Is my motherboard now dead and worthless after 1 simple mistake? :(

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newbiepcbuilder101

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Jul 25, 2014
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Hi ive just built my first pc. :(

But unfortunately i made the mistake of building only on partial standoffs. That is, there was 2 motherboard standoffs inside the case so i used them as i unfortunately didn't think i needed more (thought they were merely to line up the board correctly. There was no mention of needing standoffs in the motherboard manual. Indeed the motherboard manual actually says this... "

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1.2 Motherboard overview

Before you install the motherboard, study the configuration of your chassis to ensure that the motherboard fits.

1.2.1 Placement Direction

When installing the motherboard, place it into the chassis in the correct orientation. The edge with external ports goes to the rear part of the chassis as indicated in the image.

1.2.2 Screw Holes

Place six screws into the holes indicated by circles to secure the motherboard to the chassis

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^^ this is from a ASUS Z97-K motherboard manual. It says screw the motherboard to the chassis not a mention about using standoffs or the danger of not using standoffs...considering it can basically wreck the motherboard :(

So when i had everything connected i switched it on i got nothing zero. I then watched a video guide and found out that i should have used motherboard standoff screws.

So i re-mount motherboard with standoff screws and i now get the following

Motherboard green light
power lights on case
cpu fan
graphics card fan
2 chassis fans.
dvd drive clicks

but no display at all.

I have done the following

tried 2 different monitors (vga and hdmi)
checked that the cpu is correctly installed no bent pins etc.
reset the cmos
re-checked power connections to motherboard
used only 1 stick of ram (in different slots)
removed graphics card (integrated graphics on motherboard) so less load on psu

When i was building throughout i had the psu plugged in but not switched on and installed in the case so i used that for grounding...touched case before handling components.

All components are new except the RAM sticks.

Case is a Midgard II xigmatek
motherboard is Asus z97-k
psu is a superflower eco 550w

yes i went through the 23 item checklist for troubleshooting.

:( just a bit annoyed i guess at myself and the situation...its weird as the motherboard states on it as well it has anti-shock and anti-surge protection.


Is my motherboard now dead and worthless because i switched on the power when it was screwed to the chassis (ie without standoffs) ? :(
 
Solution
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Yes, it's possible the mobo was damaged.

One way to check, though, is the simple "breadboard" testing. Remove all components from the case and place the mobo on a secure insulating surface. Install CPU and cooler, 1 stick of RAM, keyboard and monitor. Don;t connect the PSU yet.

One thing you really should check. You have both an on-board video chip and a vid card. You had installed the vid card and used it, then removed it for troubleshooting. This may mean that the mobo BIOS is still set to use the vid card and is not trying to use the mobo's chip.

Before you connect power, do a BIOS reset. Find the reset pins at the mobo's lower right. See your manual, p. 1-12. Remove the button battery near the rear edge of the mobo, then move the...
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vrumor

vrumor

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With a possibility of a short circuit when you turned on the power, it is possible that you destroyed it. However, there is no way of knowing if it wasnt DOA. Id RMA it from where ever you bought it, or return it if its locally and tell them it doesn POST and get another one. This time make sure there are standoffs every where they are needed. It isnt needed in every case, cause some cases have risers built into them already.
 
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newbiepcbuilder101

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Jul 25, 2014
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Hi thanks for replying. Unfortunately i'm not sure the place i bought it from would accept an RMA because they would say its my fault...accidental damage. However how do i know the board wasnt dead (unlikely though) beforehand?
 
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Paperdoc

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Oct 19, 2006
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Yes, it's possible the mobo was damaged.

One way to check, though, is the simple "breadboard" testing. Remove all components from the case and place the mobo on a secure insulating surface. Install CPU and cooler, 1 stick of RAM, keyboard and monitor. Don;t connect the PSU yet.

One thing you really should check. You have both an on-board video chip and a vid card. You had installed the vid card and used it, then removed it for troubleshooting. This may mean that the mobo BIOS is still set to use the vid card and is not trying to use the mobo's chip.

Before you connect power, do a BIOS reset. Find the reset pins at the mobo's lower right. See your manual, p. 1-12. Remove the button battery near the rear edge of the mobo, then move the CLRTC jumper to the other pin pair and leave it on for 10 sec. Move the jumper back and re-install the battery. This will completely reset the BIOS to factory default, including (I believe) setting it to use the on-board video chip. Now connect power from the PSU, turn on the PSU's switch (don't forget there are two connectors for this) and try to turn on the system, using the mobo's video output connector for your monitor.

How to turn on? The straightforward way would be to move your empty case near the mobo and plug into the mobo the Power Switch leads. These go to a pair of pins on the System Panel Connector at lower right - see manual p. 1-20. Then you can use the case front panel power button to turn on and off. But if you can't do that, you can use a small screwdriver blade carefully to briefly short together those two pins on the connector. It only requires shorting them for a second or so to turn on.

IF you had already made any changes to the BIOS settings, this process will have removed them. You may need to make those changes again - see manual p. 2-6 and on.

Let us know what you find.

By the way, once you get the mobo OK, here's a note about standoffs. There should be one mounted in the case to exactly match up with each mounting hole in the mobo. There should be NONE where there is no mobo hole, and there really ought to be one under each hole - no standoffs missing. To fasten, just use the correct screw in each hole. The screws do not need insulators - the mobo is designed to be grounded to the case at these mounting holes only. See the little metal bumps in a star shape around each hole?
 
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newbiepcbuilder101

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Jul 25, 2014
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OK i had the motherboard with cpu/hs on top of motherboard box on a wooden board. Conected to psu with 4 gig ram stick and power connectors connected (from case) also connected keyboard and monitor.........

I get a display!!!!!!!!!!!! :D i get the startup American Trends bios screen info thing.... does this mean my mobo is actually ok? I will now start connecting extra items one at a time e.g. extra RAM, dvd drive, hdd, i am baffled why it didnt display before?? Unless it is actually the PSU which is problematic...ie not enough power?
 
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newbiepcbuilder101

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well atm im just using the onboard video. Ive decided ill try and get the system up and running before i attempt to install the graphics card (which is a MSI Gaming r9 280x)
 
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Paperdoc

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It's ALIVE, Igor! Hurray!

You are going about it correctly now, installing one additional part at a time. Since you had display trouble before, it will be interesting to see how the video card works. Anyway, if you get it all working, pay special attention when re-installing in the case to the standoff positions. And don't forget to connect power to your vid card )if it needs it).

Oh, one other item to watch that I had a problem with, and I've heard it from others, although it is rare. When you mount the mobo back in the case, its back connector panel mates up with a cover panel that fits into the hole in the back of your case. The cover panel's holes have little springy fingers that must go around the OUTSIDE of each connector sticking out of the mobo back. I once found them misaligned, with a couple of fingers slipped to the INSIDE of a connector and in danger of shorting out a pin. Check for that before fastening everything down.
 
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blatantlyobvious

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Jul 21, 2014
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Without a dedicated GPU, the 550W PSU should be sufficient unless it's defective in some way.

It may have been that one or more components were not seated correctly during the initial build. As you begin adding more components, the source of the problem (should one persist) should become more obvious.
 
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LucoTF

LucoTF

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You could say it will be...

david-caruso-sunglasses.jpg



Blatantly obvious
 
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blatantlyobvious

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:pt1cable:


 
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newbiepcbuilder101

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Jul 25, 2014
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well its all good :D everything seems to be working fine :) It mustve been a loose connection that stopped the display from appearing last time...and i automatically jumped to....ohh no motherboard failure when everythings fine :D

got windows 7 and asus drivers installed now :D Now just to download other stuff to test my new rig :D
 
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