Fans and lights running constantly when powered off

[Cujo159]

I would be most appreciative of assistance with the issue I'm having on my brand new build. This is the first ASUS mobo I've used since a build in 2009 and have not experienced it with Gigabyte mobos, EVGA GPUs, and Corsair PSUs I've used previously. The only new brand to my build process is the ASUS mobo.

System Specs:

• Mobo: ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Hero Wifi
  
• CPU: Ryzen 9 5950x
  
• GPU: EVGA 3080ti FTW3
  
• RAM: GSkill DDR4-3800 4x16bg
  
• PSU: Corsair HX1000i
  

Issue:
All Case fans and 2/3 GPU fans continuously spin after the computer is shut down; fan, GPU brace, and LED strip lights also remain powered after shutdown. In this state, PSU is still plugged in with the breaker switch on. This issue was present before the first power-up when all the hardware was connected and the PSU breaker was powered on.

Video:

Hardware Configuration

• Case fans and LED strips (all Corsair) are hooked up to a Corsair iCUE Commander Pro lighting and fan speed controller. This controller connects to the mobo via USB connection and has dedicated power to it from the PSU
  
• GPU is plugged into the mobo PCI-E x16 #1 slot as normal and powered by the PSU via 3 8-connection power cables
  
• GPU bracket holder RGB LED is plugged directly into ASUS MOBO RGB port (no additional power provided)
  

Troubleshooting thus far

• Adjusted Aura BIOS setting to all be off when in sleep or soft-off mode (no success)
  
• Adjusted BIOS setting to not provide power to USB ports when powered off or soft-off (no success)
  
• Plugged fans directly into mobo fan control slots (partial success - fans did not spin while off but LEDs remained powered while remaining connected to the iCUE controller)
  
• Disconnected power to iCUE Controller (partial success - no case fans, their lights, or LED strips were powered obviously but 2/3 GPU fans remained spinning)
  
• Switched off PSU breaker (success, obviously)
  
• Asked Reddit (catastrophic failure, obviously)
  

Assumption: ASUS Mobo is causing the issue through some process that's providing latent power through USB ports
Rational

• GPU Bracket LEDs are plugged directly into the mobo
  
• GPU is seated properly in the PCI-E x16 #1 slot and powered appropriately by the requisite power cables
  
• CD drive (yes I still use them) is receiving power as well when off (connected via SATA and PSU power cable
  
• USB hub is receiving power (connected via USB 3.0 cable and 2 PSU power cables)
  
• IceGiant CPU cooler fans are plugged into Mobo CPU fan port and do not continuously spin when powered off (identical to when case fans are plugged in directly to mobo)
  

Thanks in advance for any assistance you all may be able to provide. While it looks cool when powered down, I'd rather not reduce the life of the GPU and case fans.

[Cujo159]

sc32valve wrote:
2 of 3 GPU fans? Really? That's a strange one for sure. The lights would totally make sense, but the GPU fans? Which GPU is this again? And what header do you have your lights plugged into?

I'll preface my response with that I went ahead and got an RMA refund for the original board and bought a new identical one from NewEgg. SAME ISSUE :mad:. This leads me to believe it's some setting issue that's causing the problem. After contacting corsair (running down all possibilities) they recommended turning off
"FAST BOOT" in the BIOS (which is the most current version, but this issue also happened out of the box). Tried turning off Fast Boot and still didn't have an affect.

System Specs:
Mobo: ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Hero Wifi
CPU: Ryzen 9 5950x
GPU: EVGA 3080ti FTW3
RAM: GSkill DDR4-3800 4x16bg
PSU: Corsair HX1000i

As for the connections:
GPU Bracket: Plugged directly into MOBO 3-pin Addressable RGB header with provided cable
Corsair Fans and LED Strips: Connected directly to respective ports on Corsair iCUE Commander Controller
Corsair iCUE Commander: USB to MOBO & dedicated power from PSU (Same as last build but didn't have this problem; mobo was gigabyte)
EVGA 3080ti FTW3 GPU: Standard MOBO seat and 3 8-pin PSU connections (plugged into previous intel/gigabyte build and did not have fan spinning issue)

Are there any savants on the forums that are the go-to for complex issues like this? Or possibly an ASUS tech support team member themselves that could aid my 1st world struggles?

[Cujo159]

Has no one else had thus problem? I've since returned the original board and replaced it with an identical board that has the exact same problem.

[Cujo159]

Bump, over 500 views and zero ideas what this could be even from ASUS across 2 different mobos. Guess I'm just lucky?

[ationfictons]

This is actually one of the reasons I've always hated buying Asus: practically zero official customer support. Of course, the same holds true for all the other motherboard makers.

Have you tried emailing Asus?

https://rog.asus.com/support/Product/ContactUs/Services/questionform/?lang=en&isblack=1

(you can navigate there by hitting the Support tab at the top right of the screen, telling it your motherboard and going to the email option). I'm not sure if that's any kind of actual support or if it's worthless.

And, unfortunately, I've never seen anything like the issues your having.

[Cujo159]

Yea aside from EVGA (unmatched customer support!) the customer and forum support in the gaming world leaves a lot to be desired.

Yea I have a ticket with them. They were my first stop before the forums

[BillBittel]

My guess is it is a faulty PSU or PSU cable. The MOBO has to tell the PSU when to switch from its active ON state to its standby state. To do this, there is a PS_ON# control line between the MOBO and the PSU. When you shut down, the MOBO pulls PS_ON$# high to tell the PSU to switch to active ON state. The MOBO pulls the PS-ON# line low to tell the PSU to switch to the Standby state. It sounds like this is not happening, so the PSU is not going into standby.

So it does not turn off the SATA power outputs.
So, your Commander Pro (and CD Drive) are getting SATA power when they should not be.
So your fans are spinning and your LEDs will run whatever pattern is stored in the Commander Pro. Some patterns may not work because they require an active connection to iCue, but the more basic ones will.
So your CD drive is powered up.

This could be caused by a faulty MOBO, PSU, or the cable between them. If the PS-ON# line is open or disconnected, the logic input on the PSU will result in the PSU being in the active ON state. Since you swapped the MOBO, I suggest trying another PSU, or another cable. But before doing that, inspect the 24-pin power cable. The PS_ON# logic signal is on pin 16 of the 24-pin connector at the MOBO end (Google it). It may or may not be the same pin on the PSU end. PSU end pinouts vary with manufacturer and model. There is no standard pinout for that end which is why you should not use cables from any other brand or model of PSU unless they were specifically made for it.

If that pin is pushed in enough that its not making contact, or the factory crimp is bad, the PSU will never go into Standby so the SATA power outputs stay on. I think this is what is happening with your system. Worth looking into anyway.

https://powersupply33.com/atx-power-supply-pinout.html

Never seen this one before. Good luck!

[Cujo159]

BillBittel wrote:
My guess is it is a faulty PSU or PSU cable. The MOBO has to tell the PSU when to switch from its active ON state to its standby state. To do this, there is a PS_ON# control line between the MOBO and the PSU. When you shut down, the MOBO pulls PS_ON$# high to tell the PSU to switch to active ON state. The MOBO pulls the PS-ON# line low to tell the PSU to switch to the Standby state. It sounds like this is not happening, so the PSU is not going into standby.

So it does not turn off the SATA power outputs.
So, your Commander Pro (and CD Drive) are getting SATA power when they should not be.
So your fans are spinning and your LEDs will run whatever pattern is stored in the Commander Pro. Some patterns may not work because they require an active connection to iCue, but the more basic ones will.
So your CD drive is powered up.

This could be caused by a faulty MOBO, PSU, or the cable between them. If the PS-ON# line is open or disconnected, the logic input on the PSU will result in the PSU being in the active ON state. Since you swapped the MOBO, I suggest trying another PSU, or another cable. But before doing that, inspect the 24-pin power cable. The PS_ON# logic signal is on pin 16 of the 24-pin connector at the MOBO end (Google it). It may or may not be the same pin on the PSU end. PSU end pinouts vary with manufacturer and model. There is no standard pinout for that end which is why you should not use cables from any other brand or model of PSU unless they were specifically made for it.

If that pin is pushed in enough that its not making contact, or the factory crimp is bad, the PSU will never go into Standby so the SATA power outputs stay on. I think this is what is happening with your system. Worth looking into anyway.

https://powersupply33.com/atx-power-supply-pinout.html

Never seen this one before. Good luck!

Thank you for your incredible insight and knowledge. I used all the new cables with the HX 1000i (and kept the cables attached with the HX 850i trial shown previously) but the one thing I haven't tried is switching out the MOBO cables. I'll give this a shot. I agree it has to be an issue stemming from MOBO power-down communications and commands but was shocked when a brand new completely different mobo didn't solve it.

[Derek712]

Cujo159 wrote:
Thank you for your incredible insight and knowledge. I used all the new cables with the HX 1000i (and kept the cables attached with the HX 850i trial shown previously) but the one thing I haven't tried is switching out the MOBO cables. I'll give this a shot. I agree it has to be an issue stemming from MOBO power-down communications and commands but was shocked when a brand new completely different mobo didn't solve it.

I am also having this problem. Did you ever find a solution? For me it's definitely power supply related since that's all I swapped out.

[BillBittel]

Your welcome. I just hope for your sake that I am right. This is a strange one for sure!

[Cujo159]

Ha ha me too! I'm still awaiting Corsair's reply to send a new set of cables. Hopefully, they are willing to.