The motherboard isn't turning on even though the Q-Flash is installed.
The motherboard isn't turning on even though the Q-Flash is installed.
So...I received some components from a friend in Canada to the East Coast US: an Aorus A520M Elite motherboard, a Ryzen 3300x CPU with cooler (I’ll handle that later), 16GB Hynix RAM (one module, enough for now), a GameMax 600W Bronze PSU, and the ROG Strix 2080TI. They gave me this setup and confirmed everything functioned when it arrived. It’s a nice offer considering we first chatted on Discord and I just showed them how to use OBS. They mentioned they upgraded to something new—do you want that? After some thought, I said yes and about a month later here I am. But they weren’t very careful with the packaging. The CPU was put straight into the motherboard without any support except for tightly wrapped bubble wrap—clearly not ideal. It came out of the socket with many bent pins. After three hours I only lost five pins, but it should have stayed in place. I’m not too concerned about this part; if I need a new CPU, it’s fine since there’s plenty of room for an upgrade. But first I need to check if the motherboard powers on at all. They didn’t get much feedback on the packaging process. The GPU looks okay except the fan has a broken pin—maybe glue it back or order a replacement fan/cooler, but I can’t test that yet. The motherboard itself seems fine except for a few missing RAM clips. I have some ideas I’d like advice on. When I got it, a momentary switch connected to the header pins was bent at 90 degrees. My guess is those pins might not be properly seated inside the header anymore, which would prevent power from reaching the board. I can’t confirm this and want to wait for more info before acting. I’m wondering if I could desolder the front panel header and manually short the pins on its own to get a signal back to the PSU and boot up. Since Q-Flash seems to be working (no solid amber light, just a slow blink), it might still function. Shorting the header pins doesn’t help at all, even with or without components installed. It won’t power on whether I add parts or not. There doesn’t seem to be any visible damage, aside from a few missing RAM clips. I have a rough plan in mind that I’d like your thoughts on. If I do this, I might just replace the board and buy a new CPU if it fails. I’m a bit far out on time for that, so...should I try this or give up?
Yeesh...he was kind enough to give you some hardware, but it seems like things are in disarray. First, you should purchase a new CPU. "I managed to lose" only five pins, so the CPU needs those five connections to function properly—definitely a bad start. After installing the new CPU, check if it powers on correctly and then address any other components that aren’t working. Since you suspect the CPU is faulty, you can’t be sure the motherboard is defective until you swap it out. Do you have a photo of the "momentary switch"? I’d like to take a look at what’s happening there. Regarding the GPU, the middle fan appears to be wobbly with a broken pin. Does that mean the fan blade is damaged? If so, reattaching it might not help much because the fan could be off balance. You might want to consider getting a third-party replacement fan for better reliability.
It's just a simple case switch... nothing unusual here... perhaps "momentary switch" wasn't the right description. Manually shorting the pins on the motherboard with a screwdriver or similar doesn't make a difference. The pin I referenced on the GPU fan is the one linking the fan to the motor; it's flexible. When I tested the PSU by shorting the 4th and 5th pins of the 24-pin connector, the output was quite uneven and produced noise.
Checking if those five pins remain in place? It’s good to know so the upcoming CPU upgrade goes smoothly. You’ll want to tidy them up beforehand.
It varies based on the missing pins. When essential pins are absent, the motherboard may not recognize it as having a CPU or a faulty one, preventing it from starting.
It's a good idea to wait and replace the CPU before using that system. One software might become completely damaged if the CPU fails silently without any warning signs.
I completely understand this situation. I mentioned earlier I’d only use it if it would start, even briefly. That still doesn’t fully address my question about powering on the motherboard without a CPU installed. I’ve tried on older systems before and looked into confirming compatibility, but nothing specific for this board or platform. I just hope it works.
Ensure you have a CPU and a 750W power supply from a reputable manufacturer.