Can't boot, and stops at POST code 55 with i5-3570K. Can it be a CPU problem?

[DDani9]

So there's an i5-3570K, and the computer can't boot. Just stops at POST (power on self test) code 55, and reboots.

I've searched the internet for this problem, and it says, that post code 55 means: "memory not installed".

From what I've read I guess, it can happen in many cases:

- I was so stupid, I forgot to install the RAMs

- there's a problem with the RAMs

- the RAMs aren't installed in the correct slots

- the cpu isn't compatible with the motherboard

- the current BOIS version of the mb does't support the cpu

- pin(s) in the mptherboard socket are broken

There are a few cases, that I'd like to add a few words to in advance:

So it stops at post code 55, but I don't know if it means that the problem is in the 55th or the 56th phase of the POST. But in both cases it is related to the DMA-controller.

The post code 55 means: "DMA controller 1 and 2 latch test OK", and

the post code 56 means: "DMA controller 1 and 2 configured OK".

Edit_1: found this information here: http://www.bioscentral.com/postcodes/amibios.htm http://www.bioscentral.com/postcodes/amibios.htm

Edit_2: Are these test made on the motherboard, or the cpu?

Edit_3: Post code 55 and 56 can also mean:

55: F/F latch tests both units OK

56: DMA units 1 & 2 programmed OK

OR:

55: A-20 gate disabled

56: BIOS vector recheck

OR:

55: A20 gate disabled

56: BIOS data area rechecked

Now first really important question:

Does the i5-3570K have a built in DMA-controller?

Because if it has, the culprit can lay there, and it can mean, that the cpu is faulty. And there's no visible phisical damages on the processor - I just wanted to add that.

But if it doesn't thave a built in DMA-controller the cpu has to be OK, and the problem should be with the motherboard. Right?

And as far as I know, motherboards have a DMA-controller. (Right?)

Now back to the cases, because I even read, that sometimes a cpu cooler can cause this problem:

- when the cooler was installed, it broke the DMA-controller in the motherboard

- when the cooler was installed, it pushed down the cpu so hard, it broke some pins in the socket

Now, I have to say, that I based these on the solutions, I've found on the internet, when people had the same problem. So in some case for someone the solution was to update their motherboard's BIOS, and in same cases was to loosen the cpu cooler a little bit.

----------------------------------------Main question(s) come here:----------------------------------------

So there can be a lot of culprits involved in this, but if all of the above are OK - lets just assume that - can this problem happen? ('Cause I kinda ruled out the cpu as a culprit.)

Or, if it can still happen, can it yet be the cpu's fault? Or it can't be the cpu's fault, but something else's, that I didn't mention above?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A litthe disclaimer on why I didn't specify the motherboards and thier BIOS version:

I'd like to buy this cpu used from someone, and he just said, that he tried this out with two different motherboards. And he offers it very cheap, because he thinks, thar the cpu is faulty. But from what I've read, I assume it can't be, and he has 2 motherboards, that are broken, or just does't support the i5-3570K.

And I don't really want to ask him the specific motherboards and their BIOS versions, he tried, 'cause it can give him a hint, that the problem can be there, so there might be a fix for that.

So basically I'm just asking should I go for it, or it would be just a waste of money,

Thank you in advande!

P.S.: Sorry for the long post, but I really wanted to write down every single bit of information to this problem.

Az üzenetet szerkesztette: Daniel G

[AlHill]

All of this analysis, without knowing the specific memory and motherboard(s) being used, and that this is a "used" cpu, does not help with anything.

Either provide the specifics of the motherboards and memory (and bios) being used, or purchase a new cpu that is supported on the intended motherboard.

Also, purchasing a used cpu, that the seller claims was tried on two different boards and the seller "thinks" is faulty should say something.

Also, the http://ark.intel.com/products/65520/Intel-Core-i5-3570K-Processor-6M-Cache-up-to-3_80-GHz Intel® Core™ i5-3570K Processor (6M Cache, up to 3.80 GHz) Specifications is already four years old and four generations behind. In my opinion, I would look for a cpu/motherboard combination that is more current and supported.

Doc

[n_scott_pearson]

You've read a bunch of old garbage. POST codes in the 0x50 - 0x5F range are used for the enumeration and initialization of the various chipset I/O buses (including PCI/PCIe, USB, SATA, etc.). It has nothing to do with the initialization of the memory buses or the chipset (PCH component) itself (POST codes in the 0x20 - 0x2F range are used for that). POST hangs with codes in the 0x50 - 0x5F range could be as a result of a failure in the processor, a failure in the chipset (which contains the DMA controllers, BTW) or a failure in some other motherboard components; there is no way to conclusively tell without a lot more information. Suffice it to say, while I would in general be leaning away from it being an issue in the processor, when you see similar issues occurring on two different boards, it sort of points the hairy finger back at the processor. You may be right; he may be right; I would need a *lot* more information before I could do anything but speculate...

My opinion? I agree with Doc; don't go near it. Boards that support this processor are getting long in the tooth and component failures and compatibility issues (etc.) with more modern video cards (etc.) are going to start to appear (if are not already occurring)...

...S

[DDani9]

Thank you for your answer, it really helped a lot.

And as I've said it above, I asked him about the motherboards, and their BIOS versions.

BTW, when you said: "could be as a result of a failure in the processor, a failure in the chipset", when you talk about chipset, you talk about the motherboard right? (Chipset like H61, or Z68 etc...)

[n_scott_pearson]

Correct; the chipset - the Platform Controller Hub (PCH) component - is mounted on the board and supports most of the peripheral buses (PCI, USB, SATA, SMBus, SPI, etc.) on the processors behalf. For the i5-3570K processor, the board needs to have a 7 Series chipset: Z77, H77, Q77 or B75. For a K (unlocked) processor, I would be looking for a board with the higher-end Z77 chipset. As Doc mentioned, do verify that the board's BIOS has support for this particular processor.

...S

[DDani9]

I have a Gigabyte GA-H61M-S2PV (rev. 2.0), with BIOS version FD, but according to Intel, it supports the 3570K: http://www.cpu-upgrade.com/CPUs/Intel/Core_i5/i5-3570K_motherboards.html http://www.cpu-upgrade.com/CPUs/Intel/Core_i5/i5-3570K_motherboards.html

I guess I won't be able to overclock it, but I don't care much about that.

[AlHill]

The link you provided is not an Intel link. Intel cannot tell you what the Gigabyte BIOS supports.

However, you are in luck - Gigabyte says their bios will support that processor:

http://www.gigabyte.com/support-downloads/cpu-support-popup.aspx?pid=4091 GIGABYTE TECHNOLOGY Socket 1155 - Intel H61 - GA-H61M-S2PV (rev. 2.0)

Now, if your board is not at the proper bios (FD), I suggest you correct that now, while you still can. Follow the instructions on the gigabyte site to update the bios.

Doc

[DDani9]

Hmm, you're right. Somehow I remembered (wrongly) that I saw an Intel site referring to the cpu-upgrade site...

Howewer I saw that link too already, what you linked.

BTW, this is Intel's site, where they list the compatible boards with the i5-3570K: http://processormatch.intel.com/MotherBoards/CompatibleBoards?componentName=i5-3570K http://processormatch.intel.com/MotherBoards/CompatibleBoards?componentName=i5-3570K. And they don't mention my motherboard here..

But this is Intel's site, where they list the compatible boards with the i5-2400: http://processormatch.intel.com/MotherBoards/CompatibleBoards?componentName=i5-2400 http://processormatch.intel.com/MotherBoards/CompatibleBoards?componentName=i5-2400. And they don't mention my motherboard here, neither. I'd be very surprised, if it wasn't compatible with the 2400, 'cause I'm using that right now. So Intel's site doesn't mean a thing at all, neither, but - once again - you're right, Gigabyte's site does.

And I have the proper BIOS version (FD), which is the oldest, but I don't have any problems with that, so I think I will stay on that. (In college, I was told, that with an update, or a fix to a problem you put at least 2 new in your program. )

[DDani9]

Ahh, finally. He answered. Kinda.

So one of the motherboards, he tried is an ASRock Z77 Extreme4 with BIOS version P2.20.

He sent a screenshot of the 'Mainboard' tab from CPU-Z: https://prohardver.hu/dl/upc/2016-12/226914_cpuz.jpg https://prohardver.hu/dl/upc/2016-12/226914_cpuz.jpg

It says Rev. 04, but on ASRock's website I coudn't find any other revisions, so I'm guessing it's the only one.

According to Intel, the 3570K is supported since 1.1. -> http://processormatch.intel.com/MotherBoards/CompatibleBoards?componentName=i5-3570K http://processormatch.intel.com/MotherBoards/CompatibleBoards?componentName=i5-3570K

However, according to ASRock, it's supported since P1.20 -> http://www.asrock.com/mb/Intel/Z77%20Extreme4/?cat=CPU http://www.asrock.com/mb/Intel/Z77%20Extreme4/?cat=CPU

But, either way, P2.20 is greater than both of them.

By the way, now I know where everyone got that POST code 55 means memory not installed. It's in the Z77 Extreme4's manual (page 43): http://asrock.pc.cdn.bitgravity.com/Manual/Z77%20Extreme4.pdf http://asrock.pc.cdn.bitgravity.com/Manual/Z77%20Extreme4.pdf

It's interesting, that POST code 56 means Invalid CPU type or Speed. And I still don't know, what does it mean, if it stops at POST code 55. What is the problem? Memory not installed? I don't think so, 'cause he uses that system with an i5-2400, and the same motherboard and memories. And everyone I read about on the web, they were pretty sure, that there's no problem with their memories.

So, I can only guess, that the problem here is really an invalid CPU type or speed. And frankly, a bad i5-3570K can show itself to the mb as an i4-3580L (<-I made this one up), and that's obviously not supported. Or if it can't happen the way I just imagined, my second guess is that is shows itself as an i5-3570K, but the problem is with the CPU speed. I don't know, like it has been overclocked, or its clock speed has been modifed, and it has stucked on a value, that is not supported, but it seems, that the culprit is the processor here. 'Cause everyone I found on online forums who had the same problem, it turned out they didn't have a proper BIOS version, so it's obvious, that the mb didn't recognize their perfectly good CPU.

But this guy has a proper BIOS version, so this must be the CPU, that is faulty.

So, I think this is it; I'm not gonna buy it.

Thanks to everyone, who helped me!

P.S.: Correct me if I was wrong above, I don't wanna die stupid (I will look back), but I think we can close this discussion.

Thanks again!

Bye, Daniel

[n_scott_pearson]

First of all, Intel does not exhaustively test every board-processor combination possible. This is left to the board vendors to do with their board products (which come and go so fast that Intel cannot keep track of them). If Intel's compatibility labs receive boards, they test them; if not, they don't. Bottom line, you cannot conclude anything from what you see and do not see in Intel's list.

Secondly, compatibility is a relative thing; any particular BIOS release could provide support - or take it away (yes, this happens; the BIOS only has so much room for storing microcode; I have seen cases where the addition of microcode for a new processor bumps out the microcode for an older processor). Only the board's vendor is going to be able to tell you what processors (their) particular BIOS releases contain support for.

...S

[DDani9]

Ohh, wait a minute. I almost forgot...

Yeah, it's gotta be the CPU's fault, but can I do anything with it to make it work?

Like if the problem is the CPU speed, can I reset it somehow?

Or if it's caused by overclocking, and something isn't right in there, it's possible, that it is damaged on the inside, that is unrepairable? 'Cause after the POST code 55 there are a lot of CPU related tests, and error codes...

[n_scott_pearson]

I would think that the processor was being tested at defaults, so no, there's nothing to reset and nothing repairable. I am not sure what error codes you are referring to; POST codes are progress indicators, not error codes.

[DDani9]

Oh, so it seems another one of my questions got answered.

So if it stopped at the POST code 55, it means, it passed that test, and it can't get through the next one, which is the "Invalid CPU type or Speed". Right?

[DDani9]

That error code thing came to my mind from the wording of the descriptions of the status or progress codes.

Like 'memory not installed'. If it passes that test, then - I guess - memories has to be installed.

And if there are no memories installed, it doesn't pass that test. So it stops before it, at POST code 54, right?

[n_scott_pearson]

Not necessarily; stopping on a POST code, in some cases, means that the associated step hung the BIOS. Other POST codes, even if a failure occurs, will be replaced by others being run subsequently. You simply cannot make any assumptions like that (just as you cannot assume that the POST codes you see from one board's BIOS will mean the same on another, even if the BIOS originated from the same vendor )...

...S

[DDani9]

That's the manual of the exact motherboard, the other guy tested the cpu with, and got that code (55).

So you say it can happen, that the test that checks if there are any memories installed can run at the same time with the CPU self test, which tests the CPU cache, also (POST code 58), and there's a problem in the latter, and the power on self test stops, and it says: "I stopped at 55" (howerever "we know", the problem was with 58), right?

[n_scott_pearson]

I have no idea what you are trying to assert. If POST halts with a specific code being displayed, something went very wrong during the related operation. Some issues don't result in a hang, however; the BIOS may continue and, for example, display information about the problem.

...S

[DDani9]

In this case, it doesn't stop, it get in a bootloop. Stops at POST code 55, and reboots.

What I was trying to assert? Mmm, I don't know; I was just trying to make sense of this.

This seller has a completely working system, and the only one he changes, is the cpu, and then he gets a 'memory not installed' code. I just couldn't understand, how a probably bad CPU can cause a 'memory not installed' error. (Or whatever.)

I think that tricked me, that the next (56) was a CPU related code, and I started thinking on a wrong way, that maybe, the POST operations stop at the last successful, and stop before where a problem occurs. But now I see, the wording of the description of POST codes make clear that if it stops at a specific step of the POST, then the problem will be within that step.

So the milliion dollar question is: how can a CPU cause a 'memory not installed' problem?

I don't know what type of RAM(s) he uses, 'cause - i guess - that can be a problem, if the 3570K doesn't support them, but I can hardly imagine that the 2400 supports them, and the 3570K doesn't. Yeah, if they are some old ones, it can happen, but I don't give that too much chance.

But to be sure, I asked him about it; niow waiting for his answer.

Hmm, I noticed something in the specifications of the 2400 and the 3570K:

The 2400 supports memories @ 1066 and 1333 MHz, and

the 3570K supports memories @ 1333 and 1600 MHz.

I asked him what MHz he uses his memories at, but if he uses them @ 1066MHz, can it be the problem?

I don't know how the 55th POST operation goes, but is it possible, that the motherboard, or whoever runs this test asks the CPU if he sees the memories? Of course, he can't see them, because he does't have eyes, but he "has a mouth", and he can shout to memories, 'cause "they have ears", but they don't speak the same language, and even if the memories hear some noise, they don't know what it means, and they don't know how to answer, or should they answer, so they just don't, and the CPU think they're not there, and he tells it to the mb, and in the end, that's why the mb tells the user, that 'memory not installed'.

(I know, I'm doing this weird thinking again, but I'm just trying to find a logical answer to the million dollar question.)

[AlHill]

You have two choices:

1. Purchase the processor.
2. Do not purchase the processor.

It makes no sense to continue this 3rd and 4th party diagnosis of a processor the seller believes to be faulty.

I recommend choice B.

Doc

[n_scott_pearson]

Daniel,

It is quite simple. The memory controllers are in the processor. If they fail, the processor will not be able to read/write from/to memory.

I agree with Al; this has gone on too long. It's broken; it can't be fixed; forget about it.

...S

[idata]

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Allan.