Question PC is not POSTing and the CPU & DRAM LEDs are on ?

[Mizidi]

Motherboard: MSI Pro B650-p WIFI

CPU: Ryzen 7 7700x

RAM: G.Skill Flare X5 Series 32GB DDR5-6000 CL36

GPU: ASUS Dual GeForce RTX 4070



I built this computer over a year ago and have had no problems til recently.



Yesterday, the PC got stuck in a BSOD then restart loop (different BSOD's each time, often relating to memory or IRQL_ NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL).



Only way I could get it to boot to windows again was by removing a RAM stick and using only one in the second slot. Tested both individually, no problem. However, as soon as I tried dual channel the computer crashed again. Using only 4th slot also caused immediate freezing when I tried to use memtest86 on it.



Decided to just keep it with the single stick which was fine all of last night but now today the computer will not post at all and the CPU + DRAM LED's stay lit. Tried leaving it on for 20 minutes to no avail.



Does this sound like it's the motherboard having problems? There were other issues that started happening right before all this too, such as the case fan RGB only working periodically (would stop being detected), occasional crashes, and one time the entire computer was lagging but no high usage showed up in task manager at the time other than WI-FI going a bit haywire.

 

[Darkbreeze]

Well, it definitely SOUNDS like a motherboard issue, but there's certainly other possibilities.

What is the EXACT model of your power supply and how old is it?

Assuming for now, until we can determine one way or the other, that the PSU is good, the first thing I'd do is remove the CPU and check for bent pins. The fact that you haven't had the CPU out recently doesn't necessarily mean anything. Sometimes a pin can get bent during installation but it's not bent enough that it immediately causes issues. Over time the weight of the CPU cooler, moving the system around, vibration or whatever can cause that to develop into a problem that it didn't seem to have before so it's always good to check.

If the CPU or motherboard (Depending on the platform and socket type) pins are ok then the next thing you'd want to do is bench test it using minimal hardware to eliminate the possibility that it's something else like a short somewhere, screw behind the motherboard that got trapped during installation and has finally worked it's way through the conformal coating and is shorting one of the traces, faulty component, connector that has worked itself loose, etc.

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

 

[Mizidi]

Well, it definitely SOUNDS like a motherboard issue, but there's certainly other possibilities.

What is the EXACT model of your power supply and how old is it?

Assuming for now, until we can determine one way or the other, that the PSU is good, the first thing I'd do is remove the CPU and check for bent pins. The fact that you haven't had the CPU out recently doesn't necessarily mean anything. Sometimes a pin can get bent during installation but it's not bent enough that it immediately causes issues. Over time the weight of the CPU cooler, moving the system around, vibration or whatever can cause that to develop into a problem that it didn't seem to have before so it's always good to check.

If the CPU or motherboard (Depending on the platform and socket type) pins are ok then the next thing you'd want to do is bench test it using minimal hardware to eliminate the possibility that it's something else like a short somewhere, screw behind the motherboard that got trapped during installation and has finally worked it's way through the conformal coating and is shorting one of the traces, faulty component, connector that has worked itself loose, etc.

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

My bad, forgot to include the PSU! It's the CORSAIR RM850 (2021) series. I got it around the same time as the rest of the parts, so ~August of 2023.

I reseated the CPU and noticed no damage to either it or the pins in the socket. Still experiencing the same problem.

I will try bench testing it tomorrow as well as possibly swapping out the RAM just in case. Hopefully that'll help pin down the problem as well as I can.

Thank you!

 

[Darkbreeze]

I suppose anything is possible, but it seems highly unlikely that memory would be to blame for case fan RGB not working, WiFi misbehaving, etc., unless it was tied into the same circuit as the case fans (PWM controller, which again, would likely be motherboard unless you're using a third party controller) and I can't see any way it would affect the wireless operations. If the memory was in that bad of shape, it simply wouldn't have been working. But the board is a different story. Also, regardless of the age of the PSU, I'd really want to test it before deciding it was the board.

Either swap in another known good PSU of sufficient quality and capacity or test it manually.

 

[Mizidi]

Okay, so bit of an odd update:

First, I used a tester on the PSU, all seems to be normal with it.

Furthermore, I borrowed the new RAM (T-Force Vulcan 6000MHZ CL30, if it matters) which allowed the computer to boot again with no crashes while in dual channel. Haven't tested too heavily, but it's worked through multiple restarts and I haven't noticed any of the issues that were happening before. Not yet at least.

Something that might be worth mentioning is there was a lot more resistance getting the new stick into the 4th slot. It was like that with the old RAM too, but this time I had to use way more pressure and it really didn't seem like it wanted to fit in, particularly the top half (was actually about to stop when it suddenly finally clicked in). Possible there's something still physically wrong with the motherboard, maybe? I don't see anything, but I don't know how obvious that would be either.

 

[Darkbreeze]

Maybe a problem with your DIMM slots if you had that much trouble installing the 4th slot DIMM. But if it's in and it's working normally, maybe just say "cool" and move on unless or until you notice something that doesn't seem right.

 

[Mizidi]

The same RGB issue started to happen again and I didn't want to risk it getting worse so I went ahead and switched out the motherboard.

Been a couple days now and the computer has been running fine. In fact, it seems to be running better than it did before in general. Pretty confident it was indeed the motherboard at this point.

 

[Darkbreeze]

Like I said originally, seemed like a board issue, but always good to try and eliminate other options first so you don't buy a part you don't need. In this case, first instincts are often correct. Glad you got it sorted. Good luck man.

 

[LuKaWin10]

I suppose anything is possible, but it seems highly unlikely that memory would be to blame for case fan RGB not working, WiFi misbehaving, etc., unless it was tied into the same circuit as the case fans (PWM controller, which again, would likely be motherboard unless you're using a third party controller) and I can't see any way it would affect the wireless operations. If the memory was in that bad of shape, it simply wouldn't have been working. But the board is a different story. Also, regardless of the age of the PSU, I'd really want to test it before deciding it was the board.

Either swap in another known good PSU of sufficient quality and capacity or test it manually.

It is the motherboard for sure. PSUs cannot really be the culprit.

 

[LuKaWin10]

Like I said originally, seemed like a board issue, but always good to try and eliminate other options first so you don't buy a part you don't need. In this case, first instincts are often correct. Glad you got it sorted. Good luck man.

Try the components on a different board. Try reseating the CPU!

 

[Darkbreeze]

It is the motherboard for sure. PSUs cannot really be the culprit.

Your statement is purely fictional. ANY issue that can happen to a PC, whether motherboard, memory, CPU, graphics card, storage device or anything else, can ALWAYS potentially be the PSU, because without a correctly functioning PSU that is able to deliver clean, stable power in sufficient capacity, any piece of hardware in the system could fail to operate correctly even though there may be nothing wrong with that piece of hardware. In essence, anything that can go wrong with a computer can be the PSU even if it looks like something else because a faulty PSU can mimic ANY hardware failure or problem since all hardware relies on the PSU to function correctly.

Therefore, no matter WHAT is going on, the PSU can ALWAYS be the culprit. That's not to say, obviously, that it always IS, but it always CAN be. There is no problem a PC can have that could not potentially be due to the PSU.

Besides which, the OP has already stated that they replaced the board and have had no further problems. Which would definitely seem to suggest that the motherboard was to blame, as I said in the first response that was made here.

 

[LuKaWin10]

Your statement is purely fictional. ANY issue that can happen to a PC, whether motherboard, memory, CPU, graphics card, storage device or anything else, can ALWAYS potentially be the PSU, because without a correctly functioning PSU that is able to delivery clean, stable power in sufficient capacity, any piece of hardware in the system could fail to operate correctly even though there may be nothing wrong with that piece of hardware. In essence, anything that can go wrong with a computer can be the PSU even if it looks like something else because a faulty PSU can mimic ANY hardware failure or problem since all hardware relies on the PSU to function correctly.

Therefore, no matter WHAT is going on, the PSU can ALWAYS be the culprit. That's not to say, obviously, that it always IS, but it always CAN be. There is no problem a PC can have that could not potentially be due to the PSU.

Besides which, the OP has already stated that they replaced the board and have had no further problems. Which would definitely seem to suggest that the motherboard was to blame, as I said in the first response that was made here.

Fair enough