PC malfunctioning, unexpectedly skips full power-up sequence.
PC malfunctioning, unexpectedly skips full power-up sequence.
Hey there, PC building beginner here. Ok... so, I really need help troubleshooting this mess because I honestly don't know where to begin. My PC is a Frankenstein's monster with a mix of older and newer parts. I left it off for some months since I wasn't home and now I went to turn it on and got some weird behavior. It worked and performed fine before. The computer always turns on (fans start to spin, LED on), but 50% of the time I get no video and no current to the keyboard or the audio interface. The other 50% of the time it turns on and appears to work fine, but some of the fans randomly decide to ramp up or slow down for no apparent reason (not really sure which fans, I have 1 on cpu, 2 on gpu, one on chassis and one on PSU). Just before I wrote this post it did turn on but it froze on the home screen, unable to read any input from mouse/keyboard. Haven't really done any gaming or resource-intensive task since the problem started. Looking inside the case, nothing appears to be obviously on fire or at risk of exploding. Not really sure what to do. Could someone give me some pointers about stuff to try out to zero in on the issue? Here are my specs: ASRock B450M-HDV (2018 with 2023 BIOS) Ryzen 5 5500 (2023) 16GB Kingston FURY Beast 3200 (2023) Samsung 970 EVO Plus (2020) EVGA 450W 80+Bronze PSU (2020) Gigabyte RTX 2060 6GB (Bought used in 2023 but should be as good as new)
I attempted to update the BIOS, but it appears the motherboard might be defective.
There are several potential reasons for the issue. Your GPU might be overheating or other components like the PSU, RAM, or hardware could be faulty. It seems your hard drive lacks diagnostic indicators to assist with troubleshooting (these can be helpful). If it has a speaker, it emits short or long beeps after powering on, and the sequence of these sounds can guide you through diagnosis. Since you didn’t mention any beeping, it’s unlikely your HDD has such a feature.
Your PC frequently fails to boot, but you also noted a freeze at the Windows login screen. Does the system stop working while you’re using it after starting up and logging in? Regarding the fans, their fluctuating speed often indicates rapid heating of a part—most likely the CPU or GPU. You might want to use a monitoring tool to track temperatures and fan rates, which can help identify the problem source.
Windows Task Manager displays your GPU’s temperature under the performance section. Do you have an extra PSU available for temporary testing? A 450W unit may be insufficient for your setup (NVIDIA suggests at least 500W or more: https://www.google.com/search?client=fir...equirement). If issues persist before you start gaming, the PSU might be nearing end of life. Good luck!
If this were my computer, I’d follow these steps... As noted earlier, the power supply is quite weak for the system. Nvidia recommends a minimum of 500W. If possible, I’d look for or install a power supply rated at 500W or higher (preferably 80W+ and 700W or more for extra safety and future upgrades). I’d also reset the CMOS—typically by removing the battery while the machine is off or unplugged, then gently touching the contacts with a flat tool for about half a minute to clear it. In the BIOS (under section 4.4.3 South Bridge settings), turn off deep sleep. My wife’s PC had issues during cold restarts because of a conflict between memory and power supply capabilities. I’d reposition the CPU/cooler, memory, graphics card, and make sure all power connections are secure before reconnecting everything.