The computer suddenly stopped working. The debugging light for the CPU turned on, but it doesn’t boot into BIOS.
The computer suddenly stopped working. The debugging light for the CPU turned on, but it doesn’t boot into BIOS.
Hey everyone, just wanted to share what happened with my new gaming PC. It finished working yesterday after I finished building it about a month ago. At first, it would sometimes crash with a BSOD, but during normal use it would blue screen only once every few sessions—usually while idle. I thought the RAM might be the problem, so I disabled the XMP profile to try and stabilize it. After that, two days later it crashed again, which made me think about the RAM again.
I decided to boot into MSI after a restart and monitored the PC temperatures while playing Forza Horizon 5. About an hour in, the game suddenly shut down with a random click sound—probably from the PSU. After a power cycle, it turned back on by itself, but without showing any screen. All fans were still spinning, and the CPU, case, and GPU fans kept running. The EZ Debug CPU was also active.
The specs are: MSI Z370 A-PRO Intel i7 8700K (clocked at 4.4GHz), Crucial 16GB DDR4 (2x8GB), XFX Radeon RX 6650XT, 650W PSU. I’m worried about the power supply since I got it from a friend and also bought a used one from Amazon with warranty. I’m also concerned about the CPU because I bought it new but now it’s acting up.
I’ve already tried reseating the RAM, using only one stick, turning off the PSU, unplugging it, and then restarting after two days. Also, I re-seated the GPU and tried booting without it. No burning smell was noticed at the time. Thanks for any help—I’m hoping this isn’t a hardware issue with the board or CPU.
Hi, there are several possible culprits here, and you'll need a systematic approach to diagnose this issue.
1/ A simple PSU tester is inexpensive and extremely helpful. I’d highly suggest using it—it saved my situation recently. Even if the power supply isn’t the root cause, having one nearby is beneficial. Connect your PSU to it and check for any error messages. If none appear, reassemble your PC and try again.
2/ By default, reset the BIOS by physically touching a switch on your motherboard with a screwdriver. Refer to your motherboard manual for details—most likely there’s a “clear CMOS” instruction. If the system boots, avoid opening it further; just ensure basic Windows settings are applied. (Note: A 4.4GHz CPU on an 8700K chipset is quite slow, but it might run slower than a standard one unless you’re targeting multi-threaded performance.) If it still crashes with BSODs, don’t revert your settings; proceed to the next step.
3/ Remove the second RAM stick and verify its placement according to your manual. If BSODs persist, skip this part and move on.
4/ Transfer the single RAM stick to every available slot on your motherboard. If the problem continues across all slots, return it to its original position except for the first slot. Do not reinstall the second stick.
5/ At this stage, consider purchasing an affordable kit from Amazon for further testing. If results remain inconclusive, borrow another unit from a friend or family member for additional troubleshooting support.