Question New build stopped working after a few hours. Lights on CPU, DRAM, VGA. Reboots itself every 15 sec. No display on both GPU and Mobo.

[idkman2]

CPU : I5-13600K
Mobo : MSI MAG B760 GAMING WIFI
RAM : 32GB (2x16) DDR5 6000 MHz CL30

Hello,

I built my first PC and everything worked fine for a few hours until I changed my monitor settings to disable Smart HDR. The moment I clicked on "off" I lost signal and the monitor suddenly didn't recognize my PC. The DP cable works.

I rebooted the computer but it kept rebooting every 15 sec. It starts with the CPU on red for about 1 sec and turns off, then goes to orange on the DRAM for about 1 sec and turns off, then to white on VGA for about 3 sec and turns off, then no light for about 10 sec and it reboots. The fans are turning but the RGB lights do not (there's a green dot for half a second but that's it).

When I spam the Delete key, my PC doesn't reboot and it seems I get access to the BIOS, but since I have no display I can't see what I'm doing.

When I boot without RAM I have the DRAM led staying on and the PC doesn't reboot. No beeping sound at all. When I put one RAM stick on the first slot closest to the CPU the PC doesn't boot at all, as if the PSU is dead. Still no display in all these instances.

I have tried
- Removing the CMOS battery and wait for 30 min
- Shorting the pins
- Booting with 1 RAM stick
- Booting without RAM
- Booting without GPU
- Plugging CPU_POWER2
- Checking for loose cables and RAM
- Plugging the GPU on a different PCI5 slot

Note that I did change the RAM frequency and went from 4200 to 6000 MHz. This was done a few hours prior to my problem and I did reboot the PC to confirm the BIOS change with no issue.

Any idea? I'm getting desperate...

 

[Lutfij]

Welcome to the forums, newcomer!

When posting a thread of troubleshooting nature, it's customary to include your full system's specs. Please list the specs to your build like so:
CPU:
CPU cooler:
Motherboard:
Ram:
SSD/HDD:
GPU:
PSU:
Chassis:
OS:
Monitor:
include the age of the PSU apart from it's make and model.

In order to clear your CMOS, you disconnect from the wall and display, then remove the CMOS battery, press and hold down the power button for 30secs then replace the CMOS battery after 30mins.

Booting with 1 RAM stick
Using slot A2?

Plugging CPU_POWER2
This wasn't connected prior?

You might want to drop your processor onto a known working motherboard and see if the issue persists.

 

[idkman2]

Thank you for your reply. All the components are brand new, I received them off Amazon last Saturday and built the PC on Monday. And it died on the same day.

I did clear the CMOS correctly.

I did put the RAM stick on slot A2 with no luck.

Plugging the CPU_POWER2 was not necessary on my board model. But I did increase the RAM frequency to 6000 MHz prior to plugging the CPU_POWER2 cable. I'm not sure if that counts as overclocking... ?

I have never had a PC before, only laptops, so I have no other components to test.

 

[digitaldata77]

Hi I am an old school PC builder. Kindly provide all components of your system as requested. It will be easier to help with troubleshooting. 2 sticks of DDR5 RAM should be installed in slots A2 and B2 according to the motherboard manual. For initial setup you should run the motherboard with default settings. Check All components that they are seated and installed correctly. Resetting the CMOS will default those settings. Check your display cable at your GPU and at the monitor that it is fitted correctly . Its HDMI? If possible try it with another monitor or TV if available to see if you get an initial display e.g. your MSI splash screen to see if it will POST (power on self test). There are people here who are expert builders and can provide your solution to get your new PC up and running. All the best

 

[idkman2]

CPU : I5-13600K
Mobo : MSI MAG B760 GAMING WIFI
RAM : 32GB (2x16) DDR5 6000 MHz CL30
GPU : 4060 Ti 16GB
PSU : MSI MAG 850GL
SSD : NVME PCIE5 2 Tb
Case : Montech 903 Base
I use DisplayPort, not HDMI (Monitor didn't come with a HDMI cable, but I also tested DisplayPort to USB-C with no success)

Thank you for your reply, digitaldata77.

- The sticks are indeed in the right slots
- I did not reseat the CPU nor the motherboard, but all the other cables are seated correctly. Tomorrow I will remove out the motherboard to check for any short circuit problem and reseat the CPU
- I did reset the CMOS by removing the battery for about 30 min, but I will do it again and leave it out overnight.
- I do not have another monitor. No TV either... But if nothing works I'll buy a second monitor.

I'll update my situation tomorrow (I'm from Europe)!

Have a great day,

 

[digitaldata77]

You have a really good system i hope you can get it running soon. Please post your results and if you discovered the issue, kindly share with others here. What type of CPU cooler are you using? Thanks and Cheers from Canada.

 

[idkman2]

Good news! After a proper CMOS reset (I left the battery out for close to a day), I now have display and the RGB fans light up. I can get access to the BIOS and the settings are back to default.

However, I still experience reboots after a couple seconds with both the CPU and the RAM leds turning on. This happens when Windows is about to load.

I will try reseating the CPU and motherboard.

You have a really good system i hope you can get it running soon. Please post your results and if you discovered the issue, kindly share with others here. What type of CPU cooler are you using? Thanks and Cheers from Canada.

Thank you! My CPU cooler is the Thermalright Phantom Spirit 120SE. I did cheap out on the cooler but people seemed pleased with it...

 

[idkman2]

Does it look like the pins are bent?

 

[dudio]

For a new build, your thermal paste looks like it's seen years of service making me think your cpu is running very hot! What does cpu temp show in bios? Did you remove protective plastic film from the bottom of the cooler?

 

[idkman2]

For a new build, your thermal paste looks like it's seen years of service making me think your cpu is running very hot! What does cpu temp show in bios? Did you remove protective plastic film from the bottom of the cooler?

Yep that's odd... I did remove the plastic film.

Temps look fine.

Reseating the CPU and the motherboard did nothing...

I really don't know what to do now. I'm not sure whether it's a CPU or a motherboard problem. CPU/RAM/VGA leds still light up one by one, until the "Restarting..." Windows shows up and then it reboots.

 

[digitaldata77]

Just a thought is your BIOS the latest version for the motherboard ? In my experience some of the new motherboards I worked on would either not POST or start booting up to the windows screen then reboot. A BIOS update corrected the issue. Then once Windows was running I then installed the latest chipset drivers. With some of the new motherboards the manufacturers recommend a BIOS update. Make sure your have the correct version for your motherboard so it does not end up bricked. THAT is a horror story for another day. If you do this, first back up your current BIOS Settings with your motherboard's BIOS utility. Or if you are unsure ask for instructions on how to do a BIOS backup and then how to do a BIOS update. Cheers again from Canada.

 

[idkman2]

Yes, the motherboard is updated to the latest version. E7D9IMS.H90 was released this month. I M-Flashed it but now everytime I'm in flash mode and select the update file, the whole thing freezes. Might not be a problem since I managed to update the BIOS but it's another weird issue to consider...

I bought a new motherboard (but the same model) from Amazon. I'll check if this fix the issue

 

[digitaldata77]

Please post your results with the new motherboard. Your current MB may be faulty from the factory, sad as it is it does happen. Hopefully you had insurance on your first MB. I hope you can get the system up and running soon so you can spend time enjoying it, instead of have to do repairs etc. Cheers.

 

[idkman2]

Hello and thank you for the kind words! It is quite frustrating as I don't have a lot of money, so building this PC was quite an investment. It's my first PC as well (always had cheap laptops), and on top of that my laptop broke a few weeks ago (which motivated me to build this PC in the first place), so I can only use my phone.

Anyway, I'm still trying to figure out the problem before opening the new MB... Amazon is cool with returns but I'd like to test everything I can before opening the new one.

I have tried a few things without success, such as cleaning off the thermal compound and adding less.

I also tried to figure out which component was giving me trouble by adding them one by one. Here's the result:

#1. CPU + PSU + fans + keyboard + DP cable : red CPU light for a sec, then orange RAM light that stays on. No display, no reboot.

#2. + 1 stick of RAM in A2 : red CPU light for a sec, then orange RAM light for a sec, then VGA for 3 sec, then the green boot light stays on (this is new) and I have display + access to the BIOS. No reboot.

#3. + 1 stick of RAM in B2 : same as #2. BIOS recognizes the two sticks.

#4. + USB cables : same as #2.

#5. + JDP1 (power switch, reset switch, power led,...) : same as #2.

At this point I have everything on it except the NVMe SSD.

#6. + NVMe SSD : and my issue is back. Red CPU light for a sec, then orange RAM light for a sec, then white VGA light, then the green boot light flashes for less than a sec, no light until Windows is about to restart, and the PC reboots.

Could it be the SSD?

 

[idkman2]

I should add that I've watched a YouTube video of a build that uses the same motherboard, and the red/orange/white lights on CPU/RAM/VGA also turn on for a sec when booting the PC.

So I guess these lights are only an issue when they stay on (like I have on DRAM when I boot without RAM), so I'm not sure if there's a problem with the CPU.

So I guess it's either the MB or the SSD... I'm not sure about the PSU, but I should have enough watts (850) for my build

 

[idkman2]

Bought a new motherboard but the same model. Still the same issue. At least I can rule out this component...