Question First-time Builder | [Pics attached] Motherboard Lights On But Nothing Else

[Ivan21234]

Hi there! I've plugged in the CPU/PSU, PCI-E, 24-pin, and 2x SATA power cables to the PSU. I've plugged in the power supply and powered it on, but the only thing that happens is that the lights on the white part of the mobo come on and the green PWR LED on the top right. Neither one of the fans spin, and it doesn't seem like anything else powers on.

I've also tried jumping the power supply by using a screwdriver to jump the two power pins (top row, pins 3 & 4 from left to right) near the PANEL pins on the bottom right of the mobo. Nothing there, either. Here are the computer specs:

CPU : Intel i7-8700k
GPU : MSI Gaming X Nvidia Geforce GTX 1660 Ti
Mobo : Asus Prime Z390-A
PSU : ATX Corsair CX650M 80+ Bronze
RAM : DDR4 2x8 GB 3000MHz Vengeance LPX

+Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO

Here's a link to the pics I took:

https://imgur.com/a/sXH2bsI

View: https://imgur.com/a/sXH2bsI


Any help would be appreciated, thanks!

 

[Barty1884]

Have you tried booting without the GPU installed? There's an iGP in the CPU, which would narrow things down a little.

Did you 'breadboard', outside the case with just the basics beforehand to verify everything works?

It's certainly odd that the fans don't spin at all. Usually when there's an issue, the fan will start very briefly and stop.

Try disconnecting your RGB strip (plugged in at the top, by the CPU_Fan header). While I'm assuming you've done your homework on those, if it's not a compatible strip, or is a 4 pin to 3 pin setup, that can cause all sorts of issues (and rightly so)

 

[Ivan21234]

Have you tried booting without the GPU installed? There's an iGP in the CPU, which would narrow things down a little.

Did you 'breadboard', outside the case with just the basics beforehand to verify everything works?

It's certainly odd that the fans don't spin at all. Usually when there's an issue, the fan will start very briefly and stop.

Try disconnecting your RGB strip (plugged in at the top, by the CPU_Fan header). While I'm assuming you've done your homework on those, if it's not a compatible strip, or is a 4 pin to 3 pin setup, that can cause all sorts of issues (and rightly so)

Hi, thanks for the reply and suggestions! So far I've tried unplugging the 3-pin connector that was next to the CPU Fan, but unfortunately the same problem remains. I took out the graphics card next with the 3-pin connector still unplugged, and the same problem persists. Could something be wrong with the CPU?

Also, is "breadboarding" doing a test run of the mobo outside the case on cardboard, or am I mistaken? If so, I have not done that yet but will.

Thanks again!

 

[Terox]

Your motherboard comes with a series of coloured LED's
They should illuminate in the following order
RED LED (CPU Check) On then Off
YELLOW LED (DRAM check) On then Off
WHITE LED (VGA Check) On then Off
then I think its green for a full boot into BIOS.

From what you have stated, only the green power led is coming on (The other diagnosis LED's are about 2 inches below that)

So to test / diagnose you need to do the following

Unplug everything except
CPU and cooler
DRAM
PSU
(So no drives, no GPU)
If you wanted you could plug your monitor directly into the onboard vga as your cpu supports video (afaik)


Because you dont seem to be getting the CPU check neon, this would appear to be a cpu related issue.

First thing to do is check that your cpu is on the qvl list for processors supported by the motherboard.
It may be that it is supported on a later release bios than the one your board shipped with.
If you contact ASUS support and give them the PPID number which should be on the box somewhere, they will be able to tell you what version of BIOS your board is shipped with (I think you will find its version 1301, the latest is 1401
If it is supported then carry out the following.

I see from your picture you have plugged the 8 pin cpu power connector to the top left connector, this is often overlooked, so check the PSU end is plugged into the CPU power slot not a sata or peripheral power socket
Physically unplug and plug both ends of this cable back in.
Do the same with the 24 pin connector
Clear the cmos
Boot up
If you still dont get a red light
Then I would remove the cpu cooler, take the cpu out
Using your phones camera take the highest res picture of both the motherboard socket and the cpu pins.
(You can then zoom in and have a good look if the pins are bent)
This is also useful when raising an rma, attaching the images as it shows them that the cpu slot isnt damaged.
Then happy that the cpu is on the qvl list and the socket on the motherboard isnt damaged, reconnect it and the cooler and power up.

If it still doesnt work, log the details of what you are seeing and what you have done on an ASUS support email complete with the images of the socket and processor and they will most likely advise you to RMA the board

 

[Ivan21234]

Have you tried booting without the GPU installed? There's an iGP in the CPU, which would narrow things down a little.

Did you 'breadboard', outside the case with just the basics beforehand to verify everything works?

It's certainly odd that the fans don't spin at all. Usually when there's an issue, the fan will start very briefly and stop.

Try disconnecting your RGB strip (plugged in at the top, by the CPU_Fan header). While I'm assuming you've done your homework on those, if it's not a compatible strip, or is a 4 pin to 3 pin setup, that can cause all sorts of issues (and rightly so)

UPDATE! [Pics attached]

Pics:

https://imgur.com/a/UYqZUfR

View: https://imgur.com/a/UYqZUfR


I placed the motherboard on cardboard with the video card installed and powered it on. Everything spins, thankfully! At first, anyway. I think I'm just using the wrong screws to put the motherboard in with the standoffs.

A new thing is that the VGA LED light on the right of the motherboard turns on. How can I fix this?

 

[Barty1884]

If it's stuck on the VGA LED, you may be looking at a GPU issue. First of all, remove the GPU, and connect to the onboard graphics. How do things look then?

 

[Ivan21234]

UPDATE! [Pics attached]

Pics:

https://imgur.com/a/UYqZUfR

View: https://imgur.com/a/UYqZUfR


I placed the motherboard on cardboard with the video card installed and powered it on. Everything spins, thankfully! At first, anyway. I think I'm just using the wrong screws to put the motherboard in with the standoffs.

A new thing is that the VGA LED light on the right of the motherboard turns on. How can I fix this?

Even further UPDATE | [Pics attached]:

I apologize— I know I sound like a madman and must be hard to keep up with with all these updates, but here's some more info:

I can't short the power switch as it is. I have to use the little device that came with it to short it, so that works. Yay.

Plugging in an HDMI cable before triggering the switch seems to have resolved the white Q LED VGA light, so that's new. I also got an entirely different screen than I did the first time. "American Megatrends" was the first boot; the "UEFI" screen was after multiple reboots.

The only thing that remains is the green Q LED boot light. How can I resolve that issue?

https://imgur.com/a/ufVfyiA

View: https://imgur.com/a/ufVfyiA

 

[Barty1884]

I don't recall specifically what "Q LED" stands for - but a green light is usually the "A-Ok" indication.

 

[tighteewhitey1111111]

I don't recall specifically what "Q LED" stands for - but a green light is usually the "A-Ok" indication.

https://dlcdnets.asus.com/pub/ASUS/mb/LGA1151/PRIME_Z390-A/E15017_PRIME_Z390-A_UM_V2_WEB.pdf

 

[Ivan21234]

I don't recall specifically what "Q LED" stands for - but a green light is usually the "A-Ok" indication.

It's on page 13 of the manual with the "Onboard LEDs"

I don't recall specifically what "Q LED" stands for - but a green light is usually the "A-Ok" indication.

"Q LEDs" is on page 13 of the motherboard manual under "Onboard LEDs".

I've put everything back inside the case, and I had the same issue as before. Nothing besides the mobo turns on. I think it might be a standoff or two causing the motherboard to not work, since I think I saw one of the "threads" sticking through at least one of 'em.

 

[Barty1884]

If all is working otherwise, then yes, either something is causing a short, or you're over-tightening something ... etc.

That's why it's important to breadboard initially, you now know the hardware is functional, and you can focus on rectifying the issue between the hardware + case.

If threads are still showing after you installed the standoffs, they're not fully installed. While it shouldn't cause a short, given standoffs are there to avoid that.... It may be putting unnecessary strain/pressure on certain areas of the PCB, which can be problematic. Take the hardware back out, ensure the standoffs are fully installed in the case (and in only the required areas) and try again.

 

[Ivan21234]

Found two standoffs that have the thread thing sticking out. None of the other standoffs are like that, so I'm gonna readjust these two and see if that works. All the components work outside of the case, still— I tested it again.

https://imgur.com/a/OrCotBE

View: https://imgur.com/a/OrCotBE

 

[Ivan21234]

I'm super late for this, but I wanted to thank everyone for their help. Turns out the power supply was just faulty. I replaced it without touching anything else with a 500W gold one, and it worked like a charm. Thanks again, everyone