NF4 Expert will not cold boot- psu issue?

[robble]

Amazing that it has been 3 months since the first post in this thread and no one has a definitive for sure answer yet. I'll be cycling power to the power alot before I RMA either MB or PS without KNOWING which is causing the problem. Swapping the MB would be a major PITA as I have 3 waterblocks mounted to it. Nor do I want to be without my rig for the time it would take for an RMA (then having it come back with the same problem would really steam me).

[robble]

I just got off the phone with OCZ tech support (got a human within 30 seconds!!). After detailing the problem they are aware of it. They place the blame squarely on the DFI expert and venus motherboards for drawing too much amperage from the 5v rail during power up. The tech guy said most motherboards draw about 1.5 amps at start up where these MBs draw about 3 amps which triggers the powersupply to shutdown as it thinks something is wrong.

 

Doesn't solve anything for us but now we have DFI pointing fingers at the powersupplies and we have powersupply manufacturers pointing fingers at DFI...

 

I just want my computer to power-up when I hit the "ON" button.

 

*edit* I just got this e-mail back from OCZ tech support ( I e-mailed 10 minutes before I called). Slightly different from the phone answer but it still points to the MB.

 

"I hate to point fingers at DFI, but this is a known issue that affects their motherboard. Other PSU manufacturers are hearing about this issue, so it isn’t isolated to just to our PSU. The DFI board continues to draw on the -5V rail after shutdown, which often times causes reboot issues and cold boot problems. Let me know if you have any other questions, I’d be happy to do my best at answering them. If you want peace of mind we can have you send in your PowerStream for evaluation and possible replacement, but I doubt it is the issue and a replacement will likely do the same thing your current unit is. "

 

 

 

I gotta say I'm happy so far except for this (awesome o/c). Of course I have not tried RAID, SLI, or my SB audigy card yet...

 

*edit again*

 

from another thread today Angry wrote:

 

"RMA your motherboard to DFI with explicit instructions to fix the OCZ 600w psu cold boot."

 

That doesn't sound like a power supply problem.

[rcdarkangel]

Hi, i got this board just a couple of days ago. I am also having the cold boot issue and i am pissed off. I installed windows without a hitch but the first time i powered it off the issues started.

 

I can not not start my system i have used 3 diff PSU units. All that happens is when the board recives power i hit the swtich and the DRAM light comes on(the light near the ram). occasionly my fans will spin for 3 seconds and the PSU will power up. But then it all stops again.

 

I am so annoyed its not funny, this board came highly reccommend, it was my upgrade board for oblivion and now i cant do anything at all.

 

I hope this can be rectified.

 

ANTEC PHANTOM 500 Watt

[jazzpicker]

THis cold boot thread has turned out to be a big one and I don't think DFI will be able to ignore this problem. People are really getting pisssed. Maybe it's time that DFI takes this issue seriously.

I get my OCZ 520 back today and if it causes the cold boot with the venus. I'm going to RMA the board to Ricky at DFI.

I got my expert back but the board was damaged in shipping and DFI is sending me a new one with the cold boot fix. I sent the Expert back again. UPS is the only one winning with this problem.

 

[austenn01]

Exactly, read the thread title, this thread is about the cold-boot issues with the Expert boards and many/most of them are related to the PSU. Obviously you have a different board and a different problem...start a new post.

 

 

DUH its a SLIGHTLY diff mobo, but its the same freaking problem..........so why not mention it, it shows that its nit just the EXPERT mobos md also from what i have said, it sheds some light on what the issue is, thats if you can read!!! plus as another post mentioned..........

 

 

*edit again*

 

from another thread today Angry wrote:

 

"RMA your motherboard to DFI with explicit instructions to fix the OCZ 600w psu cold boot."

 

That doesn't sound like a power supply problem.

 

 

So as i origionally said, its a MANFACTURING problem from DFI's side, they have prolly lowered their 'mean' defective adn quality of production to produce cheaper mobo's, and thus made a big bobo..... thus Angry telling whoever to tell DFi to fix the OCZ 600w cold boot problem.... i gotta tell ya, and i am sure whoever replyed to me being an butt has no idea who 'Angry; is!! He's one of the names that popes up in most of forums all over the net, Angry knows his ., and really, out of all of the LONG pages in this thread, hes the only one who has given a solution. I have been reading forums for years now, just never wanted to write anything casue i was so sick of people making lame butt comments with no technical knowledge, adn without even bothering to read each page of a thread... also, not being able to put 2 and 2 together!!!!!!!!!! and make a worth while comment.

 

 

Also, can someone from DFI, if they read this PLEASE comment on the BIOS chips that they have been using for the expert mob'sa dn the last SLI DR mob's being made....and now finally a LITTLE off topic, i wonder if this same problem is happening with the new Venice limited editon DFI NF4 board?

 

 

Basically, we all need some answers, there is definetly PLENTY of people with this cold boot problem and prolly MANY MANY more that dont want to post in a thread just hoping for a solution,, DFI please help, ive sworn alegance to you DFI, so i dont care what mistakes were made here, ill always buy DFI from now on, i just wanna know what was done wrong and what can be done to fix the problem. DFI your boards are the best, you have your niche, so just help us please!!!!!!

[Limnos]

DUH its a SLIGHTLY diff mobo, but its the same freaking problem..........so why not mention it, it shows that its nit just the EXPERT mobos md also from what i have said, it sheds some light on what the issue is, thats if you can read!!! plus as another post mentioned..........

I can read just fine, and better yet, I can understand and interpret what I read at least enough to understand that "cold-boot" issues are not all the same issue (even my own cold boot issue was not the same...assuming you read it).

 

Tip: being a general jack butt to people who respond to you isn't going to get you much support.

 

Now to get back on a civil footing, sorry if you took some sort of offence to my post as none was intended. I was just pointing out that your issue does not, in fact, sound like the same problem as the one people were experiencing here.

 

With this Expert cold boot issue people do not get anywhere near booting into Windows (just a 1-2 second flash of activity on the board and then nothing) yet you say "Every morning i start my computer, it will MAYBE get to windows and then restart its self on average 5 times before it becomes stable". The issue that this post originated on could be solved by either turning off the PSU rocker switch for 5-10 seconds or by replacing the PSU. Does your board boot fine when you do either of these procedures? If not, then it certainly does not sound like the same issue to me.

 

You say you got rid of your old board, so what happened with it? (Edit: I see your "dad fried it with water coolant"). Are you certain that shorting it out with "water coolant" did not impact on some of your other components? You say you are still using all the same components from your fried board, but you also say you know what you are doing and are an IT pro who has built 1000's of computers, so I will give you the huge benefit of the doubt and assume that you have adequately tested all your other components and that shorting out your old MoBo had absolutely no impact on your other components.

 

There are plenty of reasons your board might not boot from a cold start. However, if you can get AG (whom I also have a great amount of respect for along with RGone and ExRoadie) to tell you that your issue is the "same freaking problem", then I will gladly retract my statement that your issue does not sound the same.

 

To me it sounds like you may have just ended up with a faulty board or shorting out your previous board also impacted another component. Having it reboot once it gets into Windows sounds like a RAM or PSU issue to me. Have you tried another PSU or different RAM with your current board? Have you checked out the threads on here about "cold boot" issues on other DFI boards (different than this issue), especially the ones that deal with certain OCZ RAM?

 

My comment about starting a new post was so that your issue does not get lost in this thread and so you might get some better support, but tone down the abrasive attitude or that might not work either.

 

FYI yes some of the Venus boards do seem to have a similar cold-boot issue to those that the Expert experiences (there is a thread on it; I'm surprised you missed it having read so extensively on the subject)

 

http://www.dfi-street.com/forum/showthread.php?t=46600

[Sceolan]

My issue continues to be the same - basically I turn the PC on, get 3 LEDs lit up, all fans powered up and going and then the long beep which the manual says is a DRAM error (the memory has been tested in another machine and is fine - its in the orange slots btw). Once I clear the CMOS the PC boots fine, I get it into the BIOS, leave it on for a while and then save the settings.

 

After this the PC is completely stable and exhibits no stability problems at all until I turn it off and leave it overnight; the next day I am back where I started. I have tried flashing the BIOS again to the latest version and this gives me a day or two of the PC working as it should, but after that I get the same problem back again.

[red930]

My issue continues to be the same - basically I turn the PC on, get 3 LEDs lit up, all fans powered up and going and then the long beep which the manual says is a DRAM error (the memory has been tested in another machine and is fine - its in the orange slots btw). Once I clear the CMOS the PC boots fine, I get it into the BIOS, leave it on for a while and then save the settings.

 

After this the PC is completely stable and exhibits no stability problems at all until I turn it off and leave it overnight; the next day I am back where I started. I have tried flashing the BIOS again to the latest version and this gives me a day or two of the PC working as it should, but after that I get the same problem back again.

You're problem is probably a corrupt BIOS.

[rcdarkangel]

Hi,

 

Now someone in this thread pointed me in the direction of thinking mabye they were right about the whole high end power supply being at fault thing because of the single or something of the like? Well turns out they were right. I plugged in a cheap 20 dollar PSU unit and voila i powered up first time everytime.

 

Well my question is this, i cant run my gear of the cheapie cause my system drains too much power. Could i grab a link the the mod where you solder that resistor thingie on? I would prefer to do it on the PSU itself or mabye there is a way to not have to permantely do it.

 

Any help would be great!

 

[EDIT]If there is any other around this problem without needed 3rd party items i would love to hear it because i am desparte. PM me if you need.{EDIT}

[austenn01]

I can read just fine, and better yet, I can understand and interpret what I read at least enough to understand that "cold-boot" issues are not all the same issue (even my own cold boot issue was not the same...assuming you read it).

 

Tip: being a general jack butt to people who respond to you isn't going to get you much support.

 

Now to get back on a civil footing, sorry if you took some sort of offence to my post as none was intended. I was just pointing out that your issue does not, in fact, sound like the same problem as the one people were experiencing here.

 

With this Expert cold boot issue people do not get anywhere near booting into Windows (just a 1-2 second flash of activity on the board and then nothing) yet you say "Every morning i start my computer, it will MAYBE get to windows and then restart its self on average 5 times before it becomes stable". The issue that this post originated on could be solved by either turning off the PSU rocker switch for 5-10 seconds or by replacing the PSU. Does your board boot fine when you do either of these procedures? If not, then it certainly does not sound like the same issue to me.

 

You say you got rid of your old board, so what happened with it? (Edit: I see your "dad fried it with water coolant"). Are you certain that shorting it out with "water coolant" did not impact on some of your other components? You say you are still using all the same components from your fried board, but you also say you know what you are doing and are an IT pro who has built 1000's of computers, so I will give you the huge benefit of the doubt and assume that you have adequately tested all your other components and that shorting out your old MoBo had absolutely no impact on your other components.

 

There are plenty of reasons your board might not boot from a cold start. However, if you can get AG (whom I also have a great amount of respect for along with RGone and ExRoadie) to tell you that your issue is the "same freaking problem", then I will gladly retract my statement that your issue does not sound the same.

 

To me it sounds like you may have just ended up with a faulty board or shorting out your previous board also impacted another component. Having it reboot once it gets into Windows sounds like a RAM or PSU issue to me. Have you tried another PSU or different RAM with your current board? Have you checked out the threads on here about "cold boot" issues on other DFI boards (different than this issue), especially the ones that deal with certain OCZ RAM?

 

My comment about starting a new post was so that your issue does not get lost in this thread and so you might get some better support, but tone down the abrasive attitude or that might not work either.

 

FYI yes some of the Venus boards do seem to have a similar cold-boot issue to those that the Expert experiences (there is a thread on it; I'm surprised you missed it having read so extensively on the subject)

 

http://www.dfi-street.com/forum/showthread.php?t=46600

 

 

Yes i have fully tested ALL of my parts, in other systems! what makes no sense is that it will have the cold boot issue with no matter what OTHER parts i put in. I have used 3 other sets or ram (all of which i have tested in other setups). tried 4 power supplys, 1 stick of ram at a time, clean installs, both xp32 and xp64. And as soon as my sys fianlly boots into windows, i can run prime stable for as long as i want. However, the weird part is that i can have a strange reboot at any stage. For example, i ran prime 95 and super PI at same time for 2 hours, passed, no errors, then watched TV on my dvico HD tunner for 2 hours, opened up firefox,a dn boom restart..........but the strange restarts are never related to the same thing... and again, i dont get how i can use the same ram and have to put a value for every ram setting in the ram section of bios with the old FRIED dfi sli dr, and the new one i haev to put them all on auto,, plus i cant put ram in slots 1 and 3 adn get past a post if that......

 

It just doesnt make sence to have such a stable system 90% of the time, and then have these issues..... i might have to RA the board, but i dont wanna be without my sys for so long, if i had the money, id just buy the new Venice (how i would love that board).....

 

 

and my bad, i dont mean to be rude, but i am sure we all know what its like when you spend hours even days messing with a comp, we turn into narky hobbits.........

 

Plus, hey, u know tv shows and movies need comflict and attitude to liven up otherwise dull things so why not ehh?

 

I just want a solution that isnt RA'ing my board, and i tell ya i really want a solution for all these Expert owners, so many forum pages, yet no real solutions..........

 

CAN SOMEONE PLEASE POST BACK IF THEY HAEV SENT THEIR EXPERT BACK TO DFI FOR A REPLACEMENT and tell us all of the same problmes persist. And be specific on wetehr your board was replaced by the store you bought it from (from their current stock on hand) or wether it was replaced from DFI headquarters?

 

sorry for the long post

[Sceolan]

You're problem is probably a corrupt BIOS.

 

I have reflashed mine to original release and I am gonna see how that goes.

[austenn01]

Ok so if anyone can comment on this for me please...if youve read my posts in this topic, then u know my prob. Given that i have tested all my parts in another system adn swaps parts etc.....The only part i havnt swapped is my cpu A64 3500+ Venice.....so ive been told my new DFL SLI DR could be faulty, i know its not my ram...but, would anyone know, or have experience with common occurences when the memory controller on the amd cpu goes bad?? Does anyone think this could be a possibility?? or is it more likly that it is my mobo??,, and does anyone know how i can test for a faulty memory controller on my amd cpu......look back at my previous posts to see what is wrong and what i have done... i obvuosuly know of prime, supper PI, etc.......i just dont know what to do.... i did just flash bios to the 704-1 (suppose to be for my TCCD ram) and coudlnt boot into windows at any other speed oher than ddr 400 on the ram,, the rated ddr 600, and what was perfect at ddr600 with my 1st SLI DR......??

 

 

Any help will be GREATLY appreciated.......... :confused: