The computer fails to power on and causes a circuit board malfunction.
The computer fails to power on and causes a circuit board malfunction.
Hi, a few days ago the power went out because the circuit breaker tripped and shut down the PC. When I turned it back on, the BIOS displayed a temperature warning. After reaching out for help, they told me my CPU cooler failed and I need to replace it. Now that the new cooler is installed, plugging in the PSU cable caused another shutdown. The board doesn’t even enter standby mode, and the RGB lights don’t activate when I connect the cable. I’ve used a different power cable and outlet, but the issue persists. Any suggestions on what might be wrong with my setup?
Consider using a different power cable just in case. If the breaker still trips despite a normal cable, disconnect all DC power connectors from the PC and then reinsert the power supply into the wall. If the issue persists, the supply might be faulty. Avoid trying to repair it yourself—replace the component.
Hopefully not, but it's definitely achievable. I'm curious if the cooler got fried. It seems more likely a typical air cooler with a fan rather than something that would fry. Even without a fan, the heatsink should handle the temperature without triggering a warning just from running BIOS. Honestly, I think the issue is probably the motherboard getting damaged instead of the cooler. I'm sure it could be the power supply, maybe due to a tripped breaker or something else entirely. Look for any damaged PSU cables that might be causing a short.
A heatsink lacking cooling won't dissipate heat effectively, leading to excessive temperature alerts.
I assembled the entire PC for a testbench to verify if it still triggered the circuit breaker, but fortunately it didn’t this time. The temperature warning on the BIOS remained with the new cooler, though. I suspect it might be related to the heatsink not being securely attached to the processor. While checking the temperature, I slightly increased pressure on the cooler and noticed the temperature drop, then it reversed when the pressure was released. I’m unsure if this is due to the cooler itself or if the motherboard is overheating. I’ve confirmed the motherboard temperature is normal except for the CPU, and I’m able to boot up the PC. The PSU cable seems potentially damaged—it’s six years old. I haven’t inspected the cables, but I managed to troubleshoot it on the testbench.