B650E-I No Post, No QLEDs

[supamanasteel]

Just built a new SFF PC in the A4 H2O. My B650E-I was brand new along with a new 9800X3D. The BIOS printed on the motherboard was 3222, but to be safe I did flash the newest BIOS from ASUS via BIOS flashback.

Fast forward to putting in the 9800X3D, cooler, RAM (Corsair DDR5 6000mhz CL30) and plugging in all cables (Corsair SF850), the AIO fans spun up for a moment, the RGB lights on the RAM lit up, and the GPU RGB lights lit up, but I got ZERO QLEDs.

I tried to test everything I could. I removed the only SATA drive cable, removed all m.2 drives, tried to boot outside of the case with one ram stick in each slot, reseated the CPU, and checked all power cable connections from board to PSU (24 pin and CPU in particular).  Even cleared the CMOS.

Each time I attempted to boot in each test, the AIO fans would spin up for a moment, I could hear the pump churning, but no QLEDs would light up and the PC would just sit there and not do anything. I waited for at least 5 minutes, but still nothing. The fact that I got zero QLEDs was a major concern.

Is this common? The only thing I think could be wrong is the board itself was shipped to me bad, or the CPU was bad. I was unable to test either on other systems as this is my first AM5 board. I did try to test with another PSU that I know was working in my old AM4 rig - and unfortunately had the same result.

I am likely going to return to NewEgg, but wondering if this is common? Was so excited to build my first SFF PC but this is the story thus far.

[Silent_Scone]

Hi @supamanasteel 

Not ideal, for sure!

The fact there are no QLED's lit would indicate an issue with the board. Did you say it was brand new?

Typically, the yellow DRAM Q-LED may stay lit for anywhere from 5 to 15 minutes or so, depending on the DRAM configuration, whilst initial DRAM training takes place. 

[supamanasteel]

Hey there! Correct. This was a brand new board I purchased from New Egg along with the 9800X3D - both brand new, along with a new PSU and RAM. All brand new, unopened components! I have built PCs for many years and this was the first time I had a board with QLED lights not light up for me. I thought originally the RAM was getting trained, but the fact no QLEDs lit up at all were a major concern. 

If they do not light up, what is that usually indicative of? Faulty board from factory, faculty CPU, maybe both?

[Silent_Scone]

Try removing the CMOS battery.

Use USB Flashback to update to UEFI 3263

Attempt to remount the CPU, inspect the socket and CPU pin-pad for any debris or damage.

If using a third party contact frame, remove and reinstall the stock CPU retention mechanism 

Remount CPU whilst ensuring for consistent mounting pressure as per the cooling vendor's instructions.

Retest.

If no change, contact New Egg.

[supamanasteel]

Thanks. I cleared the CMOS, remounted the CPU and remounted the cooler as well. Unfortunately still no QLEDs. I am going to return both the CPU and the board and hope to replace it with a good one. Thanks!

[Silent_Scone]

Yeah, if both were bought from Newegg that's definitely what you should do. Best of luck, feel free to come back and update 👍

[supamanasteel]

Hey there @Silent_Scone ! Wanted to let you know that after replacing the CPU and the Motherboard, I was able to get to a post screen! I am not sure if the culprit from the original hardware was the CPU or the motherboard, but on first boot attempt with the new ones I got the orange light and the memory trained and I was able to build the rest of my PC. Was so happy! Thanks again for the support.

[Silent_Scone]

Great news. Yeah, always a bit annoying not to find the culprit but the main thing is you're up and running 👍