Problems GA-Z68MX-UD2H-B3 with i7 3770: 2-second boot + Phase LEDs problem

[PGCaris]

Dear Board and Gigabyte-employees,

I have upgraded my PC yesterday, fitting in a new motherboard (as shown in the Subject), together with a brand new i7 3770 processor (boxed cooler).
It also has 2x4gb Corsair Vengeance LP Ram (DDR3, 1666Mhz), and no GPU attached (I have a GA GTX460 lying around, not installed it yet).
My Power Supply is a Cooler Master 520W, which should be ample for the rig I'm building.

Totally excited, I started working on the machine.
However, after having installed everything, and trying to boot, it didn't work.
More specifically:

1. Push Power button, I hear something moving (no case fan). However, the Processor's fan doesn't spin, even though it's inserted in the right slot.
2. PC dies, with no sounds (got a speaker installed), and the Phase LEDs (1-4) are Green - Green - Orange - Red respectively.

The weird thing is that the proc fan doesn't turn at all.
The whole rig dies after just a second or two, only to spring back to life 2 seconds later and repeat the process.

I would very much like to know what the problem is.

Kind regards,
Pim Caris

[PGCaris]

OP here.

I've tried connecting another fan to my motherboard, and this one spins just fine.
However, the Phase LEDs still light the same, and the process is unchanged.

Your thoughts please.

[dmdilks]

Do you have the cpu fan plugged in to the header. The next to the 8 pin cpu connector.

[PGCaris]

Yes; I have plugged in the CPU fan of the i7 3770 in the correct place on the MoBo, and it doesn't spin.
The other cooler I still had (old Q6600 stock cooler) was plugged in the same and did spin up.
All other problems, however, persisted.
I therefore think this problem has nothing to do with the CPU fan.

Also, I do not hear any beeps during startup (I have got a little speaker installed), as the PC shuts down before its gets there.

EDIT:
This morning (yeah, Netherlands, so good morning ) I have tried to isolate the problem:
1. Only the MoBo, 1 stick of RAM (1666Mhz DDR3) and the PSU are attached. Connectors are firmly in place --> No change.
2. Swapped out the battery for a similar one, one of which I'm sure is charged, and I reset the CMOS (used screwdriver to short the two little pins) --> no change.
3. All components were out of the pc-case, so I can't have any short-circuit worries (Breadboarding).

[PGCaris]

Dear all,

I have fixed the issue.
The Phase LEDs still act strange, but can be ignored for all I care.

Anyway, maybe this is a help to others:

• Check to see if you put the processor firmly in place, as well as the fan. If not, re-tighten them and check boot sequence.
• If this doesn't work, remove the fan and CPU, and look very closely at the pins in the CPU retainer on the MoBo. Check to see if the pins are all aligned properly (they are pointing in either one of two directions, which will be obvious if you take a look). Probably you will find one or two pins not exactly aligned, so straighten them CAREFULLY with your nails or a static-free instrument.
• Re-attach the CPU CAREFULLY, and re-attach the fan. Boot again (if needed, check to see if the CPU-fan spins).
• The MoBo will boot, and you can move on!

I hope it helps!

Kind regards,
Pim Caris

[dmdilks]

That is one thing that a lot of people never stop and think about. That happen to me one time.

I got a used board and didn't look at the pins and just put the CPU.

Again tried different CPU and never look at the pins. I got a hold of the guy I got the board from and he said check the pins.

One pin was bend over another bent the pin back into place. The board is still run to this day.

People always look pass the fix more than anything else. Nice that you got it working.