Used a ruler near the PCIe port while hitting a damaged motherboard.
Used a ruler near the PCIe port while hitting a damaged motherboard.
Yesterday I received my new GPU. To take out the old one, I used a plastic ruler to open the bracket lock. Once everything was done, it didn’t start at all. No indication of what happened. I thought a fresh GPU shouldn’t cause such an issue. The problem might have come from the ruler slipping out. Since it was plastic and low force, I assumed it was okay. Later I checked the motherboard where the ruler landed. Was anything there damaged? The board is an ASUS ROG Z490-G.
I'd start by checking the RAM. It's simple to shift it out just enough that it's hard to notice, yet the system won't boot or operate. My 5900X stopped mid-game during a BeamNG session one evening, likely because I accidentally moved the DIMM latches while swapping a cable. What motherboard model do you have? Someone else might be able to match this situation with a reference image of a stable setup. Updated May 31, 2022 by An0maly_76 Added more details
There’s definitely a faulty part nearby, visible on the left of that IC. It looks like a 0 ohm resistor—probably a jumper connection to link traces, acting as a bridge for another trace beneath. Alternatively, it might be a diode, though those usually have a visible line or marking on the negative side. This chip is part of a voltage regulator, identifiable by the input capacitors (the larger rectangles above the IC) and the nearby inductor (the light gray square with 2R2). If it’s a simple 0 ohm resistor and that’s the only bad component, a small solder blob connecting the two ends could work. However, fixing it yourself isn’t advisable. Consider taking it to a computer repair shop; if you can’t find one nearby, try phone repair shops and ask them to inspect that area for other issues. The overall layout resembles typical designs, with two chips showing 2C=7C patterns above the red circle—similar spacing but possibly rotated. The surrounding components should match, so desoldering and identifying the part would help you decide what to replace.