Red CPU LED issue on Gigabyte Z490 Gaming X motherboard Solved

Question

Hello, Sorry for the long post, and I thank in advance those who will try to help me.. I’m not very tech-savvy, and I have a problem that I can’t solve..  So, I installed a new kit on my PC, consisting of a motherboard and a processor. (Gigabyte Z490 Gaming X and Intel Core i7 10700K)  After installation, I had a red CPU LED that lit up sometimes when I turned off the computer on the motherboard (but I still managed to install Windows when it wasn't on). Once this LED was lit, if I tried to start the PC, the fans and LEDs worked, but there was no keyboard, screen, or mouse. I tried some things, like updating the BIOS (from F4 to F6C), but that didn’t work. So I reverted to F4. I was told it was a power supply issue, so I bought a new power supply (Seasonic 650 watt 80 Plus Gold). And then, miracle, it works. I boot into Windows, install all the necessary drivers, chipset, etc. Then I play, but when I turn off the PC, at the moment the power cuts off, the LED lights up, and afterward I either clear the CMOS to be able to restart with screen, keyboard, and mouse, or I have to turn off the power supply and the power strip where the PSU is plugged in. My processor is not overheating, so it's not a cooler issue, the graphics card works via DisplayPort without any problems (unless the red LED is lit)  Here is my configuration:  Motherboard: Gigabyte Z490 Gaming X CPU: Intel Core i7 10700K GPU: Gigabyte Nvidia GTX 1060 6GB RAM: Ballistix 2400 MHz 2x 4GB (in A2 and B2) PSU: Seasonic Focus GX 650 80 Plus Gold. Cooler: Bequiet Dark Rock 4  BIOS Version: F4  (I plan to change the graphics card and RAM later, but first I want to understand this issue..)  I have errors at the moment of shutting down last night, displayed in the Event Viewer of Windows, I will try to take photos of them.  Thank you in advance to everyone who can help me, this problem is driving me crazy.. And not just that.  Have a good day

jeannets · Answer

Hello,  I can't read your photos, they are moiré due to the too high pixel count... It would be better if you take screenshots instead of photos... So that everyone can read them; there's a tool in Windows called "screenshot" Because we can guess there are messages...?  Your story makes me think of a partial short circuit in your PC installation... check what's written next to that red LED, or in the manual to know its meaning...  -- Your PC is consuming more power than the power supply unit provides, and at certain times, it goes into safety protection mode... I suspect that somewhere... a screw or a washer is touching the motherboard circuits with the case ground...? or something like that...? Check the washers under the motherboard, and don't mix metallic washers with insulating washers... etc. But you can also have issues with the graphics card... and the cable going to the screen, the USB ports, the RJ45 network connection... etc... Or your power supply isn't strong enough... Poorly calculated power without a reserve margin is possible  You might also have a problem with the ground connections... if you have grounding on your PC or on a neighboring power strip...  The ideal for advancing in an electrical diagnosis would be to be able to take electrical measurements... of voltages, currents, and insulation. If you know how to do that..?? Having a measuring device isn't enough... you have to know how to use it as well...  In short... I believe it's an electrical fault, based on your description.

jeannets · Answer

Indeed, 650w seems sufficient (generally), but if parasitic consumption is added, it can increase the demand.  The screws are normal metal screws, of the right length... it's the cardboard or plastic washer underneath that provides insulation with the chassis legs... But some boards have a printed circuit design that does not require this insulation. There is a copper reserve that is meant to be in contact with the sheet metal... in that case, you need to look for something else...  What is this red LED..??

jeannets · Answer

According to the document https://download.gigabyte.com/FileList/Manual/mb_manual_z490-gaming-x-ax_e.pdf  I don't see the LEDs you're talking about very clearly... try to specify them better for me...  But I assume it's about decorative lighting with LEDs..?? and this system should not exceed 2 Amps, could that be it??? (too much current for these LEDs)  Otherwise, I'm also thinking about too much CPU temperature, thermal paste too much or not enough, or poorly applied... that's also possible.

jeannets · Answer

Here is what is said...  CPU/DRAM/VGA/BOOT (Status LEDs) The status LEDs show whether the CPU, memory, graphics card, and operating system are working properly after system power-on. If the CPU/DRAM/VGA LED is on, that means the corresponding device is not working normally; if the BOOT LED is on, that means you haven't entered the operating system yet.CPU: CPU status LEDDRAM: Memory status LEDVGA: Graphics card status LEDBOOT: Operating system status LED  So regarding the CPU, this LED being on means that the CPU is not functioning normally..  Is something wrong...? ...?  -- it could be due to power supply voltages... a ground issue... improper instructions for its operation... external accesses to the RAM, the graphics card, or other components...  -- There may need to be a BIOS flash to match ==> motherboard/processor... things like that..  --- If it were me (just a supposition), I would disassemble a large part of the PC...and peripherals, including the graphics card... and I would turn it on to see what the LED indicates and then I would reassemble the sub-assemblies... One by one... powering on each time... until the LED reappears, and I would assume that the one I just reattached is the faulty one... To check by reattaching in a different order..  It would also be good to see this without a hard drive, no Windows installation, and boot the PC from a live CD (Windows or Linux) to see if the fault might come from the current Windows installation..  I think the first thing to do is to ensure that the BIOS in place is indeed the correct one..? Contact GigaByte... being aware of the version of your current BIOS.

Framax1 · Answer

Hey, thanks!  So for the BIOS version, F4 is the right one. I did a RAM test, I tested outside the case for the grounding, that wasn't it.  However!! I just disabled the fast startup in the power settings options of Windows  Sorry it's in English but I'll provide the path for those who might have the same issue.  Power options / choose what the power buttons do (on the left) / uncheck "turn on fast startup"  Apparently that has solved my problem, it seems the power supply was shutting off too early every time I turned it off and so I had the ID 41 error in the Windows event log. (I still have 3 errors but no critical errors)  I really thank you very much for the time you took to help me!

jeannets · Answer

No problem, come back whenever you want. Thanks for the feedback.  Happy end of year holidays.

Red CPU LED issue on Gigabyte Z490 Gaming X motherboard

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