Maximus VI Hero - Intermittent Hanging Issue

[mdale]

Hello and good afternoon,

Couple weeks ago i thought i'd treat myself to one of the pre-overclocked bundles (Z87) from scan.co.uk. I'd overclocked before myself but thought being as the Corsair H100i was involved I'd prefer Scan to stress test the bundle before I installed the bundle in my case and fired everything up. Bundle details as follows:

• Intel Core i7 4770K, Haswell, 3.5GHz, Quad Core with HT, 8MB Cache
  
• Corsair H100i Hydro - CPU Cooler
  
• ASUS Maximus VI Hero, Intel Z87 Chipset
  
• 16GB Corsair Vengeance Pro Red, 1866Mhz
  

Hard Drive Used (separate to bundle):

• 128GB Samsung 840 PRO SSD
  

After installing Windows 7 64bit and installing all drivers/utilities from the DVD which came with the motherboard - I quickly discovered USB 3.0 wasn't working correctly, (in the front USB3.0 ports on the case and the ports directly on the motherboard at the rear), by that I mean data would only transfer at 30-40mb/s and then hang half way through for 1-2mins before (usually) continuing the transfer, however sometimes the transfer would not continue and instead the external USB drive would drop connection all together before reconnecting moments later. USB2.0 ports worked correctly as normal. Also, other external USB3.0 drives were tested. Same thing.

I'll continue via bullet points with regards to next steps/discoveries as that may be easier to read:

• Installed the latest drivers and utilities from the ASUS website (CHIPSET/IMEI/LAN/ACPI/USB3.0)
  
• USB3.0 now worked correctly but system/SSD would now intermittently hang at Windows Splash Screen during boot and arbitrary software installations for 30-60 seconds
  
• Checked all connections/ports/device manager - no exclamation marks
  
• Suspected issue may be a bad overclock by Scan.
  
• Cleared CMOS - confirmed bios was in default/automatic mode with zero overclocking
  
• Issue not resolved
  
• Reinstalled Windows 7 64bit - No issues with hanging - started installing latest drivers/utilities again
  
• Installed latest chipset drivers from ASUS website - system immediately hung during next boot
  
• Reinstalled older chipset drivers from mobo DVD - System would no longer hang but USB3.0 now "broken" again.
  
• Again reinstalled latest chipset drivers from ASUS website - system immediately hung during next boot
  

Investigation suggests the VI HERO (or at least the one sent to me) does not completely agree with the chipset drivers provided by ASUS. So could the issue be a faulty motherboard?

My research has come across the following potential root causes:

• Motherboard does not have the latest BIOS version installed - this is my next port of call tonight.
  
• The VI Hero has 6x Intel SATA Ports and 2x Asmedia ports (internally), I have not installed the drivers for the Asmedia ports as I didn't intend to use them - however might the board be reaching for the Asmedia drivers as it *knows* it has Asmedia ports somewhere, therefore holding everything up? - Could this be linked with a corrupt/upset VLSI chip on the mobo?
  
• My case is the Corsair Air 540 which has it's own hard-wired SATA cable which allows for a hot-swappable devices (though I have the hot-swappable function disabled). (However I have tried a different SATA cable, same hang occurs).
  

I'm about to arrange an RMA with scan later this evening, as the fact of the matter is something's not right. Any further ideas or suggestions beforehand would be greatly appreciated as I'd like to avoid RMA'ing the parts if at all possible.

Thank you kindly. Much obliged.

[HiVizMan]

Basically as you bought a pre OC'd system Scan has to deal with it. All should just work out of the box.

I am not sure what or how scan would react if you did update the bios, and if you do please do go the FAT formatted usb drive and via the EZFlash2 utility found in the tools menu of the bios. Not via OS

Since you do not list your USB connected items or if you are using a hub I can not really comment on the USB specific issue.

Hot swap bays can and sometimes do cause a bit of grief.

DIsable ASmeidia in the bios if you like will not be an issue.

[mdale]

Many thanks for your prompt response HVM.

I'll perhaps go ahead with the RMA as opposed to updating the BIOS my end - as you rightly say that may cause issues between camps going forward.

The primary USB device tested is the Samsung HX-M500TCB/G 500GB M3 Carbon Black. Frustrating (from what I've discovered) how chipset drivers appear to fix/break both USB3.0 and hard drive performance. Another element is that I can't find any other issues like mine online, further reinforcing the liability with Scan.

Thank you again. I'll update the thread accordingly once the RMA has been completed. Much obliged.

[HiVizMan]

Please do keep us informed as to the progress. Scan are very good as a rule with RMA and similar.

[mdale]

Just a quick update - Scan made contact; advising "No Fault Found". At first I could not get my hat on, as the fault(s) were so obvious. But after speaking with them on the phone they appear to have done a considerable amount of testing to confirm their results.

Therefore the only thing it can be is the hot-swappable HDD connection point in the Air 540. Would that be a plausible culprit of the faults originally described?

Many thanks.

[HiVizMan]

Yes it would be an issue, there have been a number of threads about the issues caused by hot swap bays.

I am about to pull the trigger on the same case from Scan by the way.

[mdale]

It's a delicious case, make no mistake. Installing the system was magic. It would appear it's just a shame regarding the hot swap bay(s).

I'll test once I receive the parts back and provide a final update. Thank you again.

[mdale]

Just a thought before I receive and test the parts again:

Could the hot swap bay *still* be responsible even though the faults alter when different chipset drivers are installed?

How would chipset drivers alter the behaviour of the hot swap bay?

Many thanks.

[mdale]

In the interest of closure: the issue is now resolved.

Scan could not replicate the issue - therefore sent the bundle back, after charging me for the privilege.

However the bundle was not packaged correctly and as a result was damaged in transit. After going Russell Crowe on them over the phone I have returned the bundle to Scan for a refund which has been authorised.

I have purchased the same parts from another retailer (separately, not as a bundle), assembled myself and have not replicated any of the faults initially logged in this thread. This could suggest the problem was with the motherboard/overclock as I first suspected, though of course there's nothing to confirm that. Shame.