wheel Posted January 26, 2015 Author Share Posted January 26, 2015 Pretty sure on the standoffs; motherboard documentation showed them in all of the spots I used them in, though there was one extra standoff included with the board that I didn't use (per instructions; also, no obvious place to use it). Entirely possible something went wrong there, though. I'm going to try taking the board out of the box and starting it on the bag it came in, and will post updates. Quote Link to comment
wheel Posted January 26, 2015 Author Share Posted January 26, 2015 Ok, motherboard is completely removed and stable on static free bag. Everything disconnected except CPU/Fan combo and ram. Power goes on, and I'm back to stage 1: the green BMC heartbeat light is blinking again, the red "PWR fail" led is solid right next to it - and I'm not sure if this was the case last night, but LED1 in the opposite corner of the board ("Power LED Indicator Header") is now lit up solid green. Unless I'm doing something really stupid here, it sounds like there's an issue with the motherboard or the PSU. Without an extra PSU or extra testing gadgets I'd need to order anyways, is there any way to determine which one is the problem without playing RMA roulette? I'm leaning towards PSU issues, but these seemingly conflicting motherboard lights have me confused... Quote Link to comment
tritron Posted January 26, 2015 Share Posted January 26, 2015 Can you test power supply from different system? Do you have microsystem or fries nerby? Quote Link to comment
wheel Posted January 26, 2015 Author Share Posted January 26, 2015 Unfortunately no (nearest Fry's is 45 minutes away without traffic - it's a weekend luxury only), and my time within normal business hours outside of work to find a mom-and-pop shop who might be able to help is pretty much nil until Saturday... Quote Link to comment
wheel Posted January 26, 2015 Author Share Posted January 26, 2015 Brought the PSU to work with me; looked at Newegg RMA process (and timing), and I'm considering RMA'ing for a refund and ordering another PSU today (so I'm only waiting a day or two instead of a week to see if the Motherboard is actually the problem)... Any better ideas? Quote Link to comment
garycase Posted January 26, 2015 Share Posted January 26, 2015 Brought the PSU to work with me; looked at Newegg RMA process (and timing), and I'm considering RMA'ing for a refund and ordering another PSU today (so I'm only waiting a day or two instead of a week to see if the Motherboard is actually the problem)... Any better ideas? That's exactly what I'd do -- just order another PSU and RMA the one you have for a refund. Not only is that much faster, but it lets you stay well within the 30-day RMA window for the motherboard ... just in case that turns out to be the issue [From your symptoms, it seems unlikely that's the problem]. Quote Link to comment
wheel Posted January 26, 2015 Author Share Posted January 26, 2015 Did Newegg one better - RMA'd with them, ordered a new one from Amazon with same day delivery for a few extra bucks (same price otherwise). Will be reporting back tonight "before 9pm" with hopefully good news! Quote Link to comment
garycase Posted January 26, 2015 Share Posted January 26, 2015 ... ordered a new one from Amazon with same day delivery for a few extra bucks (same price otherwise) ... Same day delivery !!? Are they delivering it via Quad-Copter ?? :) Quote Link to comment
wheel Posted January 27, 2015 Author Share Posted January 27, 2015 Well, damn. New PSU, exact same behavior. Hope this doesn't spell doom for my RMA request. So at this point, it HAS to be the motherboard, right? Here we go again... Also, no drone delivery, but that might have made this depressing night a bit more fun. Quote Link to comment
garycase Posted January 27, 2015 Share Posted January 27, 2015 Is the CPU fan spinning ?? ... and is there any response via the IPMI port? Quote Link to comment
wheel Posted January 27, 2015 Author Share Posted January 27, 2015 OK, I got the PSU working (don't ask, it's embarrassing). Now I get POST code 15 when booting up, which google suggests is an ECC RAM issue, but that's impossible because I bought ECC RAM, right? Shit. Checked my newegg history. It's totally non-ECC. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231568 This is why I feel like an idiot every time I try putting an unraid box together... Edit: OK, *this* should work, right? http://www.amazon.com/Crucial-1600MT-PC3-12800-240-Pin-CT2KIT102472BD160B/dp/B008EMA5VU/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1422342764&sr=8-5&keywords=16gb+ECC+ram+unbuffered Going to order first thing in the morning for same-day delivery if so... I am GETTING THIS DAMN THING RUNNING TOMORROW. Feels close now, at least... Quote Link to comment
garycase Posted January 27, 2015 Share Posted January 27, 2015 OK, I got the PSU working (don't ask, it's embarrassing). Ok, I won't "ask" ... but am definitely curious [i assume it had something to do with the CPU aux power connection] You clearly KNEW you needed ECC RAM (you listed ECC modules in your initial parts list) => not sure how you ordered the wrong ones ... but at least you know now. ... OK, *this* should work, right? http://www.amazon.com/Crucial-1600MT-PC3-12800-240-Pin-CT2KIT102472BD160B/dp/B008EMA5VU/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1422342764&sr=8-5&keywords=16gb+ECC+ram+unbuffered Yes, that should work. Those are low-voltage modules (e.g. DDR3L), but the board supports both standard (1.5v) and low voltage (1.35v) modules, so they should be fine. Just out of curiosity, where do you live? I don't see a "same day" option on Amazon when I order things -- so it must depend on the specific market you're in. Would definitely be nice to have that option. [i was joking with my Quad-Copter question earlier, but as you may know, Amazon DOES plan to have automated Quad-Copter deliveries in certain markets later this decade, assuming they can get the appropriate approvals.] Quote Link to comment
wheel Posted January 27, 2015 Author Share Posted January 27, 2015 Full response in the morning, but my pitiful excuse on the RAM? Google "g skill 16gb ECC ram" What's your first non-sponsored result? Trusted the link, not the specs... Edit: Even worse, third link down... My mind was somewhere else that day. Quote Link to comment
garycase Posted January 27, 2015 Share Posted January 27, 2015 You do have to pay attention to the results when you Google anything with multiple words in the description. e.g. you Googled "g skill 16gb ECC ram" --- and you got plenty of results that matched "g skill", "16gb", and "ram" ... but didn't have ECC capabilities. ... if you Google "16gb ECC ram" you'll get several links that are BUFFERED (i.e. registered or FBDIMM) modules -- these are also the wrong thing (for example, the first non-sponsored link is for a registered pair of Kingston modules) ... if you Google "16gb ECC UDIMM", THEN you get unbuffered ECC modules -- in fact the first unsponsored link is what you plan to order in the morning But the real lesson is to always pay close attention to exactly what you're ordering !! Quote Link to comment
mr-hexen Posted January 27, 2015 Share Posted January 27, 2015 OK, I got the PSU working (don't ask, it's embarrassing). Pfft, I'll ask.. what happened? I'm sure someone else can learn from your experience. Quote Link to comment
Jomp Posted January 27, 2015 Share Posted January 27, 2015 I'm wondering what I'm going to do when I need more SATA power cables (PSU only came with 2 4-prong plugs) http://www.corsair.com/en-us/type-3-flat-black-sata-cable-with-4-connectors Quote Link to comment
wheel Posted January 27, 2015 Author Share Posted January 27, 2015 Problem one - stopped paying attention to RAM details and devoted that brain space to professional stuff sometime around the dawn of DDR, so UDIMM, ECC, hell, unbuffered... News to me. Honestly, was only a hobbyist as a kid, and was playing in a completely different league than you guys in my peak! Not an excuse nor justification, just a little background. I know just enough about building boxes to be dangerous... Problem two, yeah, multitasking and system building probably wasn't the best plan. There may also have been beer involved. RE: same-day shipping, it's apparently a few major markets (NYC, LA, etc.) - and in my case, it was an OnTrac delivery service. Jomp: I was thinking of ordering two of these (need 6 more power connectors) from Monoprice, next day delivery if I order in a few hours; seems like they should work, but does anyone have any warnings before I find myself in another buy-first-investigate-later situation? http://www.monoprice.com/Product?c_id=102&cp_id=10226&cs_id=1022604&p_id=8794&seq=1&format=2 Also picking up for my overpriced 6tb-supporting eSATA dock: http://www.monoprice.com/Product?c_id=102&cp_id=10226&cs_id=1022603&p_id=8791&seq=1&format=2 And for my extra sata cables: http://www.monoprice.com/Product?c_id=102&cp_id=10226&cs_id=1022601&p_id=8775&seq=1&format=2 Quote Link to comment
wheel Posted January 27, 2015 Author Share Posted January 27, 2015 So, the PSU story. I might be color blind. So that green blinking light right next to the red light (or at least I assume it was a red light the first time around), that had me wondering what could be going on - I mean, clearly SOMETHING was getting to the board. I hook up the new PSU last night, board completely bare, sitting on the static bag. Same damn thing. I'm starting to research how much of a pain it'll be to return my motherboard and figure out how much it'll cost to get another one in the mail, when I look at that red light one more time. This time, it actually looks like a blend of red and green. Almost a yellow. It's f'n yellow. I can't say for certain it was yellow with the first PSU, but I definitely had the power switch connected to the board, and was getting no CPU fan spin when I tried switching the PSU on and hitting the power switch. First time I hooked up the power switch to the board last night and tried powering up with the "yellow" light, BAM - worked just like it should. Part of me wants to hook the old PSU back up and make sure it was really red on night one, but I finally got everything back into the box and booting fine (sans RAM) last night, and I'm more into letting sleeping dogs lie these day. Moral of the story? I don't know, maybe better glasses. It REALLY looked red... almost feel like I WILLED it into yellow or something. The UnRaid force is strong with this one (except during power failures and dual-disk deaths, apparently). Quote Link to comment
garycase Posted January 27, 2015 Share Posted January 27, 2015 ... does anyone have any warnings before I find myself in another buy-first-investigate-later situation? http://www.monoprice.com/Product?c_id=102&cp_id=10226&cs_id=1022604&p_id=8794&seq=1&format=2 Also picking up for my overpriced 6tb-supporting eSATA dock: http://www.monoprice.com/Product?c_id=102&cp_id=10226&cs_id=1022603&p_id=8791&seq=1&format=2 And for my extra sata cables: http://www.monoprice.com/Product?c_id=102&cp_id=10226&cs_id=1022601&p_id=8775&seq=1&format=2 The first link is fine (Molex -> SATA power cable). The second link is to an eSATA cable, NOT to an external dock. If your dock is from somewhere else, and this is just the cable you're buying, it's probably fine (assuming you have eSATA connectors at both ends). Otherwise, double-check what you meant to buy. The third link is NOT what I'd recommend -- you want SATA-III (6Gbps) cables, and NEVER buy a SATA cable without a locking latch. Here's a link to Monoprice's 6Gbps SATA cables: http://www.monoprice.com/Category?c_id=102&cp_id=10226&cs_id=1022602 ... Also, be sure you know what lengths you need. 18 inches is fairly common, but is likely longer than you need for at least some of the cables. Most of their cables are 18, 24, or 36 inches, but they also have a very nice 10 inch cable with locking tabs (I use these a lot): http://www.monoprice.com/Product?c_id=102&cp_id=10226&cs_id=1022602&p_id=8786&seq=1&format=2 Quote Link to comment
garycase Posted January 27, 2015 Share Posted January 27, 2015 .. Just re-read your earlier note r.e. your Monoprice order -- and noticed your 2nd line says "... for my overpriced ..." => so clearly that cable is indeed what you wanted to order. Quote Link to comment
wheel Posted January 28, 2015 Author Share Posted January 28, 2015 OK, hardware problems resolved! Mostly... My CPU fan is insanely loud, and it seems like it's due to the power supply wires being too close to the fan blades (sound gets better when I mess with the fan housing position, profuse bleeding notwithstanding). Not sure if that's something I just try replacing by itself, or if there's a non-skilled solution, but that's not my big issue... I guess I'm going to need to hit the General Support forums now, because I can't recall this happening with my first two unraid builds. Booting up into unraid fine, per monitor; showing up on network fine, per router IP address. However, loading the IP address in a browser gives a timeout error (which is weird, because the first time I booted into unraid successfully, per monitor, loading the IP address went to the Supermicro login page), and loading //tower (yeah, my other tower is offline) also gives a timeout error. Tried reformatting flash drive, reinstalling unraid, making bootable... Same problems. Part of me just wants to start the damn Preclears I've been trying to start for a week now through the monitor, but if this could be caused by a hardware error, I'd rather know now before locking my system up for a couple of days... Any thoughts here before I head to the general support forums? I really can't afford too many more late nights on this, work-wise, but I'm also at a point where I've sunk so much time and money in I can't give up. Can't believe that after building two boxes fine already, I'm having so much trouble with this one... Maybe should've just paid the extra for Greenleaf or someone to build it. Damn sad night. EDIT: And now the webgui loads. I have no idea what was going on there, but it's fine now? So back to the fan noise issue... Not a big deal at the moment, but it's loud enough to defeat the purpose of the whole build (almost as loud as my full towers with four 5x3 cages!) Any advice on how to easily fix CPU Fan noise that (I think) is caused by the wires wrapping around it? Quote Link to comment
garycase Posted January 28, 2015 Share Posted January 28, 2015 Intel stock fans are VERY quiet these days -- you most likely didn't remove the power wires that were wrapped around the fan, and they're touching the blades as they rotate. Unplug the fan from the motherboard power connector; then be sure they're not wrapped around the fan; and plug it back into the motherboard connector -- being sure you route the wires so there's no chance they touch the fan blades. They're usually shipped with the wires plugged in to plastic brackets and wrapped around the fan housing -- as shown in the picture below. But you want to unplug them from those brackets and re-route the wire so it isn't run near the blades. I suspect you didn't do that, and the blades are touching the wires as they spin. This is not only noisy, but could eventually cut through the wire and cause the fan to stop working. Quote Link to comment
garycase Posted January 28, 2015 Share Posted January 28, 2015 Note: If the fan itself is really loud, then it's either defective, or the BIOS is causing it to spin at maximum speed -- which should not be the case. Check the BIOS to see if there is a setting to control the fan speed. Quote Link to comment
wheel Posted January 28, 2015 Author Share Posted January 28, 2015 You called it - figured the wires were "plug and play," I guess... Much quieter now! Crazy thing is, now that I've learned from all of my mistakes, I could probably duplicate this build blindfolded. Definitely couldn't have made it this far without your help though, garycase - can't thank you enough! Quote Link to comment
wheel Posted January 28, 2015 Author Share Posted January 28, 2015 Holy crap, I think I'm good... Preclears running now. Seriously, THANK YOU GARYCASE!! Quote Link to comment
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