Question PC wont boot. No lights, fans, or anything.

[Rickwesand]

I recently opened up my PC to install a new harddrive and USB 2.0 expansion. When I put it all back together there was no power. I checked a few things and in all the cord rearranging to accommodate the new wires and everything was still firmly connected. My first thought is the CPU because that did come out accidentally and I had to clean some thermal paste off of the pins with qtips and alcohol. A couple of the pins were slightly bent and I got them all back into place. Everything is clean and seated nicely but still nothing. I've been looking at the forums and don't know what else to try. Major mistakes have been made

 

[Ralston18]

I must ask:

With respect to " My first thought is the CPU because that did come out accidentally" - how did that happen?

Only asking because I am not aware of anything other than brute force causing such a thing to happen.

Brute force means possible collateral damage all around....

That said, update your post to include full hardware specs and OS.

There may be some way to salvage the situation but more information is needed.

You alluded to "Major mistakes" - what were those mistakes?

 

[Rickwesand]

I must ask:

With respect to " My first thought is the CPU because that did come out accidentally" - how did that happen?

Only asking because I am not aware of anything other than brute force causing such a thing to happen.

Brute force means possible collateral damage all around....

That said, update your post to include full hardware specs and OS.

There may be some way to salvage the situation but more information is needed.

You alluded to "Major mistakes" - what were those mistakes?

Part of my to do list with everything else was to install the RGB cord from my CPU fan to the mobo. When I pulled off the fan, the CPU came up with it. Looked to be from suction due to excess thermal paste. The person who helped me with installation originally installed the CPU and I haven't taken it out since. I rebuilt it in the last few months with all these parts new.

My hardware:
ROG STRIX B450-F GAMING motherboard
AMD Ryzen 7 2700x CPU
EVEA 650 G3 PSU
Geoforce GTX 670 GPU - next to be updated
Running Windows 10

 

[mdd1963]

Naturally, looking for any missing pins (CPU) or bent receptors (mainboard) will be at the foreront, assuming no cables were left off, misconnected...

You should be able to disconnect all drives (power and SATA) remove GPU and GPU power cables, make sure CPU power and 24 pin ATX power are connected, and, if power switch is connected to correct two pins, it should at least try to come on,....

(Make sure you did not connect any USB headers to fan connectors, etc....)

 

[Karadjgne]

Yep. That's actually pretty common with AMD, the cpu locking mechanism is just a tightening of the pin holes and sucks compared to Intels border cover and lock.

You shouldn't have had to remove the heatsink to install a cable, the RGB header isn't underneath it.

If you had to clean excess paste, you used far too much to begin with.

 

[Ralston18]

Time for a "do over".

Use a magnifying glass and bright light to examine those bent pins. Ensure that they are fully intact.

User the motherboard's User Guide/Manual to carefully put everything together again.

Be extra careful with respect to applying the thermal paste.

Hopefully all will be well.

If not, then test the PSU:

https://www.lifewire.com/how-to-manually-test-a-power-supply-with-a-multimeter-2626158

 

[jsmithepa]

If ur lucky all it needs is a CMOS CLEAR, if that doesn't work, oops.

 

[Rickwesand]

So I tried all of the above. Started with the CMOS clear. Then disconnected everything save the cpu and mobo cable to the psu and still nothing. I had already tested the psu and it's good. Triple checked all of the pins on the cpu and they are all intact and straight. Cleaned the mount again too with isopropyl and qtips/tooth pick.

 

[Rickwesand]

So I tried all of the above. Started with the CMOS clear. Then disconnected everything save the cpu and mobo cable to the psu and still nothing. I had already tested the psu and it's good. Triple checked all of the pins on the cpu and they are all intact and straight. Cleaned the mount again too with isopropyl and qtips/tooth pick.

Update! When I drop the CPU into the mobo the light comes on the mobo. When I flip the lever for the friction mount it turns off so I think it is just a cleaning thing at this point?

 

[lynx1021]

Update! When I drop the CPU into the mobo the light comes on the mobo. When I flip the lever for the friction mount it turns off so I think it is just a cleaning thing at this point?

I hate to tell you this but it sounds like you have been changing out parts with the power cord plugged in. Even when the computer is off the power supply supplies a small 5volt "standby voltage" to the motherboard to be able start the PSU with the power button. Removing components while the PSU is plugged in can cause part failure.

 

[Rickwesand]

I hate to tell you this but it sounds like you have been changing out parts with the power cord plugged in. Even when the computer is off the power supply supplies a small 5volt "standby voltage" to the motherboard to be able start the PSU with the power button. Removing components while the PSU is plugged in can cause part failure.

Didn't even realize at the time. Lots of newbie mistakes and lots of just dumb mistakes on my first pc. Maybe I'll learn something from this