Question PC wont power on Ryzen 5 3600x, B450 Tomahawk

Oct 30, 2020
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1
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Hello Everyone,

I'm having issues with my computer powering on and I am unsure if its my motherboard or a connection from the PSU.
Ryzen 5 3600x, B450 Tomahawk mobo, 16 gb 3600 ripjaw ram, gigabyte 5600xt, Gigabyte 700w bronze psu.
It all the lights will flash on and off with the mobo plug partly in otherwise it won’t turn on or have any lights at all.
This is not a newly build computer, I have been having trouble turning it on but I would just turn off the PSU for a bit then turn it back on and it would work. Does anyone have an idea of what is going on?

Video of issue posted below

View: https://youtu.be/e0JfIy1cd1M
 
Oct 29, 2020
1
0
10
There are 4 LED's there in that small group. You'll need to identify which one is flashing. The top one (according to the manual I downloaded for your motherboard) is CPU, next is DRAM, VGA and then BOOT device.

Also, just to confirm - the 8 pin power is plugged into the top left of the board, correct? Couldn't see on the video.

You can get testers for PSU's if you want to check that. I would avoid the home-made version unless you know what you're doing and willing to take the risk.

Based on your mobo lights though, it looks like there are plenty of other things to check first. eg - using 1 stick of ram, if that doesn't work, try the other, reseat the CPU and check for bent pins, make sure the CPU cooler and mounting screws + backplate are not loose and not too tight, checking the boot device connection, reseat the GPU and possibly move to the other PCIe slot. Unplug all USB devices, headers, connections, etc that aren't needed to boot.

And I don't know what you mean by the "motherboard plug partly in". If you're saying it's loose and not fully attached, that is very dangerous and is a great way to cause a short or fry the motherboard, CPU and attached drives. If you're unsure about the connection, make sure it's firmly attached or remove it completely and make sure the connectors are clean - or clean them with Electronic spray (all of this done with the PSU and everything COMPLETELY unplugged from power. Not just powered off, or the PSU switch in the 'off' position. I mean remove the power from the back of the PSU and wait for a minute to let the caps discharge and LED's to go off before you start unplugging or touching the motherboard.

There could be a short in the PSU, but checking the cables and reseating them would be a good start.

Need to do some troubleshooting and get specific about the light blinking before isolating where the issue most likely is.

Good luck mate - the joy of computers!
 
You'll need a BIOS update to run a Ryzen 3600 in a B450 motherboard.

Andy
Not if he has one of the Max range. The Max range mean 3000 series BIOS ready.

The op also said “This is not a newly build computer, I have been having trouble turning it on but I would just turn off the PSU for a bit then turn it back on and it would work” so it’s definitely not a BIOS version issue.
 
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Oct 30, 2020
3
1
15
There are 4 LED's there in that small group. You'll need to identify which one is flashing. The top one (according to the manual I downloaded for your motherboard) is CPU, next is DRAM, VGA and then BOOT device.

Also, just to confirm - the 8 pin power is plugged into the top left of the board, correct? Couldn't see on the video.

You can get testers for PSU's if you want to check that. I would avoid the home-made version unless you know what you're doing and willing to take the risk.

Based on your mobo lights though, it looks like there are plenty of other things to check first. eg - using 1 stick of ram, if that doesn't work, try the other, reseat the CPU and check for bent pins, make sure the CPU cooler and mounting screws + backplate are not loose and not too tight, checking the boot device connection, reseat the GPU and possibly move to the other PCIe slot. Unplug all USB devices, headers, connections, etc that aren't needed to boot.

And I don't know what you mean by the "motherboard plug partly in". If you're saying it's loose and not fully attached, that is very dangerous and is a great way to cause a short or fry the motherboard, CPU and attached drives. If you're unsure about the connection, make sure it's firmly attached or remove it completely and make sure the connectors are clean - or clean them with Electronic spray (all of this done with the PSU and everything COMPLETELY unplugged from power. Not just powered off, or the PSU switch in the 'off' position. I mean remove the power from the back of the PSU and wait for a minute to let the caps discharge and LED's to go off before you start unplugging or touching the motherboard.

There could be a short in the PSU, but checking the cables and reseating them would be a good start.

Need to do some troubleshooting and get specific about the light blinking before isolating where the issue most likely is.

Good luck mate - the joy of computers!

Thank you for the detailed response! I attempted all the things that you have listed here and haven't had any luck. Switched out both RAM sticks, checked the CPU, no bent pins and reseated, reseated GPU, completely removed the mobo and made a test bench, tested the PSU and its working. I might just get a new Mobo and test to see if that works or not and if it doesn't that most likely rules out a mobo issue?