My motherboard died today - I think?

[sheldorbaz1nga]

Hello all,

I had a saddening experience today with my beloved four year old computer. The computer suddenly switched itself off and now won't switch back on again. There was no shutdown procedure, just an instant loss of power.

Now when I try to switch it on again all I get is a blinking power button and then nothing.

Here is the specification;

Mobo: Asus P8Z68-V LX
CPU: i7 Sandy Bridge
RAM: 8gb (2 x 4gb)
GPU: MSI GTX 970 (formerly a GTX 560ti - see below)
PSU: CiT ATX 12V Model 750UB - 750W

Up until a few days ago I had a GTX 560 ti installed. I decided to upgrade this after four years of loyal service to an MSI GTX 970. It worked perfectly at first, but after three days of use I had this sudden loss of power. Coincidence? Probably not.

After opening up the case here is what I can deduce.

The PSU appears to be dead. Aside from the blinking power LED and a green single light on the motherboard, the computer will not fire up. I have an extra PSU to hand, but it's only 550W and pretty cheap. I removed the GPU and connected up the 550W PSU and I was able to press the power button and have the fans on the PSU and CPU start up. Success! Almost...

Unfortunately there is no POST beep and I can't get any output to a monitor. In the interest of performing further tests I did the following;

I removed the RAM (the GPU is already removed by this point) and pressed the power button. Still no beep. I then cleaned and reseated the RAM and tried the power again - no beep.

I removed the CMOS battery from the motherboard for 5 minutes and then put it back. Tried the power again and still nothing.

I don't know what else to try.

It seems too much of a coincidence that I replace my GPU and within three days the computer dies, especially after four years of perfect service.

Could it be a case that the PSU just wasn't up to the job of powering it, or that the motherboard and GPU weren't very compatible?

I should also mention that I also have a Logitech G27 steering wheel constantly attached to the computer as well. I know it has it's own power supply but does it also draw a lot of power from the PSU?

If anyone can assist that would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Darkbreeze]

Replace the power supply. I'd highly recommend you find and obtain a Tier 1 or Tier 2 unit, rather than another Tier 5 unit like you had. Any Tier 1 or 2 unit of 550w or higher should be fine. I'm very surprised your current PSU even lasted two weeks with a 560 TI.

PSU Tier list: http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-2547993/psu-tier-list.html


This Seasonic built XFX unit would be fine unless the CPU is overclocked, in which case you probably want a 650w or higher unit:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($54.29 @ Amazon)
Total: $54.29
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-11-01 14:27 EST-0500


Quality matters far more than capacity, so long as the minimum capacity requirements are met.

http://www.realhardtechx.com/index_archivos/Page362.htm

 

[sheldorbaz1nga]

Hi darkbreeze,

Thank you for that reply, the tiered list and the helpful links. I will have a good look through that tier list and see what is suitable for my budget.

With regards to the motherboard, do you think it's dead?

 

[Darkbreeze]

Of course I cannot say with any certainty that the motherboard is ok, but in my experience, in situations like this it is usually just a dead power supply. The recent addition of a higher end GPU card that apparently is the only change in hardware seems to indicate that the power draw of the new card probably did the power supply, that was low end to begin with, in. There could be another issue, but the power supply is where I would start even if there was.