Pc has stopped working. (Looking for help or suggestions)

[josh.howarth]

My pc has stopped working and won’t turn on. I’ve checked the power, checking the switch and all the wires. However a blue and green light and still lighting up inside.
If anyone could give me a next step as to a potential issue with the pc I could check.
It’s a custom pc. Intel motherboard. GeForce Nvidia gtx GPU. I’m not sure about the CPU. It’s 8gb ram which I’m looking to upgrade.
The specs aren’t that good but I will upgrade it if needed. The lights show on the motherboard. I’m wondering what I could test to see if it would fix it or any parts I should buy. Thank you

 

[ED209]

My pc has stopped working and won’t turn on. I’ve checked the power, checking the switch and all the wires. However a blue and green light and still lighting up inside.
If anyone could give me a next step as to a potential issue with the pc I could check.
It’s a custom pc. Intel motherboard. GeForce Nvidia gtx GPU. I’m not sure about the CPU. It’s 8gb ram which I’m looking to upgrade.
The specs aren’t that good but I will upgrade it if needed. The lights show on the motherboard. I’m wondering what I could test to see if it would fix it or any parts I should buy. Thank you

Sounds like a dead psu or motherboard.

What make\model is the motherboard? (sometimes it will say it on the motherboard somewhere)
What make\model is the PSU?
Does the PC has an IGU you could try?
What is the green light doing? flashing or solid?

Check the link below, it may help

What Are the System Status LED Indicators?

System Status LED operation table includes information such as color, state, and description.

www.intel.com

EDIT - I would be assuming this is the issue as the Green\solid would indicate the system is ok and the other is green\amber which you have not mentioned

Green

Blink

Degraded

BIOS detected: Unable to use all of the installed memory (more than one DIMM installed).1 In a mirrored configuration, when memory mirroring takes place and system loses memory redundancy. This is not covered by.2 PCI express correctable link errors. Integrated BMC detected: One of redundant power supplies not present. CPU disabled – if there are two CPUs and one CPU is disabled. Fan alarm – Fan failure. Number of operation fans should be more than minimum number needed to cool the system. Non-critical threshold crossed – Temperature, voltage, power nozzle, power gauge, and PROCHOT2 (Therm Ctrl) sensors. Battery failure. Predictive failure when the system has redundant power supplies.

 

[josh.howarth]

Hey one of the lights was greenish yellow but I can’t totally remember and then the other one was a blue flashing light. Motherboard is intel. I originally thought it was motherboard or cpu issue also. What would my next step be ?

 

[Rob_B]

Realisically, depends how confident you are with PCs.

Check all cables are seated correctly, check the RAM is seated, try to turn it on, what happens? If lights on the motherboard or fans start to spin then PSU likely ok, then you need to test the other components.

So now unplug any SATA drives, fans (even the CPU fan) etc, basically you just want the CPU/motherboard & GPU to have power, what happens now? If you see a boot screen (it might not boot into Windows if you've disconnected the boot drive) then that's a good sign, try adding things back 1 by 1

If still not working then one of those components may be the issue, do you have anyone you can borrow a GPU from?
What CPU do you have? if it has an iGPU then remove your Nvidia GPU, move the HDMI/DP cable to the port on your motherboards backplate and then try to boot again.

 

[Noughtboy]

Realisically, depends how confident you are with PCs.

Check all cables are seated correctly, check the RAM is seated, try to turn it on, what happens? If lights on the motherboard or fans start to spin then PSU likely ok, then you need to test the other components.

So now unplug any SATA drives, fans (even the CPU fan) etc, basically you just want the CPU/motherboard & GPU to have power, what happens now? If you see a boot screen (it might not boot into Windows if you've disconnected the boot drive) then that's a good sign, try adding things back 1 by 1

If still not working then one of those components may be the issue, do you have anyone you can borrow a GPU from?
What CPU do you have? if it has an iGPU then remove your Nvidia GPU, move the HDMI/DP cable to the port on your motherboards backplate and then try to boot again.

This ^^

With just the PSU and MB running and plugged into the iGPU, if you get the BIOS you have eliminated the MB, CPU and PSU as problems (at least initially). At this point just check CPU is running as spec.

Then add back the RAM. If it works, we have eliminated the RAM.

The add back the boot drive. If you get the Windows splash screen the boot drive works. If you can then load into Windows, we can assume it is the GPU. If you cannot get to the Windows splash screen but you can get into BIOS, reseat the CPU.

If you still cannot get into WIndows, reset the CPU back to stock and try again,

If Windows isn't working, then we know it is the CPU.

If Windows is working then finally add back the GPU. If it falls over, we know it is the GPU

Either way, by removing and then reseating those components, you may just solve the problem.

Good luck

 

[josh.howarth]

This ^^

With just the PSU and MB running and plugged into the iGPU, if you get the BIOS you have eliminated the MB, CPU and PSU as problems (at least initially). At this point just check CPU is running as spec.

Then add back the RAM. If it works, we have eliminated the RAM.

The add back the boot drive. If you get the Windows splash screen the boot drive works. If you can then load into Windows, we can assume it is the GPU. If you cannot get to the Windows splash screen but you can get into BIOS, reseat the CPU.

If you still cannot get into WIndows, reset the CPU back to stock and try again,

If Windows isn't working, then we know it is the CPU.

If Windows is working then finally add back the GPU. If it falls over, we know it is the GPU

Either way, by removing and then reseating those components, you may just solve the problem.

Good luck

When I test the MB and PSU on their own their is lights on no fans working but nothing else when I turn on or anything. I connect the ram and it makes no difference. Same with the GPU. Nothing made a difference. Starting to think it’s the MB or CPU. How would I go on to test more about the Mb or CPU as I cannot test anything else past this stage. Thank you

 

[josh.howarth]

Realisically, depends how confident you are with PCs.

Check all cables are seated correctly, check the RAM is seated, try to turn it on, what happens? If lights on the motherboard or fans start to spin then PSU likely ok, then you need to test the other components.

So now unplug any SATA drives, fans (even the CPU fan) etc, basically you just want the CPU/motherboard & GPU to have power, what happens now? If you see a boot screen (it might not boot into Windows if you've disconnected the boot drive) then that's a good sign, try adding things back 1 by 1

If still not working then one of those components may be the issue, do you have anyone you can borrow a GPU from?
What CPU do you have? if it has an iGPU then remove your Nvidia GPU, move the HDMI/DP cable to the port on your motherboards backplate and then try to boot again.

When I test the MB and PSU on their own their is lights on no fans working but nothing else when I turn on or anything. I connect the ram and it makes no difference. Same with the GPU. Nothing made a difference. Starting to think it’s the MB or CPU. How would I go on to test more about the Mb or CPU as I cannot test anything else past this stage. Thank you

 

[ED209]

When I test the MB and PSU on their own their is lights on no fans working but nothing else when I turn on or anything. I connect the ram and it makes no difference. Same with the GPU. Nothing made a difference. Starting to think it’s the MB or CPU. How would I go on to test more about the Mb or CPU as I cannot test anything else past this stage. Thank you

There is not a lot you can do to test the motherboard or CPU without having another 1 to test with.

Does the motherboard use standard connections like any other board or are they specific ones to the brand\model of the PC?

Depending on the CPU you maybe able to grab a cheap 2nd hand 1 but to be honest it's most likely not worth chucking any money at as whatever you spend could have gone towards an upgrade.

Do you have another PSU to test with?

 

[josh.howarth]

There is not a lot you can do to test the motherboard or CPU without having another 1 to test with.

Does the motherboard use standard connections like any other board or are they specific ones to the brand\model of the PC?

Depending on the CPU you maybe able to grab a cheap 2nd hand 1 but to be honest it's most likely not worth chucking any money at as whatever you spend could have gone towards an upgrade.

Do you have another PSU to test with?

I don't have another PSU. I was just checking if there was a way to test cpu/motherboard, i was looking for an upgrade so I’m thinking it’s better to just buy a motherboard bundle and see if that works. What specs do you recommend for gaming ? I’m currently looking at an i7 cpu as a nice budget upgrade but what about gpu or motherboard?. Or I’m even if there’s a better cpu for me to get. Thanks a lot for the help

 

[Tetras]

I’m currently looking at an i7 cpu as a nice budget upgrade but what about gpu or motherboard?. Or I’m even if there’s a better cpu for me to get. Thanks a lot for the help

Which generation i7?

What CPU/motherboard/GPU do you have now (alternatively: if you don't know, how old is it?)?

What is your total budget and what do you use the PC for?

 

[Rob_B]

When I test the MB and PSU on their own their is lights on no fans working but nothing else when I turn on or anything. I connect the ram and it makes no difference. Same with the GPU. Nothing made a difference. Starting to think it’s the MB or CPU. How would I go on to test more about the Mb or CPU as I cannot test anything else past this stage. Thank you

You didn't unplug everything?...
Probably not the issue but important to be clear on what you've tried.

So possibly the motherboard or CPU, as above your either try other components or.. well that's about it. If you're looking for an upgrade I'd think about how confident you are building one, maybe try to find someone local to help you.

 

[josh.howarth]

Which generation i7?

What CPU/motherboard/GPU do you have now (alternatively: if you don't know, how old is it?)?

What is your total budget and what do you use the PC for?

Not too sure what i7 what one would you recommend. I currently have i5 on intel motherboard it’s really old now and I think the gpu is the gtx 1090 because I’ve had the pc for 5 years. To be honest I’m mainly looking for the cpu and motherboard for now then I’ll buy gpu later I’m just looking to try get the pc running first.

 

[Tetras]

Not too sure what i7 what one would you recommend. I currently have i5 on intel motherboard it’s really old now and I think the gpu is the gtx 1090 because I’ve had the pc for 5 years. To be honest I’m mainly looking for the cpu and motherboard for now then I’ll buy gpu later I’m just looking to try get the pc running first.

It is really hard to make a decent recommendation if you don't know what gen i5 you have, but the i5-12400F and i5-12600KF are the best value Intel options right now (approximately £100 and £150, respectively) and they would be a big upgrade on an old (e.g. 7th-gen or earlier) i5. If you have an 8th-gen to 10th-gen i5, then they are still an upgrade.., but less meaningfully.

I would not recommend buying a 13th-gen or 14th-gen CPU right now (especially an i7), there is too much we don't know about their issues and there is a not-zero possibility that they're just broken and can't be fixed.

The CPU box includes a usable CPU cooler:

My basket at OcUK:

• 1 x Intel Core i5-12400F 2.50GHz (Alder Lake) Socket LGA1700 Processor - Retail (SKU: CP-6AR-IN) = £98.99
• 1 x Asus Prime B660M-A WIFI D4 - Intel B660 DDR4 Micro ATX Motherboard (SKU: MB-6HK-AS) = £129.00
• 1 x Team Group Vulcan Z T-Force 32GB (2x16GB) DDR4 PC4-25600C16 3200MHz Dual Channel Kit - Grey (SKU: MY-0AJ-TG) = £55.99

Total: £283.98 (includes delivery: £0.00)​

If you want to spend more and get DDR5, then:

My basket at OcUK:

• 1 x Intel Core i5-12600KF 3.70GHz (Alder Lake) Socket LGA1700 Processor - Retail (SKU: CP-69Y-IN) = £159.95
• 1 x MSI B760 Gaming Plus WIFI (LGA 1700) DDR5 ATX Motherboard (SKU: MB-37M-MS) = £149.00
• 1 x TeamGroup Vulcan 32GB (2X16GB) DDR5 PC5-44800C36 5600MHz Dual Channel Kit - Black (FLBD532G5600HC36BDC01) (SKU: MY-0BB-TG) = £99.95
• 1 x Arctic Freezer 36 120m Black CPU Cooler - 2x 120mm (SKU: COO-ARC-02420) = £24.95

Total: £437.84 (includes delivery: £3.99)​

Note that KF/F CPUs do not have integrated graphics, so the motherboard display outputs are useless. I'd recommend getting the 12400 non-K or 12600K, if you can afford the swap, because the integrated graphics is very useful for troubleshooting purposes.

 

[Noughtboy]

I don't have another PSU. I was just checking if there was a way to test cpu/motherboard, i was looking for an upgrade so I’m thinking it’s better to just buy a motherboard bundle and see if that works. What specs do you recommend for gaming ? I’m currently looking at an i7 cpu as a nice budget upgrade but what about gpu or motherboard?. Or I’m even if there’s a better cpu for me to get. Thanks a lot for the help

You can buy a PSU tester on the interweb. Should cost between £5 - £15. You just need a 20/24 pin one. I have had one for years and pull it out on the occasions I have needed it. SO quick and simple to eliminate the PSU and well worth it's weight in gold. Find one in the usual auction places or elsewhere and that way you can save yourself the headache of pulling everything out in the first instance or where you are now eliminate the PSU or MB

 

[josh.howarth]

It is really hard to make a decent recommendation if you don't know what gen i5 you have, but the i5-12400F and i5-12600KF are the best value Intel options right now (approximately £100 and £150, respectively) and they would be a big upgrade on an old (e.g. 7th-gen or earlier) i5. If you have an 8th-gen to 10th-gen i5, then they are still an upgrade.., but less meaningfully.

I would not recommend buying a 13th-gen or 14th-gen CPU right now (especially an i7), there is too much we don't know about their issues and there is a not-zero possibility that they're just broken and can't be fixed.

The CPU box includes a usable CPU cooler:

My basket at OcUK:

• 1 x Intel Core i5-12400F 2.50GHz (Alder Lake) Socket LGA1700 Processor - Retail (SKU: CP-6AR-IN) = £98.99
• 1 x Asus Prime B660M-A WIFI D4 - Intel B660 DDR4 Micro ATX Motherboard (SKU: MB-6HK-AS) = £129.00
• 1 x Team Group Vulcan Z T-Force 32GB (2x16GB) DDR4 PC4-25600C16 3200MHz Dual Channel Kit - Grey (SKU: MY-0AJ-TG) = £55.99

Total: £283.98 (includes delivery: £0.00)​

If you want to spend more and get DDR5, then:

My basket at OcUK:

• 1 x Intel Core i5-12600KF 3.70GHz (Alder Lake) Socket LGA1700 Processor - Retail (SKU: CP-69Y-IN) = £159.95
• 1 x MSI B760 Gaming Plus WIFI (LGA 1700) DDR5 ATX Motherboard (SKU: MB-37M-MS) = £149.00
• 1 x TeamGroup Vulcan 32GB (2X16GB) DDR5 PC5-44800C36 5600MHz Dual Channel Kit - Black (FLBD532G5600HC36BDC01) (SKU: MY-0BB-TG) = £99.95
• 1 x Arctic Freezer 36 120m Black CPU Cooler - 2x 120mm (SKU: COO-ARC-02420) = £24.95

Total: £437.84 (includes delivery: £3.99)​

Note that KF/F CPUs do not have integrated graphics, so the motherboard display outputs are useless. I'd recommend getting the 12400 non-K or 12600K, if you can afford the swap, because the integrated graphics is very useful for troubleshooting purposes.

I went for the more expensive build but instead of the 32gb ram you sent I chose the 64gb because the 32 was pre order, would I still be able to use the 64GB ?. before I order I’m wondering if this is actually a tidy build. Also once I buy the cpu how do I set it up and get windows on it?.

 

[Rob_B]

You could go AM5 for about £450, a 7600 is on par with a 12600 and you have much better future platform upgrade options.

Are you confident doing this upgrade?

 

[Tetras]

I went for the more expensive build but instead of the 32gb ram you sent I chose the 64gb because the 32 was pre order, would I still be able to use the 64GB ?

What 64GB kit are you referring to exactly?

I am not aware of a 64GB version of those sticks (I mean, in the more expensive build).

You haven't confused DDR4 and DDR5, have you? Since the first build is DDR4 and the second is DDR5.

Also once I buy the cpu how do I set it up and get windows on it?.

It depends on what is wrong with your computer.

If your computer is 100% working (except for the CPU/motherboard), then it might boot straight into Windows once you replace the parts.

In the event that there is a problem with your storage device, then you'd need to reinstall Windows using an installation USB stick that you can create yourself from the Microsoft website.

Is there any important data on your storage? If there is, I'd recommend you connect it to another PC and try to get it off, because if you reinstall Windows there is a possibility you will lose it.