GA-Z170N-WIFI gives 5 long beeps and reboots in a loop

[weetabixharry]

I have bought a brand new GA-Z170N-WIFI motherboard, but it fails to boot. The CPU fan spins up for a few seconds, then I just get 5 long beeps (at least, I think they're long... but how long is long?) and then it just resets and does the same again and again.

I am a pretty experienced PC builder and have plugged in both parts of the ATX power supply correctly. The CPU fan is plugged in and RAM is installed. Nothing else.

[shadowsports]

5 Long.  That sounds like your CPU.  Please reseat, ensure proper alignment.  Check socket for bent pins.

[weetabixharry]

5 Long.  That sounds like your CPU.  Please reseat, ensure proper alignment.  Check socket for bent pins.

Thanks for your reply. I inspected the CPU socket under a magnifying glass for quite a long time and couldn't see any bent or missing pins. I've reseated the CPU about 10 times - it seems to sit down nicely every time and clamp in tightly. It can possibly shift a fraction of a millimetre left-right and up-down before clamping, but I feel like it's within reasonable margins of error.

Is 5 long beeps a standard CPU error code? I know this motherboard has an AMI UEFI BIOS, but I couldn't see any beep codes in the user manual.

My problem is that I bought all my parts from Amazon, so I think I need to figure out which part (motherboard, CPU or RAM?) is at fault, so I can send the right thing back for replacement. Unfortunately, this is the only LGA1151 stuff I have ever bought. Can you offer any tips?

[absic]

Can you post back with a list of the parts you have got? It's very hard to offer any advice without knowing this.

As a guess, have you checked that your CPU is compatible with the earliest BIOS version for this motherboard? You can check here: http://www.gigabyte.com/support-downloads/cpu-support-popup.aspx?pid=5518 for CPU compatibility.

[weetabixharry]

Can you post back with a list of the parts you have got? It's very hard to offer any advice without knowing this.

Yes - the CPU and RAM are both specifically mentioned in the respective supported parts documentation (both are supported since BIOS version "F4", which appears to be the earliest stated). More specifically:

CPU: Core i5-6500 3.20GHz
RAM: 1x 8GB DDR4 Crucial BLS8G4D240FSA.
HSF: Stock part that came with the CPU.
PSU: I have tried 2 ATX PSUs (one is 400W and brand new, the other is known to work, but I don't know the power rating).

[absic]

Taken from the users manual:

To meet expansion requirements, it is recommended that a power supply that can withstand high power consumption be used (500W or greater).
If a power supply is used that does not provide the required power, the result can lead to an unstable or unbootable system.

It could be a power issue if you are using a 400 watt PSU and are not sure of the power from the other one.

[weetabixharry]

It could be a power issue if you are using a 400 watt PSU and are not sure of the power from the other one.

I feel like that's unlikely. A friend has done similar builds around a tiny 150W PSU (except he paid a bit more for the lower power CPUs with the "T" suffix). My CPU is only 30W more, so I'm confident that 400W is plenty. I have a couple more PSUs in computers that are currently in use, so I'll shut them down and give them a go now.

[weetabixharry]

Update: Still exactly the same behaviour with 2 more power supplies.

[dmdilks]

I know it says that it supports 2400 memory. But these series board have had problems with faster memory. If you take the memory out do you get the same thing? The CPU will only support 1600/2133 with out any adjustments.

I myself had problems with 2400 memory on my Z170m-gaming 3 board. I was getting boot errors and double boots. When I put in 2133 everything was perfect after that.

[weetabixharry]

I know it says that it supports 2400 memory. But these series board have had problems with faster memory. If you take the memory out do you get the same thing? The CPU will only support 1600/2133 with out any adjustments.

I myself had problems with 2400 memory on my Z170m-gaming 3 board. I was getting boot errors and double boots. When I put in 2133 everything was perfect after that.

Thanks for your reply - that's very interesting... I think you may be on to something here. Although the RAM I bought is specifically listed in the Memory Support List, I now notice that all frequencies apart from 2133MHz have "O.C." in parentheses next to them on the product summary page: http://www.gigabyte.com/products/product-page.aspx?pid=5518#sp

It then says: 'please refer "Memory Support List" for more information' ... but that document is very basic and provides no further information. "O.C." is not defined anywhere, but from what you've said, I now presume it means "overclocked". Is there any way to make the necessary "adjustments" with the parts I currently have (assuming none are faulty), so I can get things up and running? I'm surprised it won't even POST.

When I take the memory out, I do get exactly the same thing. I'm not sure what that means... either 2400MHz RAM is as good as no RAM ... or 2400MHz RAM is okay and something else is faulty (... or everything is faulty). Any ideas?

[dmdilks]

Read through his thread memory problems. http://forum.giga-byte.co.uk/index.php?topic=16715.0

[weetabixharry]

Read through his thread memory problems. http://forum.giga-byte.co.uk/index.php?topic=16715.0

Thanks for that - that thread was very interesting. It certainly seems to point out quite clearly that the motherboard I spent weeks choosing (and months saving up for) is a notorious heap of junk

However, there is one thing that is unclear: they talk about getting Error Code 55. Presumably, this means an on-screen error (rather than a beep code). In my case, I am getting no output on either DVI-D or HDMI (I had to pull the speaker out of my trusty old Pentium I system just to listen for beep codes). This makes me think my problems go even deeper.

I have ordered a replacement motherboard and a replacement CPU. I will try to downgrade the RAM to 2133MHz, or buy a new stick if I can't. Due to the New Year bank holiday, I won't receive any of this until 2nd January. I'll post back here with any progress.

Any other tips or suggestions in the meantime are very welcome.

[dmdilks]

Gigabytes Z170 series has had it's problems. you can go through this forum and find almost any thing wrong. I bought one to just be able to help. I even had problems but not as bad as some of the people here.

[Chanoh]

Hi,
Did you fix the problem?
I got exact same problem with GA-Z170MX Gaming 5 m/b.
From 5 long(?) beeps, CPU is suspicious, but as you said I need to pin point which part is faulty.
Would you update your case?

[MF]

I have bought a brand new GA-Z170N-WIFI motherboard, but it fails to boot. The CPU fan spins up for a few seconds, then I just get 5 long beeps (at least, I think they're long... but how long is long?) and then it just resets and does the same again and again.

Any news on this? I have same problem, with RAM on no beeps, with RAM off 5 beeps. Could this be a memory issue or is the CPU dead?

RAM is HX426C15FBK2/16
CPU is i7-6700