Electrical Short on new PC build

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We've put together our new PC, which we bought the components individually,
After turning it on, it took about 10 seconds for it to slowly cut out, then reboot itself.

After phoning up overclockers and describing this, it turns out its an electric short.

Can anyone give me some extra help towards this issue? any thoughts that might help or to be careful of whilst narrowing down the options.

Thanks
 
Soldato
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Well for starters you can't diagnose that accurately over the phone so it's a 'suspected' short!
The best way to confirm if it's a short caused by the metal casing is to take the motherboard out and fire it up whilst placed on a non conducting/metalic material (The cardboard box it arrived in will suffice)
If it then powers up and works fine then check that you have the posts all correctly located on the case as that might be causing the short.
 
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PSU is a Corsair TX550M and what do u mean by standoffs? atm the last thing we have done is taken everything out and left the motherboard in, but with no contact with any metal or the case and it still did it. So we've come to the assumption that its possibly faulty.
 
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We've tried everything, we've already had 1 faulty PSU and only today got it replaced from Overclockers. Its either the motherboard or the PSU... oh..my..goood why me >.<

Going to ring them up tommorow and try get this sorted.
 
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Have you built the system out of the case? So on the box the mobo came in. Just to make sure nothing on the case is shorting it?

Have you tried the paperclip test with the PSU.
 
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No, im not sure what the paper clip method is for the motherboard, and well im idk if it will make a difference but we kept the motherboard in the case, but blocked it from touching the case using manuals. So in theory there is absolutly no way for it to be touching the case.
 
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Motherboard Standoffs are basically spacers that sit between the back of the motherboard and the case.

See Below;
http://www.hardwareheaven.com/articleimages/buildapc_2009/MOBO_STANDOFFS.jpg

They raise the board up to stop it getting in contact with the case and shorting.

They look like screw extensions,
STANDOFFM3Alarge-10-2-BD.jpg


YOU HAVE TO INSTALL THEM

The rear of the motherboard never ever lays flat on the case, occasionally the case has built in standoffs, but this is rare.

Hopefully the short made something ground early causing no damage.
 
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Motherboard Standoffs are basically spacers that sit between the back of the motherboard and the case.

See Below;
http://www.hardwareheaven.com/articleimages/buildapc_2009/MOBO_STANDOFFS.jpg

They raise the board up to stop it getting in contact with the case and shorting.

They look like screw extensions,


YOU HAVE TO INSTALL THEM

The rear of the motherboard never ever lays flat on the case, occasionally the case has built in standoffs, but this is rare.

Hopefully the short made something ground early causing no damage.


Ye we got them, Im going to ring overclockers again tommorow. May have to do yet another RMA phone call, greaat.
 
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Have you got the stand offs aligned properly with the holes on the mobo?? Just checking as it only takes 1 to be not aligned with the hole to short the board out. Also the paper clip test is not done on the motherboard, but on the PSU.

Get a paper clip and bridge the green wire on the 24 pin ATX plug to a black lead on the ATX plug, plug a fan or DVD drive to the PSU so that there is load to prevent damage to the PSU and turn the psu on and see if the fan spins. This will tell if it is a PSU issue or not. But unplug all PSU wires from the motherboard first.
 
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Have you got the stand offs aligned properly with the holes on the mobo?? Just checking as it only takes 1 to be not aligned with the hole to short the board out. Also the paper clip test is not done on the motherboard, but on the PSU.

Get a paper clip and bridge the green wire on the 24 pin ATX plug to a black lead on the ATX plug, plug a fan or DVD drive to the PSU so that there is load to prevent damage to the PSU and turn the psu on and see if the fan spins. This will tell if it is a PSU issue or not. But unplug all PSU wires from the motherboard first.

Will double check those, but since we disconnected the mobo from the case surely it cant be anything to do with that.

And we'll try the paperclip test for the psu, have seen tutorials before. Thanks!
 
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