Question Should PC without windows Post every time it’s reset or switched on?

[Sibbo]

First time PC builder so I am learning on the job.

The PC is pretty much built however I have not yet downloaded Windows, I first wanted to test I could access the BIOS.

so my questions is:
Even without an operating system should the PC POST every time without fail and the Mobo logo appear on the screen when switched on or reset?

I am getting very inconsistent results, the PC can boot up and I can access the BIOS 5 or 6 times in a row and then when I try again I can get no display on the monitor 5 or 6 times in a row, it’s extremely confusing. I am not sure whether this is normal or whether this suggests a problem, I suspect a problem. However the fact It does POST some of the time, makes me think there is no hardware issue, baffled!

all of the PC components are brand new, I have checked the connections to the mobo and the PSU multiple times to ensure there is not a loose connection and they all seem fine. Everything powers on fine (fans, CPU Fan) and all of the case connections work (power on, reset, USB ports), the GPU lights up and fans spin so everything looks fine and SOMETIMES it works without issues.

RAM is securely seated in the correct slots as is the GPU and the motherboard is properly secure with stand-off screws and the 12v ATX is properly connected, I have also been able to update the BIOS to the latest version (when I have been able to access the BIOS)

I have also tried booting with only one RAM stick and I still get similar results. So without disconnecting everything I am a little stuck, any help would be appreciated.

Key Components:

motherboard: B550i Aorus Pro AX
CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 3900x
PSU: Silverstone SX700-LPT
GPU: SAPPHIRE PULSE AMD RADEON RX 5600XT
Case: NR200P Cooler Master

 

[Math Geek]

yes it should post everytime, but it may not always. it is only running off very basic bios before windows. so it not loading right every time is not exactly indication of a problem.

question is, why are you rebooting and going into bios over and over if it ready for windows to install? are you changing stuff over and over? if so, this could be the source of the issue

 

[Sibbo]

yes it should post everytime, but it may not always. it is only running off very basic bios before windows. so it not loading right every time is not exactly indication of a problem.

question is, why are you rebooting and going into bios over and over if it ready for windows to install? are you changing stuff over and over? if so, this could be the source of the issue

thanks for the reply - to be honest i think I have just been trying to reassure myself all is well with build before I start the process of putting Windows on the system - once I built it and I tested it and got it to boot the the next step was to then get windows installed

so the weekend I was about to do that the pc wouldn’t then POST and I got nothing on the monitor, so really from that point on I have been hesitant to proceed because I am seeing inconsistencies with it booting, sometimes it does and then sometimes I get nothing which has made me wary about proceeding in case I have to disassemble the whole thing.

I want to make sure everything is working as it should because I am going to use the SSD from my old PC (which I installed a year ago) in this new one but I have to re-purchase Windows 10 and install it because I was originally able to upgrade to Windows 10 on my old PC when it was first released via the free download, so swapping out the SSD means I cant use that copy of Windows,

im concerned if it doesn’t work I’m without a PC or I’m going to have a PC that does not boot consistently even when I have windows installed or will Windows help stabilise everything Once it’s on?

all was going well without a problem (much to my surprise) until I noticed the inconsistencies in the system posting which has given me cause for concern

 

[Jacozeelie]

Try to install OS

 

[Math Geek]

give it a try. you might be able to use your old win 10 on it. attach it to your ms account and move it that way. if it don't work it does not change how it installs. you just add your new key when you get it

next question is the system specs. all the parts so we can see if that might be an issue

 

[Jacozeelie]

https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/silverstone-sfx-sx700-lpt-psu,4754.html

Do you have a diffrent working psu to test it with?

 

[Sibbo]

Ok great thanks for the replies, I will install the OS first and go from there, decided to purchase a new SSD to install a fresh copy of Windows, if it goes wrong I still have my old PC and all the files intact on that - figured it’s better to be safe than sorry

Once the SSD arrives I will have a go at installing Windows and fingers crossed everything goes well.

Will update on here either way

cheers

 

[Sibbo]

Ok so latest update:

I have now successfully installed a new version of Windows 10 HOWEVER this ended up being quite a laborious process and once again I encountered the issue of the PC being unstable when posting/booting

during the installation of Windows, the PC was required to automatically restart/reboot however each time it did this I ended up getting no display, even leaving the PC alone for a good 20 mins+ in this state still did not get the display to come up

I had to either press the reset on the case or power the system on then off again sometime multiple times before the pc booted and then continued the Windows installation (it put me through the safe mode option each time it did this before correcting itself)

This happened multiple times, repeating above before finally I got to the Windows Home Screen. Once into the Windows Home Screen and the usual account setup prior to then, I decided to test if the system was stable and simply restart the computer through the Windows button.

PC resets as normal but, wallop! No booting/posting again so repeated the process of resetting and/or turning the power off leaving it for 10mins then switching on again, doing this eventually gets the PC to boot into Windows.

Once in Windows this time I decided to update the graphics card drivers thinking maybe this was the likely issue (just to note when in Windows the PC works absolutely perfectly - getting past the POST/Boot process is where I am seeing inconsistencies)

I then reset the PC and it restarted perfectly fine back into Windows - hoping this was now solved I downloaded a few general programs like google chrome etc without issue, and worked on the pc for about 45 mins with no problems

I decided then again to restart to see if it booted fine the second time - and once again black screen, all fans spinning including gpu but no display and no boot into Windows - so reset, on off power cycle again until it eventually boots normally.

One thing I have noticed is that when it is not booting/posting the graphics card fans spin continually, on occasion the fans will stop for a second then spin again - sometimes this makes the PC boot into Windows and sometimes it doesn’t. When I press the reset button on the case the GPU fans stop spinning, then start spinning again.

When the PC boots into Windows (eventually) I notice that the GPU fans stop spinning.

So No Boot/Post = GPU fans continually spin

perfect boot/post = GPU fans stop spinning when Windows loads

not sure if this is an important observation or not ?

I have also noted after updating the GPU drivers and downloading ICue software for my Rgb fans and playing around with those for a bit when restarting the pc the rgb lights turn on and off very quickly once, it’s hard to notice and easy to miss if you are not watching the fans (I have temper see through glass on my case) this happens when the pc is restarted with the case button - I have not seen this before and only started happening after updating the GPU drivers and downloading the iCue software and messing about with the colour scheme on my fans - again could be irrelevant but it’s something different I have noticed.

It‘s baffling to me because when it boots it works perfectly fine so i am struggling to see how this would be a hardware issue - when it’s working all of the hardware components seem to be in sync - resetting or turning off the PC seems to put it out of wack.

Its almost like the computer gets stuck before it can Boot/Post and resetting or powering after multiple attempts eventually clears it and it Boots - it’s weird yet frustrating at the same time - feels like a hollow victory for my first PC build, sometimes it works, most of the time it doesn’t

Another point to note that has just come to mind - my PSU came with plastic caps in the ports, I have removed the plastic caps only from those ports that I require and left 2 plastic caps plugged into the sockets I do not currently need - could this be causing a shortage ? Is it as simple as that maybe?

I will remove these and try it

another question too my PCie cable that is plugged into my PSU and graphics card - one end is blue the other is black, I have the blue end plugged into my PSU and the black end plugged into the the GPU does this matter or should I swap it round so the blue end is plugged into the GPU?

thanks again for any assistance

 

[Sibbo]

https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/silverstone-sfx-sx700-lpt-psu,4754.html

Do you have a diffrent working psu to test it with?

Unfortunately I don’t, unless I take out the PSU from my old PC? However it’s at least 7 years old would it be compatible with the new new components? For the record I have no idea what make/model the PSU is in my old PC it’s likely covered in dust

 

[Sibbo]

I have also tried upping the voltage on my RAM through the BIOS (when I can access it)

Memory I’m using is 2x16gb 2666mhz DDR4 Corsair Vengeance LPX

I have changed the voltage from Auto setting to 1.25V and 1.21v to see if that helps yet still getting inconsistent booting on all of those settings

my MoBo only has 2 RAM slots and I have tried swapping the RAM sticks round and booting with 1 RAM stick but still no better results

UPDATE plastic caps removed from empty PSU ports and PCie cable the blue end is plugged into the blue port on the PSU so I figured this is correct and left it - but still getting the same inconsistent boot/post problem

 

[Sibbo]

FURTHER UPDATE

Had a feeling the issue could have been with GPU so decided to swap it for the old MSI GPU from my working PC

Low and behold the thing is booting and posting every time! 🤬😰 restarted it and switched it off and every time it’s booting straight to Windows - I’m relieved I think I have isolated the problem and happy it hasn’t been an error I have made in my build but also annoyed my expensive GPU seems like it‘s a Dud!

Does anyone know whether this is a common error with the Radeon Sapphire 5600xt graphics card or whether there is a fix for it?

There is a BIOS switch on the GPU which I have switched both to the right and left position, seems to get more consistent results when in the left position for some reason but I am leaning to the possibility of having to accept I have a dud card which brings other problems to the forefront like chasing a replacement or a refund if possible! 🤦🏻‍♂️