Can bent pins stop the motherboard from turning on?
Can bent pins stop the motherboard from turning on?
I received a mobo with bent pins on amazon, Asus Strix Z790-H, and it worked fine for years. Recently, it shut off and wouldn't power on. I thought the PSU died so I swapped a new PSU and found no luck. I've swapped ram and tried shortening the header pins to ensure it wasn't a broken power button on the case. The mobo wouldn't power on, and there would not even be a single fan spin. From my understanding, if bent pins were the issue, it would prevent it from POST screen, not from it actually powering on.
I sent it for an RMA and they blamed the bent pins. I complained that they're too focused on the bent pins and ignoring the issue I actually outlined. They charged me $50 to fix the bent pins and now they're saying they stress tested it and it magically works. Are they trying to pull a quick one and pretend that the bent pins prevented the mobo from powering on? I was under the assumption that faulty ram, cpu, or pins would still show power and fans would spin even if for a second. In my case, the motherboard literally showed no signs of powering on yet aside from the static RGB that just remained on the entire time.
EDIT:
PSU: Corsair RM1000x
CPU: i9-13900k
GPU: 3080 FE
Disk Drives: 850 Evo 500gb, 970 Evo 1TB, 980 Evo 1TB, Sandisk ultra 4tb
Peripherals: Logitech mouse, Logitech powerplay mousepad, custom keyboard, microphone, headset
I don't have pictures as I sent the mobo to Asus a while ago. The reason I'm asking now was because it seemed they were going to possibly just straighten the pins and send it back without testing it. This is my 6th pc I've built so I can confidently say I didn't accidentally damage the board.
Backstory: This PC was built in mid-2023 with mostly brand-new parts. Everything is brand new except for the disk drives and the case. I saw the bent pin but tried it anyway and ran a stress test on it and everything ran fine, for two years actually. One day, the PC randomly shut off, which usually means PSU or temps most of the time. My temps were fine as I never overclock, my CPU has a slight undervolt.
When attempting to turn the PC on, it wouldn't turn on which would most likely rule out a temp issue, as at least it would reboot if it were. The RGB on the mobo remained on but there was no signs of powering on, not even fans spinning. I thought the PSU died, so I unplugged all the power cables and put in a known working PSU with their own cables, I did not mix-n-match the different PSU cables.
The power button still didn't show any signs of life. To rule out that it was a faulty case, I unplugged the header and shorted the two pins with a screwdriver to try to start it without the power button. So far, it seems like I ruled out faulty PSU, faulty case header, and CPU temps.
I did not have a different CPU to try, but you don't need a CPU to see any fans spin when trying to power it on. I tried different RAM sticks just in case, but RAM is also unrelated to the mobo powering on. At this point, it seemed like it was a VRM-related issue or something with the mobo.
I just find it odd that the PC shutting down mid-use after 2+ years and refusing to turn on was because of bent pins from early 2023.
To clarify again since it seems to be ambiguous, I'm not talking about POST screen, that's obvious. My PC will not power on at all; there are no indicators that a signal is being sent to the VRMs to power on. The RGB on the board remains on, but it's in a dead state as if there's no PSU connected at all. Pressing the power button doesn't do anything. If it were a CPU issue, you would still see fans spin for a little. I have no fans spinning, no sound, no indication that it's powering up, even after I swapped PSUs and their respective cables.
The best way I can explain it is imagine if your power went out. Your PC shut off and when you press the power button, nothing happens. That's what my mobo is doing even with a working PSU installed.
Update your update to contain detailed hardware specifications and operating system information.
Provide full system power supply details: PSU make, model, wattage, age, and condition (original, build, refurbished, used).
List all connected peripherals.
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This:
"I've replaced the RAM and adjusted the header pins to confirm it wasn't a faulty power button on the case."
What actions were taken?
Can you provide photos? Please upload them via imgur if possible.
(www.imgur.com > green "New post" icon.)
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Check Reliability History/Monitor and Event Viewer for any error codes, warnings, or events recorded near the shutdown time.
Based on the pins that were bent, there could be a grounding problem or even power loss on the wrong pad of the processor (burnt chip). It makes sense to focus on those bent pins.
In fairness, you should have returned the board as soon as you noticed the issue after purchasing it or initiated an RMA. There are many cases where users accidentally damaged the board and then tried to claim warranty, which is actually invalid if the damage was caused by the user.
Additionally, please note the information my colleague mentioned—this is relevant to your situation.
Your belief is incorrect. I have already covered the costs. The reason for this message is to confirm whether bent pins might be influencing the power cycle, which is why the post title was chosen. No need for hostility here.
Absolutely.
This, an old motherboard of mine:
Bent motherboard pins
Before - No boot
After - boot success
to fix:
PSU: Corsair RM1000x
CPU: i9-13900k
GPU: 3080 FE
Storage: 850 Evo 500gb, 970 Evo 1TB, 980 Evo 1TB, Sandisk ultra 4tb
Accessories: Logitech mouse, Logitech powerplay mousepad, personalized keyboard, microphone, headset
I don’t have photos because I sent the motherboard to Asus some time ago. The reason I’m reaching out now was that it looked like they might just straighten the pins and send it back without testing it. This is my sixth PC I’ve assembled, so I can be sure I didn’t accidentally harm the board.
Background: The PC was constructed in mid-2023 using mostly new components. Everything except the storage drives and the case is brand new. I noticed a bent pin but proceeded to test it and performed a stress test—everything functioned properly for two years. One day, the system unexpectedly shut down, which is typically caused by power supply issues or overheating. My temperatures stayed within normal ranges since I never overclocked, though my CPU ran slightly under voltage.
When trying to power it up, the PC failed to respond, suggesting a potential PSU or thermal problem. The RGB lighting stayed active but showed no signs of activation, not even fan rotation. I assumed the power supply had failed, so I disconnected all power cables and installed a known working PSU with its own connections. Still, the power button remained inactive.
To eliminate other possibilities, I didn’t swap CPUs, as fans spinning during startup would have indicated a fault. I also tested various RAM modules just in case, but they didn’t affect the issue. At this stage, it appeared the problem was linked to the power delivery unit or the motherboard itself.
It’s unusual for a PC built over two years to shut down unexpectedly after such an extended period. The absence of any indicators—whether POST errors, fan noise, or audio output—suggests a hardware-level failure rather than a software glitch.
What you're referring to is starting up the system, whether it's the POST screen or actually turning the computer on. Your motherboard isn't powering back on when you try to turn it on. This problem has been happening after more than two years of use, not just with a new setup.
It would not actually finish a POST. This was the first time it started.
Your situation is unique—previously functional, now not.
Have any other components been updated?
No hardware was changed. Imagine if your PSU died. Your pc would randomly shut off during gaming and wouldn't power back on. That's basically what happened except I swapped the PSU with a known working PSU and it turned out to not be PSU related. That's why I'm asking, because it's such an odd case I've never dealt with yet. All hardware changes were for troubleshooting after the issue occurred. For those 2+ years, I've never changed anything and I've never moved the PC so there's no damage from me dropping it or from it shifting around in a U-Haul.