Reconstruct your PC, currently lacking signal.
Reconstruct your PC, currently lacking signal.
I've updated my PC case, power supply and fans, but it still won't turn on properly. It powers up, the fans spin, lights come on... but no signal detected. I'm using an Asus ROG x470-f gaming board with four status LEDs [D-RAM, CPU, VGA, BOOT] that should light up in order. The D-RAM LED is on and steady, which suggests a hardware issue. I've repositioned the RAM multiple times, cleaned the sockets, and double-checked the manual for correct setup. I've also swapped out the old PSU and tried reseating the GPU, but nothing works. No luck so far. Anyone have suggestions?
Did you install the new PSU cables included with the MSI PSU? These cables aren't compatible across brands or even different models within the same brand.
I just wanted to confirm you didn’t damage the PC by using the old cables with the new PSU. That would explain why the previously working PSU no longer boots. Have you considered disassembling the system? This involves taking the PC out of its case and rebuilding it without unnecessary components like extra drives, additional cards, USB devices, secondary monitors, ARGB controllers, or fan controllers. I’d also double-check that all cables from the PSU match those included with that specific PSU.
Are the motherboard’s standard mounting points present on the board you’re using? Sometimes a case mount positioned below the motherboard without a through hole can lead to shorts or damage the PCB if not installed properly.
Have you cleaned the RAM slots with compressed air or a cordless duster? When handling the motherboard from the old case into the new one, did you grip the CPU cooler while moving it? This could create stress and pressure on the CPU socket and pins. Verify that the CPU and its pins are fully aligned. Look for any cracks around the CPU cooler mounts due to stress.
If there’s no visible physical damage such as cracks or gouges, electrical issues might have occurred, causing a short circuit. Motherboards and RAM are particularly vulnerable during hardware modifications. If you have another set of RAM, testing it first would be wise. If that fails, suspect a problem with the motherboard itself. The only options left would be to reset CMOS or try a known-good motherboard for testing.
I just tested the breadboard configuration without any extra parts (MB, CPU, GPU, RAM) and with the old PSU. I also re-seated the CPU and checked everything. Nothing worked.
(I also tried using air to clear the ports.)
Fixing this is really frustrating—I don’t have any reference points. Should I just start purchasing new parts until I find the defective one?
To be honest, the GPU could be damaged. I had difficulty removing it the first time; it got stuck and required a lot of effort to take it out, though there’s no obvious damage.
Also, I mistakenly used a 'CPU' cable instead of a 'PCIe' cable from the GPU to the PSU—no idea how serious that was.
Still, the motherboard’s status lights keep annoying me because it remains stuck on [D-RAM]...
I’ll attempt clearing CMOS next.
Pushing an EPS 4+4 into a 6+2 PCIe port and then turning it on is extremely risky. It might be the cause of all issues, though it would require testing each component separately with known good parts. Please let me know if you're interested in exploring the details or if you'd prefer to take it to a repair shop. Saving data from connected drives by connecting them to another machine could help, but if those are damaged, the situation may worsen. Tell me what you're comfortable doing and we'll proceed accordingly.
I didn't force it, it worked just fine. I only noticed it was marked as "CPU" later, probably picked the wrong one.
I think I’ll take it to the repair shop too, since there’s no way to be sure without the right parts.