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ASUS ROG Strix Z790-F USB issue with Varjo XR-3 HMD

Craizan
Level 7

Hello everyone,
Unfortunately, we are experiencing major USB problems with the ASUS ROG Z790-F on multiple systems, which we are unable to resolve despite various attempts to do so. The specification of our five systems is identical:

Intel Core i9-13900k
ASUS ROG Z790-F Gaming WiFi
G.Skill Ripjaws S5, DDR5-5600
Samsung 990 Pro Series NVMe PCIe 4.0
ASUS GeForce RTX 4090 TUF O24G
Seasonic Prime PX-1600

The systems are each connected to their own Varjo XR-3 HMD. The HMDs require 2x USB 3.0/3.1 and 2x DisplayPort 1.4. In theory, this should not be a problem, as there are enough USB ports on the board. However, the problems manifest themselves in USB problems that are not clearly reproducible.

In these cases, the HMDs report back that one of the two connected USB cables is not connected to a USB 3.0/3.1 port and that only USB 1.1 and USB 2.0 are being supported on the corresponding port.
According to the log files of the HMDs, the HMDs repeatedly try to check the compatibility of the connected USB ports in a 30-second loop and fail again and again until they run into a timeout. One USB port is always recognised as "USB 3.0/3.1" compatible, the second USB port is not. The ports also alternate here, so it is not "the one" defective USB port. As both USB ports have to run on 3.0/3.1, the HMDs keep restarting their processes so that the USB devices are added and removed again and again by Windows in the Device Manager.

The problem can also be recognised very clearly in the Windows Device Manager. The two USB devices that are connected via the respective USB cables engage in a strange kind of battle: "Mixed Reality Camera 1" and "Mixed Reality Camera 2" are repeatedly recognised or not recognised in an unpredictable alternation.
The error is not clearly reproducible, as the problem apparently occurs randomly at system startup and only disappears after a random number of system restarts, re-plugging the USB cable, etc.

Ideally, the system will eventually recognise the USB devices correctly and then run completely stable without any symptoms. Until any system restart, which brings the problem to the surface once again. This can be one reboot or 20, but unfortunately it feels a bit like playing Russian roulette.

We have now tried the following solutions:

1. The latest Windows updates.
2. All the latest driver updates and the bios update, which is available on the Z790 support page.
3. All MoKiChU updates for the board.
4. Various BIOS settings, although unfortunately these appear to be limited and nothing was found that could fix this problem at all.
5. Deactivating practically all energy-saving options at Windows level, especially with regard to USB controllers.
6. Various different USB port combinations.
7. Various USB cables, both manufacturer cables and cables from third parties.

The problem is identical on all five systems with this specification. We asked some of our colleagues who use the same HMDs but with different systems. Apparently, nobody seems to be aware of the issue. We are currently running a test system with a different specification and have not yet been able to reproduce the error after several days. So there seem to be problems with this specification in particular.

Unfortunately, we are at our wit's end and the Varjo customer support only gives us the obligatory instructions such as "re-plug" and "update driver". Has anyone already encountered similar errors with the Z790-F or similar or does anyone have any ideas about what else to look into?

Best regards,
Craizan

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1 REPLY 1

JohnAb
Level 17

Bit of a long-shot, but maybe try the PD firmware update. It's related to USB C, although I don't know if it will help...

Z690 Hero, 12900K, BIOS 4001, MEI 2433.6.3.0, ME Firmware 16.1.35.2557, 7000X Case, RM1000x PSU, ASUS TUF OC 3090TI, 2 x 16GB Corsair RAM @ 5200MHz, Windows 11 Pro 23H2, Corsair H150i Elite AIO, 4x Corsair RGB fans, 3x M.2 NVME drives, 2x SATA SSDs, 2x SATA HDs.