Computer does not do anything when I press the power button

[PizzaPenguin]

Hello everyone. Let’s just jump right in to my issue. The gist of it is, when I press the power button, nothing happens. Here’s a bit of backstory and further explanation.

I built my computer in January and everything worked fine for a while until my PSU died, I think in April. I bought a new PSU, and it worked for a bit, but then the mother board stopped working. I started the RMA process in mid-May, and thanks to Biostar’s terrible customer service, I just received the new board today.

Anyways, I rebuilt my computer, double-checked everything, and booted on. When I press the power button, nothing happens. It’s literally like pressing the button in an empty case. No fan spinning, no lights, nothing. I reattached the front panel cable for Power SW, and tried it in multiple orientations as well, all to no avail.

The computer is plugged into a working outlet, the PSU is turned on, the 24-pin and the 4-pin power connectors are correctly plugged in to the motherboard, as well as the POWER SW connector, but when I press the button nothing happens.

What can I do to get my computer to boot? Thanks in advance!

 

[Woody1999]

Have you tried shorting the two Power_SW pins with a screwdriver? If it boots like that then the issue must be with the cable.

Woody

 

[PizzaPenguin]

Have you tried shorting the two Power_SW pins with a screwdriver? If it boots like that then the issue must be with the cable.

Woody

How do I do that?

 

[Woody1999]

Find the two pins that you attach the power switch cable to, and just stick a screwdriver in between them.

Woody

 

[sizzling]

How do you know you haven't killed the 2nd PSU? What PSU's have you used and what's the rest of your system

 

[PizzaPenguin]

How do you know you haven't killed the 2nd PSU? What PSU's have you used and what's the rest of your system

The original PSU was a 300W FSP Group Inc from an old prebuilt, and the new one is a Corsair CX430M.

System specs are:
-Intel Core i3-4130
-Biostar Hi-Fi B85S3+ Ver. 6.x (Motherboard)
-4GB DDR3 1600mHz RAM
-Corsair CX430M Semi-Modular Power Supply
-Silverstone PS08B Case

Running on integrated graphics.

 

[PizzaPenguin]

Find the two pins that you attach the power switch cable to, and just stick a screwdriver in between them.

Woody

Tried it, and there were no signs of life.

 

[sizzling]

Ok your current PSU should be fine for your system although the quality isn't the best. You can try Woody's suggestion or Google the PSU paperclip test, it doesn't tell you much but at least shows if there us any life in your PSU.

 

[Woody1999]

Okay well that power supply is pretty poor quality. Have you any other systems you can test it with?

Woody

 

[PizzaPenguin]

I should be able to test with my brother's power supply tomorrow. I guess I'll try the paperclip test.

 

[Woody1999]

The paper clip test will let us know if the power supply turns on, but not if it's fully working. Have you tried breadboarding?

http://forums.whatthetech.com/index.php?showtopic=120814

Woody

 

[sizzling]

That PSU should be ok for a low load situation, see here http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/id-2547993/psu-tier-list.html but its not high end, still much better than your original.

Try the paperclip test with the PSU out the system and if no life it has died completely.

 

[sizzling]

Just remember the paperclip test can show a completely dead PSU but its still possible for a PSU to pass the paperclip test but be faulty and not able to power a system, its just a starting point for investigation

 

[PizzaPenguin]

The PSU did not pass the paperclip test (it did a month ago, actually!) although I can't be for sure because I'm colorblind, and may not have put the paperclip in the green wire and the black wire, like I'm supposed to. I'll have my dad help me tomorrow, and also test the system with my brother's power supply.

 

[MarkW]

We get so many people coming here with those Corsair cx units... They are junk. Trust me. Replace that thing. Get yourself a Seasonic or Antec. They both make quality power supplies. I see well over 10 times the problems with the corsair cx power supplies than I see with any other power supply.

 

[sizzling]

Agree with MarkW.

Good luck sorting your pc, let us know how you get on

 

[PizzaPenguin]

Well, the bad part is, I'm a broke teenager and can't afford a new PSU right now, so if that's for sure the issue, I'll have to RMA it for a new one.

 

[MarkW]

If you do have to RMA it, save up some money, and when the new one comes in, sell it. Don't even open the box. Sell it. Add what you have saved, and buy a better power supply. You should not be having all of these problems you seem to be having. Computers are normally very stable things. But all it takes is a cheap power supply, and everything goes to crap.

 

[PizzaPenguin]

If you do have to RMA it, save up some money, and when the new one comes in, sell it. Don't even open the box. Sell it. Add what you have saved, and buy a better power supply. You should not be having all of these problems you seem to be having. Computers are normally very stable things. But all it takes is a cheap power supply, and everything goes to crap.

What's the cheapest high-quality PSU you would reccomend?

 

[MarkW]

what country are you in?

 

[Woody1999]

In England the XFX ProSeries 450W goes for £36. That's a really high quality unit and very cheap. It also comes with black sleeved cables.

Woody

 

[PizzaPenguin]

I'm in the United States. BTW, I did the paper clip test again today, with my non-color blind dad, and the fan spins. Then I reinstalled it, and nothing. Could the power button be the issue?

 

[Woody1999]

I'm in the United States. BTW, I did the paper clip test again today, with my non-color blind dad, and the fan spins. Then I reinstalled it, and nothing. Could the power button be the issue?

No, we concluded that wasn't the issue earlier. You really better try breadboarding.

Woody

 

[PizzaPenguin]

The computer works now!
Before breadboarding, I wanted to make sure the power button wasn't the issue for absolute certain, so I shorted the POWER SW pins again, and the PC booted. Then, I attached the RESET SW cable to the POWER SW pins, and now I can power on the PC with the restart button, which I don't mind at all. OS installation went smoothly, and here I am now, posting this from the very same computer that wouldn't do anything a few hours ago. Thanks for the help everyone!