[SOLVED] New PC won't boot

Oct 1, 2021
9
2
15
Hi all,

I'm new to pc building and made my first one 2 days ago... But got CPU failure.
At first I thought cpu socket was dead coz all pins are down, but it looks like wiki's LGA1200 picture.
Today I tried to unplug all but CPU, power switch and PSU for mobo and CPU : i heard a click over CPU and PC reboots every 1s (with the same click).
I tried unpluging CPU power, and no click, no reboot but hard CPU light on EZ debug (expected).
Everything is new and idk how it should look/act like.
Can some give me any idea?

I5-10400
Z490 TOMAHAWK
RM850

Thanks !
 
Solution
Do you have the 8 Pin and 4 Pin ATX connectors plugged in? In looking at the manual, it doesn't say that the 4 Pin is optional, so it may need both pins connected? My motherboard manual (ASUS ROG STRIX Z490-E) shows the 4 pin as option. It may not be required but doesn't hurt to try.

"Thermal paste was packed with the cooler and I used all (maybe too much?) As said, all pins are in the same position and MSI support checked the picture. " There isn't a thing as too much, just makes a mess and only an issue if gets on the CPU pins. If comes pre-applied on the cooler, it is normally enough. Outside of that, must recommend a small pea size dot in the middle or a thin X across the GPU. I use an application tool that comes...

Lutfij

Titan
Moderator
When posting a thread of troubleshooting nature, it's customary to include your full system's specs. Please list them like so:
CPU:
Motherboard:
Ram:
SSD/HDD:
GPU:
PSU:
Chassis:

Which slot(s) are you populating on the motherboard? As for the CPU, did you make sure your CPU cooler's fan is plugged into the CPU_FAN header on the motherboard? Can you parse a picture of your CPU's socket? It's probable that you did indeed bend a pin on the motherboard.
 
Oct 1, 2021
9
2
15
I only listed components I used for test.
CPU: i5-10400
Motherboard: MSI z490 TOMAHAWK
Ram: 2x Ballistix 8GB 3200MHz RGB
SSD/HDD: FireCuda 510 - 1TB
GPU: Gigabyte GTX 1660 6GB OC
PSU: Corsair RM850
Chassis: MSI MAG Forge 100R

Mobo is plugged with mobo PSU + CPU PSU, CPU + cooler (DARK ROCK 4) + cooler fan + power switch.
CPU fan is plugged to CPU_FAN and spins when CPU light is on (EZ debug).
I test with no RAM to expect EZ debug to light on DRAM, but plugging 1 RAM at any slot doesn't work.

Here is a picture of the socket :
IMG-20211001-095501.jpg


Thanks!
 
Oct 1, 2021
9
2
15
Up
I had a change eith MSI to check socket pins, they said everything was looking ok from the picture.
Btw they informed that a socket replacement was 25 to 50€, so it might be interesting for people who break some.
Does anyone have an idea?
 

tecmo34

Administrator
Moderator
Question... Did you put thermal paste on the CPU Cooler when installing? Based on what you are describing, it sounds like you either have a bent pin or thermal issue since it boots then reboots.

You have install the 8 PIN and 24 PIN PSU cables into your motherboard correct?

Here is a good guide to walk through for troubleshooting...

 
Oct 1, 2021
9
2
15
Question... Did you put thermal paste on the CPU Cooler when installing? Based on what you are describing, it sounds like you either have a bent pin or thermal issue since it boots then reboots.

You have install the 8 PIN and 24 PIN PSU cables into your motherboard correct?

Here is a good guide to walk through for troubleshooting...


Hey! Thank you for the answer
Thermal paste was packed with the cooler and I used all (maybe too much?) As said, all pins are in the same position and MSI support checked the picture.
There's only 1 slot for 24-pin in both PSU and motherboard so I guess this one is ok (plus it's lighting and fans spinning).
There's more slots for 8-pin but I guess this one is right too because unplugging it changes the issue.
I don't know if a broken 24-pin cable could make it, and I don't have another one.
I already checked the link, breadboarded, ressetted CMOS removing battery for 10+ minutes, moved/placed cables and CPU again and again with no luck.

Does anyone else have an idea?

Thanks.
 

tecmo34

Administrator
Moderator
Do you have the 8 Pin and 4 Pin ATX connectors plugged in? In looking at the manual, it doesn't say that the 4 Pin is optional, so it may need both pins connected? My motherboard manual (ASUS ROG STRIX Z490-E) shows the 4 pin as option. It may not be required but doesn't hurt to try.

"Thermal paste was packed with the cooler and I used all (maybe too much?) As said, all pins are in the same position and MSI support checked the picture. " There isn't a thing as too much, just makes a mess and only an issue if gets on the CPU pins. If comes pre-applied on the cooler, it is normally enough. Outside of that, must recommend a small pea size dot in the middle or a thin X across the GPU. I use an application tool that comes with a lot of the thermal paste (very small looking putty knife) and spread a thin / even layer across the CPU, myself. You may want to get some thermal paste, remove the CPU and clean the top of the CPU and bottom of cooler and re-apply the "right" amount of thermal paste. If unsure, there are plenty of YouTube videos on the topic that can walk you through it.

"I don't know if a broken 24-pin cable could make it, and I don't have another one. " Do you have a broken 24-pin cable?? I would look to replace that as it will impact the motherboard's power.
 
Last edited:
Solution
Oct 1, 2021
9
2
15
When you mounted your motherboard you did put the stand offs down first yeh?

Yes I did, there were 5 gold ones already fixed to the case, and then I added 4 more.
I had another issue when I tested with mobo touching the case (mobo not restarted for 30s), refixing the mobo resolved the new error but not the old one.

Do you have the 8 Pin and 4 Pin ATX connectors plugged in? In looking at the manual, it doesn't say that the 4 Pin is optional, so it may need both pins connected? My motherboard manual (ASUS ROG STRIX Z490-E) shows the 4 pin as option. It may not be required but doesn't hurt to try.

"Thermal paste was packed with the cooler and I used all (maybe too much?) As said, all pins are in the same position and MSI support checked the picture. " There isn't a thing as too much, just makes a mess and only an issue if gets on the CPU pins. If comes pre-applied on the cooler, it is normally enough. Outside of that, must recommend a small pea size dot in the middle or a thin X across the GPU. I use an application tool that comes with a lot of the thermal paste (very small looking putty knife) and spread a thin / even layer across the CPU, myself. You may want to get some thermal paste, remove the CPU and clean the top of the CPU and bottom of cooler and re-apply the "right" amount of thermal paste. If unsure, there are plenty of YouTube videos on the topic that can walk you through it.

"I don't know if a broken 24-pin cable could make it, and I don't have another one. " Do you have a broken 24-pin cable?? I would look to replace that as it will impact the motherboard's power.

I only have a 8-pin CPU connector, I don't have such a 4-pin connector. That might be the solution, I'm asking MSI support about it.

For thermal paste, thank you for your recommendations, I will get some more paste just in case and clean all of it.

I don't know if the 24-pin cable is broken, but if I don't have enough power (and 4-pin is optional) I'm gonna check this as I don't have any other idea.
 
Last edited:
Oct 1, 2021
9
2
15
Do you have the 8 Pin and 4 Pin ATX connectors plugged in? In looking at the manual, it doesn't say that the 4 Pin is optional, so it may need both pins connected? My motherboard manual (ASUS ROG STRIX Z490-E) shows the 4 pin as option. It may not be required but doesn't hurt to try.

As said, here is the answer from MSI support :
For normal operation, you must connect the ATX PWR1 and CPU PWR1 connector, no need to connect the pwr2 cpu connector, because this connector is only used for extensive overclocking.
 
Oct 1, 2021
9
2
15
If you can, try resetting your CPU and cooler, just to verify. I just watched this below video and it was the mounting pressure of the cooler that caused the PC to not start. I wouldn't have thought that but in the end that was all that was changed.

View: https://youtu.be/IL1idEHaX7A

Hi,
I tried to completely remove cooler and check CPU heat while running : same issue and CPU not heating. I unlocked CPU from socket and left it on place : mobo does not restart.
I feel like mobo and CPU communicate but there's an error while initiating.
I'm wondering now if CPU is not dead.

Does anyone have an idea before I send it back?
Thank you.