I've been upgrading my old Windows 20 setup to something that can run Windows 11. While installing the motherboard, I had some trouble connecting the 24-pin power cable, so I decided to do a bench build to clone the SSD and install Windows while waiting for a new case. However, during this bench build, I ran into issues—specifically, I couldn't get it to complete the POST test. I noticed the RAM wasn't properly seated in the second slot, but everything else seemed fine. The motherboard is showing a Q code of 99 and a message saying 'detect HDD.' I don't believe this means there are no drives, as I've tested the drives on my old motherboard, and they work perfectly.
I'm now wondering if the issue is related to the power supply, CPU, or maybe the motherboard itself. During the bench build, I had a decent setup going with the following components: a Palit 1080 Ti Super JetStream, a new AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D CPU, 32GB of RAM, and a couple of SATA drives, along with the standard components like a CPU cooler and peripherals. It seems like my 750W PSU should handle this setup, but I'm open to your thoughts if it could be causing problems. Everything is new, and I didn't see any bent pins when installing the CPU, although I'm hesitant to remount it without thermal paste. Before I jump to conclusions about replacing components, I'd love to get some advice on what might be the main culprit here.
2 Answers
Your PSU should be sufficient for that setup, but it's worth checking if the 750W is malfunctioning. Try testing with a different PSU if you have one available. Also, just to be sure, double-check the CPU seating and inspect for any bent pins again, even if it seems fine at first glance. Sometimes, the smallest things can cause major issues.
Have you checked if your motherboard BIOS is updated? Sometimes, newer CPUs require a BIOS update to function correctly. Also, you might want to try booting with just one stick of RAM and no GPU or drives. That way, you can rule out whether it’s a RAM issue. If the motherboard isn't posting, it might take a couple of minutes for RAM training, especially on a new build, so give it some time.
That’s a good point! If it’s a super IO failure indicated by the code 99, that might prevent the RAM training from starting properly.
Yeah, those little pins can be tricky! And make sure you're connecting all necessary power cables to the motherboard—you wouldn’t believe how many people miss something simple like that!