[Wanted] Bits to test with

[Succubus]

Good Morning Carb - Not sure if I'm in the right place here....

I am looking for some RAM (DDR3) and a 6th /7th Gen CPU to use for testing a board i bought on carb.
I have random RAMS lying around that i have tried with an i5-7400 cpu... the board does not post, there are no error beep codes either (no DEBUG LED on the board) - When i boot without any RAM, i do get the error beep codes, so i know that part of the board does work.
The board in question is an Asus B150M Plus D3 Motherboard.
The board is old but new - still had the cpu protectiv cover on, i don't know if perhaps the cpu i have is faulty, but i know the RAMS i have lying around is not part of the QVL for the board - not sure if they even work, because i do not have any DDR3 boards to use / test them in.
I think there was one slightly bent pin on the board, but i managed to correct it, then went over it with a magnifier and could not find any other bent or suspect pins, I've cleared CMOS and remove CMOS battery ( the old one was undervoltage @2.8V - so i changed that to a new battery) I am not getting any post, CPU fan sins, LED on the board lights up, but no post.
I've also used 2 different, working PSU's - one was a 650W and the other a 750W, just to be sure

Any help on the issue or direction as to where i can check or what i can try would be greatly appreciated.

Thnx a mill


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[souljazk]

If no RAM = beep then that *should* indicate the CPU is OK and now the POST process is looking for RAM. I'm in CT Northern subs & have some DDR3 RAM you can borrow to test with.

 

[Succubus]

If no RAM = beep then that *should* indicate the CPU is OK and now the POST process is looking for RAM. I'm in CT Northern subs & have some DDR3 RAM you can borrow to test with.

thanks for this offer .. but I think I have figured out the issue…I am getting some ram today and once I’ve confirmed I will get back on here to share.

 

[Succubus]

so... i figured out that this board RAM slots are DDR3L (1.35V) slots... and the RAMS i was testing with were normal DDR3 (1.5V)...
I bought 2 Sticks of DDR3L rams hoping that this was the issue, since DDR3L is backwards compatible with DDR3 so i could still use this RAM on another board..... But i'm still not getting any post... No BEEP error codes, no lights on keyboard or mouse...but fans spin up as if everything is working properly.

I have not tried a different CPU yet.... and as far as i know and have researched, the i5-7400 does have iGPU - Actually i did - i tried an i7-7700 cpu which also didn't work..same symptoms but i was also using normal ddr3 RAM and not the proper ones. So i still need to test the / another cpu in this build with the DDR3L RAM to see if the cpu or the motherboard is the issue.

Any other ideas..???

 

[souljazk]

Basic check - most boards have 2 pins you can short to reset the BIOS. If those pins are shorted, the board usually does not POST, but usually, will power on. See image here for a better idea of what I mean, best to check mobo manual to see where these pins are, but usually they are not far from the CMOS battery - https://forums.tomshardware.com/proxy.php?image=http%3A%2F%2F1.bp.blogspot.com%2F-qgbw9KaNXbI%2FTgsbS8LdGYI%2FAAAAAAAAAfQ%2Fr8YL726o5mA%2Fs1600%2Fcmos_jumper.jpg&hash=13553ca21ae88d14568807f5e4afc888
----------
----------

Remember these tips for "blind" or remote testing: (assumes debug speaker is connected and working)

1. 2x Long beeps are usually to indicate that no RAM is detected. Sometimes its just 1x long and loud beep. Differes based in the BIOS manufactorer. If you get beeps that correspond to this, then the CPU and mobo should be able to power up and initiate the Power On Self Test (POST). As fr as I recall, once a CPU is detected, the POST process looks for RAM. Sometimes the system has to do memory training. In such a case, the fans etc etc will spin but there will be an extended time (10-30seconds, sometimes 60->) of no display.

This allows you some surity as to wheather the CPU us functioning on a very basic level.

2. For 99% of motherboards I've seen, the RAM slot that is 2nd away from the CPU, (usually labled slot B) is the prefered RAM slot when using 1x RAM module. Have you made troubleshooting notes to see which slot you used when troubleshooting? Always troubleshoot with 1x stick of RAM at a time, until you confirm post or that the board is still faulty.

Your best bet will be to find RAM that is on the motherboard QVL. Failing that Samsung or Kingston RAM 'value ram' , which has in my experiance these have been the most compatible brands. I should have a few of each brand BUT possibly not desktop DDR3L...

3. Another thing you can try - I've revived well over 100x boards in the last 15y like this, some of them were resolved remotely with the other tech following my instructions.
1. Remove GPU, CPU and RAM.
2. Power system on.
2.1 It might not do anything, just wait 2min or a little longer.
3. Power down, flush power.
4. Install CPU only.
4.1 Power on - what beeps do you get from the diag speaker?
5. Power down, flush power.
6. Install 1 stick of RAM (use the old RAM you knew was working if applicable) into the slot that is 2nd from the CPU, and power up - what beeps do you get from the diag speaker? Makes notes, as different RAM *might* give different results EG RAM A = system power / partial power ; RAM B = system does not turn on.
7. Power down, flush power.
8. Install GPU and power up - what beeps do you get from the diag speaker?

 

[Succubus]

Basic check - most boards have 2 pins you can short to reset the BIOS. If those pins are shorted, the board usually does not POST, but usually, will power on.
----------
----------

Remember these tips for "blind" or remote testing: (assumes debug speaker is connected and working)

1. 2x Long beeps are usually to indicate that no RAM is detected. Sometimes its just 1x long and loud beep. Differes based in the BIOS manufactorer. If you get beeps that correspond to this, then the CPU and mobo should be able to power up and initiate the Power On Self Test (POST). As fr as I recall, once a CPU is detected, the POST process looks for RAM. Sometimes the system has to do memory training. In such a case, the fans etc etc will spin but there will be an extended time (10-30seconds, sometimes 60->) of no display.

This allows you some surity as to wheather the CPU us functioning on a very basic level.

2. For 99% of motherboards I've seen, the RAM slot that is 2nd away from the CPU, (usually labled slot B) is the prefered RAM slot when using 1x RAM module. Have you made troubleshooting notes to see which slot you used when troubleshooting? Always troubleshoot with 1x stick of RAM at a time, until you confirm post or that the board is still faulty.

Your best bet will be to find RAM that is on the motherboard QVL. Failing that Samsung or Kingston RAM 'value ram' , which has in my experiance these have been the most compatible brands. I should have a few of each brand BUT possibly not desktop DDR3L...

3. Another thing you can try - I've revived well over 100x boards in the last 15y like this, some of them were resolved remotely with the other tech following my instructions.
1. Remove GPU, CPU and RAM.
2. Power system on.
2.1 It might not do anything, just wait 2min or a little longer.
3. Power down, flush power.
4. Install CPU only.
4.1 Power on - what beeps do you get from the diag speaker?
5. Power down, flush power.
6. Install 1 stick of RAM (use the old RAM you knew was working if applicable) into the slot that is 2nd from the CPU, and power up - what beeps do you get from the diag speaker? Makes notes, as different RAM *might* give different results EG RAM A = system power / partial power ; RAM B = system does not turn on.
7. Power down, flush power.
8. Install GPU and power up - what beeps do you get from the diag speaker?

Thank you for this detailed reply..
I will go through these steps tonight and see what transpires.

I had the RAMS in slots A2 & B2 when i tested. I've heard about Mem Learning, but i've never experienced it with any of my builds...
I did not document what the steps i followed, but it is pretty much the standard stuff - reseat, security checks on cables, clear cmos, remove cmos bat etc.

 

[Dom]

Any input/guidance would help @Vivisekta

 

[Succubus]

Any input/guidance would help @Vivisekta

Seller stated that the box was opened but the board was never used. From the pics i received and when i received the board, it is as was stated. CPU cover was still on the socket. I/O shield back plate was still sealed in its plastic and so were the SATA cables that came with it. Just wish they would stop making boards without debug information *urgh*

 

[Succubus]

Basic check - most boards have 2 pins you can short to reset the BIOS. If those pins are shorted, the board usually does not POST, but usually, will power on. See image here for a better idea of what I mean, best to check mobo manual to see where these pins are, but usually they are not far from the CMOS battery - https://forums.tomshardware.com/proxy.php?image=http%3A%2F%2F1.bp.blogspot.com%2F-qgbw9KaNXbI%2FTgsbS8LdGYI%2FAAAAAAAAAfQ%2Fr8YL726o5mA%2Fs1600%2Fcmos_jumper.jpg&hash=13553ca21ae88d14568807f5e4afc888
----------
----------

Remember these tips for "blind" or remote testing: (assumes debug speaker is connected and working)

1. 2x Long beeps are usually to indicate that no RAM is detected. Sometimes its just 1x long and loud beep. Differes based in the BIOS manufactorer. If you get beeps that correspond to this, then the CPU and mobo should be able to power up and initiate the Power On Self Test (POST). As fr as I recall, once a CPU is detected, the POST process looks for RAM. Sometimes the system has to do memory training. In such a case, the fans etc etc will spin but there will be an extended time (10-30seconds, sometimes 60->) of no display.

This allows you some surity as to wheather the CPU us functioning on a very basic level.

2. For 99% of motherboards I've seen, the RAM slot that is 2nd away from the CPU, (usually labled slot B) is the prefered RAM slot when using 1x RAM module. Have you made troubleshooting notes to see which slot you used when troubleshooting? Always troubleshoot with 1x stick of RAM at a time, until you confirm post or that the board is still faulty.

Your best bet will be to find RAM that is on the motherboard QVL. Failing that Samsung or Kingston RAM 'value ram' , which has in my experiance these have been the most compatible brands. I should have a few of each brand BUT possibly not desktop DDR3L...

3. Another thing you can try - I've revived well over 100x boards in the last 15y like this, some of them were resolved remotely with the other tech following my instructions.
1. Remove GPU, CPU and RAM.
2. Power system on.
2.1 It might not do anything, just wait 2min or a little longer.
3. Power down, flush power.
4. Install CPU only.
4.1 Power on - what beeps do you get from the diag speaker?
5. Power down, flush power.
6. Install 1 stick of RAM (use the old RAM you knew was working if applicable) into the slot that is 2nd from the CPU, and power up - what beeps do you get from the diag speaker? Makes notes, as different RAM *might* give different results EG RAM A = system power / partial power ; RAM B = system does not turn on.
7. Power down, flush power.
8. Install GPU and power up - what beeps do you get from the diag speaker?

At the build now, just a question: what does the first step do? when powering on without RAM, CPU and GPU?
Or atleast what is this test for?

 

[solz]

I'm suspecting that the bios might need an update to support the 7th Gen. I do believe b150 came out with 6th Gen, so maybe you need to borrow a 6th Gen cpu and test.

You have tested with 2 cpu that where both 7th Gen.

 

[souljazk]

Seller stated that the box was opened but the board was never used. From the pics i received and when i received the board, it is as was stated. CPU cover was still on the socket. I/O shield back plate was still sealed in its plastic and so were the SATA cables that came with it. Just wish they would stop making boards without debug information *urgh*

Sorry if I've mentioned this before, but grab a diagnostic speaker. Grab a few, they are handy. I install them on all my client desktopn, specifically for remote troubleshooting.

At the build now, just a question: what does the first step do? when powering on without RAM, CPU and GPU?
Or atleast what is this test for?

Its a test that makes the mobo look for its "friends" EG CPU, RAM, etc.
I honestly cant tell why why this works, but it's saved maaaany mobo's from the trash.

 

[Succubus]

Sorry if I've mentioned this before, but grab a diagnostic speaker. Grab a few, they are handy. I install them on all my client desktopn, specifically for remote troubleshooting.

Its a test that makes the mobo look for its "friends" EG CPU, RAM, etc.
I honestly cant tell why why this works, but it's saved maaaany mobo's from the trash.

I have a speaker and the speaker is working - don't know where to get more of them though. I prefer having it, very handy tool especially in these cases where there are no DEBUG lights, or Error codes on board.

So... i've done the tests as stated in your previous post.

1. Test without GPU, CPU, RAM - no reaction from the board, left it like that for approx 3-4mins. No error beep codes, cpu fan connected to header but not spinning, LED lights on board was on.
2. Test with just CPU - speaker seeing no RAM ______ . . _______ . . _______ . . this was the error beeps.... i let it run like that for a while to confirm CPU is getting power, which it was as it was heating up. LED on board lights up.
3. 1 RAM module in slot A2 - No beeps, CPU fan spinning, LED on board lit, No display.
4. 2nd RAM module in slot A2 - Same effect as in No.3

Power drained after each test.
The LED mentioned is the SupremeFX LED - not cpu/ram/bios LED. The board has none of that.

 

[Succubus]

I'm suspecting that the bios might need an update to support the 7th Gen. I do believe b150 came out with 6th Gen, so maybe you need to borrow a 6th Gen cpu and test.

You have tested with 2 cpu that where both 7th Gen.

perhaps I should try this yes - and yes they were both 7th Gen CPU's

 

[Succubus]

Now to find a loan 6th gen CPU... they're not as common anymore

 

[souljazk]

so... i figured out that this board RAM slots are DDR3L (1.35V) slots... and the RAMS i was testing with were normal DDR3 (1.5V)...
I bought 2 Sticks of DDR3L rams hoping that this was the issue, since DDR3L is backwards compatible with DDR3 so i could still use this RAM on another board..... But i'm still not getting any post... No BEEP error codes, no lights on keyboard or mouse...but fans spin up as if everything is working properly.

I have not tried a different CPU yet.... and as far as i know and have researched, the i5-7400 does have iGPU - Actually i did - i tried an i7-7700 cpu which also didn't work..same symptoms but i was also using normal ddr3 RAM and not the proper ones. So i still need to test the / another cpu in this build with the DDR3L RAM to see if the cpu or the motherboard is the issue.

Any other ideas..???

FYI your board does support DDR3L AND DDR3, not *only* DDR3L, as your above post makes it sound like it only supports DDR3L.

Asus B150M-PLUS D3 Intel B150 Chipset LGA1151 DDR3 Skylake Micro-ATX Desktop Motherboard - Wootware

Buy Asus B150M-PLUS D3 Intel B150 Chipset LGA1151 DDR3 Skylake Micro-ATX Desktop Motherboard at Wootware with fast shipping & superb service.

www.wootware.co.za

"- DDR3/DDR3L memory compatibility"

Return the DDR3L as its not needed, unless you have another machine it can go into.

 

[Succubus]

Will post here again once i get the 6th gen CPU from @Jaco52222 who has been helping me out...Great guy, an absolute pleasure to deal with..
@souljazk thank you for the advice and i will post results here to consolidate findings on this build.

 

[Adrenalin]

Yeah please do post results. I have the exact same issue with a Socket 1151 board.

Was working perfectly. Gave it to someone, who knows what happened. No Post.

Fan spins for a few seconds WITH 4 pin CPU power connected, spins constantly WITHOUT it connected.

Tried different board, different PSU, also don't have another CPU to test with. So would be interesting to see what your fault is.

 

[Succubus]

Update:
I got a 6th Gen CPU from @Jaco52222 👌👌👌, installed it and everything worked fine after that.
I have not done the BIOS update yet, because it was already too late and i was just happy that i got a POST.

Thank you @solz for the 6th Gen suggestion - that was definitely the nail in that coffin 🙏
@souljazk I have not tested the DDR3 RAM yet, I only installed 1 stick in A2 of the DDR3L just to make sure it would post.... i will test the other RAM tonight and let you know how that went

👌

 

[Succubus]

Yeah please do post results. I have the exact same issue with a Socket 1151 board.

Was working perfectly. Gave it to someone, who knows what happened. No Post.

Fan spins for a few seconds WITH 4 pin CPU power connected, spins constantly WITHOUT it connected.

Tried different board, different PSU, also don't have another CPU to test with. So would be interesting to see what your fault is.

I had a friend's pc last night, i gave him a new CPU and the board would not post.. an old Intel DH67BL - i have an identical board that i took out of another pc that worked fine (i gave him that board to install - not realizing they were the same boards) He said it wouldn't post, all i did was remove it with the CPU and gave it to him in anti-static bag. He brought both back....after many lookings, cleaning, 1 slightly bent pin correction, i figured out that the "cap" storing the BIOS CFG (small yellow jumper) was missing. I never removed it from the board i gave him... so i grabbed the one on his original box and installed it on the board i gave them and the board booted fine... keyboard, mouse and everything else working.

 

[Succubus]

Update:
I have tried the DDR3 RAM, and I also got a post just like @souljazk stated. That lays to rest the fact that both L and non-L ram works in the board that states DDR3L.

I am yet to update the bios on this board…but would like to know if I can just update to the latest released bios or do I have to do it in stages through the various versions.

I checked this BIOS version is 0301 x64 date: 21*07*2015
The BIOS update to support new CPU's is: 2015, 2016 & 2017.. before that there are a few other bios updates, to improve system stability, ME tool etc.

Should i just go straight to the 2017 or should i go through the years and see which one will work with the 7th gen CPU?

 

[souljazk]

Update:
I have tried the DDR3 RAM, and I also got a post just like @souljazk stated. That lays to rest the fact that both L and non-L ram works in the board that states DDR3L.

I am yet to update the bios on this board…but would like to know if I can just update to the latest released bios or do I have to do it in stages through the various versions.

I checked this BIOS version is 0301 x64 date: 21*07*2015
The BIOS update to support new CPU's is: 2015, 2016 & 2017.. before that there are a few other bios updates, to improve system stability, ME tool etc.

Should i just go straight to the 2017 or should i go through the years and see which one will work with the 7th gen CPU?

For the older BIOS I would update with the last BIOS for each year, starting with 2015. Usually all the updates/changes are rolled forward, so you could jump straight to 2017 if you wanted.

EDIT: I like to proceed wiith caution, so if you wanted to do slow & steady, my 2c would be:
1. Try "update" the installed BIOS, with the same version number. Check the installed BIOS Changelog / readme file.
2. Install 1 version newer.
3. Then install that years BIOS dated close enough to 31/12/.
4, Once complete, manually reset the BIOS. You could do this reset with each individual update, if you wanted to be extra extra "safe".