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Motherboard boot issue with new NVME in M.2_2 slot + XMP on

Tsb
Level 7

‎07-12-2025 01:09 AM

✅ Context

I recently installed a new Samsung 980 Pro 2TB NVMe SSD into the M.2_2 slot of my ASUS ROG Maximus XIII Hero motherboard. Since then, the system has been behaving abnormally on cold boot (i.e., after full power-off or unplugging the PSU for 10 min +).

❗ The Problem

When powering on the PC after a long shutdown:

  • All fans and LEDs power up normally
  • The monitor shows no signal
  • The system hangs for a while with Q-Codes cycling (notably: 36, 1C)
  • After ~1–2 minutes, the system automatically restarts
  • After the restart, it boots into Windows without any issues

🧪 Observations & Reproduction Conditions

  • ✅ Problem does not occur when:

    • The system is restarted or powered off briefly ("warm start")
    • The new NVMe SSD is removed or disabled in BIOS
    • XMP is disabled

  • ❌ Problem does occur when:

    • XMP profile is enabled
    • SSD is installed in M.2_2 (through PCH, not CPU lanes)
    • System is powered on after being unplugged for 10 min+

🔍 Diagnostic Info

  • Q-Code sequence shows:

    • Repeated memory initialization and DRAM training failures
    • Hanging on Q-Codes 36, 35, 1C, suggesting delayed DRAM/PCH init
    • System eventually reboots itself and POST completes normally

  • Samsung 980 Pro is running the latest firmware

  • BIOS updated to latest firmware 

  • The other NVMe drive (same model but 1Tb) does not have this issue

  • When the 980 Pro is removed — issue disappears completely

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5 REPLIES 5

Tsb
Level 7

‎07-12-2025 02:44 AM

(* - means a long hang on this code) ***

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Jiaszzz_ROG
Customer Service Agent
In response to Tsb

‎07-17-2025 02:51 AM

Hello @Tsb 

Thank you for reaching out to us and providing the details of your situation.
May we ask if you have tested the Samsung 980 Pro in other M.2 slots, or installed a different SSD in the M.2_2 slot to see if the same issue occurs?
Could you also confirm whether your BIOS has been updated to the latest version, 2302, available on the ROG MAXIMUS XIII HERO support page? Additionally, please check if the chipset drivers, SSD firmware, and related drivers have been updated to the latest versions.
We suggest updating the BIOS, clearing CMOS, and then booting with default BIOS settings to verify whether the issue persists. You may also try disabling Fast Boot.

If the problem remains, kindly share the following information to help us better understand your hardware and software confi:
- the images of the BIOS main page along with .CMO file
- the brand, model and installation slots or ports of the CPU, GPU, RAM (part number well), SSD/HDD, and PSU
- are there any extensions or adapters used to connect any devices, such as GPU or SSD?
- a comprehensive video recording showing the issue, such as footage comparing both the abnormal and normal boot scenarios

Thank you.

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Tsb
Level 7
In response to Jiaszzz_ROG

‎07-31-2025 03:11 PM

Thanks again for the reply! Let me recap the current state, provide the necessary information and answer your questions.

Initial problem:

I installed a new Samsung 980 Pro 2TB NVMe SSD in the M.2_2 slot on the motherboard. After that, I started to notice that the system began to exhibit abnormal behavior during a cold start.

At the moment, I have verified that there are 3 BIOS components (which I need), the problem appears when activated simultaneously: the Samsung 980 Pro 2TB NVMe SSD is installed in the M.2_2 slot and enabled in the BIOS, the XMP-II RAM profile is enabled, Intel Virtualization is enabled in the BIOS. When one of the three is TURNED OFF - the cold start after a long time (~10 minutes) proceeds normally. But if you turn off the power for ~10 seconds, then strange behavior is also observed sometimes: a long start of 2 minutes but without restarts (scenario #8, #9). There was also a test scenario (#11) in which after 10 seconds everything went without a hitch.

Additional information found during the analysis:

  • PCH heats up to 90 degrees in idle!
  • Sometimes I see three lights blinking near the GPU power connectors. I haven't been able to determine the cause yet, maybe it's related to PC starts up/turns off.

Answers to your questions

System components (without the new NVME):

  • GPU: ASUS GeForce RTX 3090 24 ГБ (ROG-STRIX-RTX3090-O24G-GAMING);
    • PCI Slot #1
  • CPU: Intel Core i9-11900K;
  • RAM: G.Skill Trident Z Royal Elite [F4-4000C14D-32GTES] 32 GB
    • 2 16Gb strips, installed in slots A2 and B2;
    • Part numbers: F4-4000C14-16GTES, F4-4000C14-16GTES
  • SSD: SAMSUNG 980 PRO MZ-V8P1T0BW 1TB (x3) - installed in slots M1, M3, M4;
  • Motherboard: ASUS ROG MAXIMUS XIII HERO;
  • Power supply: 1200W ASUS ROG THOR (ROG-THOR-1200P) (90YE0080-B001N0);
  • Water cooling: NZXT Kraken X73 RGB;
  • Case: ASUS ROG Strix Helios GX601;
  • Fans: Corsair iCUE QL120 [CO-9050097-WW], Corsair iCUE QL120 RGB (CO-9050098-WW);

Various software versions:

  • Win11 Pro: 24H2, 26100.4652;
  • BIOS: 2302 x64, 2.21.1278; -- updated to the latest version
  • ME FW: 15.0.50.2633;
  • EC: MBEC-RKL-0217;
  • NVME: 5B2QGXA7; -- updated to the latest version

Tested scenarios and their video recordings (in the order of their actual execution)

  1. Test launch after clearing CMOS
    1. Cleared CMOS (see file cleared_cmos.CMO)
    2. Checked that the system boots into Windows
    3. Turned off the PC
    4. Disconnected the PC from the power supply
    5. Waited 10 minutes
    6. Launched
    7. Booted into Windows without failures in ~25 seconds
    8. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1S6cjU8KkQkddY6bWWU7s4pmtMs3Ze5qk/view?usp=sharing
  2. Test launch with three features (power off, 10 min)
    1. Enabled features: NVME in M.2_2, XMP-II RAM profile, Intel Virtualization (see file turned_on_3_features.CMO)
    2. Turned off the PC
    3. Disconnected the PC from the power supply
    4. Waited 10 minutes
    5. Launched
    6. Launch hangs and after ~40 seconds auto-restart occurs
    7. Windows boots in ~1.5 minutesЧерез ~1.5 минуты загружается Windows
    8. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1hlPI6pqOZLeiWRQyE8Mu7rk2NhyZpVMG/view?usp=sharing
  3. Test launch with three features (power off, 2.5 min)
    1. Turned off the PC
    2. Disconnected the PC from the power supply
    3. Waited 2.5 minutes
    4. Launched
    5. Launch hangs and after ~2 minutes auto-restart occurs
    6. Windows boots in ~1.5 minutes
    7. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1uN7rw-H_LtCOrg-iJrmm77l5sAzX6cp2/view?usp=sharing
  4. Test launch with three features (power on, 10 min)
    1. Turned off the PC
    2. Did NOT disconnect the PC from the power supply
    3. Waited 10 minutes
    4. Launched
    5. Booted into Windows without failures in ~25 seconds
    6. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1DVTNOYOV_AMJvDBfnnkG4r8JNIU8-8mc/view?usp=sharing
  5. Test launch with three features (power off, 10 sec) (the result is identical to scenario #3)
    1. Turned off the PC
    2. Disconnected the PC from the power supply
    3. Waited 10 seconds
    4. Launched
    5. The startup freezes and after ~2 minutes an auto-restart occurs
    6. Windows boots in ~1.5 minutes
    7. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1J-T1zaLODlSUSNupaMRi2uHV3QVP_6co/view?usp=sharing
  6. Test startup with three features and disabled Fast boot (power off, 10 sec) (the result is identical to scenario #3 and #5)
    1. In BIOS, I disabled “Fast boot”, but left “MRC Fast Boot” as “Auto”
    2. Turned off the PC
    3. Disconnected the PC from the power supply
    4. Waited 10 seconds
    5. Launched
    6. The startup freezes and after ~2 minutes an auto-restart occurs
    7. Windows boots in ~1.5 minutes
    8. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1m2MwzYez13ekcCXiCvm1fZwHUqXXz1CH/view?usp=sharing
  7. Test startup with three features and disabled Fast boot and MRC Fast boot (power off, 10 sec)
    1. In BIOS, I disabled “MRC Fast Boot” (“Fast boot” is also disabled)
    2. Turned off the PC
    3. Disconnected the PC from the power supply
    4. Waited 10 seconds
    5. Launched
    6. The startup freezes and after ~3 minutes Windows boots (no restarts)
    7. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1RenrJA-uGLo9qMzOCc89dC4qPuTDNzj8/view?usp=sharing
  8. Test startup with two features and disabled Intel Virtualization
    1. Enabled “Fast boot” and “MRC Fast Boot” as “Auto” in BIOS (default)
    2. Disabled “Intel Virtualization” in BIOS
    3. Turned off the PC
    4. Disconnected the PC from the power supply
    5. Waited 10 seconds
    6. Started
    7. The startup freezes and after ~2 minutes Windows boots (no restarts)
    8. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-VqCqN825n0RNv4bYZbnRnP0nzyVnT9v/view?usp=sharing
  9. Test startup with two features and disabled M2_2 slot (power off, 10 sec) #1
    1. Enabled “Intel Virtualization” in BIOS
    2. Disabled the NVME M2_2 slot in BIOS
    3. Turned off the PC
    4. Disconnected the PC from the power supply
    5. Waited 10 seconds
    6. Launched
    7. The startup freezes and after 1 minute and 35 seconds Windows boots (no restarts)
    8. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1q9a-ZHu9zja1k7G-39nRfJGUoRU8Jx-Y/view?usp=sharing
  10. Test startup with two features and disabled M2_2 slot (power off, 10 min)
    1. NVME M2_2 slot is still disabled in BIOS
    2. Turned off PC
    3. Disconnected the PC from the power supply
    4. Waited 10 minutes
    5. Launched
    6. Booted into Windows without failures in 25-30 seconds
    7. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1RZZkCnQHhtkqNCH2YaMmI4SiqBr4QoGY/view?usp=drive_link
  11. Test run with two features and disabled M2_2 slot (power off, 10 sec) #2
    1. Cleared CMOS
    2. Enabled features: XMP-II RAM profile, Intel Virtualization (see turned_on_2_features.CMO)
    3. Turned off PC
    4. Disconnected the PC from the power supply
    5. Waited 10 seconds
    6. Launched
    7. Booted into Windows without failures in ~25 seconds
    8. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1JIoA-nkpp8kiap_hp2m3uBCefvm4T0u1/view?usp=sharing
  12. Test launch with three features and disabled Fast boot (power off, 10 min)
    1. Cleared CMOS
    2. Enabled features: NVME in M.2_2, XMP-II RAM profile, Intel Virtualization
    3. Disabled “Fast boot” in BIOS, but left “MRC Fast Boot” as “Auto” (default)
    4. Turned off the PC
    5. Disconnected the PC from the power supply
    6. Waited 10 minutes
    7. Launched
    8. The startup freezes and after ~2 minutes an auto-restart occurs
    9. Windows boots in ~1.5 minutes
    10. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1pZl8jwUU0gSAsUQOVtnbyN4-1Fc6AVMI/view?usp=sharing
  13. Test startup with three features and disabled Fast boot and MRC Fast boot (power off, 10 min) (the result is identical to scenario #7)
    1. In BIOS, I disabled “MRC Fast Boot” (“Fast boot” is also disabled)
    2. Turned off the PC
    3. Disconnected the PC from the power supply
    4. Waited 10 minutes
    5. Launched
    6. The startup freezes and after ~3 minutes Windows boots (no restarts)
    7. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1OKTnuWS4rvnR68b4Km9Oau97lgbm9NnN/view?usp=sharing
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Tsb
Level 7
In response to Jiaszzz_ROG

‎08-01-2025 12:14 AM

Thanks again for the reply! Let me recap the current state, provide the necessary information and answer your questions.

Initial problem:

I installed a new Samsung 980 Pro 2TB NVMe SSD in the M.2_2 slot on the motherboard. After that, I started to notice that the system began to exhibit abnormal behavior during a cold start.

At the moment, I have verified that there are 3 BIOS components (which I need), the problem appears when activated simultaneously: the Samsung 980 Pro 2TB NVMe SSD is installed in the M.2_2 slot and enabled in the BIOS, the XMP-II RAM profile is enabled, Intel Virtualization is enabled in the BIOS. When one of the three is TURNED OFF - the cold start after a long time (~10 minutes) proceeds normally. But if you turn off the power for ~10 seconds, then strange behavior is also observed sometimes: a long start of 2 minutes but without restarts (scenario #8, #9). There was also a test scenario (#11) in which after 10 seconds everything went without a hitch.

Additional information found during the analysis:

  • PCH heats up to 90 degrees in idle!
  • Sometimes I see three lights blinking near the GPU power connectors. I haven't been able to determine the cause yet, maybe it's related to PC starts up/turns off.

Answers to your questions

System components (without the new NVME):

  • GPU: ASUS GeForce RTX 3090 24 ГБ (ROG-STRIX-RTX3090-O24G-GAMING);
    • PCI Slot #1
  • CPU: Intel Core i9-11900K;
  • RAM: G.Skill Trident Z Royal Elite [F4-4000C14D-32GTES] 32 GB
    • 2 16Gb strips, installed in slots A2 and B2;
    • Part numbers: F4-4000C14-16GTES, F4-4000C14-16GTES
  • SSD: SAMSUNG 980 PRO MZ-V8P1T0BW 1TB (x3) - installed in slots M1, M3, M4;
  • Motherboard: ASUS ROG MAXIMUS XIII HERO;
  • Power supply: 1200W ASUS ROG THOR (ROG-THOR-1200P) (90YE0080-B001N0);
  • Water cooling: NZXT Kraken X73 RGB;
  • Case: ASUS ROG Strix Helios GX601;
  • Fans: Corsair iCUE QL120 [CO-9050097-WW], Corsair iCUE QL120 RGB (CO-9050098-WW);

Various software versions:

  • Win11 Pro: 24H2, 26100.4652;
  • BIOS: 2302 x64, 2.21.1278; -- updated to the latest version
  • ME FW: 15.0.50.2633;
  • EC: MBEC-RKL-0217;
  • NVME: 5B2QGXA7; -- updated to the latest version

Tested scenarios and their video recordings (in the order of their actual execution)

  •  
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Tsb
Level 7

‎07-30-2025 01:49 PM

Thanks for reply! I will provide you with everything you need in a short time.

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