[SOLVED] MSI x470 gaming plus max with Ryzen 7 3700x

Aug 22, 2020
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Built this system for my brother in law last weekend. Haven't been able to get it to post at all. Red CPU light is lit on MoBo,

AIO pump, fans, RBG, all fire up. Tried using 8 pin, 4 pin, and both 8+4 pin CPU power connectors. Nothing seems to make it work. I've assembled it outside the case, so eliminating a short on the back of the board. I've tried pulling the reset switch like one youtuber claimed to help. I've played with the reset-CMOS button, taken the friggin battery out, unplugged/replugged the 24pinATX connector.... Nothing. Loads of people have had success from loads of different solutions but I can't seem to get anything done.

Full build listed below...

AMD Ryzen 7 3700X 3.6 GHz 8-Core Processor $283.55
CPU Cooler

Cooler Master MasterLiquid ML240L RGB 66.7 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler $74.99
Motherboard

MSI x470 Max Gaming Plus
No Prices
Available
Memory

Corsair Vengeance RGB Pro 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-2666 CL16 Memory $81.99
Storage

Samsung 970 Evo 500 GB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive $89.99
Video Card

Asus GeForce GTX 950 2 GB Video Card
No Prices
Available
Case

Corsair iCUE 465X RGB ATX Mid Tower Case $149.99
 
Solution
Pull the CPU and check it for bent pins. You may need magnification like a magnifying glass or high powered reading glasses to see any deviation in the pin structure. It only takes one pin, slightly bent, to cause a major problem.

Make sure it's installed correctly per the alignment marks and that there are no bent pins.

You WILL need to obtain some adequate thermal past and isopropyl alcohol, probably, because generally once installed the thermal pads on the AIO are usually not reusable and if they are then it was probably not properly tightened down the first time. But in any case, good to have the iso alcohol and thermal paste (Recommend Thermal grizzly Kryonaut or Noctua NT-H1 or H2, or Arctic MX-4) on hand just in case.

You may...
Pull the CPU and check it for bent pins. You may need magnification like a magnifying glass or high powered reading glasses to see any deviation in the pin structure. It only takes one pin, slightly bent, to cause a major problem.

Make sure it's installed correctly per the alignment marks and that there are no bent pins.

You WILL need to obtain some adequate thermal past and isopropyl alcohol, probably, because generally once installed the thermal pads on the AIO are usually not reusable and if they are then it was probably not properly tightened down the first time. But in any case, good to have the iso alcohol and thermal paste (Recommend Thermal grizzly Kryonaut or Noctua NT-H1 or H2, or Arctic MX-4) on hand just in case.

You may also want to pull the motherboard and build it on the bench to eliminate some possible issues.

 
Solution