ROMED8-2T+AMD EPYC 7773x - First Build - Won't start

[mrbsquish]

Hey all,

So, I've been collecting everything to build my first home server. Here is the parts list so far :

ROMED8-2T
AMD EPYC 7773x
Samsung M393A8G40AB2-CWE 64GB 2Rx4 PC4-25600 ECC Registered Server Memory RAM X 4
Noctua - NH-U14S TR4-SP3
EVGA Super Nova 1600 T2 PSW

It's taken me a while to get this into a chassis and hooked up, and unfortunately now that I have, it won't start. When I turn on the PSW, I get a power LED on the motherboard, but no BMC LED. Clicking the power switch seemingly has no effect. I currently only have the power switch (with it's power leds) plugged in, no speaker etc.

Various photos can be found here :

ServerBuild - Google Drive

drive.google.com

Would appreciate any advice, or potential things to try.

Cheers,

Adam.

 

[RolloZ170]

When I turn on the PSW, I get a power LED on the motherboard, but no BMC LED.

remove CPU & RAM.
if you don't get BMC heartbeat LED flashing, RMA the board.

 

[mrbsquish]

So, the BMC heartbeat will flash just with power attached?

 

[mrbsquish]

Also, would it behave this way if the CPU fan was not attached correctly? The CPU fan is a standard PWM 4 pin connector vs the 6 pin on the MB. I'm trying to verify what the correct attachment should be.

 

[RolloZ170]

So, the BMC heartbeat will flash just with power attached?

yes. +5V standby

 

[RolloZ170]

Also, would it behave this way if the CPU fan was not attached correctly?

no.
maybe try other PSU.
check if Unit ID switch is stuck pressed.

 

[mrbsquish]

I doubt it is the PSU, it's brand new. But I do have another one which I could try. Thanks for the other suggestions. I'll take out the CPU and RAM and try.

 

[RolloZ170]

I doubt it is the PSU, it's brand new.

brand new not excludes defective, modular cable ?

 

[mrbsquish]

True. Yes it's a modular.

 

[RolloZ170]

True. Yes it's a modular.

many contacts. maybe not properly inserted, wrong cables, etc.

 

[mrbsquish]

Ok, so I grabbed an old PSW which is known to be working, doesn't have the extra CPU plugs like the new one so just connected the 24 pin standard connector. It's been sitting there for about 10 minutes with the PSW turned on.

See Photo : 20241113_091802.jpg

No BMC heartbeat LED flashing

 

[RolloZ170]

doesn't have the extra CPU plugs like the new one so just connected the 24 pin standard connector.

without CPU & RAM ?
without +12 EPS nothing works (or cables get up in fire)
should flash now.

 

[RolloZ170]

ok the LED right bottom is STB PWR ready, not PSU issue.
your BMC is dead, RMA thought.

 

[mrbsquish]

Thanks for your help Rollo.

 

[BusError]

Is it common on these boards? I have a ROMED16 and had none of these problems, but it's a bit scary to get a new DOA board like that!

Mind you I still have tons of USB problems, but it's a different matter...

 

[RolloZ170]

Is it common on these boards?

sure. one of 1000....

 

[dnb]

sure. one of 1000....

I apologize for interfering, but now I have a choice for the same build with Epyc 7773x: buy a completely new romed8 versus h12ssl-i or -ct. The only thing that scares me is the reliability of the romed8. On the one hand, it looks very strong (even better than Supermicro). Which board do you think is more reliable based on siatistics, your experience, and so on?

 

[BusError]

Perhaps it is a non-issue if you can RMA the board? I bought the ROME16 unaware of any reliability problem (and had none), and I found that board *massively* better than the previous H11DSI I had! Pretty much everything is better TBH, some by a wide margin. Not sure how H12's are but given my experience of SuperMicro I wouldn't hold my breath

The two negative I found (which is shared by both manufacturers anyway) is USB reliability, and lack of Suspend/Hibernate support...

 

[RageBone]

I apologize for interfering, but now I have a choice for the same build with Epyc 7773x: buy a completely new romed8 versus h12ssl-i or -ct. The only thing that scares me is the reliability of the romed8. On the one hand, it looks very strong (even better than Supermicro). Which board do you think is more reliable based on siatistics, your experience, and so on?

Be aware that the H12 series uses tiny tiny bare die voltage regulators that are placed all over the board.
Super easy to break if you don't know about them.
Newer revisions have them on the backside, I heard.

Asrack RomeD8 is a cool / good board.
Also uses AMI on the BMC unlike SM who cooking their own stuff.

 

[mrbsquish]

Hey all,
Just an update on this thread. I went back and forward with AsRock support, and sending pics and video to both the Ebay seller and Asrock support. Eventually AsRock support advised me to send the board back, which I then organised with the Ebay seller. Other than the language\cultural differences (Chinese), the Ebay seller was actually really good about it and said if I sent it back (at their expense), and they tested it I could choose to either get a refund or send a replacement.

So, after very carefully packing it and sending it back, they tested it and confirmed it was non-functional. As promised they asked if I wanted a refund or replacement. I chose the replacement as long as they sent me pics and video of the board and cpu working, which they did. Replacement arrived with new CPU attached, plugged it in, and straight away got the BMC LED. Installed the cooler again, and now have a functional system (with Ubuntu installed) - Happy days.

The only thing I was disappointed about was the fact I couldn't give the Ebay seller a good review as it had taken too long in this process. So, if anyone wants this setup, here's where I bought it from Ebay