Unable to reach BIOS screen on NEW pc build

[surfnoob]

I'm brand new to this, not super tech savvy, nor an engineer, nor any background in electrical but a buddy of mine suggested I watch a few vids and think about building my own PC when I talked about wanting to buy a mini pc for gaming.  For some reason kinda got a little inspired and during a Covid spell a bit over a month ago decided to take the plunge.  I ended up going with an IN-Win B1 build due to its smaller form factor, unique look, and supposedly "fast and simple" build.  Everyone pretty much reported it being easy and fun.  Kind of spoke to me and lo and behold had one in my hands for the first time the other week.  I spent a pretty good time doing some research and making sure all parts were compatible and ended up going with this setup:

 

AMD Ryzen 7 5700G 3.8 GHz 8-Core Processor

Gigabyte B550I AORUS PRO AX Mini ITX AM4 Motherboard

TEAMGROUP T-Force Delta RGB 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3600 CL18 Memory

Samsung 980 Pro 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive

In Win B1 Mini ITX Desktop Case w/200 W Power Supply

 

All parts are brand new of course and actually had kind of fun assembling them but also feeling a bit embarrassed had to consult videos and manuals multiple times.   Nonetheless I found myself being more excited of actually building one myself and hearing and seeing it power up than to think of all the newer games I could play (coming from a non-gaming 10-year old laptop).  Finally the time came after hooking everything up and some very quick cable management, the power button was hit.  To my surprise she did light up the blue LED on front but only the fans kicked on and nothing else.  I tried spamming the delete key and asking questions around whenever I could, watching more videos and more videos, contacting both Gigabyte and In-Win and received no assistance.  Luckily many cool folks here gave some suggestions which were stated here: 

...but the issue still persists.  Unfortunately even after contacting and receiving some support from the place I purchased the mobo from, it seems the only other steps now are to return everything but the CPU and SS Drive and try again.  The past couple days I was pretty bummed and questioning my life decisions.  Perhaps building was not the best choice and maybe I'm relegated to buying those pre-built ones and possibly having to over pay for less than great parts.  I'd like to take one more try at it as kind of reminds of working on my old VW Beetle but when you are staring at a pile of parts that in total weren't cheap and you realize you don't have a computer because in Linus's words "it doesn't compute," you almost question your existence and over around competence.

 

Here's what I've tried so far:

• Flashing the BIOS (with a 32GB flash drive) to latest upgrade even though support confirmed my motherboard (version REV 1.3) shipped with upgrade in place to handle CPU
• Inquired about 23 vs. 24-pin connector and told was OK and normal
• Re-checked parts list to make sure everything was compatible
• Re-checked cables to make sure all plugged in
• swapped out both sticks of RAM and used one at a time and alternate slots
• tried with keyboard spamming DELETE key and not only didn't work but keyboard won't light up still
• Asked questions elsewhere and people said they have run this CPU with case no problem
• Asked questions elsewhere and people said this motherboard can run with 200W included power supply even though manual recommends 500W and higher*
• Asked questions elsewhere and people said this CPU works fine with motherboard

*It was suggested by someone that perhaps the capacity of the motherboard needs higher power than 200W

 

To sum up persisting issue, chassis powers on with LED light working and both fans run (case and cpu) but nothing else.  Strangely the power button does not turn the unit off so have to manually unplug from wall outlet.  Still cannot get into BIOS screen despite multiple attempts and of course all parts purchased brand new.  Not that it probably matters but connecting to a Dell S2340M 23.0" 1920 x 1080 60 Hz Monitor via HDMI port that works fine for all other laptops.  

[keskparane]

Could offer suggestions but honestly feel would be best if you could post lots of pics first. Let some trained eyes look at the installed components.

 

I say this because like you've said it should work.

[Bitter]

Does the board have any diag LED's like for CPU, RAM, GPU? Can you get a little PC speaker and connect to the speaker header on the motherboard, some will beep out error codes.

[surfnoob]

19 hours ago, Bitter said:

Does the board have any diag LED's like for CPU, RAM, GPU? Can you get a little PC speaker and connect to the speaker header on the motherboard, some will beep out error codes.

Not that I can see.  I've seen that on a few larger boards like ATX and such but this guy is pretty small.  Will any speaker do or does it have to be a computer speaker?  Think I have one of those mobile speakers like for boats and such but might need bluetooth to connect.

20 hours ago, keskparane said:

Could offer suggestions but honestly feel would be best if you could post lots of pics first. Let some trained eyes look at the installed components.

 

I say this because like you've said it should work.

I can post some pics and that's actually a decent idea never thought about but maybe I am missing a connection or something.  There were minimal cables included but a few spots not taken like a fan slot or F_usb.  I'll see if I can capture different angles and such.

[Bitter]

The speaker connects to pins on the motherboard by where the power switch and stuff connects. It's special yeah.

[surfnoob]

Unfortunately don't have a computer speaker handy just an older Bose CD/radio with line in and line out.

 

Here are some photos....

 

 

[surfnoob]

Also, did swap out the included Wraith CPU Cooler for a Cooler Master G200P and hoping no dropped screws on the motherboard shorted it out in the process though another said there would be sings if it had....

 

 

[surfnoob]

Not using any of the included HDD drive slots on back but plugged them in as helped with cable management......

 

 

[Bitter]

Probably just order a speaker for it from Amazon or something.

https://a.co/d/cQn6FeR

Otherwise you have no way of knowing what the error it's trying to tell you if it is throwing one.

[keskparane]

You say you're using a Samsung 980 Pro 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive  which is NVME yeah? Plugged in under that heatsink right? So why are there 2 sata cables plugged in? (Note that the drive will only ever work as PCIe 3.0 when using the AMD Ryzen 7 5700G)

Also since I haven't seen any mention of it yet make sure to clear the CMOS. (#15 pg 20 of the manual - make sure PC is off before shorting the pins)

[Bitter]

Coincidentally I'm going to be building an ITX system with the same board but a 5600X and GTX 1660S.

[surfnoob]

22 hours ago, Bitter said:

Probably just order a speaker for it from Amazon or something.

https://a.co/d/cQn6FeR

Otherwise you have no way of knowing what the error it's trying to tell you if it is throwing one.

Thanks, I just may do this.  Will this speaker test/error codes work on all motherboards?

12 hours ago, keskparane said:

You say you're using a Samsung 980 Pro 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive  which is NVME yeah? Plugged in under that heatsink right? So why are there 2 sata cables plugged in? (Note that the drive will only ever work as PCIe 3.0 when using the AMD Ryzen 7 5700G)

Also since I haven't seen any mention of it yet make sure to clear the CMOS. (#15 pg 20 of the manual - make sure PC is off before shorting the pins)

Yes, that is correct.  I plugged the 2 sata cables in not at first though but only to help with cable management and a video reviewer said it is a good idea in case decide to add any drives in the future then it makes the process super easy without having to take the case apart.  

 

The specs on the mobo state:  "Dual Ultra-Fast NVMe PCIe 4.0/3.0 x 4M. 2 with Thermal Guard" and the Samsung 980 says it is PCIe 4.0 so how come you believe it will only work as PCIe 3.0?

 

Is that normal to clear the CMOS on a brand new board?  

8 hours ago, Bitter said:

Coincidentally I'm going to be building an ITX system with the same board but a 5600X and GTX 1660S.

Keep us updated how it goes.  I really like this motherboard and everything about it wreaks quality despite being my first but there is so much so solid about it and you see and feel it in person.  

[Bitter]

Yeah, I haven't ran across any motherboards without speaker headers except for some weird OEM boards.

[keskparane]

12 hours ago, surfnoob said:

The specs on the mobo state:  "Dual Ultra-Fast NVMe PCIe 4.0/3.0 x 4M. 2 with Thermal Guard" and the Samsung 980 says it is PCIe 4.0 so how come you believe it will only work as PCIe 3.0?

If you read the motherboard manual it says that when using a Ryzen CPU with integrated GPU it will only run the port as 3.0

[surfnoob]

Interesting about 3.0 vs. 4.0.  Curious....will I be loosing much performance if the 4.0 drive runs at 3.0 speed?  Very strange this board would be AMD compatible or AMD preferred and list M.2 4.0 but then fine print really only get 3.0 performance.  

 

UPDATE:  Cleared the CMOS and tried starting again and no luck.  Thus finally gave up and disassembled all and packaged up to go for returns.  Without another higher powered power supply there doesn't seem to be a way to test if it is the board or the chassis/PS combo.  Perhaps I even got the bad luck with 2 bad RAM???  One thing to note is all the plugs were firmly inserted and verified again when disassembled.  

 

Really appreciate the info on the speaker test and would do if this wasn't my first build.  Just really wanna have a smooth process at least as possible and given all parts were new and the build is by all means "objectively" easy and simple, having to go through so much more troubleshooting kind of defeats the purpose.  

 

I'm keeping everything but the case and power supply and now have to decide on other unique itx or micro atx cases and probably will go with a different brand of motherboard.  Gigabyte sure seemed like quality but oh well bad luck of the draw I guess.  I still really like the InWin B1 case by design and judging by all the reviews it seems lots of people got lucky with theirs working.  I would like to try again this build in the future (might go with the white version) but will need a motherboard that A) is compatible with the Ryzen 7 5700G, and B) a board that can run for sure on 200W and have wifi (or at least option to add wifi?)

 

Thanks for all the help though and definitely a learning process.

[Bitter]

I'm building in a CoolerMaster Elite 130, it takes standard or SFX power supplies, can mount 2.5, 3.5, and a single 5.25 drive, and has a single 120mm intake or exhaust fan depending how you flip it. I ran mine with a 4th gen i7 and a 120mm AIO cooler blowing hot air out the front with a full length GTX 960 as a media PC for a long time. Worked great! Power supply died and I decided to update some parts of it.

[keskparane]

5 hours ago, surfnoob said:

Interesting about 3.0 vs. 4.0.  Curious....will I be loosing much performance if the 4.0 drive runs at 3.0 speed?  Very strange this board would be AMD compatible or AMD preferred and list M.2 4.0 but then fine print really only get 3.0 performance.  

Yes you will be losing performance. Real world scenario will you notice it? Unlikely.

 

When installing the SSD did you put in in the socket on an angle, then push it flat?

[REHED]

From the picture of the back- it appears that the metal tab on the rear IO shield is touching the inside of the red USB port.  That would cause a short and prevent the computer from booting.

[surfnoob]

On 8/12/2024 at 7:57 PM, Bitter said:

I'm building in a CoolerMaster Elite 130, it takes standard or SFX power supplies, can mount 2.5, 3.5, and a single 5.25 drive, and has a single 120mm intake or exhaust fan depending how you flip it. I ran mine with a 4th gen i7 and a 120mm AIO cooler blowing hot air out the front with a full length GTX 960 as a media PC for a long time. Worked great! Power supply died and I decided to update some parts of it.

 

Hmmm will look into that one.  Something about ITX cases appeals to me and not sure why as by all measures one might think ATX is the way to go 1st time do to options and the amount of room one has to build.

 

20 hours ago, keskparane said:

Yes you will be losing performance. Real world scenario will you notice it? Unlikely.

 

When installing the SSD did you put in in the socket on an angle, then push it flat?

 

Yes I had a tricky time of it.  Thought I had it all installed correctly yet it was at an angle which didn't feel right and couldn't use the same screw to screw the heat sink down on top so I left it sit there with no screw.  Then after after like 3-4 videos came across one where the guy talked about having same issue.  Believe it is like a 1/4 inch nut/screw combo which is meant to unscrew for the SSD.  Then the SSD can sit flat and that nut/screw combo back down on top of SSD.  Then the heat sink can screw on top into that using same original screw.  

20 hours ago, REHED said:

From the picture of the back- it appears that the metal tab on the rear IO shield is touching the inside of the red USB port.  That would cause a short and prevent the computer from booting.

Oh gosh hope not.  I wouldn't have known otherwise since the I/O shield came pre-installed.  I figured they knew what they were doing when they installed from factory.  Are you talking about the red USB in-between the USB-C port and the ethernet port?

[keskparane]

On 8/13/2024 at 6:50 PM, REHED said:

From the picture of the back- it appears that the metal tab on the rear IO shield is touching the inside of the red USB port.  That would cause a short and prevent the computer from booting.

Nah that's just what they look like.

[keskparane]

6 hours ago, surfnoob said:

Yes I had a tricky time of it.  Thought I had it all installed correctly yet it was at an angle which didn't feel right and couldn't use the same screw to screw the heat sink down on top so I left it sit there with no screw.  Then after after like 3-4 videos came across one where the guy talked about having same issue.  Believe it is like a 1/4 inch nut/screw combo which is meant to unscrew for the SSD.  Then the SSD can sit flat and that nut/screw combo back down on top of SSD.  Then the heat sink can screw on top into that using same original screw.

This is why I stress reading the manual. As you can see the steps are all in there

 

Follow the steps below to correctly install an M.2 SSD in the M.2 connector.

Step 1: Before installing the M.2 SSD, loosen the screws from the heatsink module and remove the PCH heatsink module. (Only the M2A_CPU connector has the heatsink module.)

Step 2: Locate the proper mounting hole for the M.2 SSD to be installed and then tighten the standoff first. Insert the M.2 SSD into the M.2 connector at an angle.

Step 3: Press the M.2 SSD down and then secure it with the screw. Replace the heatsink and secure it to the original hole

 

I would try running it without the SSD and see if you can get into BIOS.

[surfnoob]

12 hours ago, keskparane said:

This is why I stress reading the manual. As you can see the steps are all in there

 

Follow the steps below to correctly install an M.2 SSD in the M.2 connector.

Step 1: Before installing the M.2 SSD, loosen the screws from the heatsink module and remove the PCH heatsink module. (Only the M2A_CPU connector has the heatsink module.)

Step 2: Locate the proper mounting hole for the M.2 SSD to be installed and then tighten the standoff first. Insert the M.2 SSD into the M.2 connector at an angle.

Step 3: Press the M.2 SSD down and then secure it with the screw. Replace the heatsink and secure it to the original hole

 

I would try running it without the SSD and see if you can get into BIOS.

 

Yeah it kinda bummed me out because I'm used to those old days when the manual shipped with the item and was a nice pamphlet or book in some cases.   Nonetheless, it was thanks to that guy's assembly vid which beat me to it anyway.  Problem solved, at least that one. 

 

Too late now as already sent all the parts back.  When I was on the line with tech support from NewEgg (where I purchased the mobo) he did some very light troubleshooting with me and asked him if it was necessary to update the BIOS before installing CPU and others.  The resounding answer was no, plus it makes sense given in the future if any updating BIOS was needed, it would really suck to have to take all components out and remove 1st.  

 

One thing I did do though, thinking along your lines to see if the SSD had anything to do with it was removed it from the front and then re-installed on the backside.  The B1 case made this quite easy yet in the end it did not yield any different result.  

 

I kind of hope it was nothing more than an I/O shield short because that would make it simple but guess it doesn't matter now that I sent back.  Other gamers gave me the impression that the higher end motherboards of better quality came with the I/O shields pre-installed so figured it was only an added bonus and didn't even consider whether any shorting out and causing system to not boot would occur.