Question Anyone familiar with this issue on Gigabyte and ASUS motherboards ?

[Boris_yo]

Hello,

I don't think there is a solution to this problem except if replacing a motherboard is a solution. I want to find people who experienced similar issue that I am to describe here.

2 years ago when I bought PC, 6-7 months after purchase I have encountered an issue with PC not showing any signs after powering it on after it has not been used for a few days. I thought I had a bad UPS that maybe was faulty in supplying stable power when I had power outage but it was not the case most likely. There was power outage event when PC was on standby and UPS was discharged eventually which turned off PC completely. Doesn't seem to be the cause for the issue. What I have tried:

• Pressed power button for minutes to discharge remaining electricity
• Changed power cable
• Reset CMOS
• Tested with multimeter every pin in 24-pin connector
• Tested PSU for malfunction with Chinese PSU tester (not under load of course)
• Tested motherboard outside of chassis with memory, CPU and with/without video card. Rearranged modules.

Didn't solve anything and Gigabyte support advised to contact retailer. My surprise was that motherboard was working in retailer's testing lab and another lab I paid for a test but again not working at home. The problem "solved" itself after I left it on my desktop for a few days. Decided to give it a shot one last time after I placed an order for new PSU, thinking it was faulty. I shorted 2 pins with a screwdriver and suddenly motherboard started working. Didn't solve the root issue though and left me puzzled.

2 years later (which was several weeks ago) it happened again. Luckily someone on social network told me to try blowing hair dryer on motherboard. This issue has been observed on ASUS motherboards so it could happen in my case as well. Indeed it worked to my surprise and PC started up after I used hair dryer on motherboard for 30-50 seconds. Before that I pushed power button which should have started PC but it did not start. So it seems that Gigabyte is not aware of the issue or denying it like ASUS has been denying for quite a while? This is the video that I was sent:

View: https://youtu.be/OyNeP8Kkl9s


I still have warranty but what good does it do if I have no recorded proof of solving the issue with hair dryer? Given how Gigabyte did not acknowledged the problem and sent me packing I have no doubt retailer will have easy time denying responsibility. At least why not let customer purchase a new motherboard in the same range at a discount? Not in my country where customer service is a privilege. And I said that lightly. Even if I had a proof of hair dryer starting the computer there is no guarantee that wouldn't work against me.

Later I have found out on a different forum that the issue has to do with either bad solder quality that has it's joints contracting and expanding, motherboard's capacitors failing and require heat to function so PSU can start supplying power to motherboard, PSU capacitors failing, Super I/O chips used in newer generations of motherboards are weak and very sensitive to power disruptions (this was a rare occurrence in older motherboards and most users are not aware of it today) so UPS is a must. To cut expenses and increase profits, manufacturers do not equip motherboards with safety components like they used to (planned obsolesce). Could be one or multiple points of failure.

To quote someone from a forum in different country: "Asus started using proprietary certified Super I/O chips in its new generation motherboards. Majority of motherboards from Extreme series 1155, 1150, 1151 and 2011 have these special chips but majority of them malfunctioned." I think it was their personal experience with PC repairs. If anyone has additional information about this feel free to share.

I don't understand the subtleties, just on a surface but how does hair dryer restore motherboard's capacitors temporarily to allow PSU to start it up? If motherboard's capacitors are failing, why can't PSU supply power and start motherboard? Are capacitor's failing in retaining capacity or just plain losing ability to conduct electricity?

I was told before buying that my motherboard's VRM is good for my small gaming needs but then on the aforementioned forum someone replied that its VRM is only good for internet surfing and watching movies. I don't know if there is a link between good VRM and reliable Super I/O chips but I guess I will have to better check VRM now and buy higher-range motherboard that hopefully has properly working Super I/O chips to avoid the gamble. I still have warranty but I don't have recorded event on my smartphone so I could have some proof to start replacement process. I was told to avoid mentioning the hair dryer part to retail shop but without any evidence to back my experience with motherboard failure I think it is pointless. Not to mention official information from Gigabyte on the issue which exempts retailer from responsibility to replace the motherboard. I don't know when or if I will sell the PC but if I will, I gather that this issue that motherboard has will require me to ask less for PC by excluding it from asking price.

I anybody having same issue be it with same motherboard model or a different one? ASUS brand as well? Do you think there is a problem on component level due to humidity? I live a couple hundred meters from the sea so would it make sense to put silica gel packs inside the chassis and how many? Thanks.


My PC specifications:

MB: Gigabyte Aorus Elite B450 rev 1.0
CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 3600X
GPU: EVGA GeForce RTX 2060
RAM: 2x8GB 3200MHz Corsair Vengeance LPX
HDD: Western Digital 2TB
SSD: Samsung 970 EVO Plus
PSU: Corsair TX650M
UPS: Eaton 5E850iUSB

 

[Cyberat_88]

Just that I have seen this issue on some PCs with a depleted CMOS Battery, not dead, just half dead.
Also a 650W PSU is pretty low on a medium gamer PC.

 

[Boris_yo]

Just that I have seen this issue on some PCs with a depleted CMOS Battery, not dead, just half dead.

In these cases the PC still powers on with default settings. Not in my case though.

 

[ktmdemon]

Let me share you my experience. I am using Gigabyte B450M DS3H, Ryzen 5 3600, Thermaltake 650W 80 Plus, MSI Armor OC RX 580, Corsair Vengeance 8 GB 3000 Mhz. WD Green 240 SSD + 1 TB HDD, Ant Esports ICE 511MT

I am facing the same issue every monsoon and I live half a mile to the coast, same like you. I even tried replacing my Motherboard, PSU unit twice but they always send me back showing no faults observed but still there is the same issue every year on monsoon. I feel my PC Case has a lot of space for moisture to enter easily and there is a lot of free space inside as this is a Micro ATX Mobo (dont know if this helps the moisture). I always keep many silica bags inside my case and replace it regularly.

Its monsoon here and I am facing this issue again since last 2 weeks due to high humidity. Usually turning on AC sometime before turning on the PC was working for me as it works as a de-humidifier. But its gotten worse since last 2 days as the rain is heavy and humidity goes around 90% most of the time. I tend to avoid using hairdryer on my PC but I use it when humidity is very high. Now since Yesterday even the hairdryer solution is not working, my PC is turning on but there is no display now. I will try reseating my processor now to try if something works out as I learned from this post (https://techenclave.com/threads/sol...uf-b450-plus-gaming-mobo-not-starting.194655/)

Please let me know if there is any other solution working out for you. I am done with sending my piece to repair now, also rain does not last more than a week here at one go. I will stop using my PC till then and It will eventually start when things get back to normal.

 

[Boris_yo]

I am facing the same issue every monsoon and I live half a mile to the coast, same like you. I even tried replacing my Motherboard, PSU unit twice but they always send me back showing no faults observed but still there is the same issue every year on monsoon.

Hello. I am not exactly in the region of monsoon. The closest region is where monsoons are not strong. Despite this, humidity gets as high as 85% in summertime here, not far from the coast.

Someone in Eastern Europe linked this to failing Super I/O chips while someone else like you linked to humidity. You mean retailer has replaced your motherboard twice or only checked it for functioning?

And what case are you using? I haven't tried silica bags yet. Have you checked whether there might be something that is shorting out? Maybe buying silicone rings and placing them between standoffs and motherboard can work out?

Usually turning on AC sometime before turning on the PC was working for me as it works as a de-humidifier. But its gotten worse since last 2 days as the rain is heavy and humidity goes around 90% most of the time. I tend to avoid using hairdryer on my PC but I use it when humidity is very high.

Where do you point your hair dryer when you use it to start the motherboard? Do you move it in circles or point at specific components?

Have you considered getting de-humidifier specifically for this?

Now since Yesterday even the hairdryer solution is not working, my PC is turning on but there is no display now. I will try reseating my processor now to try if something works out

Have you tried with a spare GPU just in case? In don't know if it's something that technicians do but maybe try cleaning with contact cleaner for electronics on GPU's bottom part that plugs into PCI slot?

I tested with GPU and RAM but without CPU. No any signs at all. Maybe it's because I didn't connect 8-pin CPU cable? But I did connect CPU heatsink's fan to CPU_FAN slot and it didn't move at all. Neither helped installing CPU as well. So is refitting CPU an issue, at least in my case?

Should have bought speaker for motherboard or code reader... Maybe I could get beeps or readings.

 

[Riwer]

Hi, I have the same or similar problem with my motherboard.
Gigabyte Aorus Elite B560M.
I bought the MOBO last summer. While there was no problem during the summer, when we entered the winter, suddenly the windows start screen started to freeze. It was working when I tried restarting it several times in a row. I reinstalled Windows and it didn't work, although all my computer parts were new and compatible, I tested them and found no problems. Finally, I thought the problem was with the motherboard. I updated the BIOS, the problem went away for a week or two. But then it started again. After a while, I realized that when the computer warms up enough, it starts immediately. After it worked, it was running smoothly in all kinds of heavy operations, games, modeling, Unreal engine whatever. When I saw that there was a problem with the heat, I waited for a while before the system went above 60 degrees on the BIOS screen and started to run windows that way. I used the motherboard like this for a while because my work was urgent. However, this summer I replaced the CPU cooler with a higher model. Now, although I wait for the computer to warm up on the BIOS screen, it does not go above 35-38 degrees. Therefore, waiting in the BIOS screen is no longer the solution. I tried the hair dryer thing a few times and I saw that the system works without any problems if the system goes above 60 degrees with the hairdryer and windows start immediately. However, I sent the motherboard to the service because I was afraid that the hair dryer might damage the processor or any other part.
And... The authorized service could not understand the problem! They said they fixed the CPU pins and sent them back to me, but I didn't have a problem with the CPU pins anyway? I still have the heat problem.
Now I'm thinking, what should I tell the authorized service about my problem?

By the way, there is no humidity problem where I live. I live in a city with low humidity. Especially in winter, the humidity level drops because of the heater.

 

[Boris_yo]

@Riwer Did you see this thread?

I tracked down the problem to PSU 24-pin cable by an accident. The retailer replaced the motherboard that worked outside of chassis before assembly. It
did not work after assembly into chassis. The power button was pressed already but there were no signs of PC working. Upon attempting to disconnect 24-pin cable I pressed on a group of cables in 4-pin connector and suddenly PC started up.

After testing with multimeter the readings were good until I played with 4-pin connector's cables and noticed voltage drops. I tracked down the issue to the wire that connects to pin #11 causing voltage drops in pin #12. It actually explains why using hair dryer started the PC. Since heat causes materials to expand it was probably one of the cables that had a crack that weakened the contact.