ASRock z68 Pro3-M Initial Boot No Display

[SikeMo]

Hi Folks,

Just finished my build and have working cpu fan and case fans, but don't see any display or BIOS/UEFI on initial boot. I am using an i5-2500K with no additional video card and plugging my hdmi out directly into a Panasonic plasma.

Any ideas?

Thanks

[uszkanni]

Ah, the joys of being an early adopter...

Many people on this forum and also an Intel forum (I keep getting random hangs on Core...: Intel Communities) have complained about the onboard video of various Asrock boards (Pro3-M and Extreme4, at least). My first Extreme4 board had problems with both the HDMI and DVI connections; VGA/D-Sub worked fine. I'm on my second board and have already experienced a number of freezes using the onboard HDMI (DVI seems ok for now). I am currently re-testing my memory (just to be sure that nothing is wrong there) and once that is done, I will test the HDMI, DisplayPort and VGA connections again.

I would suggest you test with DVI and VGA and maybe DisplayPort. Also, make sure that your BIOS is up to date (check the Asrock site) as they recently released (on 7/11) a new version which ups the default voltage for the IGP. You might also check to see that your memory sticks are well seated and run memtest (or the like) for an extended period of time.

It may be a problem with the Z68 chipset or the Intel HD3000 drivers or with Asrock motherboards. I have not seen many people reporting this sort of problem with other motherboards and, unfortunately, I am loosing confidence in Asrock. If this board isn't rock solid then I will be moving on to one of the competitors; maybe dropping "down" to a P67 and discrete PCI-e video card.

I note that Asrock has posted 4 BIOS *upgrades* for both the Pro3-M and the Extreme4 on their website in just the last 2 months. Maybe this is an indication of teething problems with the Z68.

[SikeMo]

I appreciate that. Unfortunately, I cannot update the BIOS because I cannot see anything! I tried the USB flashing method but that didn't help. I am at a loss here and am getting VERY frustrated as I just returned a DOA MSI board and got this one instead. This board does not have any on-board speaker that I know of, so I can't even figure out if I have a CPU or RAM issue. I wish I had a generic DVI monitor to test this out with, but I don't even know if the system is posting properly. However it is NOT power cycling, so I feel like something is right.

[brukster]

You have probably done these basic things, but..

Try a known good hdmi cable. Use an hdmi input on the Panasonic that you have already used with some other device. Carry the computer over to a neighbor's tv. Etc.

[SikeMo]

Would this comp behave this way if the CPU is shot? I may have exposed it to static, although I don't think I did.

[uszkanni]

Don't know about CPU being damaged; I suppose it's possible.

Can you get hold of a DVI to HDMI cable? Or get a VGA/D-Sub monitor? Does your Dr. Debug display some code or is it just off?

Don't know if a speaker would help much but you can find them online or maybe cannibalize one from some other machine.

Another idea is to check the power supply and cables. Make sure you have the 8pin CPU power cable connected.

You could just have a bad board; happens.

[SikeMo]

Yeah, I have tried two hdmi cables and two TVs at this point. I think I might try using just 1 stick of RAM as I have 4 installed right now (overkill).

[SikeMo]

Still no luck. Tried a standard monitor and 1 stick of RAM and nothing. I am thinking of going down to the local shop tomorrow and just buying a new i5-2500K and the new ASUS m-ATX Z68 board and starting over. This is getting ridiculous.

[uszkanni]

Still no luck. Tried a standard monitor and 1 stick of RAM and nothing. I am thinking of going down to the local shop tomorrow and just buying a new i5-2500K and the new ASUS m-ATX Z68 board and starting over. This is getting ridiculous.

I can understand your frustration.

I assume you're booting with the bare minimum of hardware: CPU and 1 stick of memory only. No disk/CD-DVD/LAN etc.

Do you get any Dr. Debug code displayed?

For about $5, you can buy a cheap MB/case speaker (just a piezo attached to a connector) which plugs into your MB at connector #25 (a 4 pin connector but only 2 are used, see users guide). Maybe it will give you some indication of the problem.

You've already tested cables and monitors, so it's gotta be CPU, mem, MB and/or power supply (could be multiple problems). Can you test each component separately?
Can you test your RAM in another system?
Can you try a PCIe graphics card?
Can you try another power supply?

I have also had problems with the onboard graphics, both HDMI and DVI. Had to send the board back and get a replacement. Will be testing that board soon.

Good luck with your build; hope you can resolve the problem(s).

[SikeMo]

What is Dr. Debug? I actually have a PCIe video card I can try... hadn't thought of that. Otherwise I have tried everything else. I am really thinking it's the CPU at this point as I tried Patriot RAM and G Skill RAM with an MSI mobo previously and it resulted in power cycling (same CPU). Sold the G Skill RAM and now I've only tried the Patriot RAM with this mobo, but I don't think it's the problem.