Did I damage my motherboard? (Asus X570-plus)
Did I damage my motherboard? (Asus X570-plus)
Hello,
My five-year-old PC was functioning well until it started getting warm. I thought about cleaning it and noticed the intake chassis fan could be adjusted for better airflow. While doing that, I accidentally removed the connectors on the 20-5 front panel and then reinserted them in a random order. After fixing that, the machine stopped responding at all.
The RGB lights on the motherboard are still on, but pressing the power button doesn’t work – it won’t even turn on.
So far, I’ve tried:
- Shorting the 24-pin connector (paperclip test) – PSU fan spins, so PSU seems okay
- Resetting CMOS / BIOS
- Jumping the motherboard without power switch
- Taking out GPU, RAM, and disconnecting the CPU for testing – results were negative (only CPU fan was connected)
It seems unlikely that randomly plugging in low-voltage connectors on the front panel will damage the board. I’m not sure what else could cause this issue.
Any suggestions?
Hardware: AMD Ryzen 7 3800x, stock cooler
Board: Asus Tuf Gaming X570-plus
RAM: Corsair Vengeance PLX D4 4x8GB 3200M
Storage: Intel 660p PCIe M.2 512GB + WD 4TB Blue
GPU: Gigabyte Radeon RX570
Power supply: Corsair CX550M 550W (2019)
Case: Corsair Carbide SPEC-04
Operating system: Windows 11
Display: LG 27UK850
Welcome to the forums, newcomer!
My 5-year-old PC was functioning well.
When sharing a troubleshooting thread, it's important to provide your complete system details. Please list the specifications as follows:
CPU:
CPU cooler:
Motherboard:
Ram:
SSD/HDD:
GPU:
PSU:
Chassis:
OS:
Monitor:
Include the age of the PSU, along with its make and model.
Performing the 24-pin connector test (the paperclip test) suggests the PSU fan spins. I believe this indicates the PSU is still functional.
However, the paperclip test doesn't accurately measure the PSU's power output; it only confirms fans spin under load.
It seems unlikely that randomly connecting low-voltage connectors on the front panel will damage the motherboard. I don’t see any other obvious cause for failure.
Have you reattached the connector while the PC was powered on? If yes, avoid touching wires or connectors when the system is running.
Regarding the front panel connector, most setups from about ten years ago use small triangles to mark the positive terminal. Match this pinout when connecting.
Sorry to hear that. The computer was definitely off when I plugged them in again. I checked the motherboard manual and followed the instructions, but it didn’t work out.
Purchased a fresh power supply for testing. Connected only the main 24-pin MMO cable and CPU. No modifications made. Seems the motherboard is finished.