[SOLVED] No image after changing PSU

[lrabbade]

Hey guys, about a month ago I built a new pc for me, a ryzen 5 1600, 16 gb, RTX 2060, and a Corsair VS650 PSU.

Everything was going great, playing all the games and stuff, until a couple of weeks ago there was a power outage and after that my pc started rebooting randomly and wouldn't even completely start Windows. At times, during boot, there would be an orange screen with white stripes.

Since I still have my old pc (i7 2600k, 16 gb, GTX 970, Corsair TX750), I first decided to check if the problem was my GPU, so I plugged the RTX 2060 in my old build, booted it up, and everything was fine, played a bit and all.

On the new pc, I could mess around in the BIOS, check CPU and RAM frequencies, fan speeds and all. But windows wouldn't start.

After some digging, some other similar cases online all reported the problem was the PSU, so I decided to contact the store and request a new one, since it is still in warranty.

Fast forward, I receive the new PSU, another Corsair VS650, plug everything up, turn it on, LEDs light up, fan's rotate, but no image on the screen. I decided once again to check if the GPU was fine plugging it on my old pc, and once again it worked fine.

So, what should I do now? I'm thinking about switching my old PSU (Corsair TX750) to the new pc, and see if it works, maybe the new PSU is already damaged. Other than that, the only thing I suspect is the motherboard (Asus Prime B450m), however, it was working fine before, I don't think it would stop working for no reason.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Darkbreeze]

I don't think it would stop working for no reason.

ANY time there is a power outage, and power returns, there is the possibility of damage from inrush current or surge. Especially on power grids that are not particularly well regulated as in many less developed areas.

So it's always possible for there to be damage to ANY connected hardware after such an event but it is MORE likely that something else is to blame.

Are you SURE you got a new power supply, and didn't simply get the old one back? Did you take it to the store and trade it in for a new, fully sealed replacement unit?

If the answer to that is yes, then ok.

Have you tried the same monitor with the older system, using the same display cable, so that the display and display cable can be eliminated?

If yes, then move on.

You are SURE you are not attempting to connect the display cable to the motherboard output, and are plugging into the graphics card output?

Is there only a lack of display when it tried to boot into Windows, or is there NO DISPLAY/NO SIGNAL at ALL, not even for the POST screen or BIOS?

 

[lrabbade]

ANY time there is a power outage, and power returns, there is the possibility of damage from inrush current or surge. Especially on power grids that are not particularly well regulated as in many less developed areas.

So it's always possible for there to be damage to ANY connected hardware after such an event but it is MORE likely that something else is to blame.

Are you SURE you got a new power supply, and didn't simply get the old one back? Did you take it to the store and trade it in for a new, fully sealed replacement unit?

If the answer to that is yes, then ok.

Have you tried the same monitor with the older system, using the same display cable, so that the display and display cable can be eliminated?

If yes, then move on.

You are SURE you are not attempting to connect the display cable to the motherboard output, and are plugging into the graphics card output?

Is there only a lack of display when it tried to boot into Windows, or is there NO DISPLAY/NO SIGNAL at ALL, not even for the POST screen or BIOS?

I mean I don’t think it is the motherboard, because after the power outage I was still able to go into the BIOS, check CPU and RAM voltage and frequency. If the motherboard had been damaged from the power outage, I would have had this problem before, wouldn’t I?

About the PSU, I sent it back to the store and received a new, sealed box, I’m pretty sure it’s a new one, but I can’t be 100% sure to be honest.

About the monitor and cable, yes, I plugged them to my notebook and they are working fine.

The HDMI cable is properly plugged into the GPU, I’m 100% sure of that.

For the last question, there is no signal at all, not even post screen or bios.

Thanks for your help! Any next steps?

 

[jonnyguru]

After some digging, some other similar cases online all reported the problem was the PSU, so I decided to contact the store and request a new one, since it is still in warranty.

You can Google anything and find something that suits your situation. That doesn't mean it's correct. If that were the case, I would have cancer 10 times over.

Fast forward, I receive the new PSU, another Corsair VS650, plug everything up, turn it on, LEDs light up, fan's rotate, but no image on the screen. I decided once again to check if the GPU was fine plugging it on my old pc, and once again it worked fine.

Because the graphics card died. Not the PSU. You should have RMA'd the graphics card.

 

[Darkbreeze]

How could you go into the BIOS, or check ANYTHING, if there was no display?

And if you mean there was a display at first, but then later there wasn't, then no, it is not necessarily a certainty that just because the board "worked" ten minutes ago, it is going to still work in ten minutes from now.

Everything, on EVERY system, EVER, worked, before it didn't. Things don't necessarily completely fail immediately after something happens. Sometimes they still work, for a while, or they start showing "signs" of a problem but are still technically "working", until they aren't.

Since you say the graphics card works on another system (And I'd test that AGAIN, just to make SURE it actually IS still working) then it doesn't leave much else. I'd strip it down to bare bones and bench test it.

How To - Motherboard bench testing

Finding the problem through bench testing If you are here then it’s likely you have encountered a serious hardware issue and have been unable to resolve it using the standard no-POST troubleshooting procedures. If you have not yet attempted to resolve your issues using the no-POST...

forums.tomshardware.com

 

[lrabbade]

You can Google anything and find something that suits your situation. That doesn't mean it's correct. If that were the case, I would have cancer 10 times over.



Because the graphics card died. Not the PSU. You should have RMA'd the graphics card.

If the GPU died, it wouldn't work in my other build. I mean, I can even play with it in my other build and no problem at all, performance is fine, no lag, no overheating, nothing wrong

 

[lrabbade]

How could you go into the BIOS, or check ANYTHING, if there was no display?

And if you mean there was a display at first, but then later there wasn't, then no, it is not necessarily a certainty that just because the board "worked" ten minutes ago, it is going to still work in ten minutes from now.

Everything, on EVERY system, EVER, worked, before it didn't. Things don't necessarily completely fail immediately after something happens. Sometimes they still work, for a while, or they start showing "signs" of a problem but are still technically "working", until they aren't.

Since you say the graphics card works on another system (And I'd test that AGAIN, just to make SURE it actually IS still working) then it doesn't leave much else. I'd strip it down to bare bones and bench test it.

How To - Motherboard bench testing

Finding the problem through bench testing If you are here then it’s likely you have encountered a serious hardware issue and have been unable to resolve it using the standard no-POST troubleshooting procedures. If you have not yet attempted to resolve your issues using the no-POST...

forums.tomshardware.com

It had display before I removed the PSU and sent it back to the store, I tested the memory and all to isolate my problem to the PSU, RAM passed all tests, BIOS was working fine, GPU worked in my other build, so it seemed fairly certain the problem was the PSU.

I will test the GPU once more in the other build to be sure, and I will try to plug the other (certainly working) PSU in the new build and see what happens.

 

[jonnyguru]

If the GPU died, it wouldn't work in my other build. I mean, I can even play with it in my other build and no problem at all, performance is fine, no lag, no overheating, nothing wrong

Oh.. I missed that part.

What is the "old board" where the card works and what is the "new board". In the "old board", if you run GPU-Z, does it show that the GTX2060 is running at PCIe 3.0 x16?

 

[Darkbreeze]

Yes, knowing the model numbers of BOTH motherboards, would be helpful.

Also, trying the other PSU in this system, would seem to be a good idea as well, so long as there isn't anything fundamentally wrong with any of the hardware that could cause a problem by damaging the replacement power supply as well. Since there has been no mention of any "magic smoke", I guess we can assume that it's safe to try it.

 

[lrabbade]

Oh.. I missed that part.

What is the "old board" where the card works and what is the "new board". In the "old board", if you run GPU-Z, does it show that the GTX2060 is running at PCIe 3.0 x16?

The old board is an Asus P8Z77-V Pro, and the new board is an Asus B450m gaming.

I plugged the RTX 2060 again in my old build, everything working fine, on GPU-Z though, it says Bus Interface PCIe x16 2.0 @ x16 1.1, not PCIe 3.0, as far as I know, the mobo (P8Z77-V Pro) supports PCI 3.0, is there a problem here?

Besides that it works fine in the old build though

 

[lrabbade]

Yes, knowing the model numbers of BOTH motherboards, would be helpful.

Also, trying the other PSU in this system, would seem to be a good idea as well, so long as there isn't anything fundamentally wrong with any of the hardware that could cause a problem by damaging the replacement power supply as well. Since there has been no mention of any "magic smoke", I guess we can assume that it's safe to try it.

So I plugged my other PSU (Corsair Tx750) in the new build, and the result was the same, LEDs light up, fans rotate, but no display at all, no POST screen, no BIOS, nothing.

I think it is safe to assume the new PSU is working fine, what should I do now? Maybe a problem with the PCIe slot in the new motherboard? Maybe CPU?

 

[jonnyguru]

The old board is an Asus P8Z77-V Pro, and the new board is an Asus B450m gaming.

I plugged the RTX 2060 again in my old build, everything working fine, on GPU-Z though, it says Bus Interface PCIe x16 2.0 @ x16 1.1, not PCIe 3.0, as far as I know, the mobo (P8Z77-V Pro) supports PCI 3.0, is there a problem here?

Besides that it works fine in the old build though

Yeah. There you go. The old board can't push the card as much as the new one.

 

[Darkbreeze]

I've never seen an issue with PCIe "version" cause a failure to display. That board ONLY supports PCIe 3.0 operation IF you have a 3rd Gen Intel processor installed, which you don't. You have a 2nd Gen Intel processor installed, so it cannot run in PCIe 3.0 mode, only 2.0.

Considering basically two known good power supplies, graphics card works in another system, wait.............have you tried the GTX 970 in the system that isn't working? Let's try that, because we know that graphics card works fine, and that the other graphics card works fine in that system, but let's just try it to see. I'm pretty sure you're looking at a motherboard issue like I said earlier, but eliminating every possible angle first is always a good idea so that we don't go after something that turns out to NOT be the problem.

 

[jonnyguru]

I've never seen an issue with PCIe "version" cause a failure to display.

I have.

If you don't have the slot set to "auto" and try to force 3.0 and the card can't handle it because it's "broke", it won't POST.

See this all of the time, especially on Asus boards. Not sure why Asus specifically (yet), but it has to do with signal or power degradation beyond the first slot.

For example, extension cables or putting an M.2 in the slot closest to the CPU simply causes the board to take a dump.

It's horrible and insulting and makes me not want to use Asus ... even though my PC and my daughter's PC both use Asus boards.

 

[Darkbreeze]

You don't even want to hear the whole "family" opinion on ASUS from the other side of the moderator discussion fence. It's not pretty, I'm in agreement (But ALSO running an ASUS board, likely, my last, if things regarding some of their policies there don't change for the better) and it has resulted in the creation of this, which is probably not far from the reality if ASUS doesn't make some changes regarding policy.

 

[lrabbade]

Hey guys, thank you very much for your continuous help! So, following Darkbreeze's idea:

I've never seen an issue with PCIe "version" cause a failure to display. That board ONLY supports PCIe 3.0 operation IF you have a 3rd Gen Intel processor installed, which you don't. You have a 2nd Gen Intel processor installed, so it cannot run in PCIe 3.0 mode, only 2.0.

Considering basically two known good power supplies, graphics card works in another system, wait.............have you tried the GTX 970 in the system that isn't working? Let's try that, because we know that graphics card works fine, and that the other graphics card works fine in that system, but let's just try it to see. I'm pretty sure you're looking at a motherboard issue like I said earlier, but eliminating every possible angle first is always a good idea so that we don't go after something that turns out to NOT be the problem.

I plugged the GTX 970 in the new build (that isn't working) and the result was the same, LEDs light up, fans rotate, but no display, no POST, no BIOS, nothing.

My guess would be an issue with the motherboard, I was just wondering if there might a problem with the CPU, if my CPU was dead, would I get a POST screen or not? Is there anyway for me to isolate a CPU problem? Or should I just RMA Asus about the motherboard?

Regarding your comments about Asus, I'm quite surprised to be honest, I've always had Asus motherboards and always thought they are the best, but if things are that bad now, I might consider another brand for my next build. Which one do you think are doing the best job nowadays?

Thank you both once again!

 

[jonnyguru]

I plugged the GTX 970 in the new build (that isn't working) and the result was the same, LEDs light up, fans rotate, but no display, no POST, no BIOS, nothing.

My guess would be an issue with the motherboard, I was just wondering if there might a problem with the CPU, if my CPU was dead, would I get a POST screen or not? Is there anyway for me to isolate a CPU problem? Or should I just RMA Asus about the motherboard?

You can't POST without a CPU. So it could be dead board or CPU. But it's probably the board.

 

[jonnyguru]

Regarding your comments about Asus, I'm quite surprised to be honest, I've always had Asus motherboards and always thought they are the best, but if things are that bad now, I might consider another brand for my next build. Which one do you think are doing the best job nowadays?

I think they've been going down hill since 2010 when they split off from Pegatron and went public as a separate company.

I've had good luck with Asrock (once associated with Asus pre-2010, but now is completely independent as a remaining part of Pegatron.

I would put Gigabyte second, but last Gigabyte board I had was 2015ish.

 

[Darkbreeze]

Yeah, I'd go after the board. I'd recommend that you pull the CPU to make sure there are no bent pins on the CPU itself first, but considering it was running fine according to you, and then wasn't after the power issue, it's pretty doubtful that it's due to installation mistakes and is almost certainly a toasted motherboard. Keep in mind, sometimes it simply isn't possible to determine what is bad without replacing it.

 

[gdds_01]

That might be unlikely, but have you tried clearing the CMOS?

 

[lrabbade]

Yeah, I'd go after the board. I'd recommend that you pull the CPU to make sure there are no bent pins on the CPU itself first, but considering it was running fine according to you, and then wasn't after the power issue, it's pretty doubtful that it's due to installation mistakes and is almost certainly a toasted motherboard. Keep in mind, sometimes it simply isn't possible to determine what is bad without replacing it.

Yeah, that's what I thought, I'll update this post when I get the new motherboard. Thanks guys!

 

[lrabbade]

That might be unlikely, but have you tried clearing the CMOS?

No, how do I do that?

 

[Darkbreeze]

BIOS Hard Reset procedure (Hard reset CMOS)

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 five minutes. In some cases it may be necessary to remove the graphics card to access the CMOS battery.

During that five minutes, press the power button on the case, continuously, for 30 seconds. 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 hardware tables to reset in the boot manager.

It is probably also worth mentioning that for anything that might require an attempt to DO a hard reset in the first place, IF the problem is related to a lack of video signal, it is a GOOD IDEA to try a different type of display as many systems will not work properly for some reason with displayport configurations. It is worth trying HDMI if you are having no display or lack of visual ability to enter the BIOS, or no signal messages.

Trying a different monitor as well, if possible, is also a good idea if there is a lack of display. It happens.

 

[lrabbade]

BIOS Hard Reset procedure (Hard reset CMOS)

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 five minutes. In some cases it may be necessary to remove the graphics card to access the CMOS battery.

During that five minutes, press the power button on the case, continuously, for 30 seconds. 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 hardware tables to reset in the boot manager.

It is probably also worth mentioning that for anything that might require an attempt to DO a hard reset in the first place, IF the problem is related to a lack of video signal, it is a GOOD IDEA to try a different type of display as many systems will not work properly for some reason with displayport configurations. It is worth trying HDMI if you are having no display or lack of visual ability to enter the BIOS, or no signal messages.

Trying a different monitor as well, if possible, is also a good idea if there is a lack of display. It happens.

Hey guys, sorry, had a very busy week, but anyway, I did what you described, to no avail, I'm just gonna send the motherboard back, it does seems to be the issue.

Thank you once again for the help, I'll update this when I get the new motherboard.

 

[Darkbreeze]

Ok, well fingers crossed that it IS just a motherboard issue. Let us know.