Asus dark hero startup issue ?

My system has 5900X processor, Asus ROG Crosshair X570 motherboard, 4X16GB Gskill NEO 3600Mhz GTZNC memories, EVGA RTX 3070TI FTW3 graphics card and BeQuiet Straightpower 11 850+ Gold Psu.

And I am having the same boot issue. I ran into this problem after installing BIOS 4201 (Agesa 1.2.0.7).

Sometimes, when I want to restart the computer, especially after long hours of shutdown, it becomes unresponsive.

Turning the PSU power switch off and back on fixes the problem.

I wonder if going back to the old BIOS or updating the BIOS with the USB Flashback method will solve the problem?

It looks like a BIOS issue, not a hardware issue.
I had loaded the BIOS with EZFlash from within the BIOS. Could this be the reason? I don't want to deal with warranty processes. It takes too long.

Can you give an idea for the solution?

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Originally Posted by Orodruin

My system has 5900X processor, Asus ROG Crosshair X570 motherboard, 4X16GB Gskill NEO 3600Mhz GTZNC memories, EVGA RTX 3070TI FTW3 graphics card and BeQuiet Straightpower 11 850+ Gold Psu.

And I am having the same boot issue. I ran into this problem after installing BIOS 4201 (Agesa 1.2.0.7).

Sometimes, when I want to restart the computer, especially after long hours of shutdown, it becomes unresponsive.

Turning the PSU power switch off and back on fixes the problem.

I wonder if going back to the old BIOS or updating the BIOS with the USB Flashback method will solve the problem?

It looks like a BIOS issue, not a hardware issue.
I had loaded the BIOS with EZFlash from within the BIOS. Could this be the reason? I don't want to deal with warranty processes. It takes too long.

Can you give an idea for the solution?

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Hardware issue. Confirmed by Asus. Replacement program in development.
Just check the latest messages in this thread and don't be lazy.

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Originally Posted by Xairoo

Hardware issue. Confirmed by Asus. Replacement program in development.
Just check the latest messages in this thread and don't be lazy.

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Do they provide replacement when we send the motherboard to ASUS?

I thought this would take a long time. That's why I want to ask.

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Originally Posted by Xairoo

The big question:

Does this problem appear on every board? Or is this random? And has this been fixed for newer production dates?
So getting a new board from the retailer could fix this or not.

Would be great to know.

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Hereby an update:
Retailer send the MB back to Asus repair center in EU after consultation regarding the random/intermittent boot issues.
The first time, the retailer just swapped the MB for a new one, the same issue occurred again on the new MB, this time the retailer send the MB to Asus Repair Center.
It took almost 3-4 weeks before I received the MB back, it was the same MB no refurbished by the way.

Comment provided by Asus Repair center towards retailer: We have replaced the chipset on the MB for a new one!

I'm guessing this is the chipset served as a middleman between the CPU and other components.
So far no boot issues have been observed! Hopefully the issue has been resolved! By the way I'm only using shutdown, have no use for PC sleep never tried or tested before.

Hope this helps somehow.

I reverted to BIOS version 3801. And interestingly, there doesn't seem to be any problem.

I have turned the computer off and on many times. It restarted every time without any problems.

I put it in sleep mode. Again, the computer boots up without any problems.

I guess this computer rebooting issues is due to BIOS versions 4006 and 4201. I will continue to use it with BIOS number 3801 for a while. I hope the same problem does not repeat.

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Originally Posted by Orodruin

I reverted to BIOS version 3801. And interestingly, there doesn't seem to be any problem.

I have turned the computer off and on many times. It restarted every time without any problems.

I put it in sleep mode. Again, the computer boots up without any problems.

I guess this computer rebooting issues is due to BIOS versions 4006 and 4201. I will continue to use it with BIOS number 3801 for a while. I hope the same problem does not repeat.

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I am surprised that people still make these claims.
This is NOT a bios/software issue, it has been confirmed by ASUS to be a hardware defect.
If you try it often enough, the startup failure will occur.
It occurs more often when the system is warm like after prolonged use.

Keep trying and the fault will occur, regardless of BIOS version installed.

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Originally Posted by JBROG87

I am surprised that people still make these claims.
This is NOT a bios/software issue, it has been confirmed by ASUS to be a hardware defect.
If you try it often enough, the startup failure will occur.
It occurs more often when the system is warm like after prolonged use.

Keep trying and the fault will occur, regardless of BIOS version installed.

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I have been using my computer intensively for two days. I reverted to version 3801. And there seems to be no errors for now.

I've rebooted multiple times. I put it to sleep mode and woke it back up. It did not repeat the same problem. I'll test it for a while and see if it's the same problem.

What is the exact cause of this problem? Is the BIOS update breaking the motherboard? Or is there another reason? Has an explanation been made about this?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Orodruin

I have been using my computer intensively for two days. I reverted to version 3801. And there seems to be no errors for now.

I've rebooted multiple times. I put it to sleep mode and woke it back up. It did not repeat the same problem. I'll test it for a while and see if it's the same problem.

What is the exact cause of this problem? Is the BIOS update breaking the motherboard? Or is there another reason? Has an explanation been made about this?

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No it has nothing to do with thr BIOS, I had the issue occur on 3801 and previous versions. It is a hardware defect, likely some sort of embedded controller that is faulty.
But asus didn't specify exactly what was causing it. They do have a repair method now that can be done to resolve the fault. But the issue is so prevalent on this board, many users had as many 3 new motherboards and all had that fault.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by JBROG87

No it has nothing to do with thr BIOS, I had the issue occur on 3801 and previous versions. It is a hardware defect, likely some sort of embedded controller that is faulty.
But asus didn't specify exactly what was causing it. They do have a repair method now that can be done to resolve the fault. But the issue is so prevalent on this board, many users had as many 3 new motherboards and all had that fault.

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It is really interesting. The weird thing here is that I've been using the motherboard for two years with no issues at all, but this happened after a BIOS update.

Moreover, the same problem occurs in Dark Hero and Formula Model. It means they use the same components.

Same problem here. I bought mine last year in october. I am not sure when I recognized this problem but I struggled with it for a long time. I started looking after it and I figured out that a lot of people are facing the very same issue and even replacement motherboards may have the very same problems.

I contacted the asus support and they got back to me. And said that they are aware of the problem and are working on a solution, on a bios update, to fix the issue.

I know others wrote that it is not a bios issue but this is the last info I got from asus support 9 days ago.

My other issue was that regularly, maybe near weekly the PC crashed with cache hierarchy problems on different CPU cores. I have a 5900x. As I see from my online searches this is a common problem as well.

My current "workaround" for the wake-up problem is that I switched off sleep completely.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Orodruin

I have been using my computer intensively for two days. I reverted to version 3801. And there seems to be no errors for now.

I've rebooted multiple times. I put it to sleep mode and woke it back up. It did not repeat the same problem. I'll test it for a while and see if it's the same problem.

What is the exact cause of this problem? Is the BIOS update breaking the motherboard? Or is there another reason? Has an explanation been made about this?

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Two days means nothing, sometimes I have 3 weeks no error, or I have 10 errors in 3 weeks, it's completely random.

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It just depends on how you use your computer, I've had it on for 3 weeks now because I need it to render. He was 100% stable then.

But after I put him manually to sleep 5 times, then I got the error again after 3 weeks of a 100% stable rendering period.

Has there been a determination of whether a batch of these boards are affected or all of them since initial release, if anyone knows? By most of the responses that ASUS hasn't yet put out a statement as to the time line of replacement. I am still on 3801 was bout to flash to 4201 to get rid of the issues but this brings a new `sadpanda` level light on the normally sold hardware.

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Originally Posted by NuadaXXX

Two days means nothing, sometimes I have 3 weeks no error, or I have 10 errors in 3 weeks, it's completely random.

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It just depends on how you use your computer, I've had it on for 3 weeks now because I need it to render. He was 100% stable then.

But after I put him manually to sleep 5 times, then I got the error again after 3 weeks of a 100% stable rendering period.

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Unfortunately, the problem is hardware. At first I thought it was the BIOS version. But it is not. As you said, it repeats later. Likewise, opening or waking up problems occur.

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Originally Posted by tagged

Same problem here. I bought mine last year in october. I am not sure when I recognized this problem but I struggled with it for a long time. I started looking after it and I figured out that a lot of people are facing the very same issue and even replacement motherboards may have the very same problems.

I contacted the asus support and they got back to me. And said that they are aware of the problem and are working on a solution, on a bios update, to fix the issue.

I know others wrote that it is not a bios issue but this is the last info I got from asus support 9 days ago.

My other issue was that regularly, maybe near weekly the PC crashed with cache hierarchy problems on different CPU cores. I have a 5900x. As I see from my online searches this is a common problem as well.

My current "workaround" for the wake-up problem is that I switched off sleep completely.

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No information has been shared about which production date motherboards this problem occurs on or which serial number motherboards occur.

But I guess it just seems like a bit of luck. The problem occurs somehow and is not fixed by a BIOS update. There is a hardware problem. I guess it's a production issue.

I sent my motherboard to RMA. Waiting for repair.

Hi All,

I was able to arrange an Express replacement (Cross-ship) with ASUS customer service and I received a repaired motherboard this morning. Whatever they did it works, the issue is resolved and the PC Sleeps and shutsdown correctly and I no longer have to power-cycle the PSU.

Thanks to all the forum mods who helped through this and wising those still with issues good luck in getting your replacement/repairs done quickly!

Compuwiz

Quote:

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Originally Posted by compuwiz

Hi All,

I was able to arrange an Express replacement (Cross-ship) with ASUS customer service and I received a repaired motherboard this morning. Whatever they did it works, the issue is resolved and the PC Sleeps and shutsdown correctly and I no longer have to power-cycle the PSU.

Thanks to all the forum mods who helped through this and wising those still with issues good luck in getting your replacement/repairs done quickly!

Compuwiz

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any particular shipping costs and/or other charges involved????

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Originally Posted by veryupset900

any particular shipping costs and/or other charges involved????

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Personally I did not have any costs other than a "hold on a credit/debit card for the MSRP of the unit". But after an additional delay (+2-3 weeks) due to the boards arriving late; they had decided to waive this for me as well.

The program was the "Advance Replacement Program" from ASUS USA (unsure if this exists in other countries). The Corporate Customer Care agent I was working with had sent me a return label but this may not be universal for all cases as the instructions do say to "You are responsible for the shipment of the defective unit back to the ASUS repair facility." but give an option to purchase a return label.

But I guess given the situation ASUS is trying to make things right so asking politely might get them to help you.

Best of luck, hopefully they are able to earn your trust back!

Compuwiz

"ECN" is the name of the component that causes startup problems on Crosshair Hero / Hero Wifi / Dark Hero and Formula X570 motherboards.

My motherboard repaired at Asus Service has not arrived yet. But I will test it when it arrives. In my conversation with Asus Turkey RMA, they said that the ECN has been changed.

I've posted this message to let people who have the same problem know.

I got the replacement based on the special program. Still no problems, but a few days can't tell a lot.

Anyway, the replacement looks like a new board.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Xairoo

I got the replacement based on the special program. Still no problems, but a few days can't tell a lot.

Anyway, the replacement looks like a new board.

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Motherboard just arrived. I will test it this week.

In the technical service report, it says that a component named ECN has been changed, the BIOS version has been updated to the latest version, and all ports have been checked.

I hope I don't have the same problem again.

@Xairoo
did you send in your mainboard to get a replacement device, or did you send in your mainboard after receiving a new board?

That's a kind of hijacking, but it's related to wake/sleep.

I got my replacement board because of the wake/sleep problem (this topic) but I still have Bluetooth problems.

It could happen that the Bluetooth (Intel(R) Wireless Bluetooth(R)) device disappears from the device manager.

Only a power off for a few seconds will help.

I had this problem before on Windows 10 and now Windows 11.

Anyway I don't think that can be a Windows or any other software problem because the device just disappears (I can see it disabled when I list all hidden devices).

Anyone else with that problem?

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Originally Posted by BASI1990

@Xairoo
did you send in your mainboard to get a replacement device, or did you send in your mainboard after receiving a new board?

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I got the replacement before I returned the old board. Works fine, they used DHL for pickup.

Something bad: They made a mistake with the invoice/customs papers. They haven't marked the board as a replacement. So I got an invoice for handling/tax from DHL/customs. Finally Asus contacted DHL and I hope they really solved the mistake :)

I'm having the same problems on my Strix B-550 Gaming XE, i could swear that Starrain (Asus Mod) has confirmed that this problems were indeed a Hardware Problem - but i can't find his posts anymore. They were either deleted or edited or i'm just dumb and my memories are completely off.

Hi itzdevilsown,
If you have the similar issue when using other motherboard model, please create a new thread for discussing.
Thank you.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Xairoo

That's a kind of hijacking, but it's related to wake/sleep.

I got my replacement board because of the wake/sleep problem (this topic) but I still have Bluetooth problems.

It could happen that the Bluetooth (Intel(R) Wireless Bluetooth(R)) device disappears from the device manager.

Only a power off for a few seconds will help.

I had this problem before on Windows 10 and now Windows 11.

Anyway I don't think that can be a Windows or any other software problem because the device just disappears (I can see it disabled when I list all hidden devices).

Anyone else with that problem?




I got the replacement before I returned the old board. Works fine, they used DHL for pickup.

Something bad: They made a mistake with the invoice/customs papers. They haven't marked the board as a replacement. So I got an invoice for handling/tax from DHL/customs. Finally Asus contacted DHL and I hope they really solved the mistake :)

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So you have a new motherboard to fix one hardware problem (the wake/sleep issue) and your new motherboard has a hardware bluetooth problem?

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Originally Posted by JBROG87

So you have a new motherboard to fix one hardware problem (the wake/sleep issue) and your new motherboard has a hardware bluetooth problem?

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You got it. Anyway, I have noticed this kind of problem also on a Gigabyte Aorus Master (separate OS install).

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Xairoo

You got it. Anyway, I have noticed this kind of problem also on a Gigabyte Aorus Master (separate OS install).

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Mh, I am tempted now to finally go ahead and have my Dark Hero swapped for one without the wake/sleep issue, but I am nervous that I might get a board that then has other issues like yours.
My motherboard has no problems other than the wake/sleep problem.

Btw how did you go about having your motherboard swapped out with a new one ? I have sent a DM today to Starrain@Rog

Quote:

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Originally Posted by JBROG87

Mh, I am tempted now to finally go ahead and have my Dark Hero swapped for one without the wake/sleep issue, but I am nervous that I might get a board that then has other issues like yours.
My motherboard has no problems other than the wake/sleep problem.

Btw how did you go about having your motherboard swapped out with a new one ? I have sent a DM today to Starrain@Rog

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If I got a new mainboard in advance, I would swap my mainboard as well.

@JBROG87 did you already get feedback from Starrain@Rog?

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Originally Posted by BASI1990

If I got a new mainboard in advance, I would swap my mainboard as well.

@JBROG87 did you already get feedback from Starrain@Rog?

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Yes I send Starrain@Rog a DM and he responded that the "replacement program" has finished. The only way to have this issue resolved now is to send in your motherboard, wait weeks or months and have it returned eventually. Meanwhile you can't use your PC.
For some reason some users get treated differently, Xairo had a NEW motherboard send to him just a few weeks ago and returned his old one.
I told Starrain this, but he did not comment on that.

Xiaroo wrote this less than 4 months ago:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Xairoo

Just an update from STARRAIN@ROG


Hi Xairoo,
I'm sorry due to the impact of covid-19 epidemic, the replacement work and shipping is postponed, and the discussion of the replacement plan is stopped temporarily. Although the estimated time would be the beginning of June, it is hard to estimate when it would recover so far. However, I will keep you updated if it is early or delayed. If you don't want to wait, please let me know.
Thank you.

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and now the exchange program is supposed to be over? omfg

If I bought a Dark Hero motherboard today, should I expect to encounter this issue? *

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Originally Posted by salada2k

If I bought a Dark Hero motherboard today, should I expect to encounter this issue? *

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Yes there is a very high chance that you would encounter this issue.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by salada2k

If I bought a Dark Hero motherboard today, should I expect to encounter this issue? *

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by JBROG87

Yes there is a very high chance that you would encounter this issue.

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Way to go Asus!

Potential owners are sceptical and discouraged while current owners are losing patience/faith and bewildered at the lackadaisical progress of nebulous critical issues in their top dollar motherboards.

Got to do better, c'mon Asus.

Till date, has anyone specifically identified and stated exactly which component/s are at fault so far or... is it still a guessing game? *facepalm

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Originally Posted by ASUS_SG_fan

Till date, has anyone specifically identified and stated exactly which component/s are at fault so far or... is it still a guessing game? *facepalm

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I think an earlier post cited the ECN chip as being faulty. Whatever that is.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by JBROG87

Yes there is a very high chance that you would encounter this issue.

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This is very frustrating.

*Can I ask how long the issue has been taking to manifest for the unlucky people experiencing it? Â*Does it happen quickly after purchase? Thank you.

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Originally Posted by salada2k

I think an earlier post cited the ECN chip as being faulty. Whatever that is.

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Good luck googling that up, could have be any other obscure component name being thrown up too.

I am having serious trust issues deciding which incoming Zen4 series models to get soon. Which brand used to be a non-issue but alas no longer, damn. :rolleyes:

this is my final post ,I've been an ASUS customer for 15 + years, and in that time I've NEVER experienced such an Issue as this ,.. while ASUS may not have the best customer SERVICE ,.. for the longest time ,. they didn't really NEED it as their products have always been rock solid, hell I've never even registered ANY of my motherboards for possible warranty because they've always OUTLASTED the 3-year period by quite a margin,.. NOW!!, this Issue that has cropped up , their customer service has proven woefully Inadequate ,the 1st post in this Thread was Oct 2020,...TWENTY TWENTY??????!!!, not ONLY did ASUS know about this for roughly 2-ish years ,. but they continued to sell and let OTHER vendors sell a defective product,........ I have referred this matter to the BBB Including this entire Thread as well as their so-called solutions and turnover times and my communications with the aforementioned "customer service" Dept, lastly, I can HAPPILY say that I AM ESTATIC!! that EVGA started making AMD boards again and I might suggest some of you take a look at those!!!


Good Luck to All

Hi, so I've been following this thread for a little under 8 months now hoping that ASUS would issue a FW update that resolves this problem or at the very least ADMIT THAT THERE IS AN ISSUE with these boards to begin with.

Decided to call my local vendor and enquire about my remaining warranty, which turns out expires in December...prompting me to start the RMA process. On a positive note as I entered the shop I noticed a guy about to purchase the exact same board- this lead to a long conversation between us during which one of the tech guys also overheard us and walked over to share his experience with customers returning the exact same board with the same power issue thats been plaguing each of us.

Frankly at this point I will never buy another ASUS product in my life, which is sad because I have literally been a poster child for ASUS products in the past. Get yourselves together ASUS...

I have two systems that both use the Dark Hero motherboard. I don't believe I've encountered this problem before. Just so I understand the situation 100% is everyone having issues from putting the computer to sleep then turning back on? Is anyone choosing shutdown and then turning the computer back on?

I have fast start up enabled (hibernation) and I chose shutdown ever time I'm done using the computer. The next time I use the computer I push the power button on the case and it boots right up for both systems. Maybe its because I'm choosing "shutdown" and not "sleep" I'm avoiding the issue?

Got a replacement board about 4 months ago and it seemed that the problem had disappeared, but now it's back without changing anything.
I would like a replacement with another board type or a refund! I don't want to go back to completely dismantling the board for nothing, sending it back, waiting weeks, reassembling and then finding out the problem is still there. It's been over a year since purchase and I've had to remove my system three times now.


@Asus, how should I proceed?

I am very disappointed