If you’re having trouble with the Argon NEO 5 NVMe, most issues are quick to resolve with a few checks and by installing Argon’s required scripts.
🔧 Install the required scripts
Argon’s setup requires scripts to configure the Raspberry Pi 5 for the case and NVMe board. These steps are shown in the official manual.
✓ Recommended: Follow the script steps in the official Argon manual (includes two script steps and reboots): Argon NEO 5 manual.
⚡ Argon NEO 5 won’t power on
If the Pi won’t power at all in the case, start with power and the physical assembly checks below.
- Check you’re using an official Raspberry Pi 27W USB-C Power Supply (recommended for Raspberry Pi 5, especially if you’re using USB devices and NVMe storage).
- Open the case and re-check all internal connections, ribbon cables, and screws are seated correctly.
⚠️ Note: If the power supply is under-spec (or not detected as capable), Raspberry Pi 5 may limit available USB current, which can affect attached devices.
🧠 Argon NEO 5 won’t boot
If the Pi powers on but doesn’t boot as expected, work through the steps below in order.
- Confirm the required scripts have been installed: Argon NEO 5 manual.
- Use an official Raspberry Pi 27W USB-C Power Supply.
- If you can access your boot partition, try adding usb_max_current_enable=1 to your config.txt (the scripts may apply this depending on your setup).
- Try updating your EEPROM using sudo rpi-eeprom-update -a (on Raspberry Pi OS).
- Re-check the internal ribbon cables and ensure all screws are secure.
- Make sure the base section is fully assembled and secured with screws, then try again.
✓ Tip: If you’re not using Raspberry Pi OS, EEPROM update tools can vary by distribution. If rpi-eeprom-update isn’t available, switch to Raspberry Pi OS temporarily to update the EEPROM, then re-test.
💾 NVMe drive not detected
If Raspberry Pi OS doesn’t detect the NVMe drive, these checks usually resolve it.
- Confirm the required scripts have been installed: Argon NEO 5 manual.
- Try updating your EEPROM using sudo rpi-eeprom-update -a (on Raspberry Pi OS).
- If you can access your boot partition, try adding usb_max_current_enable=1 to your config.txt (the scripts may apply this depending on your setup).
- Re-check the internal ribbon cables and screws, and make sure the base section is firmly attached.
- Confirm you’re using an official Raspberry Pi 27W USB-C Power Supply, as power/current limiting can prevent reliable detection of storage and USB devices.
⚠️ Note: Some NVMe models can be less reliable over PCIe-to-NVMe carrier boards. If you’ve tried the steps above and the drive still isn’t detected, test with another NVMe drive if available to rule out a drive compatibility issue. Alternatively, grab a Raspberry Pi SSD.