Question Smart guys, please help. MSI B650 Tomahawk motherboard won't post.

[Yazzie_H]

New build. I haven't attached GPU, etc yet.
No sound when I try to post, but the EZ Debug LED lights "DRAM" and "CPU" are both lit.
I reseated CPU and substituted other DRAM. Same result.
Flashed BIOS. Same result.
Not sure what to try next. I've built PCs before, but am clearly in over my head, as I can't think of anything else to try.



Board: MAG B650 Tomahawk wifi
BIOS: I have flashed E7E26AMS.1H1
CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 7900 - Ryzen 9 7000 Series Zen 4 12-Core 3.7 GHz
MEM: CORSAIR VENGEANCE RGB DDR5 RAM 32GB (2x16GB) 6000MHz CL30-36-36-76

 

[COLGeek]

When you started the system, how long did you let the system run before powering off? New AM5 systems can take a minute (or more) to recognize the new configuration before posting.

 

[Yazzie_H]

I left it for 10 minutes. No changes in the lights. No rebooting. Should i have left it longer?

 

[COLGeek]

I left it for 10 minutes. No changes in the lights. No rebooting. Should i have left it longer?

No. That was way longer than normal. Are you using HDMI or DP for video?

 

[Yazzie_H]

At this point, I hadn't put it all together. I hadn't even plugged in a screen. Was just looking for the beep or the EZ Debug lights.

 

[COLGeek]

At this point, I hadn't put it all together. I hadn't even plugged in a screen. Was just looking for the beep or the EZ Debug lights.

Put together fully and then we can proceed. You need to attach to a display to see if the system posts. Not all systems today have speakers for beeps.

 

[Yazzie_H]

No beeps with speaker plugged in, but EZ debug lights are still on. Screen just says "no signal" then enters sleep mode.

 

[COLGeek]

No beeps with speaker plugged in, but EZ debug lights are still on. Screen just says "no signal" then enters sleep mode.

Speaker attached to speaker header on mobo?

HDMI or DP?

 

[Yazzie_H]

Yes, speaker is plugged in to mobo.
HDMI

 

[COLGeek]

Try resetting the motherboard BIOS and try powering in again.

 

[Yazzie_H]

Reset the BIOS using the procedure from the manual Clear CMOS (Reset BIOS).
Started it up, waited 7 minutes. Same result.

 

[COLGeek]

Double check your CPU socket for bent/damaged/missing pins.

 

[Yazzie_H]

The pins all look symetric and straight. I was cautious putting the cpu in out of fear of bending them. It helps that AMD is less exposed than Intel, so they look good.

 

[COLGeek]

At this point, I suspect that either the CPU or the motherboard is kaput.

 

[Yazzie_H]

Well, crud. Is there a way to figure out which one? I got them from Amazon, which has a pretty good return policy, but I don't necessarily want to return the wrong one.

 

[COLGeek]

Well, crud. Is there a way to figure out which one? I got them from Amazon, which has a pretty good return policy, but I don't necessarily want to return the wrong one.

You won't like the answer. You swap with a known good CPU or motherboard. That is how you isolate the culprit.

 

[Yazzie_H]

Ah. Don't have one of those. Well, I'll start by returning the cheaper one (mobo), and cross my fingers.

Even though my problem didn't get resolved, I want to thank you. Here you are online using your abilities to help people who can't offer you anything. I appreciate you walking me through this process.

Someday, when you get stuck in some area of your life, I pray God will provide a person to walk you through that.

Have a great day.

 

[COLGeek]

Just to verify, you do have both the 8-pin and 24-pin power connectors firmly attached to the motherboard? Correct?

 

[Yazzie_H]

Oh my gosh! No! I didn't realize there was a separate 8 pin. I put that in, and now it posts! Thank you!
I was about to try to exchange the motherboard. Then I would have done exactly the same thing with the replacement, and had the same problem. It's is embarrassing that the answer was basically "do you have it plugged in?" Thanks for knowing to ask the right question. I seem to be back on track.

 

[COLGeek]

Easy mistake. Glad you are up and running.