Did you damage your MotherBoard?
Did you damage your MotherBoard?
System Info: I replaced the original cooler with a new Noctua model and installed it. The process went smoothly without any issues. After restarting the PC, the LAN connection disappeared. I’ve checked cables and confirmed they work on a laptop. The latest firmware is applied, and the stock cooler was functioning well before. I’m considering three possible causes:
a) Did I accidentally short something while handling the board?
b) Has the Ethernet socket or component failed?
c) Is the Noctua cooler interfering with network parts?
The Wi-Fi is still operational, though performance drops slightly. I’m hoping to avoid a complete replacement since my board is still under warranty. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
It seems unlikely unless there was physical damage or an incorrect adapter used. Verify the adapters you possess to confirm they’re available. If needed, consider re-flashing the BIOS. Also, reconnect the CPU and motherboard power cables, focusing on the motherboards.
So I went all-in on this project, removing everything unnecessary. Inspected each power connector and cable path carefully. Fixed a few small issues with how cables are arranged. Did some basic troubleshooting and found something intriguing — the motherboard blocks LAN because of the built-in fan handling the load. I checked the stock CPU fan and the LAN stopped working. Tried using the noise-reducer on the Noctua fan; it made the LAN work again. Then I added all four 120mm fans at startup, and suddenly the LAN came back online. Conclusion: there’s some power management on the board that shuts down LAN when the fans start up based on their initial load. My PSU is solid, barely humming, so the problem must be in the motherboard itself. This outcome is a bit let down since my old ASUS Z170AR performed great with that setup.