3rd PC build, very strange issue. I'm out of tricks. Long read.

[OilMagnate]

Probably because it's ddr5 (new) and 4800MHz is it's slowest speed, and motherboard manufacturers not having it patched properly yet.

Having said all of that, RAM stick in wrong slots would not have anything to do with a PC going crazy by bumping a table.

Since it's linked to physical movement, that would mean it's related to things either not properly seated or having an internal, or external short somewhere.

That's why I recommended disconnecting everything except the bare essentials required to turn on the PC. I would not start changing parts blindly, removing the motherboard, CPU etc. because even if that fixed the issue, OP will likely not know what actually caused it and it may return or even damage his system in the future (if it's a short for example)

Agreed. Unfortunately even the bare essentials still allow the issue to persist. Now I've confirmed it is NOT the PSU, which was my highest suspect. Back to the drawing board.

 

[SubieRubyRoo]

Does the back of the motherboard have any area where it has a factory tape or sticker to prevent grounding out? If so, is that still in tact?

Since this mobo was in what sounds like another case previously, are all of the standoffs in the same spots? Maybe a standoff is in a different spot ever so slightly grounding out?

Mobo tight in the case?

That’s where I was heading. If a slight bump caused the issue, that means something’s moving and it shouldn’t.

Many inexpensive cases have extremely flimsy backplanes, I’ve seen a few that would flex enough to cause issues especially when they skimp out on punching and tapping the lowest right side stand-off…

 

[SubieRubyRoo]

The MOBO standoffs are built into the case on the 4000D cases. All 8 screws are tight, and the center alignment pin (where the center screw would go) is correct.

I really didn't want to undo my stellar cable management jobs, but I swapped it with build #2's PSU. Artifacting persists. Now I'm really stumped...

If you’re at this point and the artifacts still persist, I’d think you’re down to two possibilities. The worst one is that if you’re on the integrated graphics, that the chip itself is somehow damaged. The other one is that the mobo is damaged. Do you have another mobo that you can swap the CPU into and verify that it is ok?

 

[KrisZ]

I guess I'm not familiar with jumping pins on anything. Can you elaborate on this?

I was referring to the front panel pins where you connect you power/reset buttons, HDD led etc.
you can remove them all and then touch the power switch pins momentarily with a screwdriver to power on the system.

 

[KrisZ]

If you’re at this point and the artifacts still persist, I’d think you’re down to two possibilities. The worst one is that if you’re on the integrated graphics, that the chip itself is somehow damaged. The other one is that the mobo is damaged. Do you have another mobo that you can swap the CPU into and verify that it is ok?

I agree as well. Normally a short somewhere would cause an instant shutdown, not artifacting on the screen. If you have another CPU it might be a good idea to try it out. Brand new and defective CPUs aren’t unheard of.

Also, one or more of the LGA pins may be bent slightly where they make partial contact.

 

[JustinH]

put the card in another build and bench test it. If it still artifacts RMA the card.

 

[KrisZ]

put the card in another build and bench test it. If it still artifacts RMA the card.

OP is using integrated graphics, no stand alone GPU in this system.

 

[Skippy722]

I also vote reseat the CPU. If that doesn’t work, try another CPU. If the problem still persists, motherboard.

 

[Rand]

The bios is fully updated and the IME too?

I'd try swapping the power supply.. after that try a different CPU if available.

 

[OilMagnate]

I'm with the not-a-driver-issue camp if you already updated the UEFI to work with Raptor Lake with that specific motherboard. Here's the webpage to the MSI UEFI downloads. Version 7D32v18 released in Sept 2022 was the UEFI release for Raptor Lake but the latest one, 7D32v1C, from this month should work also.

Is the Corsair iCUE the only thing plugged into the SATA PSU cables?

Also, could you confirm that only 1 cable is plugged into the CPU_PWR1 slot from the CPU1 connection from the PSU, and nothing plugged into the CPU_PWR2 connector on the mobo?

I will admit I forgot to update the UEFI. Software ignorance. However, I was on 7D32v18 and the update for Raptor Lake was 7D32v17. I now have the most recent update 7D32v1C. Still artifacts reliably.

The lone SATA cable coming from the PSU has the Commander XT (PWM and RGB for accessory fans only) and the AIO pump unit plugged into it. For laughs, I added a second SATA cable from my other PSU (all 3 builds are EVGA, and all cables are compatible) and separated the AIO and Commander onto different cables. Still artifacts.

Yes I can confirm there is only ONE CPU 4+4 cable plugged into the left port on the motherboard that you highlighted in yellow. Right port is unused.

 

[OilMagnate]

If you have already updated the UEFI, then start the computer with minimal physical connections; remove all fan/AIO connections, and start with 1 stick of RAM without XMP. See how far you get. If the PC is stable with minimal connections start plugging this back in one by one, starting with the RAM, then the AIO, then the fans. If none of that works, reseat the CPU and AIO block and make sure none of the pins are bent. If that doesn't work, completely disassemble and reassemble. If none of that works either, either start part-swapping out with different computers starting with the power supply. I'm willing to wager if the problem gets this far, it's either the mobo, or CPU.

Whoa, wait a second. Now we're getting somewhere! I disabled XMP with both sticks still inserted. Same artifacting. Then I removed the DIMM B2 slot... NO ARTIFACTING, no matter how hard I close the drawer. I inserted the RAM stick back into DIMM B2, artifacting again. I will try a few combinations of RAM sticks and XMP enabling/disabling to see if I can truly isolate it, but it appears to be a bad DIMM B2 slot. I'll also try swapping the PSU out for the one from build #2 again and see if the unused CPU 4+4 is somehow affecting it. Thankfully it's under warranty. I'll report back ASAP.

 

[dogememe]

Worst case take it all out of the case build it on top of a cardboard box or something and start over.

 

[OilMagnate]

Whoa, wait a second. Now we're getting somewhere! I disabled XMP with both sticks still inserted. Same artifacting. Then I removed the DIMM B2 slot... NO ARTIFACTING, no matter how hard I close the drawer. I inserted the RAM stick back into DIMM B2, artifacting again. I will try a few combinations of RAM sticks and XMP enabling/disabling to see if I can truly isolate it, but it appears to be a bad DIMM B2 slot. I'll also try swapping the PSU out for the one from build #2 again and see if the unused CPU 4+4 is somehow affecting it. Thankfully it's under warranty. I'll report back ASAP.

So I don't think I need to swap the PSUs again. I think I have my answer. Between 3 different sets of RAM, regardless of stick A/B for each set, and regardless of XMP, DIMM B2 seems to be faulty. Obviously I'm doing it gently, but I can wiggle the other RAM stick a bit and no problem. If I wiggle DIMM B2 slightly, even 1/3 as much as the other slot, instant artifacting. Looks like this MOBO is getting a warranty claim. @Pew is our winner!

Although I must say, as much of a pain as this process was, I'll do it 3x over again before I try another Asus MOBO. That was the one I referenced earlier (Z790-P Prime) that was proven faulty by Asus themselves and is being replaced... with a Z790 Tomahawk. That took almost a week to figure out, because they kept going the wrong direction via tech support. In the end, they wanted to send the board in to analyze and confirm the issue, and said it could take a few weeks before they send a replacement. Uh, no. I'll just return it as defective within my 15 day window and buy a new one, thanks anyway. Too many bad experiences with Asus, and that was the final straw. The only exception I'll still make is their routers.

 

[OilMagnate]

What heat transfer paste did you use and how much did you gob it on.. some are electrically conductive.

I'm great with paste. Less is more, to a point. I use MX-4, non-conductive. I use plastic gift cards and smooth out the thinnest layer imaginable, nowhere near enough to cover the entire chip. The paste is only there for surface imperfections, not to cool the chip. The more paste, the LESS heat transfer capacity.

 

[OilMagnate]

This isn't very strange at all to anyone who has worked on an old radio or TV. The troubleshooting procedure is to very lightly tap and probe each part to find the one that is most sensitive to causing the problem.

I'm with the various theories that something is touching the underside of the motherboard and shorting it out. Press down very lightly on various spots on the board.

Thanks for the suggestion. While this may be the case, I'm no electrical engineer. DIMM B2 is confirmed faulty, that's enough for MSI to do warranty work and figure out the rest. Good enough for me!

 

[OilMagnate]

If you’re at this point and the artifacts still persist, I’d think you’re down to two possibilities. The worst one is that if you’re on the integrated graphics, that the chip itself is somehow damaged. The other one is that the mobo is damaged. Do you have another mobo that you can swap the CPU into and verify that it is ok?

Not easily, but yes. However the answer has been found. See 3 posts up. Thanks for the input, it was correct.

 

[OilMagnate]

I was referring to the front panel pins where you connect you power/reset buttons, HDD led etc.
you can remove them all and then touch the power switch pins momentarily with a screwdriver to power on the system.

View attachment 161645

Interesting. Call me dumb, but...why?

 

[KrisZ]

Interesting. Call me dumb, but...why?

Because the power button itself could be faulty, or the front panel board itself. It's just another thing that could go wrong.

But it looks like you found your answer. Was the MOBO brand new? Did it look like it was a return? Amazon sometimes sells things that are advertised as new, but are returns. Of course, brand new boards can be faulty too.
Doesn't matter, return it asap. I had good luck with Gigabyte boards.

 

[Cujet]

Good job on the troubleshooting. These things are often frustrating. I deal with this kind of thing on a daily basis, with our flying network.

My success rate is in the single digits... Well maybe not that bad, but it is less than easy.

 

[Pew]

So I don't think I need to swap the PSUs again. I think I have my answer. Between 3 different sets of RAM, regardless of stick A/B for each set, and regardless of XMP, DIMM B2 seems to be faulty. Obviously I'm doing it gently, but I can wiggle the other RAM stick a bit and no problem. If I wiggle DIMM B2 slightly, even 1/3 as much as the other slot, instant artifacting. Looks like this MOBO is getting a warranty claim. @Pew is our winner!

Although I must say, as much of a pain as this process was, I'll do it 3x over again before I try another Asus MOBO. That was the one I referenced earlier (Z790-P Prime) that was proven faulty by Asus themselves and is being replaced... with a Z790 Tomahawk. That took almost a week to figure out, because they kept going the wrong direction via tech support. In the end, they wanted to send the board in to analyze and confirm the issue, and said it could take a few weeks before they send a replacement. Uh, no. I'll just return it as defective within my 15 day window and buy a new one, thanks anyway. Too many bad experiences with Asus, and that was the final straw. The only exception I'll still make is their routers.

I was actually looking at the MSI Z790 Tomahawk but got the ASUS Strix Z790-E. ASUS motherboards are pretty good but their RMA process is probably one of the worst I've ever come across; I've had to RMA an ASUS 2080 before (for the bad Micron vRAM batch) and that was the worst RMA experience. The best advice I can give for an RMA process for computer hardware is to list all the troubleshooting steps you've done that eliminates the possibility of other hardware causing the problem. That tends to cut down on all the "follow these steps first" and straight to "here's a shipping label."