Question Two dead motherboards within a month, is my other hardware faulty?

[Blakep132]

I built my PC back in November (specs listed below). Last month, my PC froze and was completely unresponsive. I had to turn off the PSU to turn it off because even the power button didn't work. I went through the troubleshooting process (steps listed below) and ultimately sent it to Asus for RMA. While it was out for RMA, I bought the same motherboard from microcenter to use in the meantime.

The other day, I shutdown my PC and when I went to boot it up the next day it was unresponsive. Again, I went through all of the troubleshooting steps and had no luck getting anything to happen. Luckily, that board was still in the return window and I returned it to microcenter.

Today, I got a new board back from Asus (RMA repair wasn't possible, so they sent a new board). I am hesitant to build my PC again without knowing what caused the motherboards to die. What should I do?

[Update] I built the PC with the replacement motherboard. Booted up without any problems. I shut it down to tidy up cables and put the side panel on. Now it will not boot. I am pretty confident at this point that my CPU is killing the motherboards.

PC Specs:
Case: Phanteks P200A
PSU: Corsair AX1200i 80+ Platinum
Mobo: Asus ROG Strix B550 Gaming ITX
CPU: AMD Ryzen 5800X
Cooler: Artic Freezer ii 240 AIO
Ram: Crucial Ballistix 3600MHz 2x16GB
GPU: EVGA FTW3 Ultra RTX 3080
Storage: Samsung 860 1TB M.2 SSD

Troubleshooting Attempted:
Checked all cable connections
Disconnected all external hardware, extra drives, fans (aside from CPU fan), and io cables
Used 1 stick of RAM
Cleared the CMOS (tried both the CMOS header pins and disconnected the battery)
Tested with different PSU, GPU, and RAM
Bios Flashback with the latest version of the Bios

 

[punkncat]

Did ASUS not give you any information on what failed on the board?

I could see one mobo randomly dying, but if I am understanding correctly this is three?

 

[Blakep132]

Did ASUS not give you any information on what failed on the board?

I could see one mobo randomly dying, but if I am understanding correctly this is three?

The only info that Asus gave me was that the old motherboard was unrepairable. I contacted their support again and was told they can't look up the reason, they can only see the it was replaced with a new board.

I've had 2 die, so I'm worried about building my PC with the 3rd.

 

[Blakep132]

[Update] I built the PC with the replacement motherboard. Booted up without any problems. I shut it down to tidy up cables and put the side panel on. Now it will not boot. I am pretty confident at this point that my CPU is killing the motherboards.

 

[Deleted member 14196]

Did you install the standoffs correctly? Is the motherboard shorting out?

 

[Blakep132]

Did you install the standoffs correctly? Is the motherboard shorting out?

Yeah, I used the standoffs that came with the case and made sure they were are tightened down. The board sits fine and lines up with the IO shield.

 

[Deleted member 14196]

Now I’m wondering about the psu

 

[Blakep132]

Now I’m wondering about the psu

I'm really not sure at this point. The first board died with one PSU (EVGA 650GM SFX) and the others died with my Corsair unit. The EVGA PSU is now running in a different PC with no issues. And the Corsair PSU was in my other build before I moved it to this. I also just put it in my old PC and it is running without issues.

 

[1LiquidPC]

Any chances of a small/slow leak with your AIO cooler? Otherwise, with 3 boards and similar failures a hardware item common to them all.

 

[Blakep132]

Any chances of a small/slow leak with your AIO cooler? Otherwise, with 3 boards and similar failures a hardware item common to them all.

There hasn't been any residue on the motherboards or on the cooler, so I don't think there is a leak from it.

 

[punkncat]

Get a different (brand/make) motherboard. Send this one in. Take every single part out of the case and breadboard them on something you know is static safe and free of debris. Build that up and leave it run.
Send the other board back for RMA and request to see if they can give you some idea as to the failure? (you mentioned they don't)

Search that case high and low to be sure there isn't some barb of metal that could ground, anything.

One would assume that with as thorough as you have been so far, would be to check the pins on your CPU to make sure nothing is bent or missing. Check it for debris.

Along that same line, you have been keeping track of temps?

With all this said, are you currently on a battery backup or anything? Have you attempted to take your build elsewhere and power it up, even within the dwelling? This is a stretch, but at this point?!?

Short of the above, take this thing to the best PC guru you can find in your area.