First PC Build, No POST

[Devil_May_Kare]

Hi. I am building my first computer (all my others were pre-built), and I ran into a problem. When I powered on my system, it definitely got power from but the 24 pin plug and the 8 pin plug, but nothing appeared on the screen. Here is how I built my system:

 

Spoiler

1. I purchased a lot of parts from ebay -- here is my parts list: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/vkv2Yr
2. I put the CPU in the socket and pushed down the retention arm -- the plastic cover popped off
3. I put a 5 mm line of thermal compound on the CPU integrated heat spreader
4. I pushed down the corners of the stock heat sink until each clicked (it came without thermal compound on it)
5. I put the IO plate into the case
6. I put the motherboard into the case and screwed in the stand-offs, then the 6 screws
7. I realized that the heat sink was on the wrong way, and the cable would tangle in the fan
   1. I twisted each corner 90 degrees
   2. I lifted each corner, then the whole heat sink
   3. I noticed that my thermal paste application had been good before, so there was no need to try another method
   4. I wiped the thermal paste off of the CPU with a bit of 70% isopropanol on a paper towel -- I was careful not to touch electrical contacts
   5. I wiped off the heat sink with another paper towel and more isopropanol
   6. I applied another line of thermal paste the same way as before
   7. I installed the heat sink again, but in the correct orientation
8. I installed the RAM in the slots
9. I plugged into the motherboard the following from the front of the case:
   1. USB 2.0 port
   2. USB 3.0 port
   3. HDD activity LED
   4. headphone and microphone jacks (front panel audio connector)
   5. power LED
   6. power switch
   7. reset switch
10. I also plugged in the CPU fan power and Chassis fan 1
11. I installed the hard drive in the bay and ran a SATA cable to it around the other side of the case
12. I slid the power supply in and screwed in the screws to hold it still
13. I plugged in the 24 pin and 8 pin motherboard power connector
14. I closed the case side panel
15. I plugged into the back of the case:
    1. ethernet cable (cat 5 or 5e, I think)
    2. power cable
    3. DVI (I think -I) cable
    4. USB keyboard and mouse into the USB 2.0 ports at the top
16.  

Here is the troubleshooting I have already tried:

Spoiler

1. I turned on the power with the power button, and the orange and green lights on the motherboard lit up, but nothing appeared on the monitor. Both fans spun. I turned off the computer with the power button.
2. I thought that maybe I didn't connect the 24-pin connector right, since it didn't click, so I took out the 8-pin
3. When I turned on the computer, only the green lights turned on. I turned it off and put back the 8-pin connector
4. I unplugged my hard drive
5. I tried connecting my monitor with VGA or HDMI connectors -- nothing appeared.
6. I tried removing all but one RAM stick and clearing CMOS, but neither helped. I tried another RAM stick in another slot, but no change.

Can someone please help me figure out what's wrong? Thanks.

EDIT: I resolved it. It turned out my CPU socket had bent pins. I unbent them with tweezers and a microscope, and the computer works now.

Edited April 30, 2017 by Devil_May_Kare

[Tobonator]

Sounds like a ram/cpu issue. Could be incomparable or dead. Lis there parto please.

[Devil_May_Kare]

2 minutes ago, Tobonator said:

Lis there parto please.

My parts list is:

• CPU: Intel Pentium G3258 3.2GHz Dual-Core Processor 
• Thermal Compound: Arctic Silver 5 High-Density Polysynthetic Silver Thermal Paste
• Motherboard: Asus Z97-E ATX LGA1150 Motherboard
• Memory kit 1: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory
• Memory kit 2: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory 
• Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive
• Case: Thermaltake Versa H21 ATX Mid Tower Case
• PSU: Corsair HX520W 

 

Thank you so much for responding.

[MySelfLuls]

Hello,

There is a pretty through guide about the No POST problems, i'd recommend trying these things.

 

[Devil_May_Kare]

26 minutes ago, MySelfLuls said:

Hello,

There is a pretty through guide about the No POST problems, i'd recommend trying these things.

 

I ran through the guide:

• My BIOS should be compatible with my CPU, since it's a z97 motherboard with a haswell CPU.
• I checked my cables, and the ones I know about are plugged it (24-pin ATX and 8 pin CPU power EATX).
• I'm not using a dedicated graphics card yet.
• My power supply should have 359 watts more than my system needs.
• I checked that my monitor works using the HDMI port on my laptop.
• I took out the CPU and RAM and put them back in. I switched to a different RAM stick in a different slot.
• My motherboard doesn't have debug LEDs, but the power LEDs work fine.
• My only debug speaker has the wrong number of pins (2 instead of 4).
• I have cleared my CMOS using the side of an alligator clip on the CLRTC jumper.
• I don't have another computer to try my RAM in, but I was the first one to open the packages, so at least one stick probably works.
• I think all the parts are compatible.

[DutchTexan]

1 hour ago, Devil_May_Kare said:

nothing appeared on the screen

 

 

Make sure you plugged your monitor into your gpu and not your motherboard. I did this when I built my PC for the first time and it took me an hour to realize...

[Razzee]

Did you test with only one RAM stick?

 

Remove all RAM sticks to check if motherboard responds. It should beep continuously. If not, motherboard is probably the problem.

[Devil_May_Kare]

6 minutes ago, DutchTexan said:

Make sure you plugged your monitor into your gpu and not your motherboard. I did this when I built my PC for the first time and it took me an hour to realize...

I don't have a dedicated GPU, so I plugged the monitor into my motherboard via HDMI.

[Devil_May_Kare]

3 minutes ago, Razzee said:

Remove all RAM sticks to check if motherboard responds. It should beep continuously. 

It doesn't beep at all, but I don't have a debug speaker connected, so I didn't expect it to. Can I use a 2 pin debug speaker with the 4 pin speaker connector on my motherboard?

[Razzee]

3 minutes ago, Devil_May_Kare said:

It doesn't beep at all, but I don't have a debug speaker connected, so I didn't expect it to. Can I use a 2 pin debug speaker with the 4 pin speaker connector on my motherboard?

 

Yes, speakers have only two wires, while the motherboard has 4 pins. I never understood this.

 

 

Red is +

Black is -

 

If both wires have the same color, it might have a arrow indicating the positive side.

[Devil_May_Kare]

4 minutes ago, Razzee said:

 

Yes, speakers have only two wires, while the motherboard has 4 pins. I never understood this.

 

 

My speaker's connector has little pieces of plastic, so it doesn't seem to fit onto the pins because the plastic knocks into the SATA port.

[Razzee]

I don't think this speaker is meant to be used on a motherboard. You will really need one to determine if the motherboard is faulty.

[Devil_May_Kare]

Just now, Razzee said:

I don't think this speaker is meant to be used on a motherboard. You will really need one to determine if the motherboard is faulty.

I'll see if I can borrow one.

[Devil_May_Kare]

1 hour ago, Razzee said:

I don't think this speaker is meant to be used on a motherboard. You will really need one to determine if the motherboard is faulty.

I got a motherboard speaker from fry's. When I took out all the ram, it beeped once long and then twice short. The manual says this is code for "No memory detected." When I put a stick of RAM in and start it, it stays silent. Does that mean my CPU is broken?

[DutchTexan]

3 hours ago, Devil_May_Kare said:

I don't have a dedicated GPU, so I plugged the monitor into my motherboard via HDMI.

Sorry, buddy I missed a few details.

 

You got it to beep with no memory, good.

You didn't get it to beep with memory, good?

The fans are spinning, good.

Can you get into the BIOS? Or is it just straight up, 100% black screen?

Have you tried turning your monitor on first and then your PC?

Here is a link of something kind of like your situation but it basically just ends with using a VGA connector for success. Weird.

 

Here are three videos that might help if you haven't already watched them on YouTube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4e73dtkGxiY 

part 2 of top link : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_EK9a-R5pss&t=0s

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKhCQmKAmEM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEYhETF4uYQ

 

 

Lastly is read around the forum and maybe something pops out at you. That's all I got, sorry if I'm not much help. My best guess is your cpu isn't seated well or straight up dead. Maybe it could be a bad wire or connection somewhere or something up with your psu. I have no idea, just thoughts.