No Post after burnout

boufdover

boufdover

boufdover

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Joined
26 Feb 2015
Posts
44
Location
Oxford
Hi folks

I'm absolutely gutted and hoping there's a happily solution to this all......but.....

I installed some cold cathode lighting to my new case. 1 year old components but a new case and a fairly recently installed water cooling loop.

As soon as I powered up, the wiring on the lights started melting and smoking. The PC shut itself down. (RAGE!)

Since then, the PC will power up but the monitor will only light up then enter standby. I can hear the fans going, and if I wasn't looking, it would sound like it was working fine. None of the mobo lights stayed on, so everything looks fine in that sense.

I then tried using the MEM-OK button.
The DRAM_LED is now constantly flashing red. I've tried the following:
- removing and testing each RAM stick in different A/B positions. This has done nothing.
- Changing the graphics card to diff pcie slot. Replacing the power connection to it. Nothing changes.
- reset CMOS with the button (ASUS Sabertooth FX+ mobo).

The only thing I PRAY is not damaged is the graphics card! Can anyone give me any advice on what to do here, or even what could be at fault?

New motherboard perhaps?
 
Thank you, I'll give that a go.

minor update - I now just have 2 sticks of RAM in, in slots A2 and B2. I now have no warning lights - it does everything it should when booting up, yet I still can't see anything on screen. The monitor is on and not on standby now, but there's nothing there!
 
update - tried removing the battery for 10 minutes - nothing has changed. It's exactly as my minor update in the last post.

Everything seems as though it's working, except I can't see anything. No warning LED's.

Saying that, I can just tap the power button and it powers down immediately, suggesting it's not posting :\
 
I haven't just. I'm at work now but all I want to do is try to sort this. It's a real pain because I've recently installed a custom loop so it's not so easy to just swap parts out - particularly the video card :\
 
I don't have any spare parts any more. I stupidly put them into another computer which now belongs to someone else!

UPDATE - I tried this morning again
- No warning lights on mobo at all.
- Does the usual flash of each one, then nothing.
- I now can't tap the power button to turn it off; I have to hold it down to power off.
- Monitor's 'ON' light is on and screen appears to be on, just nothing displayed.
 
That's an idea. My monitor is VGA (I need a new one, I know) running to the DVI via adapter, so I could buy another adapter and try one of the other ports?
 
No monitor connected wouldn't stop it from posting.

Strip it and start from basics. Unplug any and all unnecessary components. HDD's (all of them), case fans, lights, all bar 1 ram stick.

Then try again.

If still nothing you then need to test a new PSU. Thats more likely to have gone then the motherboard in my opinion. Grab one from an old comp or something just to test.

If still nothing, then you need to test the GFX card and RAM and if possible, the cpu in a different system.

At which point, and only at that point, can you 100% point the finger at the m/b.
 
Great response, thank you. I'm actually leaning towards PSU now too. I just phoned the OC refund line and they were really helpful. The guy there believes it's most likely the PSU as the surge protection on the mobo would've hopefully prevented that from dying.

All theory though, so I will get testing. Just such a pain with the water cool loop as I now can't swap out the GFX because of the water block on it. I have an older GTX card I can use but the water block wouldn't fit it.


Anyway - I'll try and get hold of a spare PSU and pray that it's that!
 
UPDATES
I've tried swapping out the graphics card. Luckily there was enough slack in my water loop that I didn't have to remove it, just detach the card!

Anyway - no change. For me, it's either PSU or motherboard, and I was looking into a new PSU anyway - so I bought a new one. The current one is almost 3 years old so there's more evidence....I can also claim it back under warranty too, so that's a relief!

An EVGA Supernova
750Whttp://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-012-EA

Anyway I'll install that tonight and hope for the best
 
Nasty. Cold cathode tubes all burn out eventually in my experience usually with varying degrees of scorch marks, has to arcing at least.

What you have is something else though and it sounds more serious. All the popular LED strip lights were sold out on OCuK so I bought some cheapo ones from fleabay. Well as soon as I powered on it would instantly power off and only switching off at the mains for a few seconds could induce it to power on again, only for it insta-shutdown again.

Well I took a good look at the lights and noticed the power-thru molex connector had its pins 1 & 2 crossed over leading to a fault and possibly worse.

My PSU obviously caught it and shut down to prevent damage. I'm glad I spent the money on it if not the lights.

I guess the moral of my tale is spend money on cheapo parts at your peril. :o
 
Well now I've replaced the PSU and I can confirm the PSU was ok, I think that's what happened in my situation (although slightly more extreme). It looks as though the PSU shut itself off when it sensed the error. Only trouble being that I can't tell what's now not working haha. Part of the cable did actually melt to the lowest-left corner of the motherboard,which I easily peeled off. I can only imagine that has knackered the mobo.
I looked into a new mobo and my Sabertooth 990FX is still £140!!

I'm looking at the MSI 970 as a replacement as it's half the price. Is that a wise/not-so-wise idea?
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showp...-MS&tool=3&groupid=701&catid=1903&subcat=2046
 
Guys - can anyone advise? Got the new motherboard turning up today, but I haven't opened it yet so if someone could potentially save me £80.....
 
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