Question: Post after housefire?
Question: Post after housefire?
6 months ago I experienced a low oxygen fire causing heavy smoke and soot damage. The structure suffered significant heat, and the fire was far from my computer, which wasn’t running when I was away. My Mac is now working properly, but my new homebuilt computer powers on correctly, with graphics cards lighting up and LED indicators working, though I don’t hear any beeps or see any output from the graphics cards via HDMI ports. If it matters, I have an MSI Tomahawk motherboard with a Ryzen 2600 6-core processor, Corsair RAM 8GB, an RX580 graphics card, and an EVGA 650 G5 PSU. The motherboard, GPU, and PSU are from last year, while the CPU, liquid cooler, and memory are from my current build. I cleaned all visible soot with contact cleaner and Q-tips, but there’s still a faint smell and no audio or video output. I’m unsure if there’s an onboard speaker, as I’m now relying on monitor audio, which might mean the issue is with video output only. I need to figure out whether the problem lies with the graphics card, memory, CPU, or motherboard before posting about new issues with my new laptop.
It's really sad. But I'm hoping nobody was injured. Was the fire caused by electricity—could the homemade and other systems have been affected by a power surge? And did the new homemade unit stop working completely after the fire? Regarding the monitor, can you test it with another functioning monitor? Consider replacing the CMOS battery just for safety checks. Look for an onboard speaker; if not present, see if a speaker can be added for testing. Any beep codes might be useful. Which MSI motherboard model or version do you have? Check the RAM—only Corsair RAM 8 GB seems to be installed? I think more RAM was probably added. What about the disk drive(s)? Make, model, capacity, and how full are they?
This motherboard manual:
https://download.msi.com/archive/mnu_exe...02v1.5.pdf
[Please ensure you have the correct guide. The version might not affect things.]
When relocating boot drives between machines, issues can arise: it might function sometimes, sometimes not, and often causes ongoing problems.
= = = =
I recommend a full rebuild with thorough cleaning and using a bright light to spot any damage.
Inspect the motherboard stands on both sides; a short circuit could be present.
Follow the manual step-by-step to check, test, and reconnect everything. Focus especially on the case and I/O panel connections. Use a known working drive with a fresh Windows installation.
Whenever feasible, verify each component individually in other functional computers.
looks like the manual was correct. I disassembled everything and kept cleaning, but didn’t find anything out of the ordinary except a loose MBO screw. Reassembled with a GPU in another slot, but nothing worked. No GPU and the mobo LED didn’t light up, indicating a failure or missing GPU. Tried using an SSD HDD in slot 1 without the NVMe drive, but it didn’t help. I’m running out of options? Maybe I should consider replacing the whole build and see if insurance covers part or all of it.
Smoke particles bring along a range of problems. The circuitry probably got coated with them and was harmed when power was first applied.
Replace all internal parts and hope your storage units remain safe. It seems you lack a complete backup system. A good point to reflect on now.
At the very least, consider that the motherboard is severely damaged.
It suggests the power button is functioning to start the system, but the computer remains unresponsive. Fans and other components activate, yet the reset button doesn't disable or reset the device.
does a defective mobo also prevent video output?
what are the main benefits of choosing the next-gen MSI Tomohawk b550 or b650?
only gaming matters to me these days, so i’m focused on age of empires.
the drawback is the higher cost for a new cpu/cooler, which might require additional memory.
a new cooler isn’t such a big issue since i had to adjust/fabricate mounting brackets to secure the silent liquid cooler on the b450—still works, but it takes longer, about an hour instead of minutes.
i’m looking for the option to use built-in wifi while traveling or staying in hotels.
i’m not sure what else the b550 or b650 will give me besides performance gains.
Do you have another system or a friend with an older 'standard' setup that you can use to test some of the hardware? It should be fairly simple to remove parts that are damaged. I wouldn't suggest putting these components into someone's new or primary system. It might be useful to buy an affordable PSU tester from Amazon or similar sites, which would help ensure the PSU is turning on with the correct voltage to the rails.
no one i know is a gamer or even has a desktop anymore.
everyone relies solely on their phone.
https://www.amazon.ca/Computer-Powe...-1-spons&spc=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&psc=1
is this an example of the kind of person you're referring to?