Non functioning motherboard/new build advice

-danr-

Vice Admiral
I know the CIC isn't the first place on the list for asking about tech problems; but I've reached my wit's end. I've made threads on overclock.net and on Tom's Hardware and nobody seems to be able to offer up any advice.

Since I've had good PC advice from you guys before, I thought I'd give it a shot and see what you tech types think.

---

Tried building a new rig yesterday and failed.

Asus P9X79 Pro
Core i7-3930k
8gb DDR3
GTX 750Ti (temporary, waiting for Pascal!)
Seasonic Platinum 1050w PSU


When I power up, the fans spin for about half a second, then the board powers off completely. No VGA, no POST, no warning beeps, just on, fan spins, then off.

Then about 3 seconds later it comes back on again, same thing, turns back off again.

This loop is endless.

Here's what I've tried
- Reseated CPU
- Reseated all power cables including CPU 12 pin: Firmly, over and over.
- No case, cardboard 'test bench'
- New lithium battery
- Different PSU
- 1 stick of RAM
- No GPU, No RAM, just the CPU and board.
- Flash to new BIOS using USB (incredible you can do this without powering on!) Shame it didn't help.

^ All of these things give the same result; comes on, goes off, comes on goes off, no post, no hint, no hope.

Has anybody got any ideas?

I tried entirely different RAM (known good) and a very basic GPU, one the doesn't require extra power. Then I made this video to demonstrate:

 
Also should point out: All of these components are used, I know the PSU, RAM and GPU are good as they're mine and are working fine on other machines. The motherboard and processor however are secondhand and I haven't got another x79/2011 to test them.
 
I've got a friend who's a computer guru; I'll pass this along to him. My first guess based on the diagnostic process you've described would be a faulty board...
 
I've got a friend who's a computer guru; I'll pass this along to him. My first guess based on the diagnostic process you've described would be a faulty board...

Much appreciated good sir. I think you're probably right, although some have said it may be something as simple as a BIOS issue.
 
My guess would be that the fault lies in the power unit, but no real suggestion besides that
 
Alright - the replies from my two gurus:

"My guess is that it's either a bad motherboard or that the PSU isn't supplying enough power, though I'd think a 1080 W supply would be enough."

"I've had this exact issue and seen something similar. My issue with identical symptoms was the power supply. Although the poster indicates the PSU is good I'd still try powering up with a different one just to cover everything. The other issue was a bad motherboard. I'd have him check things over on that since it is secondhand. Make sure nothing is bulging or looks like it's popped."

Since you've tried a different PSU already...
 
My guess would be that the fault lies in the power unit, but no real suggestion besides that

This was my first thought. Either the PSU isn't giving the board enough juice or the cables to the MB aren't seated properly / completely.

Power Supplies are notoriously fickle. I've never had a new one go bad, but this sounds like what mine would do when it was about to kick the bucket.
 
- Can you try connect a PC speaker to it so it can give you the beeps? (some boards also communicate through the line-out)
- This board has a "memOK!" feature, does the corresponding LED light up?
- Have you inspected the CPU socket, that one of the connectors is not bend? There are loads of those floating around on ebay...
 
Have to chime in here with the rest: The PSU might not be working well with the rest of the hardware. I had a similar thing my last upgrade a few years ago. I ended up purchasing a brand new PSU. My old one (when I had the intitial problem) was a 1000 watts, but it was older. When I purchased a new one it was "only" 750 watts but it worked with the new hardware.
 
Have to chime in here with the rest: The PSU might not be working well with the rest of the hardware. I had a similar thing my last upgrade a few years ago. I ended up purchasing a brand new PSU. My old one (when I had the intitial problem) was a 1000 watts, but it was older. When I purchased a new one it was "only" 750 watts but it worked with the new hardware.

That was why we have the 80+ standard.. A power supply will lose some efficiency over time, but if he took at the Powerhungry GPU out and disconnected all other hardware, even a 450 power supply should be sufficient for that rig to start up... Non-80+ PSU's are like the Audio systems from the 90's when it comes to expectations of actual capabilities..

Can you check the CPU in another mainboard?
 
Thanks for all the advice and to @capi3101 's friends for chiming in.

Have to chime in here with the rest: The PSU might not be working well with the rest of the hardware. I had a similar thing my last upgrade a few years ago. I ended up purchasing a brand new PSU. My old one (when I had the intitial problem) was a 1000 watts, but it was older. When I purchased a new one it was "only" 750 watts but it worked with the new hardware.

My guess would be that the fault lies in the power unit, but no real suggestion besides that

I've now tried three power supplies, all with identical results ~ the original PSU I was using *should* have been pretty reliable given that it's only 6 months old and is a Platinum SeaSonic, but as has been said - these units can be fickle.

- Can you try connect a PC speaker to it so it can give you the beeps? (some boards also communicate through the line-out)
- This board has a "memOK!" feature, does the corresponding LED light up?
- Have you inspected the CPU socket, that one of the connectors is not bend? There are loads of those floating around on ebay...

memOK! doesn't light up regardless of which RAM sticks I use or what socket they go into, I've tried two different RAM types, both of which are QVL listed as board compatible. I've also tried with no RAM, and get the same endless boot loop :(

Regarding CPU socket, it looked a bit suspect when I first received the board. I'm starting to think I have some bent pins; which is very frustrating because I bought the board from Gumtree and the seller has gone totally silent. It never fails to amaze me that people are so negligent as to damage the CPU socket, arguably the most fragile part of any motherboard - how hard is it to just be gentle when slotting in a CPU?

Anyway, I don't have access to another LGA 2011 board to test the chip, unfortunately.

Here's the suspect socket, could this cause a boot loop? As in, not even POST or give VGA?

YtagyFN.jpg


AXUiivV.jpg
 
^ As you can see, there's also some old thermal paste next to the socket, a good amount of dust, and I even found hairs in amongst the pins.

So much for "BARGAIN, NEVER USED"
 
Not as heavy into motherboards as I used to be. and more of an AMD guy myself, but that socket looks damaged in two places in the bottom left to me. Maybe someone else around here knows this socket type and canconfirm it?

A new replacement board would set you back around €200,- .If you made your payment through paypal, you can always reclaim your money. And it is quite easy to "drop" the cpu while installing/removing it, and damaging the socket for a Core2Duo or beyond.
 
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Replies to the pics -

"I thought about including a bum CPU in the list of possible problems, but I thought it was too unlikely. I'd say those pins look fishy."

"Same, the pins look a little wonky."
 
I've never had pin issues on my processor, so I have no input other than may God go with you on that journey.

Hoping you paid through Paypal
 
Thanks guys, unfortunately I'm a bloody idiot - I bought the board from a guy on Gumtree who insisted on bank transfer - he seemed legit enough, sent me lots of pictures of the board, dated with post-it notes. Should have set alarm bells ringing that he claimed "not to use PayPal" - now he's not responding to texts or calls.

I've learned a brutal lesson here, and I'm £200 down.

So; next step - try and fix those tiny pins with a fine needle.

Mmay God go with you on that journey.

I'll need divine intervention here for sure, the pins on the socket are so small, I'll be holding a flashlight in my mouth, a needle in one hand and a magnifying glass in the other. There are lots of stories of people successfuly fixing these sockets, and a few guide videos. I'll keep you posted and thanks again to all for the help.
 
I've learned a brutal lesson here, and I'm £200 down.
I don't envy you. We all need to learn our lessons in life, but certainly there are less painful ways to learn than with £200. Good luck fixing it, maybe it will all work out in the end!
 
Good luck, well, you have broken board now, and you can't make it any worse... Patience is they key here...
 
It's dead, I can't get it working. As a last ditch I've sent it for a free assessment and repair quote, anything more than £70 and I'm selling it as faulty.
 
You have sent it over to Odyssey I presume? They'd probably just replace the entire socket on the board as standard procedure with a fixed price..
They might also offer you a discount on a refurbished 2011 board if they can salvage your MB for spare parts..
 
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