New computer not turning on

alienvx0 · February 4, 2015

Hello everyone, I have a bit of a problem and would appreciate some insight from more experienced builders here.

I just put together a new rig today with the following specs:

Intel Core i5 4690K

Gigabyte Z97X-UD3H

Kingston HyperX Fury 16Gb 1866Mhz

MSI GTX970 Gaming 4G

Super Flower Leadex Gold 650W

Crucial MX100 256GB SSD

WD Blue 1TB HDD

So after putting everything together, I found out that the system won't power on. After the initial panic I did a variety of checks on the system but it still won't power on. I'll list what I did below.

1) I tried to turn on the system by touching the on/off pins with a test pen. That didn't work.

2) I removed the GPU and RAM before attempting to turn on the system via both front panel connector and test pen. Both didn't work.

3) I installed the stock cooler instead of my H105 and tried turning the system on again. Didn't work.

4) At this point I decided to test using the bare motherboard, so I removed both the motherboard and PSU from the case. I connected only the 24 pin and 8 pin cables and only had the stock cooler installed. It still didn't turn on. I tested this both with and without the GPU and RAM.

Also worth mentioning is that whenever I flip the switch at the back of the PSU, it will emit a faint whining sound. However when I use my test pen and tap the on/off connectors on the motherboard, there will be a click before the whine disappears. Tapping the clear CMOS pins also causes a click. A short circuit perhaps?

So there you have it. Any help or insight will definitely be appreciated. Is it safe to assume that it's either the PSU or motherboard that is faulty?

EDIT:

I did the paperclip test and the PSU powered on. It should be my motherboard that's defective. I'll test with a spare motherboard tomorrow just to be sure.

JamesYang · February 4, 2015

If PC not turning at first boot,I would definitely check PSU first.

Have you got any spare PSU that can test with?

You did a pretty thoroughly checks.

I think,it's definitely a faulty PSU.

Despite,Super Flower's well made quality.

alienvx0 · February 4, 2015

Alright I have an update. I think it's most likely a defective motherboard. I did the paperclip test on my Super Flower and it did turn on. Just to be sure I'll ask my friend to bring over a spare motherboard as well tomorrow.

At least I can sleep knowing that I've cleared one of the two suspected components.