Check your broken Mobo, PSU or CPU.
Check your broken Mobo, PSU or CPU.
My current configuration includes an i7 6700k with 16GB RAM, an Asus Z170 Pro motherboard, an RTX 2060 graphics card (installed roughly a week ago), and a Corsair HX850i power supply. The PC was turned off around 2pm yesterday and restarted three hours later. After pressing the power button, nothing happened. I suspect the issue might be with the power button or the motherboard, but flipping the pins on the motherboard didn’t help. There’s no sign of life except the motherboard’s power LED is lit, along with the mouse and keyboard RGB lights. No fans spin when I press the PSU test fan. I’ve removed the GPU, RAM, and CMOS battery without success. The PC originally came from a build in 2016 and has worked perfectly until now, even with the new RTX 2060. I’m trying to figure out if the problem lies with the motherboard, power supply, or CPU. All stores are closed right now, so I need my computer for studying, work, and gaming—otherwise I’d be really bored during this lockdown. I’d appreciate any advice you can give me. Thanks in advance!
A motherboard may start without a CPU, yet if pressing the power button fails to activate the power supply, the issue likely lies with the power supply or the board itself. Checking whether the PSU powers up when you connect the green pin 16 on the 24-pin connector to ground with a paper clip can help identify the problem. Your PSU’s design includes safety measures to avoid fires, which may cause it to appear faulty, though a short circuit is probably the main cause if it works under those conditions.
I added graphics cards to my CPU and removed the GPU. Since I don’t have backup RAM, I tested using one module at a time.
Check for any indicator lights or sounds that suggest the fan is running. If you see a spinning symbol or hear a low hum, it means it started. Otherwise, wait for a higher power draw before confirming.
You can connect an HDD to a SATA power cable. It will start even without a data cable. If the HDD begins to spin and you hear it, your power supply is active. You can also use a multimeter to verify voltages. For example, checking 12V between a data pin and ground should confirm proper power. Edited May 5, 2020 by fordy_rounds Added suggestion for testing with a multimeter.
I considered this situation, but the lockdown keeps me isolated from home and I don’t have a solid drive to run tests on. At home I could use two old setups to check all parts, which is really annoying. Now I’ve been digging deeper into troubleshooting and noticed my PSU is clicking when the power button is pressed or the motherboard jumps—this suggests the PSU might be bad.