Motherboard CPU light not working

[JamorasGaming]

Hi I'm building my first pc and I put everything together being extra careful, using a static bracelet, making sure not to drop anything and I put everything together according to a guide I found and everything went well until I booted up the PC. There were no beeps or buzzes but the CPU LED light flashes for a few seconds then turns off, then the DRAM light turns on and stays solid. I tried hooking up my monitor and it says no signal no matter if I used VGA or DVI-D cords or both. I've also tried connecting both cords to the motherboard and GPU. Also separately and together.

Here are my specs:
CPU: Intel i5 4690 - Quad Core
Motherboard: Asus Z97 Pro-Gamer
GPU: EVGA GTX 750Ti
PSU: Corsair HX 750
SSD: Samsung 120GB
RAM: G-Skill Ripjaws X - F3-1600C9D-16GXM

If you guys could help me with this I would greatly appreciate it! Thanks again for reading!

 

[jimmysmitty]

It sounds like there is probably a short somewhere, this is the first thing I would suspect. You need to check the standoffs and make sure you only have the ones needed for your motherboard to screw into. If you have one in a spot that is not needed and it is hitting the back of the board as it will short it out.

Second is the PSU. Corsair makes great PSUs so it being DOA is not very likely but you need to check all power connections. Make sure you have the 24pin connection snug and flush. Then check the 8pin EPS (should be up above the CPU) and are using the proper cable. I have seen people somehow shove a PCIe in and that wont work as the power lines are not the same. As well, check to make sure the connections into the PSU are secure and flush.

 

[JamorasGaming]

It sounds like there is probably a short somewhere, this is the first thing I would suspect. You need to check the standoffs and make sure you only have the ones needed for your motherboard to screw into. If you have one in a spot that is not needed and it is hitting the back of the board as it will short it out.

Second is the PSU. Corsair makes great PSUs so it being DOA is not very likely but you need to check all power connections. Make sure you have the 24pin connection snug and flush. Then check the 8pin EPS (should be up above the CPU) and are using the proper cable. I have seen people somehow shove a PCIe in and that wont work as the power lines are not the same. As well, check to make sure the connections into the PSU are secure and flush.

Ok I'll do that, I was doing some research and I found that the ram sticks are not compatible with the motherboard (stupid mistake on my end I know) would that cause the issue as well or no?

 

[jimmysmitty]

I don't think the memory not being compatible would cause it to turn on and off. If it was the memory it would instead power on but not complete the POST. Unless the RAM has a short due to a burnt out IC, it wouldn't cause that.

And that RAM is fine for that board, it just might not be QVL listed, that means that Asus might not have tested it and cannot guarantee that it will run at the specs listed on the RAM.

 

[JamorasGaming]

I don't think the memory not being compatible would cause it to turn on and off. If it was the memory it would instead power on but not complete the POST. Unless the RAM has a short due to a burnt out IC, it wouldn't cause that.

And that RAM is fine for that board, it just might not be QVL listed, that means that Asus might not have tested it and cannot guarantee that it will run at the specs listed on the RAM.

Ok, well I was thinking because the DRAM light is on and the CPU one isn't and since my CPU is on the QVL and my RAM isn't I came to that conclusion. Because the PC does power on (and stays on) but it doesn't connect to my monitor. That's my problem really

 

[jimmysmitty]

Ok that is different than your original post. All the LEDs on the board will light once and normally go in this order:

CPU > DRAM > PCIe> Storage (if it has this one).

If it is staying lit at the DRAM then it could be one of two issues.

1. You have a bad stick of RAM.

2. You could have bent pins on the socket

For number 1 the easiest way to test it is to pull the sticks out and test each stick individually in slot A1 (closest to the CPU). If you get the same result with one of the memory sticks, as in the system does not complete POST and the DRAM light stays on, then you found a bad stick. If all the memory sticks present the same issue, the DRAM light stays on, then we move on to number 2.

For number 2 the only way to check is to unmounts the heatsink and carefully pull the CPU out of the socket. If you have to go to this point I would make sure to have some extra thermal paste as you do not want to reseat it with the same thermal paste as contaminents and air bubbles can get in. Once you pull the CPU look for something like this:

Yours might not be that bad but might have one or two slightly bent pins that can cause a lot of issues. If so then that is the worst case scenario as most manufactures wont accept an RMA on it and it is very hard to fix. I have fixed a few but they are extremely hard to do and risk causing further damage as the pins are very fragile.

Good luck and I hope it is just a bad stick of RAM.

 

[JamorasGaming]

Ok that is different than your original post. All the LEDs on the board will light once and normally go in this order:

CPU > DRAM > PCIe> Storage (if it has this one).

If it is staying lit at the DRAM then it could be one of two issues.

1. You have a bad stick of RAM.

2. You could have bent pins on the socket

For number 1 the easiest way to test it is to pull the sticks out and test each stick individually in slot A1 (closest to the CPU). If you get the same result with one of the memory sticks, as in the system does not complete POST and the DRAM light stays on, then you found a bad stick. If all the memory sticks present the same issue, the DRAM light stays on, then we move on to number 2.

For number 2 the only way to check is to unmounts the heatsink and carefully pull the CPU out of the socket. If you have to go to this point I would make sure to have some extra thermal paste as you do not want to reseat it with the same thermal paste as contaminents and air bubbles can get in. Once you pull the CPU look for something like this:

Yours might not be that bad but might have one or two slightly bent pins that can cause a lot of issues. If so then that is the worst case scenario as most manufactures wont accept an RMA on it and it is very hard to fix. I have fixed a few but they are extremely hard to do and risk causing further damage as the pins are very fragile.

Good luck and I hope it is just a bad stick of RAM.

OMG!! IT WORKED it was a bad stick of ram! Dude you are incredible! THANK YOU THANK YOU SO MUCH! WOW!! YOU ARE INCREDIBLE! I can't believe you would take time out of your day to do this for me! You have no idea how much this means to me! THANK YOU!

 

[jimmysmitty]

That is our job. Glad to find the issue. Hope the RMA process goes smoothly for you.