Pc fails to start following maintenance procedures.
Pc fails to start following maintenance procedures.
I wanted to tidy up my PC and put some fresh thermal paste on it. I used isopropyl alcohol and a can of air spray. I turned off two fans, removed the cooler, and applied the new paste. I also unscrewed the graphics card, opened it, and put fresh thermal paste since I’ve had the 1080 since 2015—no issues there. After everything was back together and the case closed, I connected the PSU cable and tried to power it on using the switch, but nothing happened. At first I wondered if I might have misconnected some cables, but I only touched the fan wires. Since then I’ve experimented with many solutions without success. Given all my efforts and the paperclip test, I think the motherboard may have failed. I’m confused because I only cleaned dust and followed safety steps like disconnecting power and staying grounded.
Specs:
I7-6700K
MSI GTX 1080 Gaming X
32GB DDR4
MSI Z170A PC MATE LGA 1151 Z170
800W Gold PSU
Problems:
No power reaching the motherboard (no LEDs)
PC won’t boot
What I’ve tried:
Cleared CMOS
Disconnected and reconnected most cables—CPU power plug, power switch, and the 24-pin connector
Performed a PSU paperclip test (outputs power, fans spin, keyboard lights up)
Tried shorting the PWR SW (no effect)
Removed all but one RAM stick
Removed the GPU
What’s Next?
If the motherboard is damaged, what should be my next best action? I’m considering buying another motherboard and swapping it out, hoping the hardware is still okay. Are there any checks I need to do besides confirming compatibility? Or would you suggest a specific model? This PC was a prebuilt IBuyPower from 2015, and I’ve never replaced components before—so it’s intimidating but seems like the most reasonable path right now. Thanks for your assistance.
Welcome to the forums, newcomer!
Remove the discrete GPU from the build and take out three sticks; you should be able to boot with the iGPU using one stick of RAM in slot A2.
PSU Paperclip test (shows power output, fan speed, keyboard lights)
This test didn’t work properly—it doesn’t indicate the PSU’s actual power delivery.
800W Gold PSU
The 800W rating is the advertised power while gold signifies 80+ efficiency. What model and make of your PSU are you using? It’s about eight years old.
You’re surprised the PC Mate version lasted so long. These were basic MSI boards that often failed unexpectedly. Check for swollen or bulging capacitors on the board.