Upgrade details didn't resolve the issue with the PC.
Upgrade details didn't resolve the issue with the PC.
Hello, here are the original details of the setup I’m developing: a MSI Z370 gaming pro carbon OC motherboard with an OC MMO, Corsair Ax760 power supply, Intel i7-8700K CPU, G.Skill Trident Z RGB 2x8GB RAM sticks, a GTX 1080TI graphics card, a Wi-Fi card, and an NZXT double-fan AIO CPU cooler. I upgraded the CPU from i7-8700K to i9-9900K (same socket confirmed by manufacturer) and swapped the GPU from GTX 1080TI to the Gigabyte RTX 3080 10G Eagle OC. The issue is that the system fails to boot. When powered on, the CPU briefly lights up for a millisecond before shutting off, then the DRAM indicator stays on for about five seconds before going dark—no further signals appear from the GPU or motherboard. Despite everything working before, now there’s no output from either the GPU or the display. I’ve verified all components function correctly prior to shutdown and have re-seated the CPU, RAM, and GPU multiple times. I checked for bent pins, used a different PCIe power cable, tested each RAM stick individually, and even reset CMOS by removing the battery briefly. Still, nothing resolves the problem. Recently, after a BIOS update, the system started working, but now I have another concern: my brother’s NZXT AIO cooler is damaged—he lost a mounting screw while handling the PC, causing poor contact and overheating. The new i9 CPU overheats and powers off. I replaced it with an old B&H Be Quiet! air cooler, followed all installation steps, added thermal paste, but the PC still won’t boot. LEDs keep flashing, no screen display. I’ve tried re-seating RAM, resetting CMOS, flipping the cooler, and even using a screwdriver to jump pins, yet it remains unresponsive. I’m uncertain what caused this failure during the cooler swap. Update 2: I loosened the cooler slightly, reset CMOS without removing the battery, used a screwdriver instead, and it reached the desktop before freezing completely—keyboard and mouse lost backlight. I powered it down by holding the power button, then tried turning it on again. It booted briefly with lights on but immediately looped into shutdown. After draining power, it restarted but froze at the BIOS menu, showing a key to enter BIOS. When I rebooted and tried booting once more, it crashed into a redboot loop. I’m puzzled by the cause and might consider using an older Z390 motherboard instead.
Sure, I'll reinsert the 8700k and refresh the BIOS settings. I see you're using a 9900k but still needed a BIOS upgrade for the Z390 board.
It's understandable you were confused about the BIOS update. I initially thought the changes would help, but it seems they might not be effective for a later generation. I plan to take apart the other system containing the 8700k, remove it, and reinstall the old CPU with the BIOS update tomorrow. Fingers crossed it works!
After the latest update, the system started functioning properly. However, I encountered another problem with my NZXT AIO cooler in my brother's setup. During a DIY project, he accidentally removed one of the mounting screws, which led to reduced contact and poor cooling for the CPU. The previous CPU worked fine, but now the new 9900K model overheats and shuts down. To fix this, I replaced it with an old Be Quiet! air cooler (Rockstar 2). I completely removed the old unit and followed the installation guide carefully. I mounted the new cooler using the correct components and connected the fan cable to cpu_fan1. I also applied a bit of thermal paste from the same tube to compensate for what was lost with the old cooler. Despite these steps, the PC still won’t boot: it powers on but the DRAM and CPU EZ debug LEDs keep flashing one after another, and there’s no display output. I tried reseating the RAM, performing a CMOS reset by removing the battery (which also re-seated the GPU), disassembling the cooler, reattaching the CPU (not finding bent pins), flipping the cooler backplate, and securing it gently. All connectors seem properly placed. Still unsure what caused the failure during this simple swap—anything could have gone wrong.