance Blu 16 GB PC3-12800 1600mHz DDR3 240-Pin SDRAM Dual Channel Memory Kit for Intel and AMD Platforms CMZ16GX3M4A1600C9B and was wondering if anyone has used this particular kit or is there another option?

    Another update that's not so good. Everything was running fine until yesterday late in the afternoon. I had been messing around with an RC Flight training program for about an hour. Everything was still humming right along so I was scrounging around the web when I got the hated BSOD and it shut down my entire system. I figured okay no problem just power it back up and things would be fine. It didn't work that way, now it was trying to start but like many it just kept shutting down and coming back on, all it would do is just loop. Having limited use of my hands I had to wait until I could get someone to help me get into the case. I cleared the CMOS but that didn't work, still looping. I had my aide pull a couple pieces of the Corsair Vengeance out dropping it down to 8GB and tried starting it, well that worked it fired right up and went straight to the desktop. The RAM had dropped back to the default settings so I went back and enabled the XMP profile and with just the two 4GB sticks it started up without any trouble. I then went and added a third stick to see if it would boot and it did but I had stayed away from the dimm slot number 2. As soon as I placed the last stick in and hit the power it went right back to the looping without getting anything at all to show up on my display. So I pulled dimm 2 and dimm 4 out and it booted right up. Then I spent a couple of hours trying each stick in each dimm since I had help to change them. Everytime I put a stick into dimm 2 even by itself it would just go back to the looping. I ended up just using dimm 1 and dimm 3 and it is running now since I'm using it to post this. I have no idea which direction to turn now. I did manage to save the error message that Windows presented me with when I got it running the first time with just dimm 1 and 3 populated.
    Here is what it was telling me:
    Problem signature:
    Problem Event Name: BlueScreen
    OS Version: 6.1.7601.2.1.0.256.1
    Locale ID: 1033
    Additional information about the problem:
    BCCode: 50
    BCP1: FFFFF900C6A965E8
    BCP2: 0000000000000000
    BCP3: FFFFF9600016325F
    BCP4: 0000000000000002
    OS Version: 6_1_7601
    Service Pack: 1_0
    Product: 256_1
    Files that help describe the problem:
    C:\Windows\Minidump\071711-12292-01.dmp
    C:\Users\Burnard\AppData\Local\Temp\WER-51651-0.sysdata.xml
    I'm not sure what it all means and searching for the files wasn't much help. I did notice one thing, when there are just two sticks installed and the XMP enabled the voltage is running at 1.5 compared to the 1.64 it was at when all the dimms were populated and working normally. Now I'm left scratching my head, is the board bad, or my PSU an 850w Corsair unit not getting me enough juice, or my CPU an i7 2600k messed up in some way or bad memory.

  • Z68A-GD80(G3) Can no longer read external hd dock after flashing beta bios

    I flashed E7672IMS.J31 Beta Bios because I was on a very old bios that was not compatible with my GTX 970 card I just bought.  Flashing the bios fixed my 970 compatibility but in the process made it so my 2 external hd docks no longer worked (at this time on windows 7).  self powered usb harddrives still worked though.  At this time my sata mode was IDE which I thought might have had to do with it since it doesnt have hotswap. I assumed it was an issue with some drivers I installed after flashing the beta bios and I was due for upgrading/reformatting anyways so I enabled AHCI and hot swap then did a clean install of windows 8.1.  The external hard drives still don't read!!   I've used multiple different hard drives and different usb ports including usb 2.0.  The docks are usb 3.0 and I use them daily to edit photos from my work.  Any ideas of things I could try?
    My pc:
    intel 2500k
    16gb Corsair vengeance ram
    MSI 970 GTX GPU
    Corsair 750w power supply
    Z68A-GD80(G3) motherboard
    E7672IMS.J31 Beta Bios

    Could the issue be that I didn't download the Intel Management Driver after installing the beta bios I flashed?  Maybe I could try that first, which one from this list do I use with my pc setup?
    thanks for the help!
    Quote from: flobelix on 20-October-14, 00:38:02
    Try going back to E7672IMS.J20 OFFICIAL. Use the recommended flashing method with provided archive only: https://forum-en.msi.com/index.php?topic=163870.msg1215101#msg1215101

  • PCIE 3.0 test with MSI Z68A-GD80 G3 :)

    The Z68A-GD80 G3 is MSI’s first motherboard with PCIE 3.0 connectivity. Currently there are no PCIE 3 devices available yet but later on we can test its performance by using a PCIE SSD. Aside from this, the board has also a new UEFI Bios named “Click Bios II” which for me is way better than the previous version. 
    Before we take a closer look on the board, let’s check out the package first.
    Box design is a bit the same as the GD80 B3 version before.  Once you open it up, all main features of the said board are enumerated
    Extreme Power Design, Military Class II Components (SFC, Hi-C Caps, Multi Bios), 3 PCIEx16 Slots, Super Charger and OC Genie II
    For the bundled accessories, you have the same old story – Manual, Software Disc, four SATA cables, two Molex to SATA power connectors & SLI Bridge. Then for some extras - PCI USB 3.0 two ports bracket, guide headers for faster and easy connectivity and lastly voltage check points.
    Next, the “Mainboard”.  By physically looking at it and by comparing it side by side against the Z68A-GD80 B3 motherboard. You won’t find any difference except for the PCIE X16 locks. It has also the same black and blue color theme, two vrm heatsinks connected by a flat heatpipe and  V-Check points.
    Moving closer to the board you have 8 Power Pins to power up the processor, 2 PCI slots, 2 PCIE x1 slots for devices such as TV Tuners or Audio Cards. 2 PCIE Gen3 & 1 PCIE Gen2  x16 Slots. With one VC connected at the top most slot, speed will be @ x16. If both top and middle are used, it will be @ x8/x8. Lastly, by using the 3rd PCIEx16 Gen2 slot. You have x8/x8/x4. It would also disable certain onboard devices such as eSATA Port, Sata 7, one onboard front USB 3.0, two PCI Slots and firewire. So if possible avoid using the last VC slot. 
    At the top most PCIE x1 area. You will find a 6-pin power connector. This will provide more juice/power for multi-GPU setups.
    Next, at the bottom part of the board. You have the Easy Buttons (Power and Reset) and the popular one button “OC Genie”. The red colored USB header is for the Super Charger while the blue is a regular USB 3.0.  For the SATA Connectors  you have a total of 7. 4 regular SATA 3GB/s, 2 SATA 6GB/s controlled by Intel chipset and another SATA 6GB/s by Marvell.
    Wrapping things up, we have now the IO terminal ports. Starting from the left we have combo PS2 port and SPDIF Optical Out. Clear CMOS Button, e-SATA port running under Marvell, 2 USB 2.0 and Firewire ports controlled by Via. Moving across, 2 Gigabit Lan by Realtek 8111E, 2 USB 2.0 and 2 USB 3.0 run under NEC D720200 controller. Next, we have DVI and HDMI output connections and 6 analog audio ports by Realtek ALC892.
    Once you are into the bios, you will find the new and improved Click Bios. Nice and professional looking, faster navigation and easier to use.
    To test the performance of the new PCIE Gen3 technology, we will be using this Photofast PCIE SSD device http://www.photofast.tw/comboproducts.asp?pid=1.
    We will be connecting the PCIE SSD device on the GD80’s Gen3 and Gen2 slots and compare the results using the disk benchmark software ATTO.  I ran the benchmark 9 times for the two set of tests.
    System Configuration as follows:
    Processor:  Intel Core i7 2600K at default stock speed
    Memory: Kingston HyperX Genesis Grey 2x2GB DDR3 2133MHz
    SSD: OCZ Vertex 2
    Motherboard: MSI Z68A-GD80 G3
    Softwares: CPU-Z 1.58, Windows 7 Ultimate 64 Bit with SP1, Latest Atto Software 1.47 I think.
    First test, Photofast running on Gen2 (third VC slot).  One screenshot from the 9 tests made
    Second, using the Gen 3 connectivity. One screenshot from the 9 tests made
    Below is the summary of all the tests done on the board with the Photofast SSD PCIE.
    That’s probably it. More forum posts to come 

    Quote
    I have a eSata hdd Seagate Freeagent Xtreme 1,5tb which cannot be recognized by win7
    Did you have your previous board's BIOS set to AHCI or IDE ? You need to set this BIOS the same.
    Firstly only insert one RAM module in the slot closest to the CPU. Remove the rest. Then do full CMOS clear >>Clear CMOS Guide<<  also remove the MB battery.
    What BIOS do you currently have ? The initial BIOS releases were plagued by CPU throttling which have been fixed in the cyrrent beta BIOS releases.

  • Problematic Motherboard MSI Z68a GD80 (B3) and bad customer service

    I opened a support ticket at MSI's support site (http://support.msi.com/index.php?mod=questions&dop=reply_list&question_no=102573)  and still waiting for a response since last week.     Not only that, but there is no way you can talk to customer support and you can only submit tickets online.   What if your PC is not working because of the MSI motherboard?  How is then the customer able to talk to customer support?!  eh!!!?!?!???
    To describe the issues I experience I will copy-paste some of the info from my existing support ticket....
    Recently I noticed that my new PC's performance degraded considerably, without me having made any changes to its settings, software or hardware. After extensive testing I realised that the RAM was faulty so I replaced it with new DIMMs which I tested again and work correctly. However after replacing with new RAM  (memeory is in the "approved" list of the motherboard) the PC's performance is still very slow, especially when it comes to hard disk access. So I tested all, memory, hard disks (checkdisk, defrag, and also used WesternDigital utilities to check all disks) and all tests came back fine. I also checked all BIOS settings and re-installed all Motherboard drivers to ensure that the issue was not due to a damaged driver file. But none made a difference. So given that everything appears to be working correctly and all tests for individual components come back as normal, I uspect that it's the motherboard to blame.
    In addition to the above the PC has now started behaving strange too: when rebooting pc restarts..and then turns off and then on again and off again. ...or it restarts but then does not boot at all.  Just now i turned it off and then on again and the pc behaves as if it boots up but nothing is showing on the screen. not even the bios.
    Once, when i turned on the PC and when logged into windows I got a popup saying "you have booted from your second BIOS rom. Please update your BIOS using Live Update". I then went to live update and it said i am running the latest BIOS.
    The issues exist also outside the OS.  I also tried to boot from Norton Ghost DVD and take a backup from there and see the backup speed (which normally takes an hour). It took 2-7 times more, depending on the PC's "mood". I also tried booting from a DVD into Windows PE (pre-installation environment) and tried to take a disk backup from there too.   Same issue everywhere.
    I did various tests with Western Digital to eliminate the hard disk, and all come out fine.  I even formatted the hard drive (low level format) and reinstalled a fresh OS.  The problem was still there and the mouse pointed would stutter when the disk was active.
    Another thing I noticed which might help: sometimes disk to pc/disk-over-network file copying works at a reasonable speed. But local-disk to local-disk copying is very slow and affects the mouse pointer and overall pc performance.
    I use this PC for business so it's critical that this is fixed asap or that I am sent a replacement motherboard promptly before I send this one back so that I am not left without a working PC.
    Any suggestions?
    My spec:
        * CPU brand, model and speed:   Intel i7 i2600K 2.5 GHz
        * Motherboard model:  MSI Z68a GD80 (B3)
        * Memory brand, type/speed, size, number of sticks:   Kingston KHX1333C9D3B1K2/4G  (2 sticks x 2 Gb each.  total of 4gb)
        * Video card brand, chipset type, memory size:  XFX 7600GT 256MB
        * Hard drive(s) brand, size, type, speed:  Westerd Digital Velociraptor 600Gb
        * Operating system and version (including if 32 or 64bit!):   Windows XP SP3 32bit
        * Power Supply Unit brand and output in watts and DC output (amps) - OCZ 650W

    Quote
    Well on the MSI UK website that is the only support which is listed for motherboards!  Global or not, that's the one listed there.
    Yes, I know.  But there is an E-Mail Contact listed for RMA procedures.  When you go to the Global support site:
    http://ocss.msi.com.tw/
    ... you'll find the same E-Mail contact address listed under the heading
    Quote
    If you live in the following country and have any request about RMA, please go to Online RMA Request:
    Quote
    Ok, I will contact both the reseller and send an email to the email address you mentioned and see what happens.  
    Quote
    In fact the reseller has an online system specifically for returns and as per UK distant selling regulations their system does not accept any returns and won't allow you to make a returns request after 28 days from the date of purchase.  ..and given that I've been dealing with these issues for 10-14 days weeks now I am not sure they will allow a returns request.   But I will contact them and see what they will say.
    Yes, contact them.  
    Quote
    But have a look at the returns policy anyway: http://www.ebuyer.com/help/returns#1
    Look:
    Quote
    Items Faulty in Warranty Period
    If any of your purchases develop a fault, and it's more than 28 calendar days since receipt, then provided your item is within its warranty period, you are entitled to a warranty repair.
    ... more:
    http://static.ebuyer.com/customer/help/index.html?action=c2hvd190ZXJtcw==&type=personal
    Quote
    9.  Our refunds policy
       9.1 When you return a Product to us:
            9.1.2 for any other reason (for instance, because you have notified us in accordance with clause 21 that you do not agree to any change in these terms and conditions or in any of our policies, or because you claim that the Product is defective), we will examine the returned Product and if you are entitled, we will notify you of your options to either repair, replace or refund via e-mail within a reasonable period of time. We will usually process your elected repair, replacement or refund as soon as possible and, in any case, within 30 days of the day you confirm whether you opt for repair, replacement or refund for the defective Product. If you elect a refund of a Product returned by you because of a defect it will be refunded as per our refunds policy, including a refund of the part of the delivery charge which related to that defective Product for sending the item to you and the cost incurred by returning the defective Product to us. If you elect a repair or replacement of a defective Product we will not charge you for redelivery of the repaired or replaced Product.
            9.1.3 If you elect to return the defective Product to us using your own method of delivery, we will refund up to £4.00 of the costs incurred by you. This will only be refunded upon the receipt of proof of the carriage costs.
    Just for your record:
    Quote
    and still waiting for a response since last week.
    MSI Technical Support has responded to you giving you the following advice:
    Quote
    Dear sir/madam
    Thanks for contacting MSI technical support.
    Regarding your concern,if the issue appears when loading windows,we suggest you reinstall your os for a try.If it appears when post,we have to suggest you contact your reseller (The place you bought this MB from) and have them test the MB completely for you to check if this MB is faulty or not, then ask for some help.
    If the reseller for some reason cannot help, we have to ask you to contact MSI distributor or MSI office near your place to seek further help.
    Thanks for your cooperation in advance!
    Best Regards,
    MSI Technical Support Team
    ... and as I said before, this is precisely the next logical step in your situation.

  • Random crashing - MSI Z68A-GD80 Intel Z68

    Hi All,
    I bought the following recently from Aria - Gladiator Z68 Core i7 2600K 4.60GHz 8GB Overclocked Bundle, however when purchased it the deal included the MSI Z68A-GD80 B3. Now before i start i have never had anything over clocked before and thus have no clue at how it all works, therefore apologies for my newbieness in advance!
    My rig:
    Mobo: MSI Z68A-GD80 Intel Z68
    Chip: i7-2600K Overclocked @ 4.60GHz
    Cooler:Be Quiet! Dark Rock Advanced CPU Cooler.
    Ram: 8GB Mushkin Ridgeback #996987 (2x4GB) DDR3 1866MHz 9-11-9-27
    GPU:MSI GeForce GTX 580 Twin Frozr II
    PSU: Cant remember the name but its 1200w
    SSD: Crucial 256GB RealSSD C300
    HDD: 2TB Samsung
    OS: Windows 64 bit ultimate
    When it works it works excellently, but every now and again the system will just shut off. A couple of seconds will pass and it will restart itself, I don't press a thing or touch anything. It wont boot as it keeps restarting. The only thing that will work is if i keep the power button presses, boot in safe mode, shut down and restart the system.
    The only thing i have done regarding the above is change the CPU speed as in it was set to run at 4.6GHz permanently so I changed it so that when its idle the speed reduces to around 1.6GHZ. Outcasst thought about doing the same with the voltage but the only options in the BIOS are to either set it to a fixed voltage or Auto. When i set it to Auto to see if that helped the computer wouldn't boot so i changed it back again immediately.
    It has been formatted in the last week if that makes a difference. But it was happening before i formatted it too.
    Has anyone seen this before? Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. I haven't contacted Aria as yet, thought i would post here first.
    Thank you in advance
    Mark

    Quote from: HU16E on 27-June-11, 10:31:28
    Ah, ok. Thanks for the screenshots. Helps a lot. Recommend setting Internal PLL Overvoltage from 'Auto' to 'Enable'. CPU Core Voltage, raise a step to 1.360v's. The voltage loss reading at the BIOS is telling. 1.645v set, only 1.616v is applied. This can be checked & confirmed for accuracy using a digital multi meter at the V-Check Point. For now, if we presume the 1.616v is accurate, your X.M.P. for 1866 RAM speed is 1.65v's. 1.616v is a long way from 1.65v's. With that 0.034v loss, BIOS setting would have to be raised to 1.685v range to give a true 1.65v's. I am a little reluctant to recommend that setting without a multi meter being attached to the V-Check Point. You don't really want to exceed the actual applied DRAM V. of 1.65v if at all possible.
    Added: Just as an FYI, CPU V. recommended maximum is not to exceed 1.400v's.  
    I changed the above. Not sure if its coincidence or not but its crashed more in the last 24 hours than ever! Trying to eliminate all possibilities now.

  • Bad MSI Z68A-GD80 (B3)? Diagnostic available?

    I have an i7-2600K installed on a MSI Z68A-GD80 (B3) board that quit booting Windows 7 the other day. The boot would proceed to the point where the four color swatches start swirling around to make the MS flag and then the screen freezes and nothing more happens.  The system will boot Memtest86+ v4.2 and that reports no memory problems after running for many hours/passes.  I have stripped the system of everything but one 4Gb stick of memory, the SATA DVD drive and a new/blank/different HDD than was present when the problem started. The video card has been removed and I'm now using on-board video. The lasted available version of the BIOS was flashed and both the default BIOS settings and also a BIOS configuration with most hardware disabled have been tried. Different SATA ports have been tried as well as SATA and IDE modes. Still the behavior does not change.
    I've created both 32 & 64 bit Ubuntu boot CDs and both will start to boot but hang. A "FalconFour’s Ultimate Boot CD" will boot and display a menu but both the miniXP and mini Linux environments hang when I try to start them. Windows 7 & Windows XP installation disks hang after a minute or two of starting up.
    I do not have a compatible second CPU or motherboard to swap into the system to check if that helps.
    So far I have only found versions of the Intel Processor Diagnostic Tool that run under Windows.
    Is there a stand-alone version of it (or something similar) or one that will run under DOS available?
    Are there other troubleshooting steps I should be trying?
    Thanks!

    At this point the parts left in the box that are collectively still misbehaving are:
    Intel BX80623I72600K (i7-2600K Sandy Bridge)
    MSI Z68A-GD80 (B3) motherboard
    G.SKILL F3-12800CL7D-8GBXH (16Gb total but only 4Gb installed at the moment)
    WD WDBAAZ0020HNC-NRSN (WD Caviar Black 2TB 7200 RPM SATA)
    ASUS DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS (24x CD/DVD SATA R/W)
    Corsair Gold AX850 (CMPSU-850AX)    power supply
    Antec P183 V3 case
    The system started with more but this is what's left after weeding out the parts that did not impact the problem.
    FWIW either the HDD or the DVD drive could go too because the problem occurs if I try to boot from either with the other removed.

  • Z68A-GD80 (GEN 3) possible bad board?

    I just purchased some parts for a new build.
    The new parts are:
    2500k
    Msi z68a-gd80 gen 3
    sapphire 7970
    Samsung 830 (256gig.)
    g.skill ripjaws (2 x 8 gig.)
    win7 pro
    The power supply is working ok.( pc power 750 silencer.)
    The problem is the 7970 isn't detected in the first two pcie gen 2/3 slots, none of my graphics cards are.
    I've tried a known working 8800gt as well as a 7200 gs.
    There's no video output from any of the cards either, monitor remains off.
    I've tried every bios option I could think of for the integrated graphics, cleared the bios multiple times, but no card is recognized.
    when I try to install the amd drivers the wizard reports warnings, but state a successful installation.
    Upon reboot, win7 tries to repair "problems" unsuccessfully.
    I have gotten video output from the 8800gt in the bottom pcie slot, but upon reboot I receive the same error as above and a failed repair.
    Maybe I've been luck, very lucky. I've never receive a nonworking computer part before.
    Is this a problem with the MB or something else?
    I can't test the 7970 in another system as I've had two working systems fail on me this past weekend after moving them from one case to another.
    I'm new to win7 as well as these parts, am I missing something obvious?

    Quote from: Jack on 17-January-12, 00:40:40
    Yeah, yeah, yeah.  You have no idea what is going on and already talk about bad first impressions.  
    Even you have a damaged mainboard (which you do not even know at this point), the simple solution would be: RMA.  You'll get a replacement board and get it over with.  It happens that boards are defective (who know what parcel delivery guy dropped the package or threw in some wagon).  
    Your statement does not make any rational sense.  That must be your frustration talking.  Get that out of your system, it won't help you one bit with your problem.
    >>This is exactly why I came to this forum, I didn't know if I'm overlooking something simple as win7 is also new to me.
    I didn't want to jump on the rma bandwagon without getting some help first.
    You're also correct that, if the mb is bad it doesn't could have been damaged it shipping.
    Unless you have a way to test the CPU in another board, or another CPU on your's, I would either recommend to ask in a computer shop for help with troubleshooting or RMA both CPU and mainboard and see which one comes back as "okay".
    >>I'll call some local places to see if they can test the mb and cpu tomorrow. Iam working nights a the moment.
    Another thought, though:
    Underlying memory problems can actually cause the system to think the BIOS/UEFI is corrupted.  
    Do you have other memory modules for testing (some standard 1 or 2 GB stick perhaps)?
    >>I only have the installed kit.
    If there's anymore info I can provide for you it'll be in the morning.
    Thanks.

  • Z68A-GD80 (B3) + Corsair Vengeance: Which HSF will fit?

    Greetings,
    I just migrated from Q6600 + DFI INF 975X to i7 2600K + Z68A-GD80 (B3). This is my new motherboard with all of its technologies after not updating my knowledge since 2006. I know nothing about DrMosfet and why do they heatsink-ed. But, I just realized that that heatpipe and other heatsink would (or wouldn't) be my problem after I simply push the "OC Genie" button on my motherboard.
    My i7 2600K can run up to 4.1GHz by simply pushing the OC Genie button. But then I realized that with stock HSF, my processor's temp was 71C when Prime95 was running. On an idle state, its temp is around 28-30C with 29C of temperature room (non-AC). My casing is Enlight (somewhat series I don't know) that has side fan for intake air flow to on top of Intel Stock HSF.
    I'm thinking to give an adequate cooling accessories. My candidates are:
    1. Noctua NH-D14
    2. Noctua NH-U12P
    3. Corsair H70
    I put Corsair H70 as my last option, since the price is doubled from Noctua NH-U12P. The Corsair local dealer said that the liquid inside H70 will only last for 2-3 years in my country. So, I should also spare another $$$ to buy another HSF 3 years from now. Hence, I'm still thinking "conventional" HSF Aluminum would be my first priority over liquid cooling solution.
    My questions are:
    1. Will Noctua NH-D14 will fit to my mainboard? I'm affraid that the heatsink and heatpipe around processor will block the installation. Please also note that my Corsair Vengeance has passive heatsink and 50mm height.
    2. What about Noctua NH-U12P? the performance based on review in overclocker forum only differs 1-2C above NH-D14.
    Thanks.
    MSI Z68A-GD80 (B3)
    Intel Core i7 2600K
    Zotac GTS 450 AMP Edition 1GB DDR5
    Corsair Vengeance 2x4GB (9-9-9-24)
    Corsair CX-600 power supply
    WD Raptor 300GB 10k RPM
    WD Green 2TB 5900RPM

    Quote from: Bernhard on 01-June-11, 17:17:43
    OCGenie pushes voltages higher than what is really needed. Thus part of your temps are probably a direct cause of this.
    I'm totally newbie on over clocking. On Q6600 I just raising up the FSB without increasing up the voltage. Maybe I should learn in an advance way to over clocking 2600K. Thanks for OCGenie Info
    Quote
    Keep it that way. Mine is in the cupboard. I have The Noctua NH-C14 and it performs as well as the H70 on CPU core temps but has the added advantage of cooling the CPU surrounds. My 2600K goes to about 64-68C core at 25-30C ambient under fullload at 4,5GHz.
    Is it Normal to have 68C on that speed? I thought any noctua could cooling it down to 53C based on review. Maybe I missed something in the review didn't stated whether it was conducted on winter or summer... I'll find that on local store.
    Quote
    It will be a tight fit, and you may have to install the RAM before the cooler.
    Nice tips. I'll consider it if NH-D14 is my best option. Some said that I can put the fan little bit higher, since RAM Heatsink will touch the fan not touch the aluminum fin if it is installed on the right orientation.
    Quote
    Consider the Zalman 9900 as well, testing also only shows minor temp differences and HU16E has had excellent results on allhis builds with this cooler. I used one on a X58 before and it was really good. The advantage is the good clearance that allows easy RAM installation even with these oversized heatsinks on some RAM modules.
    never heard of those series before, but I'll google it. I know Zalman as the brand of my 5.1 headphone gaming series thanks for recommendation. I'll find the availabilities of those recommended brand and type.

  • Re: z68a-gd80-g3 i7 2600k overclocking settings

     Hi...my name is Gilang. I'm Indonesian,soory for my bad in English. I have problems to overclock my intel core i7 2600k on MSI Z68A-GD80 (G3). My cpu ratio always back to default after I save settings my bios.
    1. Enter Standard Mode
    2. Change "Adjust CPU Ratio" to 45
    3. "Adjust CPU Ratio" - Disabled
    4. Internal PLL Overvoltage - Enabled
    5. EIST - Disabled
    6. Spread Spectrum - Disabled
    7. Vdroop control - Low Vdroop
    8. CPU Core Voltage - 1.375V
    9. CPU Features:
      9.1. Hyper Threading - Enabled
      9.2. Limit CPUID Maximum - Disabled
      9.3. Power Technology - Disable
      9.4. C1E Support - Disabled
      9.5. Overspeed Protection - Disabled
    10. EuP 2013 - Disabled
    11. CPU Phase Control - APS Mode
    12. Others are in default
    Then I save overclocking profiles to overclocking profiles 1, but when I go to mainboard settings, then I enter save and exit, then I save changes, yes, and when I go back to my OC Settings, the CPU ratio back to default (34x). I really confused about this. Can u help me??why the cpu ratio always back to normal??
    Version E7672IMS V18.2...really need your help guys..

    Recommend as a first step, return everything to Auto/Stock/Defaults & update to the latest UEFI/BIOS version. Please use the forum's USB Flashing Tool, & be sure after a flash, to remove the PSU power cord, the battery for awhile, do a CMOS clear, reset & retest. Jack's Reply #86 is the newest to date:
      https://forum-en.msi.com/index.php?topic=151130.msg1138307#msg1138307

  • MSI Z68A-GD80 Memory Problem

    I've had an issue with this motherboard since I built my computer back in May, it will not POST whatsoever if I have my RAM in dual channel mode with memory in DIMM 1 and DIMM 3, but it will boot fine with one stick in DIMM1 or 2 sticks in DIMM 1 and 2. I've tested each stick of RAM individually in slot one and they both work fine by themselves. Any help would be appreciated!
    Specs are:
    Intel i7 2600k, MSI Z68A-GD80 Mobo
    (2x4gb sticks) 8gb Corsair Dominatior GT RAM 1.5v
    EVGA 580 GTX
    120GB OCZ Vertex 3 SSD
    1.5TB Western Digital Caviar Black HD
    910w PC Power and Cooling PSU
    Zalman 9900 Max CPU coole
    Corsair 800D case

    My theory is you have some bent socket pins or the CPU cooler is torqued down incorrectly.

  • Z68A-GD80 (G3) Networking/LAN Issue

    Have been having this problem since I purchased the board. Essentially, I installed all the hardware and went to install the operating system. Worked fine for the first time. After about the fourth start up, the operating system did not even recognize the LAN/Gigabit networking controllers. This is not a huge problem as I had an extra networking card, but its annoying if you want to use SLI/Crossfire due to the network card blocking a video card fan exhaust. Tried to reinstall the operating system, but this did not fix the issue and the OS did not recognize the LAN ports from the very beginning of the install.
    One solution I have found is to completely turn off all power and remove the RAM to have a full mobo reset. Unfortunately, this will clear all my overclocking preferences and the disappearing LAN ports will still happen from time to time.
    My question is have other people had this problem of the disappearing network controllers with the Z68A-GD80? Is there an easier solution then RMA'ing the board entirely?
    Thank you in advance for your help !!

    Quote
    My question is have other people had this problem of the disappearing network controllers with the Z68A-GD80? Is there an easier solution then RMA'ing the board entirely?
    Does 'Network Adapter' show up in Device Manger? So far, this has not been experienced on the GD80(G3) here, but a GD80(B3) never even had the LAN port LED's lite up. Just a guess, but believe it to be a possible Z68 chipset problem. If planning on keeping the system for a long time, it may be best to RMA it now for a fully functional mainboard.

  • MSI Z68A-GD80(B3) random freeze problems

    Hi,
    This newbie around here has a problem:
    The following system freezes randomly without warning:
    MB:    MSI Z68A-GD80(B3)
    CPU:    2600K
    Cooling: Corsair H60 (temps idle mid 20's, under load <60C)
    IGP:     Integrated, using DVI
    RAM:   Corsair vengeance 1600 , 4x4 16GB (9-9-9-27)
    HD:     Corsair M4 SSD 256 GB
    OS:     Win7 x64
    PSU:    Chieftec, 80+, 650W modular
    No other components/peripherals installed/attached
    When BIOS /UEFI is set to all defaults: system will run normally with no freezes, as soon as I hit the OC genie button, the system starts up normally into windows, but will suddenly freeze at any given time under full load but also under idle.
    I've read all relevant threads about this "behavior" and I know I'm not alone, but after really trying every conceivable idea as suggested by many knowledgeable persons on this forum I'm completely stuck.
    Things tried so far:
    Manual adjustments in UEFI withou using OC genie button
    Use one ram stick in slot one, (incl running at default 1333Mhz)
    Use various Dram voltages (default 1.5 V and tried all possibilities up till 1,65 Volt)
    Use various Vcore voltages till 1,45 Volts
    Between all those various scenarios CMOS has been reset and cleared
    Does any of you have any suggestions of where to proceed from here in order to get a stable OC'ed system?
    Thanks in advance.

    There are two things to consider.
    1. The individual CPU speciman you have may just be one that does not allow much in terms of overclocking. This is the part that is the hardest to accept but the fact is that testing has provided the following results.
    Quote
    The results below are based on the range of the CPU turbo multiplier when overclocking.
    Results are representative of 100 D2 CPUs that were binned and tested for stability under load; these results will most likely represent retail CPUs.
    1. Approximately 50% of CPUs can go up to 4.4~4.5 GHz
    2. Approximately 40% of CPUs can go up to 4.6~4.7 GHz
    3. Approximately 10% of CPUs can go up to 4.8~5 GHz (50+ multipliers are about 2% of this group)
    So the luck of the draw is always present, unfortunately 
    2. You are using the IGP. This will affect the overclockability of the CPU to some extent. By how much, I don't know, but on my 1156 socket i3 it had quite a large effect. If you know someone with a low end GPU that you can test with, then disable your IGP and retest to see if the results are any different.
    A couple of things to check. What BIOS version do you have, and if there are any later BIOS' that address this ?
    Reseat your CPU, inspect the CPU pad indentations at the the same time and check for any bent pins on the socket or any foreign matter in between the pins.
    Recheck all your power connectors, especially the CPU power connector for proper seating.

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