Question Motherboard no longer posting

[Steve204]

GA-H97M-D3H (new)
Gigabyte 650 PSU (new)
GTX780

I put everything together (as I have done with many other systems) and could not get windows to even load. Removing the GPU allowed me to use the integrated graphics to reinstall windows. (At the time I felt that the SSD was corrupted, hence the problems loading windows)

Everything appeared fine until I seated the GPU. No video. Not even a post. So I removed the GPU again and tried the integrated graphics. Now I'm getting nothing. It appeared to be a power issue, as there is no power coming to the USB ports to power the keyboard and mouse. One of the system fans would spin on start up, but then stop after a couple of seconds.

I used a multimeter to test the 24-pin plug. All pins were providing the voltage range they should be. The CPU plug is also providing the correct voltage. So I breadboarded the motherboard.

With the 24-pin and 8-pin power plugged in, but no RAM, the power cycles on and off. Adding the RAM keeps the CPU fan turning, but it is seemingly faint after coming on strong. There is 12V to the CPU fan. The system fans are only receiving 4V, (6V without the RAM installed) though. And still no power to the USB ports to power the keyboard and mouse. No video, I assume because not enough power?

Not sure of next steps. I tried to clear CMOS to no avail. (40+ seconds of power button, 20 seconds of screwdriver on the jumper).

Hope someone can help!

TIA,
Steve

 

[Steve204]

So I think I'll strip it all the way down, check the CPU, and start back up from scratch. Will it be okay to run the CPU without it's cooler at least to see if it posts or not? Just trying to avoid having to keep cleaning off the thermal paste.