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Does a "lack" of a POST beep concerning to you if the system boots fine?

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  • Does a "lack" of a POST beep concerning to you if the system boots fine?

    My system boots fine into Win7. My PC specs are listed by my name.

    The pc speaker is properly connected to the speaker header on the motherboard (red wire to +5V and black to "speaker.") There's no beep that indicates a successful POST but it *will* beep if I decide to go into the bios setup. It will also beep a different tone if I input the wrong bios password after 3 tries (I've already setup various BIOS settings, including disabling all the "super I/O" ports, "Smart Connect," and "Rapid Start.") According to this: ASRock > Support > FAQ "no beep" is indicative of a "bad cpu" but there's no evidence of a "bad" cpu since it boots into win7 fine and temps seem normal. The "lack" of a single "normal" beep is concerning to me. Either the BIOS sees the cpu as faulty and still boots anyway, or the speaker is faulty. Or the BIOS is faulty since I don't recall any time (in my somewhat limited experience in computers) where pressing the "del" key would make the system beep -- indicating entry into the BIOS setup.

    Is this normal function?
    Full disclosure: I could have OCD

  • #2
    Re: Does a "lack" of a POST beep concerning to you if the system boots fine?

    Oh, I thought the lack of a beep was indicative of a broken speaker lol.

    Seriously though, I don't have a speaker so can not really answer your question but these days with sub 2 second BIOS posts perhaps spending 0.5 second or so making a beep is just not appropriate any more.

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    • #3
      Re: Does a "lack" of a POST beep concerning to you if the system boots fine?

      Originally posted by µcode View Post
      Oh, I thought the lack of a beep was indicative of a broken speaker lol.

      Seriously though, I don't have a speaker so can not really answer your question but these days with sub 2 second BIOS posts perhaps spending 0.5 second or so making a beep is just not appropriate any more.
      Actually, I still get a single POST beep when UEFI booting Windows 8 in Ultra Fast mode. It also beeps once when I exit the UEFI/BIOS UI. But as you say µcode, it happens very quickly, I press the power button and it beeps a couple seconds later. That is on different boards than the OP.

      So your board beeps when you start the BIOS UI? Never heard of that before. Might just be an oddball way that AMI UEFI works. Your CPU is listed in the board's compatibility list, from the initial 1.10 UEFI version.

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: Does a "lack" of a POST beep concerning to you if the system boots fine?

        I may have an explanation which I didn't think about earlier. My RAM is rated at DDR3-1600 (also a supported compatible model number from the mobo's perspective), but the Celeron's memory controller, even though it's an Ivy-Bridge chip, is limited to DDR3-1333 so the RAM is limited and also the timings are off from what's listed on the RAM specification (9-9-9-24.) Come boot time, the BIOS thinks that the cpu is "bad" for not being able to run DDR3-1600 already installed so it needs to manually throttle it. The manual says Sandy-Bridge will run at 1333 and Ivy-Bridge will run at 1600.

        If it's already working (and throttled somewhat), is it worth RMA'ing to get 1333 RAM? I could take out both sticks and see whether or not it will throw 3 beeps...

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        • #5
          Re: Does a "lack" of a POST beep concerning to you if the system boots fine?

          I have exactly the same observatoin with my asrock z77 fatality board with an i5 cpu.
          No beep on post but beeps in bios.

          Dont remember the memory speed so I suppose i could check that to see if my memory is faster than is supported.

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: Does a "lack" of a POST beep concerning to you if the system boots fine?

            Originally posted by trott3r View Post
            I suppose i could check that to see if my memory is faster than is supported.
            Wouldn't be a bad idea. Thankfully I'm not the only one with this kind of "behavior." Post your full specs in your profile (include the bios version too) so we can also check. I'm thinking that my explanation is a *very* long shot, but it's the only one I have now -- unless people have the same board with the same behavior. Can we get an official explanation possibly?

            Originally posted by µcode View Post
            I don't have a speaker so can not really answer your question
            You really, really should get one -- they're HIGHLY invaluable when troubleshooting a failed POST, especially when a lot of these boards don't have an "embedded" speaker or an LED readout that you can read off any double-digit numerical trouble codes. Too many case manufactures think they can get away with NOT including one including the likes of Antec, NZXT, Corsair, Fractal Design, etc.
            Last edited by block_dude; 08-19-2013, 12:32 PM.

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            • #7
              Re: Does a "lack" of a POST beep concerning to you if the system boots fine?

              Originally posted by block_dude View Post
              Wouldn't be a bad idea. Thankfully I'm not the only one with this kind of "behavior." Post your full specs in your profile (include the bios version too) so we can also check. I'm thinking that my explanation is a *very* long shot, but it's the only one I have now -- unless people have the same board with the same behavior. Can we get an official explanation possibly?



              You really, really should get one -- they're HIGHLY invaluable when troubleshooting a failed POST, especially when a lot of these boards don't have an "embedded" speaker or an LED readout that you can read off any double-digit numerical trouble codes. Too many case manufactures think they can get away with NOT including one including the likes of Antec, NZXT, Corsair, Fractal Design, etc.
              No body uses speakers no more, the people who make cases save money not installing them. Last time I heard a Beep start was the 680 Nvidia board. Most boards I have, use a digital display with a read out code should it be needed for trouble shooting. If I recall, in the bois there used to be settings to turn off the post beeps..............................
              MSI X-99SLI
              Intel 5930K WATER
              EVGA Nilla 1080
              POWER!



              http://www.3dmark.com/3dmv/5003339

              I did this> :) Default RMA discussion banned

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: Does a "lack" of a POST beep concerning to you if the system boots fine?

                Originally posted by block_dude View Post
                I may have an explanation which I didn't think about earlier. My RAM is rated at DDR3-1600 (also a supported compatible model number from the mobo's perspective), but the Celeron's memory controller, even though it's an Ivy-Bridge chip, is limited to DDR3-1333 so the RAM is limited and also the timings are off from what's listed on the RAM specification (9-9-9-24.) Come boot time, the BIOS thinks that the cpu is "bad" for not being able to run DDR3-1600 already installed so it needs to manually throttle it. The manual says Sandy-Bridge will run at 1333 and Ivy-Bridge will run at 1600.

                If it's already working (and throttled somewhat), is it worth RMA'ing to get 1333 RAM? I could take out both sticks and see whether or not it will throw 3 beeps...
                I highly doubt that the memory speed being beyond your processor's specs is the cause of the lack of a single POST beep.

                Consider the i7-2600K and i5-2500K Sandy Bridge processors, commonly used by PC enthusiasts, two of the most popular CPUs ever produced by Intel. They both share the spec of 1333 maximum memory speed, just as your Celeron CPU does. IMO, at least 50% of owners of those two CPUs use memory whose rated speed is 1600 or greater. That includes users that OC their memory beyond their rated top speed, all beyond the 1333 spec.

                Given all the users of those processors that use memory above the 1333 spec, we would have known for several years now if that would cause the lack of a single POST beep. The memory I use with my i7-2600K is rated at 1600, and I have it running at 1866. My ASRock Z77 Ex 4 board beeps once on every boot or restart. The same is true for my Ivy Bridge and Haswell PCs, both with memory operating at 2133, beyond the memory spec of their CPUs.

                A CPU, board, or BIOS does not automatically throttle memory speed. If memory is running "to fast" for a system, either POST or booting the OS will fail. Memory manufactures routinely set the default memory speed of 1600 memory to 1333, which increases the chance the memory will work in more systems. It is also standard procedure to manually set the maximum speed of memory of 1600 or above, either by using the XMP profile, or selecting the speed in the BIOS.

                There is no point in getting 1333 rated memory, it won't change your beep issue.

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: Does a "lack" of a POST beep concerning to you if the system boots fine?

                  Originally posted by jaggerwild View Post
                  No body uses speakers no more, the people who make cases save money not installing them. Last time I heard a Beep start was the 680 Nvidia board. Most boards I have, use a digital display with a read out code should it be needed for trouble shooting. If I recall, in the bois there used to be settings to turn off the post beeps..............................
                  Well, I'd have to disagree with you there since the 94% of motherboards out there (a random guess) that don't have a readout display need to have some form of troubleshooting tool and I believe a pc speaker is still an invaluable investment that saves you time when trouble occurs.

                  Btw, in case anyone was interested about the RAM story, I got an email back today from G.Skill. I inquired what I should do about the situation and here's what they said:
                  Originally posted by G.Skill Tech Support
                  The motherboard can only limit to standard values such as DDR3-1333 9-9-9-24. The RAM is capable of performance specs such as DDR3-1333 8-8-8-24 as you mentioned and thought of purchasing. It is unnecessary, just set the RAM to DDR3-1333 8-8-8-24, or 7-8-7-24 1.60V then everything should be ready to go at full speed.
                  Turns out 1.6V is over-volting the Celeron. Limit again is 1.5V.
                  I decided to set RAM timings and DRAM frequency of 1333 manually, MRC fast boot = disabled, -- still same behavior.

                  So, it's probably just the BIOS.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: Does a "lack" of a POST beep concerning to you if the system boots fine?

                    I just thought of something else. What about a bent pin in the cpu socket? I've heard that systems will still boot if the pin is non-critical like a dummy pin, or else a pin that wouldn't cause a boot failure. Is the BIOS smart enough to realize something is wrong there, throw a "bad cpu" exception, but still boot anyway? I would have to be incredibly lucky to "win" the dummy pin, no? The plot thickens or are we over-analyzing "oopsy" BIOS programming hahahahahahahahahaha?
                    Last edited by block_dude; 08-19-2013, 09:52 PM.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: Does a "lack" of a POST beep concerning to you if the system boots fine?

                      Originally posted by block_dude View Post
                      You really, really should get one -- they're HIGHLY invaluable when troubleshooting a failed POST, especially when a lot of these boards don't have an "embedded" speaker or an LED readout that you can read off any double-digit numerical trouble codes. Too many case manufactures think they can get away with NOT including one including the likes of Antec, NZXT, Corsair, Fractal Design, etc.
                      lol I don't have a case either. I do have a PCI/ISA debug board though that can be plugged in if need be. Speaker sound can be useful but even the old laptop I have uses flashing LED codes (Caps and Scroll) instead of the speaker.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: Does a "lack" of a POST beep concerning to you if the system boots fine?

                        Originally posted by parsec View Post
                        ...at least 50% of owners...use memory whose rated speed is 1600 or greater. Given all the users of those processors that use memory above the 1333 spec, we would have known for several years now if that would cause the lack of a single POST beep.
                        Yes, but of those 50% of users, maybe 5% of those 50 are actively going out to buy pc speakers because their "enthusiast" cases don't include one -- and actually care about getting one. Then you have to account for maybe 5% of THOSE 5 are OCD enough to recognize that this is actually "abnormal behavior" instead of, "Oh, well the speaker is defective herpa-derpa."

                        Joking aside though, I'm willing to drop the ram and cpu theories now because I've dug up some interesting stories (after quite a bit of digging mind you.) The requirement was that these users knew they had a pc speaker properly installed (you would be surprised how many results you get from people who EXPECT a "beep" but don't actually know what a "pc speaker" is ) Here are the results:

                        1. Link1 -- same observation as me and trott3r, no post beep but a bios entry beep. No help provided from other users.
                        2. Link2 -- this user followed the "how to build a pc" guide from Newegg but was confused on the no post beep but a successful boot (into the bios sans "del" or "f2" key.) No help provided. I can see why he was so confused now.
                        3. Link3 -- probably the most "helpful" answer (compared to the others at least.) A user claims that "name brand" OEMs won't even use post beeps unless there's an issue and that's the "trend" now. Having a tough time buying it.
                        4. Link4 -- this is a hilarious read. This guy in his troubleshooting woes on his builds must have had a FUN time trying to wrap his head around what he THOUGHT was the "successful post" beep , when in fact it was the bios entry beep. No help provided.

                        I did find some sporadic mentions of "fast boot," but I think I've already tried various configurations of that already. All the observations so far are indeed with Asrock boards. There's probably more results too, but I need some now after going through 6 pages of stuff already.
                        Last edited by block_dude; 08-20-2013, 02:28 AM.

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                        • #13
                          Re: Does a "lack" of a POST beep concerning to you if the system boots fine?

                          Found a few more, this time someone has an MSI motherboard:
                          http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/32...uccessful-post
                          http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/321667-31-post-beep
                          http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/37...o-working-beep (comment by wanderer11)

                          So far I've linked the following chipsets to the behavior: A75, B75, Z77, and *possibly* Z68 and P67.
                          Last edited by block_dude; 08-20-2013, 10:48 AM.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Re: Does a "lack" of a POST beep concerning to you if the system boots fine?

                            Asrock is giving me the runaround. I quizzed them about it and they replied with a copypasta guide on basic troubleshooting tips if your pc is misbehaving. No mention of '0' beeps though:
                            Originally posted by Asrock Tech Support
                            1 Short Beep

                            One beep is good! Everything is ok, that is if you see things on the screen. If you don't see anything, check your monitor and video card first. Is everything connected? If they seem fine, your motherboard has some bad chips on it. First reset the SIMM's and reboot. If it does the same thing, one of the memory chips on the motherboard are bad, and you most likely need to get another motherboard since these chips are soldered on.
                            The email did have a few pics included, check out their gnarly-looking pc speaker haha:
                            Click image for larger version

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                            They might not even know about it and/or not enough people asked. To me it was initially confusing but for most everyone else (who isn't a new builder following every 'T') probably thought nothing of it since the machine is working. I did find something official from the MSI faq -- here's a *very* straight answer from them lol: http://service.msicomputer.com/msi_u...px?formid=3065

                            My guess is that the initial goal for these manufacturers was to "minimize confusion" among these budget chipsets, but might have inadvertently caused even more confusion for some people after breaking away from pc building tradition. I think I'm done. Hopefully this has been informative for new/curious builders who are looking for a non-existent piece of their pc building puzzle.

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                            • #15
                              Re: Does a "lack" of a POST beep concerning to you if the system boots fine?

                              The lack of a beep concerned me at first but i've found that it will only beep if you enter the BIOS.

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