New build, slow startup time and Q-LED emits a bright orange glow
New build, slow startup time and Q-LED emits a bright orange glow
Intel i7-13700K
Asus ProArt Z790-Creator WIFI
Corsair Vengeance 2x32GB 5600MHz DDR5 RAM
Thermaltake GF3 1000W PSU
With the simplest design, when I turn on the machine the Q-LED indicator shifts from red (CPU) for 1-2 seconds, then turns yellow (DRAM) for minutes or even longer, no beep sound, fans are off and there is no display. I have to press the power button to force shut down, then restart so the system can enter Safe mode and boot within 20 seconds.
Memory slots A2 and B2 are used as per the manual instructions.
Attempts made:
1. Reinserted both memory modules, issue still present
2. Swapped memory to different slots, issue persists
3. Removed memory from B2, issue continues
4. Swapped A2 memory with B2, issue remains
It appears there may be a memory-related problem.
Running MemTest86 took 2 hours to finish 70% of the 3/4 tests, with around 900 errors. Not sure if this is typical.
If I try booting without a bootable device (no OS installed yet), it does nothing or loops back to the Safe mode. During Windows 11 installation, it keeps entering this Safe mode after several minutes of waiting. I need to adjust the BIOS settings to select the correct bootable drive.
BIOS date is February 2023 (0816), relatively new, but a recent update was released in August 2023 (1303).
Searching online suggests this could be a common issue with Asus motherboards.
Other than returning the hardware to the store, are there any other steps I could try?
SSD and PSU all perform well.
At first I thought it might be related to memory, but it appears not to be.
Then I experimented with various memory slots on the motherboard and discovered the issue was limited to a specific slot.
I recently visited a computer shop where they tested their Kingston Fury and found it works in both A2 and B2 slots. Now I’m quite puzzled—it seems like a mix of memory and motherboard issues?
I conducted additional tests and gathered the following outcomes.
Slot A1.MemoryA: Immediate boot into Windows
Slot A2.MemoryA: Q-LED flashes red for 1 second, then turns yellow after 30 seconds, repeating this cycle for 7-8 times before entering Safe mode. Pressing F1 in BIOS selects the boot drive, which loads Windows. However, restarting or shutting down causes it to boot normally.
Slot B1.MemoryA: Immediate boot into Windows
Slot B2.MemoryA: Immediate boot into Windows
Slot A1.MemoryB: Most of the time, boots directly into Windows
Slot A2.MemoryB: Immediate boot into Windows
Slot B1.MemoryA: Boots straight into Windows
Slot B2.MemoryB: Immediate boot into Windows
Slot A1.MemoryA and Slot B1.MemoryB: Q-LED flashes red for 1 second, then yellow after 30 seconds, repeating this sequence for 7-8 times before entering Safe mode. Enter BIOS via F1, select the boot drive, and Windows loads. Restarting or shutting down results in the same behavior.
Slot B1.MemoryA and Slot A2.MemoryB: Q-LED flashes red for 1 second, then yellow after 30 seconds, repeating for 7-8 times before entering Safe mode. Enter BIOS via F1, choose the boot drive, and Windows loads. Restarting or shutting down follows the same pattern.
Slot A1.MemoryA and Slot B2.MemoryB: Q-LED flashes red for 1 second, then yellow for 30 seconds, repeating the cycle for 7-8 times before entering Safe mode. Enter BIOS via F1, select the boot drive, and Windows loads. Restarting or shutting down works consistently.
Slot B2.MemoryA and Slot A1.MemoryB: Boot straight into Windows
It's clearly due to your memory slot. If you're not happy with the existing mainboard, consider upgrading to a better one.
After swapping in a new motherboard, the issue was resolved. No pin damage was found from the motherboard's socket.