I've killed 2 mobos in a row trying to build my first PC and have no clue why. Help would be appreciated.

[cbJester]

I'm day 3 into attempting my first-ever PC build and failing spectacularly. It's been... rough.

 

Everything was going great, initially. Following the Linus Tech Tips PC build video, I did a test of my assembled MSI Mag x670e Tomahawk Wifi, outside of my Lian Li Lancool 216 case using the screwdriver method and everything started without a hitch and I was able to access BIOS on my monitor where all levels looked fine. I then assembled everything in the case following a Lian Li Lancool tutorial to the 'T' and tried turning it on again. Other than the ram lighting up, nothing else happened. No fans, no noises, no lights, not even the EZ Debug LEDs on the mobo turned on. Realizing that something was seriously wrong, I turned off the, now, fully built PC and disassembled it to check the standoff placement as well as if there were one too many or too few. The standoff configuration was correct.

 

Now, with the mobo out of the case again, I did a series of tests:

 

I did the screwdriver test on the motherboard again. Other than the RAM lighting up it didn't work.

I checked the motherboard for visible damage. To my eyes, it looked fine.

I checked the CPU. No bent or broken needles. Looked new. 

I checked all connections, plugged and unplugged everything, and reapplied thermal paste. Didn't work.

I did the paper clip test on the PSU. Fans worked.

I went through all the various tests of removing components (GPU, RAM, SSD, etc) and did the screwdriver test again to see if that fixed it or lit up the EZ Debug LEDs. It didn't.

 

All signed pointing to the motherboard being the issue, I set up a return of the mobo to Amazon and repurchased the same motherboard which will be arriving tomorrow. I'm worried that after receiving the new mobo and doing an out-of-the-box test, I'll discover that it wasn't the only piece of hardware that's now not working. I'm equally worried the mobo out-of-the-box screwdriver test will work flawlessly again and then the mobo will die (again) after I've assembled it inside the case. 

 

Right now I'm trying to deduce what could've killed the mobo to prevent it from happening again tomorrow. As it wasn't incorrect standoffs my best guess is that perhaps the motherboard touched the case somewhere it wasn't intended to such as where the mobo's display port is flush with the opening in the case or the brackets a few inches down from that where some of the brackets are removed to fit the GPU's output port.

I'm really hoping I can continue the build tomorrow without any other major hiccups/pieces of hardware being inexplicably destroyed, so any ideas as to what could've caused this and suggestions as to preventative measures to avoid it happening again would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

[IkeaGnome]

Trying to continue the other thread here. 

1 minute ago, cbJester said:

So you think following the Linus Tech Tips video instructions which told me to do a build test out of the case and start in BIOS with a screwdriver is is what killed the mobo? Assuming that's the consensus in the other subforum, I guess I'll find another PC build tutorial other than the LTT one and use that tomorrow. Thanks

Basically any tutorial is going to tell you to do the screwdriver method for starting the computer outside the case. 
There’s nothing wrong with doing it. 
 

My best guess is that when you put the computer into the case something got hooked up wrong, like a PCIE power cable went to the motherboard 8 pin header or something similar. 
 

[cbJester]

26 minutes ago, IkeaGnome said:

Trying to continue the other thread here. 

Basically any tutorial is going to tell you to do the screwdriver method for starting the computer outside the case. 
There’s nothing wrong with doing it. 
 

My best guess is that when you put the computer into the case something got hooked up wrong, like a PCIE power cable went to the motherboard 8 pin header or something similar. 
 

Hmm... I used the exact same cables I used in the out-of-the-case test, which was successful: The 24-pin cable, the two labeled CPU, and the 600W cable to the GPU. Pretty positive (verging on very) I hooked up the two CPU cooler cords and the cords in the panel in the back of the case correctly. And my only SSD is the WD_BLACK 4TB SN850X NVMe which goes into the motherboard, so I didn't have to deal with cables for other SSD's which would've gone in the back compartment.

Edited November 2, 2023 by cbJester

[IkeaGnome]

2 minutes ago, cbJester said:

Does that sound right?

No, and I’d love to hear their reasoning for how that killed your old motherboard. 

[cbJester]

23 minutes ago, IkeaGnome said:

No, and I’d love to hear their reasoning for how that killed your old motherboard. 

They also suggested I switch to a different case (they suggested a Fractal case), which I can't afford to do unless absolutely necessary. I'm guessing I should start ignoring their suggestions and stick with what's posted here.

[cbJester]

Friday when I continue the build with a new mobo, I'll try to document the build thoroughly with pictures and post them here and wait for feedback before powering on the completed build in the case. Hopefully, someone will be able to use that to determine what went wrong last time and *fingers crossed* keep it from happening again. I doubt I'll be able to get a refund on a second motherboard if that too should fail so I'd rather go about this build in an overly cautious and meticulous manner double checking things here, even if it takes another week than risk ruining another mobo (especially as I still don't know what caused the first one's death).

[IkeaGnome]

3 minutes ago, cbJester said:

They also suggested I switch to a different case (they suggested a Fractal case), which I can't afford to do unless absolutely necessary, btw.

Switching cases is a nit picky issue. That’s not something that killed your computer. They had a very rough way of trying to suggest a case with better airflow, but at the end of the day it’s not going to change much. 
 

As for what happened, can you list all your parts? Any fans/fan hubs? Do your fans have any cables that plug into the power supply or do they only plug into the motherboard. I’ve seen a way that you can send power into the motherboard fan header and fry it. 
 

I am traveling home from work today so my reception will be off and on spotty. I’ll respond as I can.  Hopefully someone will hop in and also help. If not, feel free to tag me using @IkeaGnome tomorrow and as long as I’m around I’ll give you a hand getting everything put together if you want it. 

[cbJester]

17 minutes ago, IkeaGnome said:

Switching cases is a nit picky issue. That’s not something that killed your computer. They had a very rough way of trying to suggest a case with better airflow, but at the end of the day it’s not going to change much. 
 

As for what happened, can you list all your parts? Any fans/fan hubs? Do your fans have any cables that plug into the power supply or do they only plug into the motherboard. I’ve seen a way that you can send power into the motherboard fan header and fry it. 
 

I am traveling home from work today so my reception will be off and on spotty. I’ll respond as I can.  Hopefully someone will hop in and also help. If not, feel free to tag me using @IkeaGnome tomorrow and as long as I’m around I’ll give you a hand getting everything put together if you want it. 

Thanks, will do. Appreciate the help.

 

The CPU cooler cables only plug into the motherboard. GPU and PSU fans aside, the only other fans are already a part of the Lian Lancool case. I've posted my pc parts below.

 

 

[cbJester]

CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 7950X 4.5 GHz 16-Core Processor  
CPU Cooler: ARCTIC Liquid Freezer II 360 A-RGB 48.8 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler  
Motherboard: MSI MAG X670E TOMAHAWK WIFI ATX AM5 Motherboard 
Memory: G.Skill Trident Z5 Neo RGB 64 GB (2 x 32 GB) DDR5-6000 CL32 Memory   
Storage: Western Digital Black SN850X 4 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive  
Video Card: Zotac GAMING AMP Extreme AIRO GeForce RTX 4090 24 GB Video Card 
Case: Lian Li LANCOOL 216 ATX Mid Tower Case  ($104.99 @ Adorama) 
Power Supply: MSI MPG A1000G PCIE 5 & ATX 3.0 Gaming Power Supply

[atarione]

1 hour ago, cbJester said:

I'm day 3 into attempting my first-ever PC build and failing spectacularly. It's been... rough.

 

Everything was going great, initially. Following the Linus Tech Tips PC build video, I did a test of my assembled MSI Mag x670e Tomahawk Wifi, outside of my Lian Li Lancool 216 case using the screwdriver method and everything started without a hitch and I was able to access BIOS on my monitor where all levels looked fine. I then assembled everything in the case following a Lian Li Lancool tutorial to the 'T' and tried turning it on again. Other than the ram lighting up, nothing else happened. No fans, no noises, no lights, not even the EZ Debug LEDs on the mobo turned on. Realizing that something was seriously wrong, I turned off the, now, fully built PC and disassembled it to check the standoff placement as well as if there were one too many or too few. The standoff configuration was correct.

 

Now, with the mobo out of the case again, I did a series of tests:

 

I did the screwdriver test on the motherboard again. Other than the RAM lighting up it didn't work.

I checked the motherboard for visible damage. To my eyes, it looked fine.

I checked the CPU. No bent or broken needles. Looked new. 

I checked all connections, plugged and unplugged everything, and reapplied thermal paste. Didn't work.

I did the paper clip test on the PSU. Fans worked.

I went through all the various tests of removing components (GPU, RAM, SSD, etc) and did the screwdriver test again to see if that fixed it or lit up the EZ Debug LEDs. It didn't.

 

All signed pointing to the motherboard being the issue, I set up a return of the mobo to Amazon and repurchased the same motherboard which will be arriving tomorrow. I'm worried that after receiving the new mobo and doing an out-of-the-box test, I'll discover that it wasn't the only piece of hardware that's now not working. I'm equally worried the mobo out-of-the-box screwdriver test will work flawlessly again and then the mobo will die (again) after I've assembled it inside the case. 

 

Right now I'm trying to deduce what could've killed the mobo to prevent it from happening again tomorrow. As it wasn't incorrect standoffs my best guess is that perhaps the motherboard touched the case somewhere it wasn't intended to such as where the mobo's display port is flush with the opening in the case or the brackets a few inches down from that where some of the brackets are removed to fit the GPU's output port.

I'm really hoping I can continue the build tomorrow without any other major hiccups/pieces of hardware being inexplicably destroyed, so any ideas as to what could've caused this and suggestions as to preventative measures to avoid it happening again would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

I didn't see anything about clearing the CMOS battery as part of your troubleshooting?   If not clear the CMOS.     Unless something is bent on the case and it physically shorted the motherboard not really sure how changing cases would change anything (baring some massively defective fans or front panel connectors?)     When installing the mb into the case being "sort of careful" about dragging it over the standoffs trying to get it into place should be avoided...    It isn't rocket science... you just line it up fairly well then gently put it into place..  

 

If you haven't tried clearing the cmos try clearing the CMOS...  I have seen many motherboards that acted like they had up and died that clearing the CMOS was really all that was required.   I generally take the battery out and use a flat head screw driver (with motherboard unplugged) to short the battery contacts then reinstall battery and try again.

 

It could just be bad luck... electronics either seem to "work" in which case they generally work for a long time...  Don't work right out of the box or work briefly then crap out (defective... able to turn on for a bit and then fail fairly quickly?

[cbJester]

44 minutes ago, atarione said:

I didn't see anything about clearing the CMOS battery as part of your troubleshooting?   If not clear the CMOS.     Unless something is bent on the case and it physically shorted the motherboard not really sure how changing cases would change anything (baring some massively defective fans or front panel connectors?)     When installing the mb into the case being "sort of careful" about dragging it over the standoffs trying to get it into place should be avoided...    It isn't rocket science... you just line it up fairly well then gently put it into place..  

 

If you haven't tried clearing the cmos try clearing the CMOS...  I have seen many motherboards that acted like they had up and died that clearing the CMOS was really all that was required.   I generally take the battery out and use a flat head screw driver (with motherboard unplugged) to short the battery contacts then reinstall battery and try again.

 

It could just be bad luck... electronics either seem to "work" in which case they generally work for a long time...  Don't work right out of the box or work briefly then crap out (defective... able to turn on for a bit and then fail fairly quickly?

Ah, sorry! I forgot to mention that I'd cleared the CMOS battery, too. I don't think I dragged the mobo over the standoffs--I genuinely was trying to be careful--but it's possible. None of the build seemed like rocket science, it all seemed very straightforward, hence my confusion as to what I potentially could've done wrong.

 

You might be right about it just being dumb/bad luck, but being as this is my first ever build and considering how expensive the parts of my build are, I'm trying to be as careful as possible to ensure I don't repeat the same potential mistakes and risk killing another expensive pc part.

 

Sidenote: After disassembly, I accidentally mixed up the motherboard standoff screws with normal, seemingly identical-looking screws. Worth mentioning, I'm sure I used the standoff screws during the build as I took them directly from the bag they came in. Would it be wise to Amazon Prime replacement standoff screws or will the identical-looking screws suffice?

[Whatisthis]

Edit - saw you went through everything. Hope the new mobo fixes the problem.

[chtorogu]

10 hours ago, cbJester said:

...or will the identical-looking screws suffice?

If the threading matches you can use them. Motherboard standoff screws are, AFAIK, standardized so they should be the same. I buy sets of generic PC building screws and never had an issue with standoff screws. Just be careful about length as if the screws are longer than they should they'll get stuck in the standoffs.

[IkeaGnome]

@cbJesterhowd round two go?

[cbJester]

23 hours ago, IkeaGnome said:

@cbJesterhowd round two go?

Thanks for asking. Round two will probably be today, possibly tomorrow. I'll definitely be documenting my build and posting it here for confirmation that I did everything correctly before even attempting to turn the thing on. That probably seems like overkill to some, but as this is/was my first ever build, I'm still a little worried I might've somehow done something wrong the first go round which caused the motherboard failure, and therefore, I am wary of repeating the same expensive mistake a second time. But yeah, the build will probably be later today.

[cbJester]

On 11/4/2023 at 11:41 AM, IkeaGnome said:

@cbJesterhowd round two go?

OK, this is clearly a "me" problem.

 

Literally, the exact same thing happened with the new motherboard. It worked perfectly when I installed it out of the case and tested using the screwdriver method, but when I installed it inside of the case and turned on the pc, nothing happened and similar to last time, now the screwdriver method of turning on the pc isn't working either. Everything is plugged in the same as when I did the out-of-case screwdriver test plus the case cords, etc.

 

I think I might have to wave the white flag and spend money I low-key don't have to pay someone to build this thing for me. Even if it means lugging the computer in an Uber somewhere. I'm at my wit's end.

 

I'd be happy to provide more detailed photos if that would help get to the bottom of what's killing my motherboards. I'll be keeping it in the case, for now, for that very reason. 

 

 

 

[my name is guru iam tech]

did you try single channel mode for ram, this is AMDs first generation ddr5 memory controller. Maybe the ram is unstable. 

 

check the cpu pins, are they bent?

 

check for any bent capacitors on the mobo.

 

did you try putting the gpu in a different slot? maybe the slot is broken.

 

what happens when you press the power button? does it light up?

 

did you check if the power button is properly hooked up to the mobo?

 

reseat all the cables, maybe you didn't plug them fully.

 

is the psu ok? is it fried? does it work?

 

if you managed to get into the bios, turn of expo, set it to factory settings.

[cbJester]

1 hour ago, my name is guru iam tech said:

did you try single channel mode for ram, this is AMDs first generation ddr5 memory controller. Maybe the ram is unstable. 

 

check the cpu pins, are they bent?

 

check for any bent capacitors on the mobo.

 

did you try putting the gpu in a different slot? maybe the slot is broken.

 

what happens when you press the power button? does it light up?

 

reseat all the cables, maybe you didn't plug them fully.

 

if you managed to get into the bios, turn of expo, set it to factory settings.

 

Did you try single-channel mode for Ram?

After the first motherboard died I did a number of RAM tests including one or no ram installed. I've gone into detail about the various tests I did in the comments above.

 

Check the CPU pins, are they bent? 

AMD Ryzen 9 7950X's doesn't have pins. When the first motherboard died, the CPU looked fine. My build is listed in one of my comments above if you're curious.

 

Check for bent capacitors on the mobo.

This is my second mobo. Both were out-of-the-box new. The first looked undamaged after it stopped working as does this one and similar to last time, the computer turned on when I tested it outside of the case but didn't work inside the case, and wouldn't work at all after that. Again, it's a one-to-one repeat of my first go at the build two weeks back, so everything I've detailed in this thread regarding that first build still applies here.

 

Did you try putting the GPU in a different slot? Maybe the slot is broken.

Again, everything including the GPU worked during the out-of-the-case test, so the slot is fine. It's also the slot intended for the GPU. It's only when I test it in the case that it doesn't work (and kills the mobo).

 

What happens when you press the power button? Does it light up? 

Nothing lights up, no fans spin, no noises can be heard. Nothing appears damaged, either, for that matter. During the first build attempt with the first mobo, the ram lit up in the case, but nothing else. Here, nothing is turning on at all. Other than that, this is a one-to-one of what happened with the first mobo during that first build attempt.

 

Did you check to see it the power button was properly hooked up to the mobo?

Yes. But even if it wasn't, the mobo would still power on using the screwdriver test, correct? Not to mention, it probably wouldn't kill back-to-back mobos, either.

 

Reseat all the cables, maybe you didn't plug them in fully.

I'm repeating myself here which is OK as I don't expect you to read all the posts above (it's nearly a novel at this point), but this has happened with two straight mobos/build attempts that it worked during the out-of-case test but not when installed in the case. The cables are plugged in fully. This time around, I actually kept them all plugged into the mobo prior to installing it in the case.

 

Is the PSU OK? Maybe it's fried.

Similar to after the first mobo died, I did PSU paperclip test and it worked fine. Also, both build attempts it powered everything up perfectly fine during the out-of-case screwdriver/BIOS test.

 

If you managed to get into bios, turn on expo, set it to factory settings.

Similar to the first build attempt with the first mobo, I successfully got into bios during the out-of-case "screwdriver" test but also similar to the first build attempt, the mobo now appears to be dead, so I couldn't get into BIOS if I tried.

 

I'll actually add one myself I know people will ask: Did you check if you had the correct number of standoffs and that they were lined up correctly with your mobo?

Yes. Yes, I did.

[cbJester]

Assuming we can't deduce what went wrong, I'll probably start looking for a Brooklyn-based PC building service that doesn't care if you bring your own pre-opened parts. While I'd *still* like to build this thing myself, I can only rationalize buying and destroying so many $300 motherboards during my build attempts before I conclude that I'm not capable of doing this. The crazy thing is I came into this thinking that if I watched a gazillion tutorials and was super careful and organized the build process would be straightforward verging on easy--and I still feel like it's easy and straightforward up until the point of turning it on inside the case and not understanding why it won't work and why it's insta-killing the motherboards. Needless to say, I've been humbled, lol.

[Robchil]

that powersupply switch in the back is set to off... it should be switched to I position .. 

[E-waste]

@cbJesterWhere are your CPU power sockets on the motherboard?  The CPU needs (definitely for that high-performance part) both 4-pin square cpu power plugs by the cpu, and I do bot see a spot for it on your motherboard.  Do you have both plugged in, and in the correct direction?  My board has them clearly visible right next to the cpu, but your board completely hides them, so it could be easy to miss this critical step.

[cbJester]

1 hour ago, Robchil said:

that powersupply switch in the back is set to off... it should be switched to I position .. 

Yeah, I turned it off as to not potentially further fry my motherboard. Seemed like the sensible thing to do.

[cbJester]

31 minutes ago, E-waste said:

@cbJesterWhere are your CPU power sockets on the motherboard?  The CPU needs (definitely for that high-performance part) both 4-pin square cpu power plugs by the cpu, and I do bot see a spot for it on your motherboard.  Do you have both plugged in, and in the correct direction?  My board has them clearly visible right next to the cpu, but your board completely hides them, so it could be easy to miss this critical step.

Do you mean the 2 8-pin CPU sockets that plug into the motherboard and PSU? They're on the top left of the motherboard, obscured by the CPU cooler. I kept them plugged into the motherboard after the successful out-of-case screwdriver/BIOS test and while I installed the motherboard into the case as I figured it'd be easier to plug the pair of CPU sockets into the PSU after the motherboard had been installed than the other way around. And yes, similar to my first build attempt with the first motherboard I somehow killed, they're both plugged in and in the right direction, as they were during the successful screwdriver/BIOS tests of both this and the past motherboard.

 

Literally no cord has been plugged in differently between the time of the two successful out-of-case screwdriver/BIOS tests and the attempts at turning on the computer in the case, which has killed two straight motherboards, so it has to be something else.

 

As to avoid answering the same questions over and over, it's best to assume that if I did something correctly and successfully in the out-of-case screwdriver/BIOS test, I did it correctly, here. Being as the act of turning on the fully build PC is immediately killing my mobos, something else has obviously gone awry, other than the, well, obvious.

[cbJester]

Worth keeping in mind to those knowledgeable enough to try to solve this nightmare of a build, that if it's not something that would kill a motherboard (or 2, in my case), it's probably not the culprit. 

[Johnsmith45]

Have you correctly plugged the front panel connectors on the motherboard? Have you also tried to turn on pc using the screw driver method while in the case?