Question Cursed PC, will not boot after replacing almost everything!

Nov 29, 2023
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I'm out of ideas, I'm hoping someone here can give me some pointers or things to try.

Here are my specs:
i9-12900k
64GB G. Skill Ripjaws V DDR4 @3200Mhz
MSI PRO B660M-A WIFI
MSI RTX 3060 VENTUS 2X 12G OC
Corsair RM750e 750w Power Supply.

Some backstory:
For the past year this rig has been flawless, had zero issues. Couple weeks ago while playing Robocop (I know), the computer hard freezes, and I had to hold the power button down to shut it off. Since then, I haven't been able to boot it back up. When I try to boot it, it'll post and try to boot into windows, but will keep freezing up, you'd be lucky to get to the desktop.

What I've done so far:
Unplugged GPU and any unnecessary components (ex. extra hard drives) to eliminate the cause. No luck.
Tried installing a different M.2 and installing a fresh copy of Windows. PC would freeze at ~28% installed.
Replaced power supply with current one mentioned above (old PSU was a OEM Alienware 650w).
Removed RAM sticks and used each one in each ram slot. No luck but found resistor broken off one stick. Ordered new ram thinking that was the issue.
Replaced above mentioned RAM with 4x16GB Corsair Vengance LPX DDR4 @3600 Mhz. The computer booted and seemed a little more stable, but still froze after a few minutes.
Replaced the above mentioned motherboard with ASUS Prime B660M-A AC D4 (today). PC will not even post anymore (fast blinking power LED). Tried re-installing and changing out ram sticks with no luck.

**Yes, I checked to verify that the CPU and memory is compatible with the motherboard.**

Could it be the CPU this whole time? Or am I just doing something wrong? I'm tired of spending money on parts with no luck. :/
Any advice or input is GREATLY appreciated!
 
You make references to a Dell/Alienware. Is that the starting base of what you are working with?

The motherboard you list has sketchy VRM to be using with an i9. This is painting quite a picture...
The rig was installed in an Alienware Aurora R2 case with the OEM 650w power supply mentioned. Thats what I was using up until the crash. Everything else was bought brand new. As of now I'm switching back to the old motherboard (the MSI) to try diagnosing further.