Just put the following together:
i7 5820K
Zotac GTX 980 Amp edition
G.Skill Ripjaws DDR4 16 GB (4x4)
Samsung 840 Evo 500GB
CoolerMaster Seidon 240M
Corsair 850 PSU
Then, hit the power button and the machine roared to life, although no display rendered. Within 10 seconds, the PC powered down. I poked around inside for any obvious problems but couldn't find any. My first thought was to begin testing the RAM - thought I got lucky when the system booted on 1 stick. I was able to install Windows, motherboard software, and graphics card software. At this point I powered down and added a second memory stick - system booted stably. Added the final two sticks and experience the original problem.
From this I concluded that something was limiting the system to 2 RAM sticks, or 8GB total system RAM (something other users seem to be experiencing with similar hardware. So I resorted back to 2 sticks thinking I would at least be up and running with something to work with. This is where it got interesting - after reverting back to two sticks, and then one stick, I was once again stuck with the same issue I started with, but this time I have not been able to find a solution.
I spent the last two evenings googling around and troubleshooting. I have checked and tried the following, to no avail:
1. Tested each memory stick individually (in the 3rd memory slot as indicated in the manual).
2. Checked all cables and the metal spacers that keep the motherboard raised from the case.
3. Checked the CPU pins in the motherboard, cleaned and reapplied thermal paste, and re-installed the CPU and heat sink very carefully.
4. Swapped out the graphics card with my old graphics card.
5. Flashed the Bios to two recent bios releases using the EZFlash utility.
6. Flashed CMOS.
Then, the only thing I tried that made any difference: There is a switch on the motherboard that allows you to switch between two difference BIOS - I reverted to the backup bios and the machine powered up but did not post a screen. At this point, the machine remains powered, but the monitor doesn't pick up any signal. (I have tested the screen and graphics card as well as try a different graphics card.)
So this is where I am - EXTREMELY FRUSTRATED, and a little bit angry to learn that other people are experiencing similar issues with Gigabyte's X99 motherboards. This user's experience is extremely similar to mine:
http://forum.giga-byte.co.uk/index.php?topic=15097.0I am unable to RMA the board as I brought it in the USA and live in South Africa. I realized there was a risk doing this, but thought with a major brand and high-end product, problems with the board were unlikely. As a result, I am in a situation where if I cannot get the board to work, I will have to buy a brand new one.
I am sending the other components back to the local retailer I bought them from to test tomorrow, but in the meantime, any suggestions are welcome as I will do a little bit more tinkering tonight.
