Asus X99 Deluxe - first ever RMA in over 15 years

[nadstar]

Hi All,

Normally I wouldn't post however I feel like these issues need to be heard. So after deciding to upgrade from my old X58 Nehalem i7 920 build (which I am typing from now) - it's been 6 years and with the prices of DDR4 falling it was just time to upgrade.

So two weeks ago I picked up the below parts

i7 5960X
Asus X99 Deluxe (updated to BIOS: 1901)
H110i GT
Corsair Dominator DDR4 16GB (2x8) 2666mhz
Corsair 900D
Win7 64bit

I installed Win7 64 on my old Agility 4 SSD while waiting for my new Samsung EVO 850's to arrive. Everything has been running stock, no OC at all - (I need stability first before any tweaks), apart from some futile and failed attempts at OCing - this was the first suspicion I had with the mb. My EVO's arrived yesterday, I installed 1, turned PC on and it booted into UEFI fine. I configured the primary boot drive to be my Agility 4 and rebooted.

first issue: POSTed to windows logo, froze and rebooted again in an annoying loop. I turned everything off and began to unplug everything.

second issue: NO POST (monitor black), LED BOOT_DEVICE on motherboard lit up red. I unplugged everything, triple checked CPU fan header, unplugged all SATA cables, booted with both ram dimms, then tried with a single ram dimm to no avail.. nothing.. still nothing.

At this point I gob-smacked thinking I did something wrong.. I had exhausted all avenues so I then tried to re-flash BIOS back to an older one - I tried 1004, 1702, 1801 and still nothing.

third issue: after the re-flash to BIOS 1004, LED BOOT_DEVICE changed to LED CPU with CODE 76 - which manual states as PCH DXE Initialization (PCH module.

At this point we are into 2-3 hours of frustration so I decided to call it quits and bring it back to the vendor today.

Went into store today and service techie set the X99 Deluxe on test bench, installed a brand new 5820k, cooler master LGA2011-3 fan, different ram single stick (Gskill), and a different power supply. Fired her up and bamm - Nothing. Code 76. MB is bricked, RMA'd and I got my refund...


This has been a very concerning 48hrs and for the first time in 15 years I am extremely worried about Asus products. I did some digging around and it seems like Asus X99 have been subjected to numerous issues i.e. USB overload issues, NO POST, Slow and random boots, I also read that some X99 boards have killed some CPUs (source: google "5960X Dead overclock.net")

I am now stuck between a rock and a hard place and am hoping the good people here could assist in me with my questions:

1. Do I give Asus another chance? X99-A, PRO, Deluxe, Sabertooth or Rampage 5 Extreme?? given the number of people also having the same issues I am very weary - maybe it's best to avoid Asus for X99 chipset altogether.. any thoughts?

2. MSI X99A MPower, X99A Gaming 7, X99A SLI Plus - I have heard good things about MSI - thoughts?

3. Gigabyte X99 UD4P - what about gigabyte?

4. Are there any other choices I should seriously look into???

**I have mentioned the above motherboards as they are available locally (for PICK UP) for me here in Sydney, Australia which is critical for me - I wouldn't want to be going through an RMA process via posting my gear away - the entire process is just too time consuming and painful.

I read reviews and it seems like it is Hit or Miss, some people have reported stability and great OCing capabilities. Deep down, I still want to stay with the X99 Deluxe as it is jammed packed features that I would use - WiFi, heaps of USB ports and USB headers, the fan extension card (I have so many fans)

But then I think about the nightmare of going through these issues again - HELP!

-D

 

[Ahhzz]

I've had pretty solid luck with Asus, myself. I'm not sure about that specific model, but if it's a brand concern, I'd have no issues sticking with them.

 

[Solaris17]

I'm sorry and welcome to the club.

I personally like gigabyte and MSI products. for features and stability. Though there are other manufacturers id buy from I usually end of with either of those two.

 

[Brusfantomet]

Current have a Asus X99A inn for check at the store i got it from, if they refund me i will get a MSI board. Have used 3 Asus boards for different personal buds, all have been bad.

 

[Solaris17]

I actually went through a similar fiasco.

http://www.techpowerup.com/forums/threads/not-super-pleased-with-asus.213921/

Some members even pointed out other threads and search results of people on this very forum having a bad time.

 

[nadstar]

Current have a Asus X99A inn for check at the store i got it from, if they refund me i will get a MSI board. Have used 3 Asus boards for different personal buds, all have been bad.

Thanks so much for the reply, I was tempted to go and get a X99A too but It seems theres a common denominator in all Asus X99 boards.. - just curious what MSI board are you leaning towards?

 

[sneekypeet]

but It seems theres a common denominator in all Asus X99 boards

And yet both of mine have been flawless!

 

[cadaveca]

And yet both of mine have been flawless!

And were probably pre-tested before ASUS shipped them to you. I've had more than a few bad ASUS boards myself.

That said, my X99 DELUXE has been pretty good to me, but isn't perfect either (wifi decided it doesn't exist any more, but using Ethernet is fine for me.... but one of those ports died too...)

Thanks so much for the reply, I was tempted to go and get a X99A too but It seems theres a common denominator in all Asus X99 boards.. - just curious what MSI board are you leaning towards?

I want to recommend the MSI GODLIKE. It was one of the last X99 boards to be released, and therefore, had a bit more time in R&D than other options. Similarly, the ASUS ROG X99 Extreme whateveritscalled was also a bit late into market. Boards released at launch and are unrevised tend to be a bit problematic from any brand... maybe BIOS updates are needed, etc...

IF you want a really good X99 experience, you really need to pony up the dollars for one of the high-end boards.

 

[sneekypeet]

And were probably pre-tested before ASUS shipped them to you.

Possibility, I personally cannot confirm or deny it as there were no seals to break on the packaging.

 

[GC_PaNzerFIN]

I have installed, used or otherwise tested closer to, perhaps even more than 100 Asus boards over the last 10 years. Most of them retail ones. Not a single DOA or minor RMA case.

If you get unlucky, you get unlucky. ASUS sells so huge volumes I am actually surprised we don't see more faulty boards slipping through the QA tests.
Quite often the problem is actually other system component, which is causing troubles.

All of the first X99 boards had more or less buggy BIOSes when they came out. All seem to have ironed out their issues for the most part now. Asus is no exception.

Put the board to RMA and get yourself a working one back. Switching to MSI you have pretty much equal chances to get a lemon.

BTW, which power supply you are using and how old is it?