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Thread ID: 134523	2013-07-10 20:51:00	Think my motherboard died, suggestions	dugimodo (138)	Press F1

Post ID	Timestamp	Content	User
1348509	2013-07-10 20:51:00	I just built a new machine (not this one) to use all the parts I had left over. Everything went very well, built and windows installed in a couple of hours. Ran it for a while, then it went into standby and I left it for a couple days intending to do the updates and some stress testing over the weekend. So now it won't start, the fans spin up briefly, occasionally the speaker will beep, then it all powers down again. Sometimes it repeats this cycle itself for a while. What I've tried so far; swapped the PSU reset the BIOS, also removed the battery disconnected all drives Tried each RAM chip alone in each slot removed the graphics card and used onboard only No change, anything else you can think of before I talk to computerlounge about RMAing the motherboard? Specs; Asus P8H77-I itx motherboard i3 3220 8 Gb Kingston DDR3-1600 RAM The rest isn't all that important as it's all been disconnected or swapped but; Cooler master 460W PSU (my first suspect, only used because I already had it and it was working OK with an OC Phenom 2 and the same graphics card) Silverstone 350W PSU - for testing without the graphics card only, might run the system but I'm not game to try fully loaded WD Blue 500Gb HDD LG Blu-ray/ DVD combo drive	dugimodo (138)
1348510	2013-07-10 21:00:00	One thing to check, just make sure the heatsink is sitting/attached correctly. Also if you haven't done so, take the motherboard out of the case and put it on a bench, attach only a PSU, CPU/Heatsink, KB /Mouse, and possibly a HDD and monitor- Nothing else. CPU's can die, but its not common, so unless you have a spare motherboard sitting around its a bit harder to check. On the front header pins, locate the two power pins, short them by touching both with a flat bladed screwdriver ( basically what the power switch does anyway) see if it fires up. If it does fireup there could be something shorting the motherboard in the case - if it doesn't :( RMA it.	wainuitech (129)
1348511	2013-07-10 23:04:00	Yeah I guess I'll do that. I could swap the CPU with my working machine, but I was reluctant to muck with that one as it's all running sweet and these itx cases are not the easiest to work on. I'm pretty sure the heatsink is on properly but when I remove the board I'll check again. I made sure all 4 clips locked in though. I used to have the front power panel from an old case for testing, was brilliant as it was a small insert with power & reset buttons and LEDs but yeah I'm familiar with the screwdriver method. The frustrating thing is it was a really easy build and fired up and installed windows first try. Then next time I try to start it this happens.	dugimodo (138)
1348512	2013-07-10 23:11:00	Ain't that the way! It is hard to find the straightforward job! Good luck.	linw (53)
1348513	2013-07-11 01:14:00	for any who still cant see first post I just built a new machine (not this one) to use all the parts I had left over. Everything went very well, built and windows installed in a couple of hours. Ran it for a while, then it went into standby and I left it for a couple days intending to do the updates and some stress testing over the weekend. So now it won't start, the fans spin up briefly, occasionally the speaker will beep, then it all powers down again. Sometimes it repeats this cycle itself for a while. What I've tried so far; swapped the PSU reset the BIOS, also removed the battery disconnected all drives Tried each RAM chip alone in each slot removed the graphics card and used onboard only No change, anything else you can think of before I talk to computerlounge about RMAing the motherboard? Specs; Asus P8H77-I itx motherboard i3 3220 8 Gb Kingston DDR3-1600 RAM The rest isn't all that important as it's all been disconnected or swapped but; Cooler master 460W PSU (my first suspect, only used because I already had it and it was working OK with an OC Phenom 2 and the same graphics card) Silverstone 350W PSU - for testing without the graphics card only, might run the system but I'm not game to try fully loaded WD Blue 500Gb HDD LG Blu-ray/ DVD combo drive	dugimodo (138)
1348514	2013-07-11 02:36:00	Thanks Wainui, set it up on the desk and it fired up. Put it back in the case and it fired up again, when I get more time tonight I'll put it back together and see what happens. Can't see any obvious reason for it but seems like something must have been shorting somewhere.	dugimodo (138)
1348515	2013-07-11 03:11:00	What comes to mind is similar to a couple of motherboards I have here. If you put them into cases WITH the Motherboard Port Covers installed in the case the boards simply wont boot, somewhere they are causing a short. If the covers are left off so all the connections are exposed it works perfectly. I have noticed lately there are more and more cover plates coming with a type of soft insulation on the plate where it touches the motherboard. May or may not be the cause :2cents:	wainuitech (129)
1348516	2013-07-11 03:21:00	Interesting theory except it's itx so there is only one slot for the graphics card and removing that didn't help... It's all bolted back together with everything except the top cover and the graphics card put back, currently downloading updates merrily as if nothing ever happend. I'm going to use the 350W PSU, little apprehensive but the calculator suggests a minimum/recommended PSU value of 280/315 and it's 350. I even tried calculating it again with a GTX 670 and it still came in well under 350W. with all 3 drive bays occupied and dual slot graphics card there is 0 room for more hardware so it doesn't need any extra headroom. Main reason though is it's a SFF PSU and lets me actually see part of the Motherboard when assembled, much easier to work with. Silverstone do also make a 450W version.	dugimodo (138)
1348517	2013-07-11 04:02:00	*could* be dry solder joints or similar on the board too, and the flexing to get it out and back in again made better contact...	Agent_24 (57)
1348518	2013-07-11 07:17:00	OK, problem solved finally. It worked for a while after putting it back in the case then reverted to the same symptoms. Long story short, the power switch is faulty. So I've un clipped the microswitch and swapped it with the reset button for now, working fine until I figure something out. It's a new case but I don't want to have to rebuild the whole machine for the sake of a switch. Hopefully jaycar have them.	dugimodo (138)
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