Question new build having odd problem

[madcow153]

I built a new PC and can't figure out why it's not working -- even after swapping out many of the components. This is only my second build on my own so I may have done something wrong. I'll put the problem below, what I've tried below that, and then the build at the bottom. Any help/suggestions for what to do or how to diagnose would be greatly appreciated!

The problem: The PC turns on, but the monitor does not recognize that there's anything plugged in and remains off in power saving mode. The fans and lights on the GPU, graphics card, and the system fan all start up with the computer. The strange part is that the system turns on immediately when I turn on the power supply, without hitting the power switch on the case. And the power switch on the case will not turn the computer off. I have to turn it off by hitting the switch on the power supply. The computer makes no beeps or other noises beyond the typical sounds of a computer starting up.

Fixes I tried so far: I've tried using my old monitor, and the new monitor that I bought (in the build below). Both monitors work when plugged into a different computer. I've tried 2 different HDMI cords, and also tried two different graphics cards (the new card in the build below, and my old GeForce GTX 750 Ti). I've tried starting the computer with just my old hard drive, with just the new SSD in the build below, and with both. I've tried unplugging every peripheral. I've tried using the VGA display port on my old graphics card. I think I've tried some other stuff but that's what comes to mind now.

Current build:

• Case: Zalman R2 ATX Mid Tower Gaming PC Computer Case
• PSU: Cooler Master Watt 650 Watt Semifanless Modular Power Supply
• Motherboard: GIGABYTE H610M S2H DDR4
• GPU: GeForce RTX 3060 Ti 8GB GDDR6 PCI Express 4.0
• HD: SK hynix Gold P31 2TB PCIe NVMe Gen3 M.2 2280 Internal SSD
• CPU: Intel Core i5-12400 Desktop Processor 18M Cache, up to 4.40 GHz
• Ram: TEAMGROUP T-Force Vulcan Z DDR4 32GB Kit (2x16GB) 3200MHz

 

[Darkbreeze]

First, there is no graphics card listed "in the build below" as you indicated above.

Second, I would try this to start with.


BIOS Hard Reset procedure

Power off the unit, switch the PSU off and unplug the PSU cord from either the wall or the power supply.

Remove the motherboard CMOS battery for about three to five minutes. In some cases it may be necessary to remove the graphics card to access the CMOS battery.

During that five minutes while the CMOS battery is out of the motherboard, press the power button on the case, continuously, for 15-30 seconds, in order to deplete any residual charge that might be present in the CMOS circuit. After the five minutes is up, reinstall the CMOS battery making sure to insert it with the correct side up just as it came out.

If you had to remove the graphics card you can now reinstall it, but remember to reconnect your power cables if there were any attached to it as well as your display cable.

Now, plug the power supply cable back in, switch the PSU back on and power up the system. It should display the POST screen and the options to enter CMOS/BIOS setup. Enter the bios setup program and reconfigure the boot settings for either the Windows boot manager or for legacy systems, the drive your OS is installed on if necessary.

Save settings and exit. If the system will POST and boot then you can move forward from there including going back into the bios and configuring any other custom settings you may need to configure such as Memory XMP, A-XMP or D.O.C.P profile settings, custom fan profile settings or other specific settings you may have previously had configured that were wiped out by resetting the CMOS.

In some cases it may be necessary when you go into the BIOS after a reset, to load the Optimal default or Default values and then save settings, to actually get the BIOS to fully reset and force recreation of the hardware tables.

 

[madcow153]

Darkbreeze, sorry about that! Just added the GPU to my original post. I'm using a GeForce RTX 3060 Ti 8GB GDDR6 PCI Express 4.0.

I can try a BIOS hard reset tomorrow afternoon. I'll let you know how it goes.

Now that you see the GPU, does that raise any red flags or further ideas? A guide I found online seems to indicate that my PSU has enough power for the system, but I could be wrong. I had the same problem with my old GPU that was much less power intensive, so I doubt the solution is as simple as upgrading the PSU.

 

[Darkbreeze]

Ok, so here's my thoughts on this.

The are no lights or beeps or Q-codes because that board has no Q-code display, has no debug LEDs and you probably did not connect a system speaker to the system speaker header on the motherboard so that beep codes would be announced when there is a problem. Seems like anymore most cases and boards don't come with them because the majority of boards have either debug lights or Q-code display these days. You may need to purchase one and attach it.

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=motherbo...=motherboard+speaker,aps,142&ref=nb_sb_noss_1

 

[madcow153]

Hey Darkbreeze, I really appreciate you sticking with me on this.

So I tried a hard BIOS reset but it's still having the same problem. I actually have a functioning pair of speakers plugged into the motherboard, but am not getting any beeping out of them. Based on a suggestion in another thread, I also tried running this build without the GPU, using just the onboard graphics, but that didn't work either.

Do you think it's still worth it for me to purchase the attachment you linked to on amazon?

The other suggestion I got from PC Help Forum was that my PSU is insufficient. I'm a bit skeptical of this, since I have the same problem when running the build without the GPU and just using onboard graphics. They said I should buy a PSU that is at least gold efficiency rated and 600W. I'm curious what you think of upgrading the PSU?

 

[Darkbreeze]

No, "speakers" won't give you anything. You MUST have a "motherboard/system" speaker and it MUST be attached to the two pins on the motherboard that are designated for system speaker, and usually it is in the same cluster of pins where the front panel connections connect to the motherboard. The information on where to connect it is printed on the motherboard and also outlined in the motherboard manual.

 

[madcow153]

Ahh gotcha. I see the connection on the motherboard. I just ordered a motherboard/system speaker, though it won't get here for a few days. When I get it, I'll let you know what sound I get out, and link to a recording of it. Thanks!

 

[Darkbreeze]

It will be a "pattern" of beeps. Usually something like, just for example, "one long, two short". Or, "three short". Etc.

 

[madcow153]

So I bought a 2 pack of motherboard/system speakers. But after plugging it into the speaker slot and turning the computer on, I don't hear any beeps or other noises. I tried both of them, and made sure the positive and negative sides are plugged in correctly, so it's not a failure of the system speakers.

Does this tell you anything?

Sorry for the delayed response and thanks so much for all your help!

 

[Darkbreeze]

You ARE plugging your display into the graphics cards, and not into the motherboard, right?

I would try completely removing the graphics card from the system entirely, and connecting the display cable to the motherboard video output to see if the system boots without having to power any graphics card at all. It is essential that you remove the graphics card from the system and I would recommend that before powering up again after you remove the graphics card and connect your monitor to the motherboard output, you also perform the BIOS hard reset procedure again to ensure the motherboard recognizes that you've removed the graphics card and connected to the integrated output.

What is the ACTUAL model of your power supply? If you are unsure you can check the model on the label on the side of the PSU.

And how long has that PSU been in service/use?

 

[madcow153]

I've tried plugging my display into the graphics card and also tried plugging it into just the motherboard with the graphics card removed -- but no success either way.

I forget if I did the BIOS hard reset after taking out the graphics card, but I can try this when I'm back home on Thursday just in case I didn't.

My PSU is brand new. The PSU's model number is "MPX-6501-AMAAB." You can find more info on the side of the PSU in this screenshot: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1mDftipflYEn1u0fQCa2DAaNuhZiNLy75/view?usp=sharing

Does this info tell you anything? Thanks!

 

[kerberos_20]

you should first resolve that odd PC turns on when flipping PSU switch, while power button cant turn it off

5vsb is shorted with ground


so you may want to breadboard it, that means pulling mainboard from case and powering it outside of case, you can use screwdriver for power switch pins on mobo

 

[madcow153]

An update on this issue is that it's no longer turning on when I flip the PSU switch, and needs to be turned on with the power switch. This changed when I disconnected and reconnected the switch cables from the case to the motherboard. However, the power switch on the case still won't turn it off, and it needs to be turned off using the PSU switch. Not sure if that changes anything.

I've breadboarded another build and can do that with this one when I'm back home on Thursday.

 

[Darkbreeze]

How To - Motherboard bench testing

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