Question I need immediate help with an unidentified issue - - - - looking for possible causes & solutions ?

[cade_777]

Just to give some background detail about this story, I will provide some history before getting into my current issue. About a half year ago, I attempted to finish my building my new PC build (all components of this new build are below for reference). For my CPU to be detected, my MOBO needed a BIOS update out of the box. However, my MOBO would never complete the update even after hours of waiting. I called MSI and was advised just to shut down the computer and send the MOBO to RMA for a replacement.

Unfortunately, I was given a refurbished MOBO as a replacement for a MOBO that was delivered corrupt. When I got my new MOBO, I attempted the BIOS flash again. This time it was successful. Got to the the end of the build, and the CPU cooler would not work. Exact same story as the MOBO (I was sent a refurbished one back). At last, I finally received working parts to complete my build. It has been about two months since I have had this up and running. Now, on to the issue I am faced with now.

I am normally a mouse and keyboard player on almost all games. However, I have been dabbling in Rocket League recently in which I use a controller. I cannot say plugging in a controller is the definitive cause of this issue, but I can say that this issue has only occurred when a controller is plugged into my PC. This may not be the cause of the issue at all, but I wanted to mention that a controller being plugged into my case has been consistent throughout every experience.

Randomly when playing, almost all of my peripherals will just shut off. First, my computer speakers will stop playing all audio. Then, the mouse, keyboard, and controller will all shut off. After my mouse, keyboard, and controller turn back after roughly 20-40 seconds, all of the RGB in my computer will turn off entirely. Then, my fans return to their default (out-of-box) color. After a little, all of my lights return back to their set color. However, the weird thing is that my computer speakers do not return to working. They are still chosen as my audio output device in my system, but they do not play any audio. I have to restart my computer to get them to work again.

The same thing occurs when wearing a headset, but the headset has came back on after a while unlike the speakers. Another oddity, my monitors never turn off. This problem is not consistent. It occurs randomly. Some days it does not happen, and other days I have experienced it more than once. I would appreciate any possible solutions or causes of this wild issue. Anything is appreciated, thanks so much!


CPU: Ryzen 9 7900X3D
CPU Cooler: Corsair H150i ELITE LCD XT 65.57 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler
MB: MSI MAG B650 TOMAHAWK WIFI ATX AM5 Motherboard
RAM: G.Skill Trident Z5 Neo RGB 64 GB (2 x 32 GB) DDR5-6000 CL30 Memory
Storage: Samsung 990 Pro 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive
GPU: MSI GAMING X TRIO GeForce RTX 4080 16 GB Video Card
Case: Lian Li O11 Dynamic EVO ATX Mid Tower Case
PSU: Corsair RM1000x (2021) 1000 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply
Fans: Lian Li Uni Fan SL-Infinity

 

[Roland Of Gilead]

Hey there,

Just to be clear, the first mobo was purchased new? If so, I would get back on to MSI and tell them under no circumstances will you accept a refurbed device after paying for a new one. RMA the mobo immediately and only accept a new motherboard matching the one you originally got.

There is no way I would accept a refurbed device.

As a side note: Did you clear CMOS after the bios update? You need to do this to completely rule out an incomplete bios update as the issue.

 

[Niklas_13]

Did you update the chipset drivers and other drivers for the mobo ? https://us.msi.com/Motherboard/MAG-B650-TOMAHAWK-WIFI/support#bios

 

[cade_777]

Hey there,

Just to be clear, the first mobo was purchased new? If so, I would get back on to MSI and tell them under no circumstances will you accept a refurbed device after paying for a new one. RMA the mobo immediately and only accept a new motherboard matching the one you originally got.

There is no way I would accept a refurbed device.

As a side note: Did you clear CMOS after the bios update? You need to do this to completely rule out an incomplete bios update as the issue.

Yes, I purchased this MOBO brand new. However, I have found out very quickly that MSI RMA is an absolute nightmare. As mentioned, MSI advised me to send it to them the first time it malfunctioned. I asked for a replacement on the first phone call, and the MSI RMA employee REFUSED to give me a replacement. He was very adamant with his response as well. After I received this MOBO back after months of waiting just to realize it was not fixed in the slightest, I was on edge to say the least. When I called back to RMA, I remained calm and explained that I could not wait another 2+ months to receive a "repaired" MOBO. The lady with RMA said verbatim "Do you just want to replace this MOBO... I don't know why that was not done initially upon the first request". I told her about the refusal and asked if the MOBO would be new. She told me the replacement would be brand new and never used. After another month of waiting, I finally received the replacement. Everything looked good... until I saw the thermal pads on the M.2 heatsinks. One of the thermal pads had clearly been peeled off with the outline of it still on the heatsink and fingerprints all along the inside. The main heatsink had a thermal pad, but the protective film over it had been peeled off already. so I had to give it a good cleaning before it was used. I have a working computer now, I am not dealing with RMA for another months to come XD.

TLDR: MSI RMA told me false information on both contacts but tried to satisfy my experience with good customer service tactics; made me wait 4+ months to receive a functioning/used/probably repaired MOBO

Update on the OP: I figured out it was the USB cable I was using. Upon switching cables, I have not experienced the same issue. The reason I had never experienced it prior was because I never use a controller unless on Rocket League. I'm guessing a short in the USB cable causing my MOBO to surge.

 

[Roland Of Gilead]

Excellent. Glad you got it sorted 👍