Computer fails to start, memory indicators flash and graphics card cooling stops shortly afterward.
Computer fails to start, memory indicators flash and graphics card cooling stops shortly afterward.
Ensure all power cables are securely placed, RAM is positioned in slot A2 B2 and properly connected. You may remove the CMOS battery for 5 minutes. Verify the motherboard isn’t touching the case and that standoffs are correctly installed. When clearing CMOS by shorting the pins, confirm the PSU is powered on and connected. (This is standard for AM4, especially for Gigabyte; consult the manual for details.)
RAM is placed in those spots. I removed the CMOS battery earlier for 5 to 10 minutes without any change. The PSU is connected and all cables are plugged in, and I turned it on. I tried connecting the two CMOS pins (after turning off the PSU), but now it won’t power up, even though the RAM lights are working.
Confirm the cables are inserted properly each time. During my clean sessions, I sometimes don’t fully push a few cables into place, even though they look fine. Since the PSU is inside the case, visibility is limited. What’s the age and make of your PSU? Are there any modifications to the case? I’ve heard some users upgrade the back plate for the CPU. Also verify that the GPU is seated correctly and the RAM pins are flat and normal. Let me know if this helps or if you need more details.
Testing on the motherboard case right now. RAM looks good and power is coming in thanks to the RGB being active. All cables are securely connected. I removed the backplate and kept the cooling fan running, but nothing changed. I checked the PSU specs—it’s the MSI Mag A750GL PCIE5, which should be the latest. It’s strange it started up but didn’t boot, even though fans and RGB lights were working, while the RAM still lit up.
This PSU is brand new, so it's unlikely to be faulty. It seems to be booting up the MOBO and the RGB lights are working properly. The main suggestion would be to download the latest BIOS version (not a beta) and install it via USB. Refer to the MOBO handbook for the correct placement on the back I/O, as it should be labeled there. Otherwise, unless you opt for a factory BIOS installation to update the system, you might want to clear the existing BIOS before proceeding. Just keep in mind that this situation would really surprise me. Let's hope someone can offer a better solution first.
It seems like you attached the new PSU housing and connected the existing wires from the old unit. When everything failed and you removed the case, you used the correct wires for the new PSU, which fixed the problem. After reassembling with the old wires again, the PC stopped working. Mixing wires from different PSUs can cause issues—some won’t power the unit properly while others might damage it further. This could be the root cause of your issue.
This was my latest effort to reset the BIOS and apply the newest BIOS release. It functioned as expected, so I thought the update was successful. However, it began failing to power on, though it still received voltage. I'm concerned that the newest stable version might have damaged the motherboard (though that seems unlikely) and I don't know what steps would fix it. Even after a fresh reset and update, the Q-flip LED stopped lighting up. I've used the original PSU cables to avoid risking further damage, as they may have been faulty. Despite changing the CPU cable during troubleshooting, the issue persisted.
It's possible the BIOS was installed incorrectly. The file you received might be damaged, or the wrong version could have been downloaded. Updating via QFFlash likely caused problems. Typically, such issues trigger a double power-up and prompt you to choose between setup options or defaults. This suggests a hardware-related problem rather than a simple configuration error. You should check if your board supports multiple BIOS switches and test one.
Consider whether the GPU was damaged by the power surge and if it had one final operation before failing. If you have a backup GPU, use it. Look for spinning fans and indicator lights; refer to your manual for their meanings, which typically include CPU, DRAM, VGA, and Boot indicators.