Advices to avoid the dreaded boot loop on GA-Z68X-UD3H-B3

[amoretam]

hi people...
Unfortunately this is not a buying an advice thread because I already bought my parts.
But after buying this MOBO I realized it is a very undesired one because of the god damn boot loop issue almost everybody is having.
Hopefully that will not be my case with your help.

I already have all my parts ready for assembly but I need to have very clear what are the steps to follow.
This is my second build (I already build a mini customac successfully) so I understand the procedure to Install Lion.

I am aware that a Bios update may be the solution (although that did not work for some people) and some tweaks, but something I don't understand is that this mobo's DSDT only gets to F12..

Thanks a lot for your help and time and this are my parts:

Gigabyte Intel Z68 ATX DDR3 2133 LGA 1155 Motherboards GA-Z68X-UD3H-B3

Intel Core i5-2500K Processor

8GB G.Skill DDR3 PC3-12800 1600MHz Ripjaw Series (9-9-9-24) Dual Channel kit F3-12800CL9D-8GBRL

Cooler Master eXtreme Power Plus Series 500W ATX12V V2.3 Power Supply (RS500-PCARD3-US)

Crucial 128 GB m4 2.5-Inch Solid State Drive SATA 6Gb/s CT128M4SSD2

some sata dvd I have somewhere

some eSata and Firewire drives for samples and VI;s libraries (since this is going to be a Audio production Customac).


THANKS

 

[zaptoons]

I have the same board, and I've used it to build 5 systems for other people as well. Not a single problem.

Unless something changed with a BIOS update or a newer run of the board, I'm fairly sure most people experiencing the boot-loop issue with this board are using it with IvyBridge CPUs. I think it just wasn't quite ready for IvyBridge yet. Hopefully, since you're using a SandyBridge CPU you won't have any problems.

I say build your system and see how it goes.

 

[amoretam]

I have the same board, and I've used it to build 5 systems for other people as well. Not a single problem.

Unless something changed with a BIOS update or a newer run of the board, I'm fairly sure most people experiencing the boot-loop issue with this board are using it with IvyBridge CPUs. I think it just wasn't quite ready for IvyBridge yet. Hopefully, since you're using a SandyBridge CPU you won't have any problems.

I say build your system and see how it goes.

thanks for your reply, but yes, I 've read complaints from lots of people using sandy bridge as well..
I really cannot afford to have this problem since I live in Dominican Republic and I have to pay a lot to return the board and go through the whole process.

But anyways I am collecting info here:

Do you think I should use the latest BIOS update which supposedly helps with this issue?

If yes, what DSDT should I use from the DSDT database? (I believe this mobo's latest dsdt gets to F12 but the latest BIOS update is beyond F12, something like U1h(UEFI BIOS)).


Thanks a lot

 

[saintmac]

http://www.tonymacx86.com/lion-desktop-support/48820-solved-gigabyte-boot-loop.html

 

[amoretam]

http://www.tonymacx86.com/lion-desktop-support/48820-solved-gigabyte-boot-loop.html

thanks man, i have check that but that does not work for some people....


thanks

 

[powerpcg5]

I tried one no-name USB expansion card on my Gigabyte mobo. It just went into a reboot loop. Removed the card, and all is well. (But the same USB card works fine on an Intel mobo.)

If your Giga board is going into a reboot loop, it could be that you have an installed hardware that it doesn't like. (or defective).

 

[amoretam]

I tried one no-name USB expansion card on my Gigabyte mobo. It just went into a reboot loop. Removed the card, and all is well. (But the same USB card works fine on an Intel mobo.)

If your Giga board is going into a reboot loop, it could be that you have an installed hardware that it doesn't like. (or defective).

wow!! this mobo is a nightmare... it is incredible how non-specific it is to avoid this issue!!

 

[saintmac]

If the power button reset doesn't work, short the CMOS reset jumper for 20 minutes (with battery in) and then remove the battery for another 20 minutes. If that still doesn't work, pull anything you don't absolutely need in order to boot, reshuffle the RAM in different sockets, and try again.

 

[zaptoons]

Do you think I should use the latest BIOS update which supposedly helps with this issue?

I don't know what to tell you, if you're not actually HAVING the issue, but just worried about the possibility.

I've been building computers for a long time, and motherboards of all type, always have some potential issues. I can take the latest/greatest z77 board anyone is using here, go to newegg, and view all the 1-egg reviews and see nothing but people swearing up and down that it's the worst board ever, and don't buy it or you'll be ripping your hair out. I can find users all over every forum having problems of some nature with it. I can easily convince myself that it must be the world's worst piece of hardware by doing that.

All I can say is, when I bought my first (of six) Z68X boards, I heard virtually nothing but good things about it for Hackintosh and the reviews for it were stellar, otherwise I wouldn't have gone anywhere near it. I honestly hadn't even heard of the boot-loop issue, and like I say, I've never experienced it on any of the ones I've built. When I look at newegg user reviews of it now, I can't help but notice a large percentage of those complaining about boot loops bought theirs after mine, and either don't say what CPU they are using, or a lot are using IvyBridge CPUs.

So unless you're actually experiencing the problem I just haven't seen any real evidence that this board is any worse than any other.

If you're that concerned that you don't even want to try it out (and I get that it's because of your location that you have a greater concern) I'd say just return it now and get a newer supported z77 board.

 

[amoretam]

I don't know what to tell you, if you're not actually HAVING the issue, but just worried about the possibility.

I've been building computers for a long time, and motherboards of all type, always have some potential issues. I can take the latest/greatest z77 board anyone is using here, go to newegg, and view all the 1-egg reviews and see nothing but people swearing up and down that it's the worst board ever, and don't buy it or you'll be ripping your hair out. I can find users all over every forum having problems of some nature with it. I can easily convince myself that it must be the world's worst piece of hardware by doing that.

All I can say is, when I bought my first (of six) Z68X boards, I heard virtually nothing but good things about it for Hackintosh and the reviews for it were stellar, otherwise I wouldn't have gone anywhere near it. I honestly hadn't even heard of the boot-loop issue, and like I say, I've never experienced it on any of the ones I've built. When I look at newegg user reviews of it now, I can't help but notice a large percentage of those complaining about boot loops bought theirs after mine, and either don't say what CPU they are using, or a lot are using IvyBridge CPUs.

So unless you're actually experiencing the problem I just haven't seen any real evidence that this board is any worse than any other.

If you're that concerned that you don't even want to try it out (and I get that it's because of your location that you have a greater concern) I'd say just return it now and get a newer supported z77 board.

ok today I start installing.... i decided to leave my paranoia behind and go ahead!!

thanks for advices.. I 'll let you guys know if this loop stuff happens to me!