Question Can someone tell me what I’m doing wrong?

Jan 22, 2024
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Hi all,

I recently built my first pc and I made sure everything went in the right spot. I tried to power on my PC but the only thing that turned on was the LED lights on my MB. I tried resetting CMOS and a bunch of other things but got the same result. I noticed that the fans on my PSU wasn’t spinning but I’m not sure whether or not it is bad. I’m guessing that I either got a faulty PSU or case .

Here’s my specs
CPU: Intel Core i5-12600K 3.7 GHz 10-Core processor
Mb: Asus TUF GAMING Z690-PLUS WIFI ATX LGA1700 Motherboard
Memory: TEAMGROUP T-Force Delta RGB 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-6000 CL30 Memory
CPU cooler: ID-COOLING SE-214-XT 68.2 CFM CPU Cooler
Storage: Kingston NV2 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive
Vc: Asus TUF GAMING GeForce RTX 4070 Ti 12 GB Video Cards
Case: Montech X3 Mesh ATX Mid Tower Case
PSU: Thermaltake Toughpower GF1 - TT Premium 650 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply
 
tried resetting CMOS and a bunch of other things but got the same result
What are the "other things" you tried?

Did you try;
  • Removing and plugging in all the wires going to all the components?
  • Booting with one stick of RAM? (do so with both sticks)
  • Reseating components?
  • Verifying if the Display out is connected to the GPU and not the motherboard?
  • Checking all the connections from the Power Supply's end, as it is a modular PSU?
Q: What LED is turning on on the motherboard? It should correspond to something, which is usually written just above/below the LED.

Read this guide from Asus to find out what different LEDs mean and how to troubleshoot and fix the issue. Its mostly self explanatory.

If all fails, resort to swapping the PSU and seeing if that helps

Good Luck :)
 
I can't see clearly but that looks like the DRAM LED is lit. Could indicate faulty, incompatible or unseated memory, or a CPU problem.
Sorry, it's the BOOT light, not DRAM.

If the CPU LED is on, that means there is a CPU problem, obviously.
VGA LED tells you there is a display problem. This is unfortunately a tricky one to solve but mostly harmless.

The BOOT LED usually just means your PC hasn't booted any OS yet.

Try booting with only one stick of ram like zinkles suggested.
Also, follow Asus' advice and install ram in slots A2 and B2. Or only A2 if installing one stick.
 
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It shouldn't matter for just turning on, but your DRAM is in the wrong set of slots.

Whats plugged in to the left of your system panel headers? The manual says that's supposed to be a fan header, but the plug doesn't look quite right, but that could just be the picture.

Have you tried disconnecting everything but the power switch from the system panel connectors?

Have you tried just shorting the power connector to turn on thus removing the case from the equation?

Did the motherboard come with a system panel adapter so you can just plug everything to that and then plug it into the motherboard? You could always try that if it did, but that should only be quality of life anything above should narrow down the issue.
 
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I admit i'm stumped.

Either you incorrectly connected some wire (happens), or the PSU is not providing any power, OR the motherboard or some part of it is dead.

Try a different PSU. If everything works, you solved the mystery. Then you can return the faulty one.
 
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I tried shorting it and all I heard was this small click. I ordered a PSU power tester and it’s arriving later today. I’ll update you guys later and let you know if it’s faulty or not.
 
I tried shorting it and all I heard was this small click. I ordered a PSU power tester and it’s arriving later today. I’ll update you guys later and let you know if it’s faulty or not.
I tested my psu and it works so now that’s out of the equation but now I think it could either the case (I think the wires connected to it are faulty), some part of the MB could be faulty or the cpu isn’t working at all.
 
I tested my psu and it works so now that’s out of the equation but now I think it could either the case (I think the wires connected to it are faulty), some part of the MB could be faulty or the cpu isn’t working at all.
If shorting the power switch leads on the motherboard doesn't work it has nothing to do with your case. If it was the CPU it should still try to power up unless there was a catastrophic failure (and then give a QLED on CPU). I'd say you're probably looking at motherboard here.
 
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If shorting the power switch leads on the motherboard doesn't work it has nothing to do with your case. If it was the CPU it should still try to power up unless there was a catastrophic failure (and then give a QLED on CPU). I'd say you're probably looking at motherboard here.
What kind of test can I do on my MB to see if it’s actually damaged/dead? Also I appreciate all the help I’m getting!
 
What kind of test can I do on my MB to see if it’s actually damaged/dead? Also I appreciate all the help I’m getting!
Unfortunately there really isn't anything you can do to test a faulty motherboard aside from trying to rule everything else out. I just jumped through something similar with a friend on a cheap Asus board and we just couldn't get it to do anything despite swapping and disconnecting everything except the CPU. They even ended up getting a different CPU and still nothing.
 
I tested my psu and it works so now that’s out of the equation but now I think it could either the case (I think the wires connected to it are faulty), some part of the MB could be faulty or the cpu isn’t working at all.
Does your PSU tester check all the voltages coming form the PSU? It could be that one voltage rail is low, so it doesn't turn on for safety.
 
If shorting the power switch leads on the motherboard doesn't work it has nothing to do with your case. If it was the CPU it should still try to power up unless there was a catastrophic failure (and then give a QLED on CPU). I'd say you're probably looking at motherboard here.
I’m returning the MB and getting a different one