Computer won't start. Process of elimination to find out why

I tried unit testing. I started with purely making sure the PSU Corsair cx600 fan spins. It does. Next I added the CPU onto the mobo and tested with the PSU. Even after switching out the CPU and mobo, I can't get a response. I wouldn't know what response is appropriate anyways. Am I supposed to be checking a compatibility list or something? What other options for testing exist? I am lost.

I already did about 20 of those things days ago. Finished the last few today:

1. Did you carefully read the motherboard owners manual? Yes. Afterwards I carefully installed the CPU on the mobo, tested the PSU alone (green wire to black) and plugged in the 24pin and the 4pin 12v into the mobo. Fan spins on the PSU when alone, nothing occurs when the PSU is plugged into the mobo.
2. Did you plug in the 4/8-pin CPU power connector located near the CPU socket? Yes. Plugged the 12pin and 4pin 12v, using two different PSU’s one at a time.
3. Did you install the standoffs under the motherboard? To my understanding my case (bitfenix prodigy) has built in standoffs. The mobo was screwed down with 4 required screws. So yes.
4. Did you verify that the video card is fully seated? Yes. Multiple times.
5. Did you attach all the required power connector(s) to the video card? Yes, there was only one cable for the eVGA geforce 660sc. (6pin)
6. Have you tried booting with just one stick of RAM installed? Z77n has two RAM slots. I have tried two different RAM sticks: together, without entirely, one at a time in different slots.
7. Did you verify that all memory modules are fully inserted? Yes. Multiple times.
8. Did you verify in the owners manual that you're using the correct RAM slots? Yes. There are no other options listed in the manual other than what I have already tried.
9. Did you remove the plastic guard over the CPU socket? God yes I did remove the plastic guard.
10. Did you install the CPU correctly? Watched several different people install a CPU onto z77n, then I carefully installed mine. Followed directions from manuals.
11. Are there any bent pins on the motherboard/CPU? No bent pins.
12. If using an after market CPU cooler, did you get any thermal paste on the motherboard, CPU socket, or CPU pins? Did you use the smallest amount you could? Used less than a pea size amount of thermal paste, no leakage occurred as I have checked.
13. Is the CPU fan plugged in? Yes.
14. If using a stock cooler, was the thermal material on the base of the cooler free of foreign material, and did you remove any protective covering? If the stock cooler has push-pins, did you ensure that all four pins snapped securely into place? (The easiest way to install the push-pins is outside the case sitting on a non-conductive surface like the motherboard box. Read the instructions! The push-pins have to be turned the OPPOSITE direction as the arrows for installation.). Not using a stock cooler.
15. Are any loose screws laying on the motherboard, or jammed against it? Are there any wires run directly under the motherboard? No loose screws, nor were there ever any
16. Did you ensure you discharged all static electricity before touching any of your components? Handled all components on a grounded table, however I did not wear a wrist strap for this.
17. Did you install the system speaker No, however by the time anyone reads this and actually responds I’ll have a system speaker.
18. Did you read the instructions in the manual on how to properly connect the front panel plugs? I did follow the manual instructions for this.
19. Did you turn on the power supply switch located on the back of the PSU? Yes, multiple times under differing circumstances.
20. Is your CPU supported by the BIOS revision installed on your motherboard? 3570k intel is supported by BIOS on z77n mobo
21. Have you tried resetting the CMOS? Figured this is irrelevant to me getting a reaction out of the mobo/cpu, however I did it anyways.
22. If you have integrated video and a video card, try the integrated video port. Not integrated.
23. Make certain all cables and components including RAM and expansion cards are tight within their sockets. Went through this process multiple times.

Forgot to mention this! I have tried 2 different z77n-wifi mobos, 2 intel 3570k CPUs, and 2 different PSUs: a thermaltake 600w and a corsair cx600. No success.

I cannot confirm any parts run as they should after doing this: disassembling, and using the CPU, mobo, psu, cooler fan plugged in, and power sw plugged into 2 pins. This is confusing to me because I know the PSU functions, all other items are new. Thanks for trying to help by the way! Much appreciated, even if the solution is not clear yet.

I only have one case. I ordered from ncix and I've heard good and bad things about them. I may call them up tomorrow if I have time and see what they say. The only reaction I ever got out of the case is a flicker of light, which isn't covered/explained in the manual.

I contacted NCIX about the Bitfenix Prodigy case I have been using. It appears the power sw / reset sw is defective, as I can get to the BIOS screen using a paperclip. At this point I guess I will contact Bitfenix and see if they will ship a new power switch / reset switch to me. Hopefully that solves the problem. Thanks for your help once again!

Bitfenix has not yet decided to respond, however other various problems have surfaced after installing Windows 8. What I noticed in order:

1.) Regardless of what wireless mouse I use, eventually the device becomes extremely bogged down to the point that the mouse is so unresponsive/choppy it cannot be used. This could take anywhere between 3 minutes to 50. I updated all recommended drivers, then went out of my way to update the mouse drivers. Still both mice work poorly. During these runs the CPU usage was usually around 1%. What the hell.

2.) After noticing the mouse problem and hitting a brick wall I hooked up 2 bookshelf speakers to a cheap amplifier. The amplifier has a 3.5mm to rca cable, running into the green colored sound-out located on the mobo. These speakers+amplifier work with my iphone, however no sound comes out of them when connected to the mobo.

3.) Not sure if this is a problem or not, just an observation. In order to get a visual from my computer either an HDMI or DVI must be plugged into a graphics card and NOT plugged into the mobo.


As you read these issues, you may realize that 3 problems I've had (power sw, sound issue, hdmi/dvi plug ins) all relate to the motherboard. This blows my mind! I have never heard of so many problems in one system, and as a guy who hasn't built a computer in years I can't make sense of it. The situation is infuriating at this point.

I didn't use a wired mouse because a long time ago I opted not to. Now I wonder if that would solve the issue. BIOS update didn't solve anything as the computer runs roughly the same. I think these issues are related to the case but I could be wrong obviously.

For two mice I tried a USB 3.0 and USB 2.0 off of the motherboard. Same results. It seems hard to imagine two mice won't work, although a wired mouse is extremely inexpensive and I might check that out soon.

Before I updated the BIOS, NVIDIA updated its "High Definition Audio." Under Device Manager in windows 8, there are no yellow/red dots or question marks. Everything is registering as updated.

Is this the type of thing you'd suggest? http://www.amazon.com/Syba-SD-CM-UAUD-Adapter-C-Media-Chipset/dp/B001MSS6CS/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1367434571&sr=8-3&keywords=sound+card

There doesn't seem to be room for anything else on this particular case.

Well because of my less than large case I don't think that stuff fits, so I'm still gonna see if I can get another case, or better yet get new case wires to see if that solves the audio HD and power switch issues. I do find it hard to believe that the case is that defective, that's crazy speak. I'll let ya know what happens I guess.