4 weeks ago - last edited 4 weeks ago
Like a lot of gamers, I've gone the 9800x3D way after Intel corrosion issues with my 13700K CPU. Thought I was getting out of jail by going AMD, but I am now thinking again.
I've typically had MSI geat, but they don't currently have a ITX board available. So thought spending AUD$899 (crikey) on the Asus Strix X870-I board would be the way to go.
My setup is as follows:
MB: Asus ROG Strix X870-I (Purchased 5th Jan 2025) CPU: Ryzen 9800X3D (Purchased 5th Jan 2025) Cooler: Corsair Titan 280 AID with iCUE link GPU: Colorful RTX 4090 BattleAx (Purchased June 2024) Drives: Samsung 990 Pro 4tb, Lexar NV790 4tb, PSU: Thermaltake 1000W with the latest 600W GPU connector support, and 32gb G.skill DDR5 5600 CAS36 (2 x 16)
I use this PC as my dedicated Sim Rig for simracing, so it has to be rock solid stable (no OC) as some sessions are 6hrs long. It was previously rock solid with the 13700k + MSI Z690-I setup (same ram, same SSDs, same GPU, same case, same powersupply)
Devices plugged in to USB: (most of these devices are USB 2)
MSI keyboard - USB powered on boot
MSI wireless mouse - USB powered on boot
LED strip (5v with BT control) - USB powered on boot (checked other PC's with this and no issues - I thought it might be fault, so bought a different LED strip and still same issues)
Moza R16 wheel base (separate power supply - powered separately not on boot)
Moza quick shifter - USB powered on boot
Simagic P2000 pedals (USB powered on boot)
Steelseries Nova Pro USB hub (charging and wireless) - USB powered on boot
ASUS Hive II (plugged into the correct USB C port) - supposed to be USB powered on boot
Over to the issues:
USB Issues
With all of my USB devices plugged in at the start, the PC simply wouldn't power on. Pressing the power on button resulted in it cutting out a second later, pressing the on button again, same dice. I worked out this happened when I had my USB LED strip plugged into the back panel. Moving this to the front panel near the main power switch solved this issue, but to be honest, WHY do I need to do this? I had no issues with my old MSI Z690-I unify setup before this?? I thought maybe it was PSU related so I removed the RTX 4090 but still did exact same thing..... (shrugs)
My Corsair iCUE hub was not recognised with the USB 2 header (there are 2 on the riser card off the X870-I) in the port closest to the Power switch header. I resolved this by moving it to the USB2 header furthest away from the Power switch header
Secondly, on boot up, sometimes my keyboard or mouse would not be recognised.. This is intermittent even to this day. I have to end up unplugging the wifi adaptor and plugging it back in to make it work.
I feel like the USB rail is heavily under powered.....
HIVE II simply does not power on with all of my USB devices plugged in.
I don't know how to resolve this. It simply doesn't power on when I boot the PC. I have to unplug it, then plug it back in to make it work. If I unplug all of my USB devices, it works (sometimes).
Intermittent Wifi / Bluetooth not appearing in Windows
With all of the USB devices plugged in, sometimes the PC will boot with no WIFI or Bluetooth. I then have to remove USB devices and reboot with the hope that it re-appears.. This is intermittent - depends on where I have some USB cables plugged in. I have loaded all of the drivers from the ASUS support page for Wifi, LAN and BT to no avail. Its all very strange. I've seen some people recommend disabling the LAN port as it creates instability??? Don't Asus test this stuff???
Could not flash the latest 825 bios using the Bios flasher at the start...:
While I was trouble shooting all of the issues above, I tried to flash the latest 825 Bios for the motherboard. I could not flash the Bios using the Bios flash software - the PC would read the thumb drive and then shut down immediately with no effect - Ironically telling me at the time "do not reboot or shut down the PC" - then it did it itself LOL!... For this one, I read some others having issues with flashing, so I had to use the force flash using the FLASHBACK method by pressing the back panel button for 3 seconds while the USB thumb drive was inserted with the updated Bios file... This worked, but didn't solve the issues above. I have not tried flashing a Bios file again inside the Bios.. Not sure if this is flashing issue is resolved..
Some measures I've taken:
Boot with onboard graphics (4090 RTX removed - no dice still USB & WIFI/BT issues)
Remove every USB device (even with every USB device removed, I still cannot use the LED usb in any of the the back panel USB ports - I even replaced the USB led strip with a new one and controller, and still the same issue)
Reseat RAM
Double checked every connection
Reset CMOS using the button on IO panel
Disconnect Hive module - it wasnt working anyways, so I leave it removed..
Disconnect chassis case fans
Disconnect RGB connectors
Disconnect everything on FPS card, except for front panel connectors
Reinsert GPU
Remount CPU cooler heatsink
Replace CPU with a Ryzen 5 9600X from a working rig (same issues, so I assume not 9800X3D related)
Update BIOS from 0805 to 0825 using BIOS Flashback (force flash method - had to anyways as nothing else worked)
Reinstall Windows 11 and drivers (done this 5 times now - same issues appear)
I am very very frustrated, even more knowing I spent more than AUD$899 on this motherboard just to have borderline unusable UEFI. screwey flaky USB port, no HIVE II useable, Random instability, and sometimes no Mouse or Keyboard on boot up, only to then have to reboot...
Asus has pretty much done everything in their power to make me want to go back to MSI or abandon the AMD platform all together...
Any help is appreciated - looking in Reddit it looks like many others are having similar sorts of issues.. I think this will be the last time I buy Asus junk... Gigabyte have a X870-I motherboard just released, maybe I will try that one.. (god forbid going Gigabyte...) - shrugs...
Solved! Go to Solution.
3 weeks ago
So the first board was returned for a refund. Thank god for 30 day return windows.
Lessons learnt in here, if anyone has any of the issues noted above, just return the board. It was indeed faulty.
3 weeks ago
Hello @cheetah2k
Thank you for reaching out to us.
Regarding the USB devices, based on the situation you described, it appears to resemble a scenario where the power limit has been exceeded.
Could you kindly indicate the connection locations of all devices on the corresponding ports as specified in your motherboard manual? This will help us verify your configuration and connection setup.
Additionally, please note that the HIVE connection cable is directional. Kindly ensure that the logo is facing upwards toward the port when connecting.
For the issue of unstable Wi-Fi/Bluetooth, we recommend referring to the FAQs below and updating to the driver version tested and available on our official website. Additionally, please ensure the Wi-Fi Q-Antenna is correctly connected.
[Windows 11/10] Troubleshooting - Wireless Network (Wi-Fi) Issues
[Motherboard] How to solve the Bluetooth problem of the motherboard?
In all motherboard products, under high-load conditions, competition for hardware resources such as interrupt request lines or power distribution may lead to unstable Wi-Fi performance. Disabling LAN in the BIOS can reduce resource conflicts and allocate more resources to the Wi-Fi module. Thus, disabling LAN in the BIOS is one of the common troubleshooting steps for motherboard-related issues.
Could you also confirm whether the Wi-Fi instability occurs only in specific scenarios, such as during gaming or under high system loads? What are the temperature conditions of the CPU, GPU, or system during such instances?
Regarding BIOS updates, we recommend following the instructions in the guide [Motherboard] How to update BIOS of the motherboard? (Include different generation CPU) to perform the update, and please clear CMOS if needed.
Based on your usage scenario, we suggest reducing external devices or configurations temporarily. Once the system operates stably, you can gradually add hardware and software setups step by step.
Thank you.
3 weeks ago - last edited 3 weeks ago
I got so frustrated today I ended up buying another Strix X870-i and installed with the same hardware, and I had absolutely zero issues.. I could flash the bios from the bios, I could run the LED strip, Hive II worked flawlessly, and no missing wifi or bluetooth on boot up.. I really do believe the 5v rail (USB) has issues/faulty. No end of trying to diagnose (and I'm an experienced PC builder) or fix via software changed the instability and USB issues..
I think ill just RMA / return the first X870-i as its clearly faulty
Thanks for trying to help, but didn't help much when its clear the board is faulty.
3 weeks ago
So the first board was returned for a refund. Thank god for 30 day return windows.
Lessons learnt in here, if anyone has any of the issues noted above, just return the board. It was indeed faulty.
2 weeks ago
Just wanted to follow up on this.. Still zero issues with the replacement X870-I board. Its pretty epic actually!