Question CPU LED on motherboard is solid red, fans and lights turn on, but monitor, keyboard and mouse won't!

[Pichael]

Hey,

So about 3-4 years ago I built a computer with the help of my brother. It has been working great all these years until recently, where the fans will start spinning and then the computer will power off, they will spin again and power off and repeat until finally it stays on, but with a solid red CPU LED on my motherboard (NO blinking). If I restart the computer it starts working, but I am afraid that it will eventually not. Can anyone identify what this problem is? Unfortunately I am not very tech savvy, so aside from knowing the components of the computer, I am not confident in my ability to take it apart after not touching anything in 3-4 years.

All of my drivers are up to date, I have ran windows memory tool which came back with no issues. Also I ran the Intel processor diagnostic tool which also came back with no issues. Temperatures of my CPU also are between 45-50C which is apparently normal. I don't think it could be any loose connections because I keep my computer in one spot. So now I am completely clueless on what to do and have no idea what this light means. I have checked out the ASUS motherboard manual, but cannot figure out where it says what it indicates. If anyone is interested, here is the manual:
http://dlcdnet.asus.com/pub/ASUS/mb/LGA1150/Z87-A/E7828_Z87-A.pdf#page=18

If someone could offer me some insight on what the problem is, I would be so grateful!

The component names I remember are:

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K (3.50GHz)

Motherboard: ASUS Z87-Plus

Graphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960

I am not sure where to look to find out the other model names of things like my power supply, hard drive and RAM (which is 8GB btw).

Thanks for the help!

 

[jojesa]

That sounds like a failing motherboard or a PSU issue.
I would try another PSU first.
Which PSU do you have?

 

[Pichael]

That sounds like a failing motherboard or a PSU issue.
I would try another PSU first.
Which PSU do you have?

My PSU is a EVGA SuperNOVA 650 GS
Also if it was my PSU, wouldn't it not run period. I have been using my computer all night with no issues after restarting it.

Is there a way to test either of the components before spending the money on replacing them?

 

[jojesa]

....if it was my PSU, wouldn't it not run period. ...

That is an inaccurate statement.
A failing PSU could very well turn on a computer and could cause many different issues before completely dying.
These issues could be RAM errors, system freezes and locks, HDD and fans failing to spin or fan and HDD that stop spinning, USB ports errors, system rebooting, shooting down or even powering on.
PSU and motherboard issues are hard to diagnose, since they both might show similar symptoms.

Is there a way to test either of the components before spending the money on replacing them?

You could start by a visual motherboard inspection, by checking for bulging capacitors, physical damage, burned traces, etc.
The only reliable way I had found to test a PSU or motherboard is by swapping them with another working unit.

 

[Pichael]

That is an inaccurate statement.
A failing PSU could very well turn on a computer and could cause many different issues before completely dying.
These issues could be RAM errors, system freezes and locks, HDD and fans failing to spin or fan and HDD that stop spinning, USB ports errors, system rebooting, shooting down or even powering on.
PSU and motherboard issues are hard to diagnose, since they both might show similar symptoms.


You could start by a visual motherboard inspection, by checking for bulging capacitors, physical damage, burned traces, etc.
The only reliable way I had found to test a PSU or motherboard is by swapping them with another working unit.

Yeah, like I said I don't really know much about computers despite having built one. I'll try taking a closer look to see if there are visible problems.

Thanks!

 

[jojesa]

Like I previously stated, you might need to swap the PSU or motherboard to find out which one is causing the issue.
I think is the motherboard.
When in your situation I usually try to get a cheap motherboard from eBay.