Question Need help I think my motherboard is fried

Jan 9, 2024
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This week, I picked up the Hyte Y60 case and a new PSU-Corsair RM850x. I was using my Be Quiet! Pure Rock 2 on my Ryzen 5 5600X after completing the build, but I wanted to use my old MSI Mag Coreliquid 240r AIO. After going through that reinstall, my CPU temps were 90+ and I saw that MSI released a recall for that AIO last year. I suspected that my AIO got clogged, so I went to go switch back to my Pure Rock 2.

Here is where things took a turn.

When taking out my AIO, I made the first mistake of pulling out the power supply cord while it was still on the “I” (on) position instead of turning it off “O” (off) first. It made a sound like when you plug a cord into a socket and you can hear the electricity for a second. That was mistake number one.

I didn’t think much of it, and I continued to switch out my AIO for my air fan. Once I reinstalled it, I went to go push my power button. Nothing. After hours of trying to trouble shoot and dismounting it from the case, here is what I tried.


#1:

Taking it out and putting the motherboard, cpu, and ram on a test bench. No sign of life. The EZ Led Debugger won’t even turn on.

#2:
I thought maybe my new PSU was blown from my first mistake, so I tried my old PSU. still no luck. I then tried the paperclip method on both PSUs. Both PSUs seem to work. To confirm this, I took an old motherboard with an intel chip in it, put in my ram, and connected them. Both PSUs allowed a booted and posted just fine, so I know that my PSU is not the problem.

#3:
Tried to boot by making contact with the power switch pins on my JFP1 pins with a screwdriver. No luck. I then used two different cases and connected them correctly to the JFP pins. Both cases’ power buttons did not turn on the motherboard.

#4:
Tried to reset the CMOS battery by taking it out and leaving it for 20 minutes and short the CMOS pins. Nothing.

I reasoned that the motherboard died or short circuited, but something was interesting. In the photo that I have shown, briding my screwdriver between these two pins produces a spark. I tried this multiple times. It makes me believe that the motherboard is still able to draw power from the PSUs, but something is not allowing it to boot and turn on. Maybe the JFP1 header.

The motherboard in question:
MSI MPG B550 Gaming Plus

Photos:


https://ibb.co/k0tW02X
 
Welcome to the forums, newcomer!

MSI Mag Coreliquid 240r AIO
That AIO has been plagues with issues even after a revision. It belongs in the trash can.

In the photo that I have shown, briding my screwdriver between these two pins produces a spark. I tried this multiple times.
You should stop bridging pins that shouldn't be bridged, in fact you shouldn't be trying to cause an arc/spark of any kind.

Bridge only the +ve and -ve pins for the front panel connection.
 
Welcome to the forums, newcomer!

MSI Mag Coreliquid 240r AIO
That AIO has been plagues with issues even after a revision. It belongs in the trash can.

In the photo that I have shown, briding my screwdriver between these two pins produces a spark. I tried this multiple times.
You should stop bridging pins that shouldn't be bridged, in fact you shouldn't be trying to cause an arc/spark of any kind.

Bridge only the +ve and -ve pins for the front panel connection.
Thanks for the welcome 😀. I will discontinue trying to bridge the two pins. Trying to bridge the + and - Power SW pins of JFP1 is unfruitful. This motherboard is about three years old and I remember doing it on its first boot. Now it won’t do anything.
 
Thanks for the welcome 😀. I will discontinue trying to bridge the two pins. Trying to bridge the + and - Power SW pins of JFP1 is unfruitful. This motherboard is about three years old and I remember doing it on its first boot. Now it won’t do anything.
ram should be in slots 2 and 4 you have the ram in the wrong slot.

you didnt probly have to breadboard it there was a good chance you may just had to turn of the power supply and hold the power button down in some cases there's a small amount of power running in the capacitors that can cause a system not to boot if there is it tends to spring to life for a second and in some cases not at all. also any spark or bridging of pins isnt a good sign if anything it could have killed the board further.
 
ram should be in slots 2 and 4 you have the ram in the wrong slot.

you didnt probly have to breadboard it there was a good chance you may just had to turn of the power supply and hold the power button down in some cases there's a small amount of power running in the capacitors that can cause a system not to boot if there is it tends to spring to life for a second and in some cases not at all. also any spark or bridging of pins isnt a good sign if anything it could have killed the board further.
I followed your instructions and put the ram back into slots two and four. Afterwards, I plugged in the 24 pin and 8 pin connectors into the motherboard and held the power button down for 30 seconds, all while the PSU was off.

Still not powering on or doing anything :/
 
Take everything out of the case, including the CPU. Place your mobo down on a nonconductive surface (if you have the ESD bag from the package still, put it on that, otherwise just grab a piece of cardboard or put it on a wooden table). The only thing attached to your motherboard should be the necessary power cables to power the motherboard and its BIOS, not even the CPU cooler bracket should be attached. We are trying to remove every single variable possible that could be causing a short.

Download a BIOS update for the board on a different PC. To do this, format a USB thumbdrive as FAT32, drop the BIOS file onto it, and the plug it into the flashback port on the motherboard and press and hold the button for 3 seconds (this part can be found in the manual as it varies on mobos).

We are not actually interested in updating the BIOS, but rather trying to see if the mobo has a working BIOS at all to be flashed. If this flashback does not work you can be certain the board is toast. If it does work, you can begin moving down the line with CPU (the PC won't post but it will at the very least give an error code for no ram) then add ram, then your drive to boot into Windows.
 
Take everything out of the case, including the CPU. Place your mobo down on a nonconductive surface (if you have the ESD bag from the package still, put it on that, otherwise just grab a piece of cardboard or put it on a wooden table). The only thing attached to your motherboard should be the necessary power cables to power the motherboard and its BIOS, not even the CPU cooler bracket should be attached. We are trying to remove every single variable possible that could be causing a short.

Download a BIOS update for the board on a different PC. To do this, format a USB thumbdrive as FAT32, drop the BIOS file onto it, and the plug it into the flashback port on the motherboard and press and hold the button for 3 seconds (this part can be found in the manual as it varies on mobos).

We are not actually interested in updating the BIOS, but rather trying to see if the mobo has a working BIOS at all to be flashed. If this flashback does not work you can be certain the board is toast. If it does work, you can begin moving down the line with CPU (the PC won't post but it will at the very least give an error code for no ram) then add ram, then your drive to boot into Windows.
Ok so i’m in a bit of a rush so I will provide an update when I get back, but here is one update.

I took out the CPU, ram, and M.2.

All I had was the PSU connected to the Motherboard. Now the motherboard will light up and power on. The sad news is that if I try to power it off and add the CPU back into the socket, it won’t boot. I’m wondering if either the socket or CPU could be damaged and not allow the system to run?

The EZ Debug LED lights up CPU
 
The sad news is that if I try to power it off and add the CPU back into the socket, it won’t boot.
It could be time to begin funeral arrangements... :sad:
The EZ Debug LED lights up CPU
Is it lighting up green with or without the CPU in the slot?
I’m wondering if either the socket or CPU could be damaged and not allow the system to run?
Most likely scenario is the CPU. You can visually inspect the socket for damage, and if you don't see any, its most likely something internally in your CPU. Your best bet is to order a new CPU to test the board, knowing you can do a return for a full refund if you fix the problem and your old CPU magically works again.
 
It could be time to begin funeral arrangements... :sad:

Is it lighting up green with or without the CPU in the slot?

Most likely scenario is the CPU. You can visually inspect the socket for damage, and if you don't see any, its most likely something internally in your CPU. Your best bet is to order a new CPU to test the board, knowing you can do a return for a full refund if you fix the problem and your old CPU magically works again.
Sorry for the mistype. The LED debugger is lighting up white without the CPU in the slot. The motherboard refuses to turn on when the CPU is slotted properly. I checked for any thermal paste or dust in both the socket and the chip itself. No signs of damage or bent pins at all. Really frustrating and strange.

Should I still go through with the BIOS flash recommendation you suggested?
 
It wouldn't hurt. Updating the BIOS not only loads the latest version but also resets it to default settings.
Ok. Will give it a try and update you when I get home. Thank you so much and all of the other replyers already guys. Trying my best here. Might just have to get a new CPU and try to see if it’s my motherboard or CPU.
 
It wouldn't hurt. Updating the BIOS not only loads the latest version but also resets it to default settings.
Update. I flashed the BIOS with the latest firmware. From what I can gather, the flash was successful. I didn’t have any issues there. However the same problem persists. If I try to plug in my CPU, the system will refuse to boot.
 
It could be time to begin funeral arrangements... :sad:

Is it lighting up green with or without the CPU in the slot?

Most likely scenario is the CPU. You can visually inspect the socket for damage, and if you don't see any, its most likely something internally in your CPU. Your best bet is to order a new CPU to test the board, knowing you can do a return for a full refund if you fix the problem and your old CPU magically works again.
Just to report an update:

I purchased two brand new CPUs from Best Buy

RYZEN 7 5800X3D
AMD RYZEN 9 5900X DESKTOP PRO

As soon as I got home, I popped them into the motherboard and tried to turn it on. Same result. The motherboard refuses to boot unless there is no cpu intalled. I lifted the CPU socket to see if there was any signs of damage, but I didn’t see anything.

Starting to think the motherboard is bad. Have no idea what else could be causing this.
 
Just to report an update:

I purchased two brand new CPUs from Best Buy

RYZEN 7 5800X3D
AMD RYZEN 9 5900X DESKTOP PRO

As soon as I got home, I popped them into the motherboard and tried to turn it on. Same result. The motherboard refuses to boot unless there is no cpu intalled. I lifted the CPU socket to see if there was any signs of damage, but I didn’t see anything.

Starting to think the motherboard is bad. Have no idea what else could be causing this.
i think the motherboard is dead or potentially the bios chip is though if it was truely dead it wouldnt have any lights on but i wouldnt risk putting a new cpu in that board best bet is just to get a b550 that can be bios flashed without a cpu and use that
 
Just to report an update:

I purchased two brand new CPUs from Best Buy

RYZEN 7 5800X3D
AMD RYZEN 9 5900X DESKTOP PRO

As soon as I got home, I popped them into the motherboard and tried to turn it on. Same result. The motherboard refuses to boot unless there is no cpu intalled. I lifted the CPU socket to see if there was any signs of damage, but I didn’t see anything.

Starting to think the motherboard is bad. Have no idea what else could be causing this.
I think it would be safe to say the board is dead. Is it still in warranty?
 
Negative. Just overnighted a new one. Will try with my old processor first and if worse comes to worst, I’ll have to use new motherboard and new processor that I bought today.
Good luck! If all goes well, and the CPU is fine but the board is "dead", sell it on Ebay. For parts (i.e. dead) boards of your model motherboard are listed for $30-$40 bucks. Since there will always be that one guy that can fix just about anything (and actually does!), its a nice way to help you recoup the costs of this...misstep :kikou:
 
Good luck! If all goes well, and the CPU is fine but the board is "dead", sell it on Ebay. For parts (i.e. dead) boards of your model motherboard are listed for $30-$40 bucks. Since there will always be that one guy that can fix just about anything (and actually does!), its a nice way to help you recoup the costs of this...misstep :kikou:
Thanks so much!

You’ve been a tremendous help for me so far.
Just to be safe which CPU should I try first for my new motherboard tomorrow?

ASUS ROG Strix B550-A Mobo​

 
Where did you get that information from?

Edit: Just realized OP ordered an Asus B550-A, which is in A tier, and not the Asus B550M-A, which is in E tier. Thank you for challenging my comment for validity. :sourire:

OP, regardless of the CPU you choose to keep, all should be good matches for that Asus board you ordered. :star:
 
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