Question PC does not turn on ?

[arnuld]

I built a desktop PC back in Aug 2019. In the last 2 months, while it was running, video display just went off e.g. on one occasion I was watching youtube. The youtube video kept on playing (because audio from the speakers was fine) but the monitor went off saying no signal. Restarting solved the problem in all of the cases. Then 10 days ago it did not turn on. It happened again but after a while it was fine. Now it has totally gone off. It simply does not boot.

• I have tried to power it on directly using MOBO's power pins
• I have rearranged RAM sticks on the slots. Tried both and single RAM too
• Power it on directly without using the UPS

But nothing works. I can hear a sound (something like TING or TICK) from the MOBO or the PSU when I power it on but it does not turn on ( does not matter whether I do so directly form the pins or using power button). I thought of getting a new PSU but what if MOBO or CPU or both are gone?

Any guess?

MOBO: MSI B450 Gaming Pro Carbon AC
CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
RAM: ADATA XPG Spectrix
PSU: Corsair TXM850
UPS: APC Back-UPS BX1100C
SSD: Crucial MX500 M.2
Graphics Card: Asus Radeon RX Vega 64
Monitor: LG Ultra Gear 32"
DVD Drive: Lite-On 24X SATA Internal DVD+/-RW Drive
Case: Antec GX202

 

[Lutfij]

PSU: Corsair TXM850
+
Graphics Card: Asus Radeon RX Vega 64
You might want to source(borrow, not buy) two parts, one would be a reliably built PSU with at least 750W of power at the entire system's disposal and see if that brings the system/display back to life. The other would be another discrete GPU.

You can then rule out those two parts in your build as the issue.

 

[wqxwqx]

Did you check the power connection to the GPU, maybe it's become loose?

 

[arnuld]

Did you check the power connection to the GPU, maybe it's become loose?

Yes, it has power. Graphics card has 2 LEDs on where you put power cable.
The LEDs are dimmer than usual though.

 

[arnuld]

PSU: Corsair TXM850
+
Graphics Card: Asus Radeon RX Vega 64
You might want to source(borrow, not buy) two parts, one would be a reliably built PSU with at least 750W of power at the entire system's disposal and see if that brings the system/display back to life. The other would be another discrete GPU.

You can then rule out those two parts in your build as the issue.

So, I tried these separately:

- remove Graphics card
- remove CPU

Both cases, no beep at all. I thought MOBO is gone.

I had to take out the MOBO from the case to remove CPU because of MOBO's design. I put it on a cardboard and tested because I had doubts if MOBO was touching the case and shorting. All tests behaved the same on cardboard too.

One thing: I found out that the TICK/TING sound I mentioned in my original post is coming from the PSU. This means either PSU or MOBO is gone. Rest of the parts all are fine.

 

[Misgar]

The LEDs are dimmer than usual though.

If the LEDs on the GPU card are dimmer, this implies the 12V supply is way below spec. The +12V rail should lie in the range +11.4V to +12.6V.

If you have a multimeter and the TXM850 has old fashioned Molex connectors, set the multimeter to the 20V DC range, positive meter lead to yellow wire on Molex, negative lead on multimeter to black wire on Molex. If you see less than +11.4V, bin the PSU. Chances are it's dead.

You could also check the +5V rail on the Molex connector (red wire). It should lie between +4.75V and +5.25V. Basic multimeters are cheap (under $10).

So, I tried these separately:

- remove Graphics card
- remove CPU

Both cases, no beep at all. I thought MOBO is gone.

The 3700X doesn't have an iGPU and the GPU on its own probably isn't enough to generate a beep error code. You usually need to have the CPU plugged in, even if you leave out the GPU and RAM.

I've had more success with awkward problems by removing all the DIMMs and powering on. This presupposes the BIOS got "confused" when one of the DIMMs developed a fault.

 

[arnuld]

If the LEDs on the GPU card are dimmer, this implies the 12V supply is way below spec. The +12V rail should lie in the range +11.4V to +12.6V.

If you have a multimeter and the TXM850 has old fashioned Molex connectors, set the multimeter to the 20V DC range, positive meter lead to yellow wire on Molex, negative lead on multimeter to black wire on Molex. If you see less than +11.4V, bin the PSU. Chances are it's dead.

You could also check the +5V rail on the Molex connector (red wire). It should lie between +4.75V and +5.25V. Basic multimeters are cheap (under $10).


The 3700X doesn't have an iGPU and the GPU on its own probably isn't enough to generate a beep error code. You usually need to have the CPU plugged in, even if you leave out the GPU and RAM.

I've had more success with awkward problems by removing all the DIMMs and powering on. This presupposes the BIOS got "confused" when one of the DIMMs developed a fault.

I have ordered this PSU tester. It will arrive in 5 days. Will check and reply back:

https://www.amazon.in/gp/product/B0C7V89Y13/

 

[arnuld]

I am getting these for a good price:

https://www.amazon.in/Antec-CSK750H-Bronze-Modular-Supply/dp/B09CYND2K9/

https://www.amazon.in/CORSAIR-thermally-controlled-low-noise-125mm-long/dp/B0CRKKDF88/

https://www.amazon.in/Cooler-Master-Bronze-Certified-Non-Modular/dp/B08H1ZC76Q/

Got this Ante Atom B750 too: https://www.flipkart.com/antec-atom-b750-750-watts-psu/p/itm5c6c98b52d035


Actually, I can get anything from amazon India. These are what I found:

https://www.amazon.in/s?k=750w+psu&i=computers&crid=AE7COXWSBPG8&sprefix=750W,computers,232&ref=nb_sb_ss_ts-doa-p_1_4


UPDATE: Fond this list on reddit, Look slike Antec B series is not good: https://cultists.network/140/psu-tier-list/
'

 

[Misgar]

I have ordered this PSU tester. It will arrive in 5 days.

I finally bought a cheap PSU tester with LCD similar to this one, in addition to my normal multimeter, but please be aware these testers do not place any significant load on the PSU. Unlike a multimeter which can be used to test on-load voltages, these testers are only provide an indication of "open circuit" (off-load) voltages. They do not place a representative load of several hundred watts on the +12V and +5V rails, so should only be used as a rough guide to the health of the PSU.

https://www.amazon.in/Serplex®-Comp...s&sprefix=atx+psu+tester,computers,90&sr=1-24

I bought a couple of cheap Corsair CX550 PSUs recently for some very basic (unimportant) old systems, to replace unbranded junk units. I wasn't surprised at how light the CX units felt when I took them out of the box. I normally buy RM650, RM750 or RM850 PSUs.

Despite costing the equivalent of IR 4,700, the CX550s are really cheap-and-cheerful, built down to a price. Very few power connectors, average 5 year warranty, only Bronze efficiency rating.

If you can afford a more expensive Gold efficiency PSU with 10 year warranty and superior components, consider the RM750e for IR 9099. If you compare a CX with an RM, the RM is almost twice the weight of a CX, which reassures me they haven't skimped on the components and heatsinks in the RM.

https://www.amazon.in/Corsair-RM750...prefix=corsair+rm750,computers,90&sr=1-3&th=1

 

[arnuld]

Currently can't afford buying any computer part more than 5-6K. I can, if I wait 2 months though. Also, this build is already 5 years old, so I will discard this after 2 years (or 3 at max) and build a new one.

First, there is another problem, we don't know yet if MOBO or CPU has issues too. So, putting 10K is a lot too in this context.

Second, I don't do gaming, I only do browsing, computer programming, watch some 4K movies/videos and YouTube. So, there is not much consumptoion e.g. RX Vega 64 has only used at max 4GB VRAM in last 5 years (as per what "radeontop" displays), and that too only like 10% of the times. Rest 90%, it's more like 2 GB . I think it's same for GPU usage too, I never heard fans running at full speed.

But I do get the part where you are talking about quality. So , I can wait 2 months.

 

[Misgar]

I can hear a sound (something like TING or TICK) from the MOBO or the PSU when I power it on

Better quality ATX PSUs incorporate a power relay in the AC Line input (120V or 230V feed) to bypass a Negative Temperature Coefficient thermistor which is used to reduce the switch-on current surge.

This relay operates after a couple of seconds and improves PSU efficiency, preventing unneccesary wasted heat in the NTC thermisor. It adds another 0.5%? to the efficiency rating. Every small saving helps global warming!

What you may be hearing is a "tick" from the relay, a few seconds after the PSU switches on. You'll also hear the same tick when you power down the PSU, although the delay may be slightly longer as the bulk capacitor slowly discharges until the relay drops out, e.g. 10 to 30 seconds.

The image below shows the bypass relay (black) and the NTC thermistor (green disc).

I do get the part where you are talking about quality. So , I can wait 2 months

I wouldn't get overly concerned about waiting 2 months to save up for a Gold rated PSU. Although some people are adamant you should always buy the best quality PSU, the Bronze PSUs in your list are affordable average quality units, unlike the cheapest junk PSUs costing IR 2000, with no "active power factor correction" and not specified for continuous 100V to 240V AC operation.

It's a toss up between a Bronze PSU at IR 5000 with 5-year warranty now, or wait 2 months for a Gold PSU at circa IR 10,000 with 10-year warranty. You could buy two Bronze PSUs at 5-year intervals or one Gold PSU (and hope it lasts 10 years) for the same price. Gold is definitely the better option, but it's your choice and your money.

The LEDs are dimmer than usual though.

As I've already mentioned, dimmer LEDs could be due to a low +12V rail. If you cannot borrow a good quality PSU and substitute it for your PSU, then I'd probably buy a Bronze PSU now, if your PSU tester shows a low +12V rail on your existing PSU.

Unfortunately, I cannot rule out the possibility your +12V rail might be low due to a fault on the CPU (which draws its power from the +12V rail) or a fault in the RX Vega 64 GPU. A serious fault in either component could be "pulling down" the +12V rail, but the PSU Over Current protection might be kicking in.

It's already been suggested you should try to borrow components and substitute them, until you clear the fault or abandon the build.

I'd replace things in this order:

1). PSU
2). GPU - any cheap PCIe graphics card will do as a temporary measure
3). RAM - because it's easy to change - almost any compatible RAM will do
4). CPU - it doesn't have to be another 3700X (see Note)
5). Motherboard - only as a last resort

Note: The MSI web site shows 100 compatible processors for the B450. If you can borrow any CPU on the list and it's compatible with your BIOS version, it will show if your 3700X has failed. If another CPU doesn't work, change the motherboard.
https://www.msi.com/Motherboard/B450-GAMING-PRO-CARBON-AC/support#cpu