Is my motherboard toast?

[Emqar]

Hi, I've been visiting this site for a long time and decided to make a post now that my computer has stopped working.

So this is my setup: Rosewill 500W Power Supply
MSI K8N Neo2 Platinum Socket 939 Motherboard
AMD Athlon XP 3500+ Processor
1GB Corsair PC-3200 Memory
ATI X1950 Pro Graphics Card
SB Audigy 2 ZS
WD Raptor 150GB

For a bit, my computer was randomly turning off, and I mean randomly. Whether I was web surfing, playing a game, or screwing around in Photoshop, it just turned off sometimes. After a while of trying to figure out the problem, it stopped turning back on. I blamed this on the power supply because it was over four years old. So, I decided to buy a new one. While I was at it, I figured I'd upgrade my graphics card from my 9800XT, and also get a new case because mine got its front panel ripped off when it fell off my desk and it took the reset switch with it.

So I bought an X1950 Pro, a Rosewill 500W, and a Cooler Master Centurion.

Got my stuff, cleaned and switched everything over to the new case, and it worked! I thought my problems were over. Later that night, my computer turned off suddenly, and when I tried to turn it back on, it only got about a half a second into it. The power supply's blue LEDs lit up and all the fans started turning, but only for about a half a second.

I thought maybe the unused connectors were touching metal and making it short out or something, so I moved them all around and got the same result. Then I put electrical tape over them; same result. I tried using my old case's power switch... same thing. So I took everything out and reseated it. It worked! I thought, "whew, almost had a nightmare on my hands." So I slept on it, thinking I could enjoy my new graphics card the next day.

The morning comes and the computer won't turn on. It still does the little flicker of power thing. I started messing around with the 20 pin connector, and made a discovery. When I push it in and the power supply is on, it turns on, even without pushing the switch. When I wiggle the 20 pin around, I get little flickers of power. So now I'm thinking it has to be the motherboard: the 20 pin power connector on the motherboard doesn't work anymore.

Can someone confirm this? I don't think it's the power supply, because not only is it brand new, but a faulty power supply usually just doesn't work at all, right? And what are the chances of this new power supply and four year old one displaying the same symptoms?

 

[o1die]

Rosewill got some complaints from people trying to run high end graphics cards off the 500w power supply. They listed the 7600gt and 7900gs as acceptable for the 500w model. If you can return it for credit, I would get something better. I would recommend fortron, enermax, antec, seasonic, or pc power and cooling. You can also try your 9800 video card with the rosewill, and see if your system comes back to life. It's amazing how many people assume any 500w ps will work well with a high end video card. My friend ordered a rosewill case with 350w ps and the ps died in a few days. I've also had power supplies fail suddenly without any warning. Also, if possible, go ahead and rma the msi board. Most have a 3 year warranty. I've sent several in; put in a request and give them 24 hours to respond. Just say the board doesn't post. When they email you the rma number, find a sturdy box and ship it by fedex ground (1st choice) or ups ground (second choice). It takes about 2 weeks to get a board replaced.