Zenith II EA POST Error Check CPU

[PetMad]

I tried to use my cpmputer today and found that it had locked up. I rebooted it and the POST threw up 'Check CPU'
I have tried powering down and turning the power off for 2 hours and turning it back on. I get the same POST error.
I am currentlly trying to see if leaving it off for around 6 - 8 hours to see if that fixes the problem,

Does anyone have any helpful advice/info that could help me while I;m waiting?

PC Spec:

Case
BE QUIET! DARK BASE PRO 900 REV. 2 FULL TOWER GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X 32 Core CPU (3.7GHz - 4.5GHz, 147MB CACHE)
Motherboard
ASUS® ROG ZENITH II EXTREME ALPHA (DDR4, Wi-Fi 6, CrossFireX/SLI) - ARGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
256GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3000MHz (8 x 32GB)
Graphics Card
2 X ASUS ROG Geforce RTX 2070 Super EVO 8Gb GDDR6
1st M.2 SSD Drive
500GB SAMSUNG 970 EVO PLUS M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3500MB/R, 3200MB/W)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
500GB SAMSUNG 970 EVO PLUS M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3500MB/R, 3200MB/W)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
250GB SAMSUNG 970 EVO PLUS M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3500MB/R, 2300MB/W)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
24x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM
Power Supply
CORSAIR 1200W HX SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® PLATINUM, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
Corsair H150i RGB PRO XT Hydro Series High Performance CPU Cooler
Thermal Paste
ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND
Extra Case Fans
3x Corsair LL120 RGB LED Fan + Controller Kit
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Card (Removed due to having 2 GFX Cards)
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT (Wi-Fi NOT INCLUDED)
USB/Thunderbolt Options
2 PORT (2 x TYPE A) USB 3.1 PCI-E CARD + STANDARD USB PORTS
Operating System
Windows 10 Professional 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [MUP-00003]
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Supplied on USB Drive
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
Monitor Cables
4 x 2 METRE GOLD PLATED V1.4 HDMI CABLE
Cable Management
3 x PCS 1.5M Zip Cable Tidy - Professional Cable Management
Warranty
3 Year Platinum Warranty (3 Year Collect & Return, 3 Year Parts, 3 Year labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 20 to 22 working days
Welcome Book
PCSpecialist Welcome Book - United Kingdom & Republic of Ireland
Logo Branding
PCSpecialist Logo

 

[PetMad]

Update:
I waited a bit longer - until 3pm today (Tue 9 Feb).
I booted and it came up with a new error - Check HDD.
I rebooted and was greeted with a new notice, the OS was trying to recover itself but kept freezing (3 times).
So I disconnected everything but LAN & audio.
Upon rebooting, I managed to boot to system,
I then shut down and connected everything back in and then booted. It booted sucessfully.

I have also checked to see what the latest BIOS version is and I have downloaded the katest as I am currently one version behind.

 

[PetMad]

A little quick off the mark here, it locked up at around 2:40 this morning and then again about 3 hours later at 5:30 this morning. I have no idea what could be causing it.

 

[PetMad]

Tried again today to recover from whatever is causing it to not boot.
I am now getting POST message 'Test CMOS'.
I've tried to boot to Ubuntu from a USB stick bit still get the Test CMOS' message.
It's looking more and more like I'm going to have to request an RMA.

Any PCSpecialist staff read this, could you please help me.

 

[PetMad]

PCS staff rarely monitor the forums.

Given it's mentioning CMOS, if it was me, I would reset the CMOS...basically remove the battery (it's a watch battery type thing), wait 30 seconds then reinsert it. However, on that board, to get to it you will need to remove the cover...the cover simply has 4 screws.

Here's a picture of the motherboard with the battery highlighted and you can see the cover that needs removin

I managed to remove the battery without removing the cover as there's a little catch on the battery housing.Theres also a 'Reset CMOS' button on the back of the tower, which I tried using before removing the battery. All that happened was the PC shut down.

Upon rebooting, it can't get past the POST without giving the message 'Test CMOS'
I just don't know what else to try.

 

[Martinr36]

might be worth trying a new CMOS battery if removing and replacing it did nothing

 

[PetMad]

I have been researching your motherboard as it is a relative unknown to me and there are 2 further steps you can try:

1) On the back of your case, at the top of the motherboard, you will find 2 buttons..."BIOS flashback" and "Clear CMOS". Try pressing the CMOS one....hopefully, it will clear the CMOS bit..I assume you just press and release as the manual isn't clear..could try holding for a few seconds if it doesn't work

2) Underneath where the battery is, there are 2 small buttons labelled "start" and "flex key". According to the ASUS site "At its default, the FlexKey functions as a system reset button, but it can also be easily set to quickly turn Aura lighting on or off, activate Safe Boot or enter the BIOS." So, try pressing the Flex button..again, I presume it's a simple press and release

Already tried the 'Clear CMOS' as mentioned earlier and the 'flex key' just reboots the system, which returns the POST error 'Check CMOS'

So, I'm still stuck at the same position as mentioned earlier.

 

[PetMad]

Apologies...I overlooked that you had used the CMOS button.

Unfortunately, I have nothing further I can add to it as I have reached my knowledge limits

No worries.
I've contacted PCS, sent them a message. Just gonna wait and see when they get back to me (give it up to three weeks...) what they say...