Did I fry my z87 mobo? Static? Sawdust?

humphrey502690

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First let me list my specs....
Mobo: Asus Z87-Pro
Cpu: I7 4770k
Ram: 8 GB corsair Vengance
PSU: Corsair 750W CMX
GPU: GTX 770
The CPU and GPU is WC'ed and everything in my loop is running fine.
I have also looked through the Sticky and none of the above worked. I have done everything except check my PSU for spikes.
So.. Let me start at the beginning as I fear I killed my poor motherboard.
This pc has been running since February with no issues and I have constantly been modding it and adding to it... (Fans,lighting, rads,pumps, ect) well I have started making my own pc desk/case so I have been moving my components back and forth for measurements and has been in the same room as sawdust was being stirred up. (Could it have shorted it?) So I put my computer back into the stryker and now my pc will turn on for about 5 sec then shut off for about 3 sec to then turn on and stay on with no display. So I am thinking its either my psu or mobo and I'm leaning towards the mobo. All of the fans and lighting all power up. And my motherboard doesn't beep. (Will it still beep if it is fried?) my only concern is that if its the mobo will I need to buy another windows 8 copy?!? Or would it work if I bought the exact same mobo?. When I get home I am taking all of my components out again and re-checking. Should I try starting the mobo outside of the case? I am planning on buying a different PSU to try tomorrow but I am thinking the cause is the mobo. My parts were bought in Feb of 2014 so it should all be under warranty still.
Thanks for the help!!
Edit- or did I simply fry it by not taking the proper steps when handling the mobo? ie) static? I was under the impression that it can happen although its rare...
 
Solution
During Power On Self Test it will check a few values (voltage, current, and various go/no-go logic circuits. If any are off by a large amount it will kill the POST process and shut down. Almost every electronic device has these procedures to prevent damage to the rest of the circuitry when something is wrong.

CPU should be fairly robust against voltages applied at the wrong pins, but that isn't likely with a bad motherboard. Only true test is putting that CPU in another motherboard.

Depending on what is not working a motherboard can still beep when faulty.

humphrey502690

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I will also list everything my poor 750watt PSU is powering... It's powering 8 gelid solution case fans at full. 4 cold cathodes. 2 sound activated inverters(for cathodes) An EK DCP 4.0 pump at full. An Aerocool touch-1000, Asus CD-ROM, 2 LED Strips, A 500gb HDD, 64GB SSD, then obviously my mobo, cpu, ram, and GPU.... Don't know if any of this helps...
 
First off. Paragraphs. Hard to read in one lump.

If you have an OEM copy of windows 8, buying another exact copy of motherboard won't help you. You will still need to buy another windows 8 to be legal.

Start by putting the motherboard in case, make sure nothing is touching where it shouldn't, so it doesn't short out. Add video card and Connect power supply. Check to see if it beeps. If it does, start adding 1 component at a time until you get an error. If it doesn't then you need to check and see if you have the proper voltages from your power supply. Your Power Supply could also be the culprit. If you have a voltmeter or multimeter, you can check your voltages.
 

humphrey502690

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Ok I have paragraphs to display as much info as I can without other questions.

I went and bought a copy of windows 8.1 and still have the box and everything, would I still need to buy one?! What a rip....
Do you think my PSU could be at load?! I just don't understand why it turns on off then stays on?? Or do u think its a short?
Wouldn't it be better to try it outside of the case if u think its a short?
 

Eximo

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Windows 8 OEM licenses are perpetual for a single installation on any platform, they no longer use the motherboard's device ID to prevent another use. Generally all you have to do is call their automated activation service to re-activate.

Certainly take the whole system apart again, something might have slipped in and shorted something. Get a can of compressed air and give everything a good blast and then reassemble. They build a lot of protection into motherboards these days, fairly hard to break one through handling.
 

humphrey502690

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Ok eximo so ur saying I can possibly call Microsoft and they "should" let me reuse my copy of windows? I just purchased it in the end of February this year... Because if my mobo is dead I might as well upgrade to a better one hehe!!
One of my standoffs isn't completly seated in the case but surly it would cause a short out!?
 

Eximo

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Well you don't want any stress on the board when it is installed in the case. If there is any significant pressure you will want to fix that before re-installing it.

I have swapped motherboards several times with Windows 8, even from AMD to Intel. (Also with Windows 7, but that was a retail box copy which allows for three installations, still had to activate over the phone though)
 

humphrey502690

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Yeah I have a retail box purchased through BB.
But it doesn't seem to have any pressure on it... I have moved cases several times with no issues... So do u think its shorting because it goes on to off and then stays on with no display?
U don't think it could of harmed my 4770k do u?!
I will most likely reinstall everything on the Z87 box...
I really appreciate the help... I'm just stumped on this one... Hardware goes out at the worst timings!!
So for the windows problem, do I just call them and tell them my problem?
 

Eximo

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During Power On Self Test it will check a few values (voltage, current, and various go/no-go logic circuits. If any are off by a large amount it will kill the POST process and shut down. Almost every electronic device has these procedures to prevent damage to the rest of the circuitry when something is wrong.

CPU should be fairly robust against voltages applied at the wrong pins, but that isn't likely with a bad motherboard. Only true test is putting that CPU in another motherboard.

Depending on what is not working a motherboard can still beep when faulty.

 
Solution

humphrey502690

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Thanks for helping me out brotha! But one last question... Lol still confused on windows 8... I heard that I can possibly put a new mobo in and windows will recognize it and I WON'T have to reinstall it... I'd only have to get a new activation number correct?
I'm hoping that the i7 4770k is a tuff mo-fo, I'd hate to have to replace that... Because I'm pretty sure that the mobo is shot. But I won't know for sure until tonight. I will let you know how it goes Eximo.
 

Eximo

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That is correct. Windows isn't bad at recognizing new hardware and just booting up after a hardware swap. I took an AMD e350 build to an i3-4130T and it just booted right up. Oddly the motherboards had the same realtek chip for sound so it didn't even mess with that. (I had even cloned the old harddrive onto an SSD)

Some people recommend uninstalling drivers before making a swap, but I've found that it doesn't usually matter. Also did a i7-950 -> i7-4770k jump recently.
 

humphrey502690

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Ok well I just picked up an MSI Z97 GD65 GAMiNG board to replace my ASUS Z87 PRO so I can upgrade my i7 4770K when Broadwell releases the ?? I7 5770k? Or whatever... I have read excellent reviews and it will overclock much easier... I will let you know how it goes. I also picked up a PSU tester to go ahead and make sure everything is putting out correctly.