Computer shut down, and now zero power...

[98Redbird]

A brief background: about a year ago I built a watercooled setup, here was the parts list:

 

Sabertooth Z87 Mobo

4770k (delidded)

Corsair Vengeance 16GB

Corsair 860i

SLI 780

 

Fast forward to a week ago, I pulled the old setup apart and bought SLI 980TI classifieds and a corsair h100i GTX. I decided to get rid of the water cooling loop just because I wanted to go back to air. Didn't like the water block options for the 980 ti classifieds.

 

Put it all back together, same Mobo/CPU/Memory/PSU, but swapped in the new video cards. Started it up, and it posted fine. When the BIOS screen popped up, it said "NEW CPU INSTALLED" which confused me a bit, it was the same CPU... Is this normal?? 

 

Then it said CPU fan not hooked up. I realized that I had mistakenly hooked up the power for the h100i GTX into the Chassis Fan 3 slot, so I carefully unplugged the 3 prong header (while still on) and switched it over to the CPU FAN 1 slot. At the same time that I plugged it in the computer died, shut off. And now has zero power. Maybe its a coincidence as far as plugging that fan header in, I cant see that causing what happened. 

 

But now, there's nothing. I've tried unplugging everything and plugging it back in, looked everything over, etc... The green light is on on the Mobo, but the power button does nothing, not even a flicker of power. Zero. 

 

I'm at a loss on even where to start with this. Need help!

[GalacticRuler]

You turned off the computer before changing the fan plug, correct?

[iamdarkbowser]

Try another psu or test it in some way

[Shiwoon]

You turned off the computer before changing the fan plug, correct?

If he didn't :facepalm: gg wp, you done goofed up. Be honest, don't lie.

[spaiduhz]

A brief background: about a year ago I built a watercooled setup, here was the parts list:

 

Sabertooth Z87 Mobo

4770k (delidded)

Corsair Vengeance 16GB

Corsair 860i

SLI 780

 

Fast forward to a week ago, I pulled the old setup apart and bought SLI 980TI classifieds and a corsair h100i GTX. I decided to get rid of the water cooling loop just because I wanted to go back to air. Didn't like the water block options for the 980 ti classifieds.

 

Put it all back together, same Mobo/CPU/Memory/PSU, but swapped in the new video cards. Started it up, and it posted fine. When the BIOS screen popped up, it said "NEW CPU INSTALLED" which confused me a bit, it was the same CPU... Is this normal?? 

 

Then it said CPU fan not hooked up. I realized that I had mistakenly hooked up the power for the h100i GTX into the Chassis Fan 3 slot, so I carefully unplugged the 3 prong header (while still on) and switched it over to the CPU FAN 1 slot. At the same time that I plugged it in the computer died, shut off. And now has zero power. Maybe its a coincidence as far as plugging that fan header in, I cant see that causing what happened. 

 

But now, there's nothing. I've tried unplugging everything and plugging it back in, looked everything over, etc... The green light is on on the Mobo, but the power button does nothing, not even a flicker of power. Zero. 

 

I'm at a loss on even where to start with this. Need help!

 

 

If he didn't :facepalm: gg wp, you done goofed up. Be honest, don't lie.

[sNIP]

 

He did. Its mentioned. Its goof, yeah, but moving on.

 

To figure out whether you killed everything or not, i suggest trying with another PSU without your graphics card plugged in. I do hope you have a simple HSF available for troubleshooting purposes. before ripping everything apart, lets try removing the front panel connectors and try shorting the power jumpers using a screwdriver. It might be a faulty switch. Might sound funny, but it has happened before for me.

 

Now if swapping out the PSU, and not having any life whatsoever on the mobo, then thats the point you step back, and count your losses.

[98Redbird]

He did. Its mentioned. Its goof, yeah, but moving on.

 

To figure out whether you killed everything or not, i suggest trying with another PSU without your graphics card plugged in. I do hope you have a simple HSF available for troubleshooting purposes. before ripping everything apart, lets try removing the front panel connectors and try shorting the power jumpers using a screwdriver. It might be a faulty switch. Might sound funny, but it has happened before for me.

 

Now if swapping out the PSU, and not having any life whatsoever on the mobo, then thats the point you step back, and count your losses.

Correct, I unfortunately did not power off before switching fan header... When you say, killed everything, what specifically do you mean? PSU? Or literally every component within the computer?

[W-L]

Correct, I unfortunately did not power off before switching fan header... When you say, killed everything, what specifically do you mean? PSU? Or literally every component within the computer?

 

Sounds like something happen and the PSU. possibly it went into short circuit protection mode, most require you to unplug all the connections and re-plug them in to reset it. Also doing the paperclip test as suggest would be a good idea to double check.

[98Redbird]

So i used a paper clip to short out the power switch on the mobo for the front panel hookup, nothing happened. is that the paper clip test that youre referring to?

[W-L]

So i used a paper clip to short out the power switch on the mobo for the front panel hookup, nothing happened. is that the paper clip test that youre referring to?

 

Umm no we are referring to this on the 24 pin power of the PSU but unplug everything else from the PSU before doing this:

http://www.seasonic.ru/tech-support/jump-start/

[98Redbird]

Umm no we are referring to this on the 24 pin power of the PSU but unplug everything else from the PSU before doing this:

http://www.seasonic.ru/tech-support/jump-start/

 

Alright, tried that, power supply kicks on as well as the fans that are connected to the power supply.

[W-L]

Alright, tried that, power supply kicks on as well as the fans that are connected to the power supply.

 

That's a good and bad sign, it means your PSU is good but it looks to be something is wrong with the motherboard possibly if you plug everything back in and it still doesn't post. If it doesn't post try clearing the CMOS.

[spaiduhz]

well, that should be an indicator that your PSU is still alive. whether its at 100% is yet to be proven.

 

have you tried taking everything apart, and putting back just the bare essentials (PSU MOBO CPU RAM) just to see if you can even get the POST screen?

[MarlinTech]

Hey User Of The Internet I Would Recommend You Put A New Watch Battery In Your System (This Happened To Me As Well And This Is What I Did And It Worked) Or Short The Power With A Conductive Material Such As A Paper Clip Or Get A New Motherboard Or New Power Suppl

Edited November 15, 2015 by Godlygamer23

[98Redbird]

Okay so hopefully my images upload correctly. Today I pulled everything back apart.

 

Laid the motherboard on a towel, installed CPU, both power cables to the mobo, plugged in one stick of mem in the nearest slot to the CPU socked, and installed the speaker.

 

I then switched the psu to the on position (I). What I noticed immediately was a smell of hot electronics, or a burning. I didnt notice anything, no smoke or anything, but after smelling around the board, there is a capacitor near the PCI slots that was giving off a ton of heat and smelled as though it was burning. I noticed that it was a bit discolored as well. It was getting hot without jumpering the "Pwr" pins. I tried jumping them regardless, just to make sure, and nothing happened.

 

Got the heat gun out, 90% of the board was 70F or so, but the near the corner with the capacitor the board rose to about 110F then I ran the beam across the cap itself and it was 220F.... you could feel the heat radiating off of it. 

 

I'm assuming this is the issue? Mobo Fried?

 

I still have a difficult time believing that I could cause that just by switching the cpu fan header??

 

Also, the PCI ports were about 100F as mentioned before, would that damage the GPU's?

 

Thanks for all the help!

 

 

 

 

[spaiduhz]

i am thinking the hot caps are more of a symptom than a cause.

[98Redbird]

spaiduhz, so, based off of the fact that it still won't show any signs of life, after breadboarding it with just the cpu, one stick of mem and speaker, do you think that in fact the mobo is gone?

[W-L]

-SNIP-

 

I think something may have gone on the board's power delivery, which is quite odd if nothing shorted out directly, but the solid capacitors should never operate at that high of a temperature.