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Question PC wont boot, tried everything I know and read

Jan 5, 2023
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I do a lot with computers, I just cant figure this issue out, its driving me nuts.

SPECS:
Processor: i7-3930k
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-X79s-up5
PSU: (new) EVGA 650W Bronze (previously had 500w chinese PSU)
Memory: 16gb HyperX Fury Blue 1333Mhz (4x4)
GPU: MSI GeForce GTX 970 GAMING 4G

STORY:
After my friend moved houses, his PC has not worked ever since. It was able to power on but not boot properly, after setting a speaker on the motherboard it was a long, short, short, short beep, referring to a PSU problem. After some more fault checking I ordered a new PSU.

After it arrived, I enabled only the CPU fan, CPU (8-pin) and Motherboard (24-pin) power connectors, turning it on via the motherboard. After succesfully booting I hooked up all the other cables and hardware. It didn't boot up ever since.

(ALSO THE MAIN ISSUE):
What happens is it powers on (including GPU), then GPU powers down (atleast the fans stop spinning, which could be an MSI thing), and I get NO display whatsoever.

WHAT I'VE DONE SO FAR:
(i've done all these actions in the appropiate order, with CMOS clearing, anti-static powerband, installing parts with the least amount of cables possible)

-Below did not fix the issue
--This left me the exact same issue, one boot up, second boot didnt work
  1. Bought and tried a new PSU (the EVGA one)
  2. Bought and tried new (secondhand, and working) motherboard from verified local dealer (ASUS Rampge IV Gene) and tried all the options above and below on this board as well.
  3. Tried a different (working) processor; i7-3820K
  4. Tried 3 different DDR3 memory sticks
  5. Tried 2 different (much older) GPUs where fans dont turn off
  6. Tried my own working GTX 1070 GPU (no display either)
  7. CMOS reset via the pins
  8. CMOS reset via removing battery for 5 minutes
  9. New CMOS battery (2 times, just in case)
  10. Trying static discharge leaving it all loose 24hr overnight
  11. Tried all RAM slots on both boards with singular RAM sticks and with the additional 3 RAM sticks.
  12. Tried all PCI-E slots in all motherboards
  13. Tried 3 different monitors on all the tested GPU's, both DVI, HDMI and Displayport.
SOME NOTES:
  1. All boots have been done w/o the case, everything is done via the motheroard power on to avoid faulty case cables.
  2. All hardware appears to be working seperately/in other computers
  3. The GTX 970 works in my own PC and motherboard
  4. More clarification: No SATA or other power cables/data cables are put in, ONLY 24-pin and 8-pin connector.
WHAT WORKED (SORT OF):
1. After leaving motherboards overnight they booted agains whereafter they didnt
 
Last edited:
EVGA 650W Bronze

Model of this unit? Since based on what little you've shared, this PSU doesn't look to be good.

Well, it's better than the junk it replaced, but not enough for PC with dedicated GPU. While enough watts, build quality is the issue here.

WHAT WORKED (SORT OF):
1. After leaving motherboards overnight they booted agains whereafter they didnt

This time is enough to drain some capacitors within the PSU, hence why it may boot once. But once PSU is "online", with full capacitors, build quality comes into play and starts messing with PSU's normal operation, hence why PC won't work anymore, again.
 
I bought a brand new 'EVGA 650 B5 80PLUS' .

Here is a link to the specifications: https://tweakers.net/pricewatch/1585658/evga-650-b5/specificaties/

What could be the issue is the PSU being bad since the factory. An important detail however is that the old PSU that was in the PC was a weird chinese 500W PSU. This PSU with 500W managed the PC for 2 years.

So I know for a fact that 650W is enough to support this machine under full load, let alone boot.

My gut tells me it is something with the motherboards, along the lines of UEFI and Legacy mode not supporting the GTX 970 the right way, since I've also reset the CMOS settings multiple times, I don't know.
 
What could be the issue is the PSU being bad since the factory.

Not quite. More like poor build quality, cheap components used and the like.

For example, here are two 550W PSUs, fully-modular and 80+ Gold efficiency,
pcpp: https://pcpartpicker.com/products/compare/6Px9TW,3H2bt6/

Can you tell me, why Seasonic PSU costs essentially double of that Rosewill unit?
And which of the two PSUs you'd go for?

-----

Your EVBA B5, at best, is mediocre quality unit. While for PCs, i wouldn't look anything short of good quality unit (preferably great quality unit).

For 2nd opinion, here's PSU tier list and your PSU is Tier B, low priority unit,
link: https://forums.tomshardware.com/thr...er-list-rev-14-8-final-update-jul-21.3624094/

While what i'd suggest, would be anything from Tier A. Like Seasonic Focus/PRIME or Corsair RM/RMx/RMi.

So, unless you try with good quality unit (anything from Tier A), my main suspect is still PSU, since yours isn't that good of a PSU. And symptoms you experience, are to do with PSU acting up.
 
I understand, I'll try to testing the voltage and values the PSU gives, if they return bad I'll make sure to order a new one.

Either way, I have the exact same issue and results with both PSU's. I doubt the brand new PSU got send to me not working.
If this PSU has a bad build quality, it should atleast work, or they would've taken them out of the store already.
 
I understand, I'll try to testing the voltage and values the PSU gives, if they return bad I'll make sure to order a new one.

Either way, I have the exact same issue and results with both PSU's. I doubt the brand new PSU got send to me not working.
If this PSU has a bad build quality, it should atleast work, or they would've taken them out of the store already.

You can't test a PSU without it being stressed; the voltage will be meaningless and you won't be measuring ripple. You'd need an oscilloscope and a load tester to actually test it. And lots of poor quality PSUs are sold in stores; we get dozens and dozens of posts a week with poor quality PSUs that are causing problems or damage, many new from stores. And damage is a concern if it had been running on a junk PSU; using a junk PSU is the PC equivalent of taking an unmarked bottle of pills you found in an alley.
 
If this PSU has a bad build quality, it should atleast work, or they would've taken them out of the store already.

As long as PSU doesn't blow up directly at your face, once you power it on, it pretty much can be sold in a store. Still, notion that "it being sold at a store = it is safe" is wrong.

Ever heard of a product recall? Whereby item is sold on store, but once enough consumers complain about it, whereby there is great risk to the health, product gets a recall. Can you explain to me, in your mind, how come those dangerous products were sold in the store in the first place? 🤔

Regarding PSUs, one such latest fumble was with Gigabyte GP-P750GM and GP-P850GM.
GamersNexus covered it well when it was 1st discovered:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aACtT_rzToI


Follow-up video too:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7JmPUr-BeEM


And 3rd video too (clearly showing how bad/serious this thing is):

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xts3pvbcFos


Heck, after public outrage, but not before, Gigabyte eventually made a recall of those time bombs,
article: https://www.tomshardware.com/news/gigabyte-full-refund-product-exchange-explosive-psus