infamous q50 error. no idea what to do anymore

[Perseus]

This is my first time building a computer and could use a bit of help...
My motherboard keeps displaying the q50 error. I've skimmed the forums for solutions and fail to really comprehend the jargon but what I've done so far is:
-tried booting it with 1 stick of ram and none at all
-taken out the battery out of my motherboard and put it back in a little while after
-installed a new set of RAM (didnt think it came dead but to be safe... got the same RAM as well)
-hit the Go-button to try and get into "POST" ( idk what that really means)

my specs:
PSU: Seasonic 850W bronze
MB: Crosshair Formula V - Z
GPU: Gigabyte AMD 7950
CPU: AMD FX-8350
RAM: Corsair Vengeance 2x8GB (16gb) CML16GX3M2A1600C10

any suggestions? 😕

[TheNerdBench]

Welcome to the forum.

I would strongly suggest you bench-test this system and thanks for sharing the fact that this is your first system build; to get you up and going I would suggest you follow this link and report back what you find:

http://thenerdbench.blogspot.com/p/bench-testing.html

[madcratebuilder]

POST is Power-on self-test

Install 1 stick in the slot closest to the cpu and hit the start button. If it does not get past the memory check move it to the next slot and try again. Try this in each slot, if nothing gets past memory check then try a different stick.

Your memory is good memory and it is used by many with your motherboard/cpu.

Is the motherboard installed in the case? If it is remove it and do the test with the motherboard on the cardboard box the board came in. This makes sure the MB is not shorted to the case.

Are you getting a beep code? Look at section 2.4 in the manual.

[Perseus]

madcratebuilder wrote:
POST is Power-on self-test

Install 1 stick in the slot closest to the cpu and hit the start button. If it does not get past the memory check move it to the next slot and try again. Try this in each slot, if nothing gets past memory check then try a different stick.

Your memory is good memory and it is used by many with your motherboard/cpu.

Is the motherboard installed in the case? If it is remove it and do the test with the motherboard on the cardboard box the board came in. This makes sure the MB is not shorted to the case.

Are you getting a beep code? Look at section 2.4 in the manual.

I've taken my MB out of the case and done whats stated above, I still get the q50 error and my monitor does not receive a signal.

I read the benchmark page someone else posted but again, my monitor doesn't display a thing...
Is there anything else i can do?

[TheNerdBench]

Um I think you mean bench-testing...that was me that posted it and did you do what was listed in my blog?

There is a lot more to do for trouble-shooting but the "jargon" is part of system building...sorry. At this point is there someone you know that may be able to provide a bit of guidance to help you out?

First you should NEVER plug/unplug ANYTHING on the motherboard with the PSU (Power Supply Unit) switch in the ON/1 position; only install/remove parts with the PSU switch in the OFF/0 position. Again I address the +Vsb issues on my blogspot if you need more info about what I am talking about.

With that said I'll try to help you out but you are going to need to read some stuff in the motherboard manual...with a bit of research you would of discovered that the Q50 code is a memory-related issue. Also take a look at the Q LED page of the manual (page 1-28ish). There are four LEDs next to the Main ATX Power Connector; when you turn on your system I am going to guess that the DRAM_LED is on? If so then you need to re-seat your memory (only put 1 memory module in) .

Other things to check:
1) make sure the 4-Pin Aux CPU Power connector on the motherboard is being powered (plug from PSU going to it)
2) make sure the 8-Pin Aux CPU Power connector on the motherboard is being powered (plug from PSU going to it)
3) make sure the EZ Plug on the motherboard (see manual, page 1-6ish) is being powered (plug from PSU going to it)
4) don't connect anything to the motherboard other than your graphics card (no storage devices connected or cards in the exp. slots)
5) verify that you have BOTH of the power connectors on your graphics card being powered by the PSU (looks like two 6-Pin PCIe are needed)

Post back what you find out...and let us know what the problem was too 🙂

[Perseus]

TheNerdBench wrote:
Um I think you mean bench-testing...that was me that posted it and did you do what was listed in my blog?

There is a lot more to do for trouble-shooting but the "jargon" is part of system building...sorry. At this point is there someone you know that may be able to provide a bit of guidance to help you out?

First you should NEVER plug/unplug ANYTHING on the motherboard with the PSU (Power Supply Unit) switch in the ON/1 position; only install/remove parts with the PSU switch in the OFF/0 position. Again I address the +Vsb issues on my blogspot if you need more info about what I am talking about.

With that said I'll try to help you out but you are going to need to read some stuff in the motherboard manual...with a bit of research you would of discovered that the Q50 code is a memory-related issue. Also take a look at the Q LED page of the manual (page 1-28ish). There are four LEDs next to the Main ATX Power Connector; when you turn on your system I am going to guess that the DRAM_LED is on? If so then you need to re-seat your memory (only put 1 memory module in) .

Other things to check:
1) make sure the 4-Pin Aux CPU Power connector on the motherboard is being powered (plug from PSU going to it)
2) make sure the 8-Pin Aux CPU Power connector on the motherboard is being powered (plug from PSU going to it)
3) make sure the EZ Plug on the motherboard (see manual, page 1-6ish) is being powered (plug from PSU going to it)
4) don't connect anything to the motherboard other than your graphics card (no storage devices connected or cards in the exp. slots)
5) verify that you have BOTH of the power connectors on your graphics card being powered by the PSU (looks like two 6-Pin PCIe are needed)

Post back what you find out...and let us know what the problem was too 🙂

Thank you so much for the support and help, I understand it's difficult to explain things over the internet but unfortunately its the only source i have 😕

I always make sure the PSU is off whenever i do anything with it, that being said, i just triple checked to make sure all my power connectors are in the appropriate location and then re-read your checklist. I don't have the 4-Pin Aux CPU Power connector connected but i have the 8-Pin. Eveverything else seems to be pulling power but I'm guessing that the main issue is that I'm missing this connection.

Also yes, that is exactly correct on what's happening when i get the q50 error. I've already tried re-seating multiple times in all slots (not just the a2 and b2 slots).

could the 4-pin connector be the problem?

[TheNerdBench]

With a FX-8350 you should be fine with only the Aux 8-Pin CPU Power...but then again just to be safe you may want to purchase if possible a Molex to 4-Pin adapter...again I'm not going to guarantee that is the problem 🙂

Also do you have the power connected to your graphics card?

Is there any chance that you can put your DDR3 memory in another system to test...or pull the DDR3 memory from another system to put in your system? Also did you try using the "clear CMOS switch" on the back panel of the motherboard (see page 2-13ish) of the manual.

I assume that the reset switch and power-on switch on the motherboard are illuminated once you turn on the PSU switch?

Few more items to give a try on..

Pages 1-24 and 1-25 in the manual describe the GO and DirectKey button...maybe give thoses a try too

Also when running a single stick of memory it should be placed in memory slot DIMM_A2 (I think this is the red memory slot but check with the manual again)

At this point I think the problem maybe:
-your memory is bad (maybe ESD issue)
-your memory is not compatible with your system (there is a certified memory list on the Asus website)
-your motherboard is bad (maybe ESD issue)
-possible issue with the PSU (doubtful)

Again keep us posted 🙂

[Perseus]

i feel incredibly ignorant... i found out the issue. I was improperly installing the RAM(it would click on one side and not the other). Total fluke that i installed correctly a few minutes ago.I'm currently installing Windows and not to sure on how to install drivers but Im winging it. Thank you so much for your support!!

[TheNerdBench]

Actually I'm not at all surprised...I think this single ejector pin setup for the memory is a bad idea to say the least. I think there has been more than two or three people who have had this same problem in the last few months. I think most people blame the board and RMA it when it just was a memory install error.

But at least you picked up a few tips on trouble-shooting and know a bit more about the operation on your board.

Your welcome and post back if you have more questions. Enjoy the system!