I have big news!*:cool:
After I have finished the previous post, I've got an RMA number from Asus to ship it to a service. So, following the instructions, I have packed the board and got it ready for shipping. I also contacted the original seller - I wanted to try if I could get a working replacement; but I was offered with a refund instead (obviously with sending the whole package back).
In mean time, I have finished my WhisperPower build on the Z390-I Gaming (
https://rog.asus.com/forum/showthread.php?112572-WhisperPower-ROG-for-Computational-Fluid-Dynamics#p...) - I still owe the pictures of it... I am continuing to be amazed by it's performance!*:cool:
Then I've got busy at work... and one morning woke up with the idea to swallow the costs of the Maximus IX Gene - maybe use it for soldering practice... Or I've got lazy about the shipping...
😮Then I've got an idea! What if I would double-check the board under the microscope? So, took it in today to work and placed it under a surgical stereo microscope... based on the post here on the Forum, and other places, it was expected to have bent socket pins... - so, I have investigated the CPU socket first... Guess what! For sure, I have found pins in three corners which were aligned in XY axis, but their top was below the majority of the pins... Not sure if they were to low, but I went ahead and pulled them back with a microsurgical forceps. Then I was just looking around the board under the microscope... I was checking the memory slots, GPU slot, dimm.2 slot... until I have arrived to the USB 3.1 Gen 1 slot (the one where the front panel USBs should be connected) - and I found a major problem! The IntA_P1_SSRX- pin was severely bent against the neighboring Vbus pin - it looked like someone forced the connector in the slot with a slightly bent pin, which completely compressed the pin against the other one. I have tried to bent it back, but immediately broke off...*:( Oh, well... if it turns on, I will use the Gen 2 connector...
I have picked up an i9-9400 CPU, which came with it's own cooler - and added some RAM (in both slots)... connected the PSU, keyboard, mouse and monitor - AND IT TURNED ON!!! :cool::cool::cool:
Overall, not sure if it was the CPU socket pins, or the USB pin, or both - but it is working now!*:cool: I have run memtest86 on it at 4000GHz, and passed with no problems...*:cool:
Now, what to do with it?! Should I replace the Z390-I Gaming in WhisperPower? Would it run cooler?
Bottom line, if you got this board and won't start with Q-code 00, it worth double checking under a microscope... or a magnifying glass... The service would have charged money for the bent pins, also the seller wouldn't refund me.*