New build gaming PC will not boot?

New build gaming PC will not boot?

Author
Discussion

Shadow R1

3,798 posts

175 months

Sunday 23rd November 2014
quotequote all
They have a plastic clip that needs holding down to release the main connector.

What power supply is in the machine ?

Is it a new motherboard or second hand ?

The connector to the right is a usb 3, the 2 beside that are sata, they pull straight out unless it has a plastic or metal clip, depends on the manufacture.

Edited by Shadow R1 on Sunday 23 November 18:01

x5x3

Original Poster:

2,422 posts

252 months

Sunday 23rd November 2014
quotequote all
Shadow R1 said:
They have a plastic clip that needs holding down to release the main connector.

What power supply is in the machine ?

Is it a new motherboard or second hand ?
thanks - I found the clip for the power but not the SATA one (actually it is a USB 2.0 expansion not SATA - my bad) but still cannot release it - will try later.

Power supply is - EVGA SuperNOVA NEX 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply

And the motherboard is brand new, in fact all brand new parts.

Shadow R1

3,798 posts

175 months

Sunday 23rd November 2014
quotequote all
Ok.

Remove the usb and sata connectors from it, leaving all the power ones in place with the cpu and heatsink.

If it still wont post, then im leaning toward a failed board, very small chance its the cpu, but unlikely.

MethylatedSpirit

1,893 posts

135 months

Sunday 23rd November 2014
quotequote all
I'm going for possible motherboard dead on arrival. it's happened at least once: http://www.newegg.com/global/uk/Product/SingleProd...

Since it's a modular power supply, make sure the two cables for the motherboard are connected at both ends; motherboard and psu

Some thermal pastes are conductive. Check the heatsink, if you've put too much thermal paste and it oozes out then you can short some circuits on the motherboard

Oakey

27,523 posts

215 months

Sunday 23rd November 2014
quotequote all
There are spacers between the case and motherboard, right (mobo looks quite flush against the case in the pic)?


x5x3

Original Poster:

2,422 posts

252 months

Sunday 23rd November 2014
quotequote all
thanks all - hope to try these out tomorrow

mrdemon

21,146 posts

264 months

Monday 24th November 2014
quotequote all
all built and taken apart In a anti static area with anti static mat, wrist strap etc I take it ;-[)



This is not great "Kingston Fury Series 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory"

it's a dual channel MB and might need both slots 2 and 4 filled to boot. (some MB will not work with 1 memory module)

DOA PSU maybe or
CPU not seated right and you bent a CPU socket pin, and now a MB fail.

that's £55 for my time thanks


Edited by mrdemon on Monday 24th November 00:15

ZesPak

24,421 posts

195 months

Monday 24th November 2014
quotequote all
x5x3 said:
tried to boot with no Video Card and no RAM - no noise and no VGA signal still
This means there's no speaker on the MB, there should be a socket too attach a small speaker. You can find them in any old computer, something like this:



or this:



Check the manual where to attach it.
These will then give a series of beeps for the error code (sort of like morse), slot everything in and see what you get, then check the manual for what the code means. (eg three long beeps = memory problem)

Without this troubleshooting will be a problem.

PlankWithANailIn

439 posts

148 months

Wednesday 26th November 2014
quotequote all
Just want to add, like an earlier poster I had the exact same issue which was solved but using an older model Intel CPU that was supported by the BIOS that ships with the motherboard and then flashing the BIOS which then allowed new CPU's to be used. I got the cheapest oldest model Celeron I could that was supported, I think it cost £15 off of DABS.

Checking on Google though seems to suggest that Z97 boards should support your CPU out of the box and the BIOS updates for your board on MSI's website do not suggest that any of them add any additional CPU's.



Edited by PlankWithANailIn on Wednesday 26th November 22:14

x5x3

Original Poster:

2,422 posts

252 months

Thursday 27th November 2014
quotequote all
thanks all for the replies and suggestions - I'm away on business so will be the weekend before I get to try any of these ideas out.

x5x3

Original Poster:

2,422 posts

252 months

Thursday 4th December 2014
quotequote all
a small update, MSi have said it looks like a dodgy motherboard and have suggested I get a replacement from the supplier.

TonyRPH

12,963 posts

167 months

Thursday 4th December 2014
quotequote all
OP - apologies for the pedant mode here - but to correct your terminology.

Your board wouldn't 'POST' (Power On Self Test) which is quite different to not booting.

Obviously people knew what you meant though!


Jinx

11,345 posts

259 months

Thursday 4th December 2014
quotequote all
Had something similar with a friends install - he ended up putting a layer of insulating tape around the case where the MB was (so remove MB, tape around inside of the case, put MB back). Don't know where the short was but that did solve the issue.

x5x3

Original Poster:

2,422 posts

252 months

Thursday 4th December 2014
quotequote all
TonyRPH said:
OP - apologies for the pedant mode here - but to correct your terminology.

Your board wouldn't 'POST' (Power On Self Test) which is quite different to not booting.

Obviously people knew what you meant though!
so you are sure it did not actually POST, but the VGA output etc was broken so we could not see?

TonyRPH

12,963 posts

167 months

Thursday 4th December 2014
quotequote all
x5x3 said:
so you are sure it did not actually POST, but the VGA output etc was broken so we could not see?
A good point, but all the indications were it wasn't posting.

The last time I had a similar issue, a jumper had inadvertently been placed across the reset switch connector on the motherboard, and it just held the board in a limbo state.


Oakey

27,523 posts

215 months

Thursday 4th December 2014
quotequote all
Jinx said:
Had something similar with a friends install - he ended up putting a layer of insulating tape around the case where the MB was (so remove MB, tape around inside of the case, put MB back). Don't know where the short was but that did solve the issue.
Are you saying he just screwed the motherboard to the case without spacers, because that's what it sounds like?

Jinx

11,345 posts

259 months

Friday 5th December 2014
quotequote all
Oakey said:
Are you saying he just screwed the motherboard to the case without spacers, because that's what it sounds like?
Nope not at all. It was the edge of the board and the metal case was causing a short somewhere.

x5x3

Original Poster:

2,422 posts

252 months

Tuesday 30th December 2014
quotequote all
one final update.....

we got the motherboard replaced and guess what - still did not work!

In the end he took it to a friends house on the basis of swapping bits one by one until it worked and when the RAM was replaced it came to life.

On the positive side I was able to get some more ordered and delivered so he could have it sorted by Christmas.

On the unanswered questions side of things - I am 100% sure I tried (as suggested on here) to boot with no RAM but it did not work.

What are the chances of being delivered a faulty motherboard and faulty RAM?

Note to self - building a computer for yourself does not always save money!!!!!!

TonyRPH

12,963 posts

167 months

Tuesday 30th December 2014
quotequote all
Unless you had a speaker connected to the board, it would be nigh on impossible to know what was happening.

During POST, in an error condition (RAM / display / CPU) the BIOS will issue various beeps in different sequences to aid identification of the problem.

So unless you had that vital speaker connected, with faulty RAM or no RAM at all - you would have no idea of knowing.

ETA: Added link

Edited by TonyRPH on Tuesday 30th December 13:42

grumbledoak

31,500 posts

232 months

Tuesday 30th December 2014
quotequote all
x5x3 said:
Note to self - building a computer for yourself does not always save money!!!!!!
It never does. Hasn't been economically advantageous for decades. The only good reason to do it is because you want to.

Still, you are there now.