The motherboards are dead because they’ve stopped functioning properly.
The motherboards are dead because they’ve stopped functioning properly.
Hello everyone, I recently bought a used motherboard for my NAS project, but I’m running into some problems. At first, the board didn’t recognize one of my SSDs, so I updated the BIOS. The update worked and the system started up normally. But once I reconnected the SATA cable to the SSD and powered it back on, the fans began spinning, yet I received no POST output. USB ports showed no activity and the whole setup felt inactive. This reminds me of a similar situation with my previous board. Then I cleaned it thoroughly and used alcohol for a final clean—though this new board is newer and pricier, I’m not sure if that fix will apply.
I’ve checked for any physical damage like broken capacitors or burnt resistors, but found none. I tried different RAM modules, swapped out the PSU, and confirmed the CPU functions correctly in my own PC. I also reset the CMOS. When I booted without RAM, I connected an internal speaker to listen for beeps, which gave three beeps—a common indicator of memory problems.
I then tested the graphics card by borrowing my brother’s GPU, since mine is too big for this build. Unfortunately, it still didn’t POST. The weird part was that when I returned the GPU to his PC, he also had the same issues—spinning fans, no USB power, and no boot. His motherboard stopped working as well, even after trying various RAM types and CPUs. This makes me think there might be a more serious underlying issue.
At this stage, I feel like I’ve damaged two motherboards that were previously reliable. As someone who loves tech, it’s been a humbling experience. I’m curious if anyone has faced similar problems or knows what might be causing this and how to resolve it. My NAS build details: Ryzen 5 1600, 16GB 3200MHz DDR4 RAM, GTX 960 Biostar X470NH, Mini-ITX form factor. My brother’s PC specs: Intel i5 4590, 16GB DDR3 RAM, MSI Armor RX580, 4G, Gigabyte B85M.
Have you checked the 960 on your brother's computer to determine if it resolves any issues?
They likely used integrated graphics and tested it by connecting the monitor directly to the motherboard without a dedicated GPU card.