I believe the problem is my Motherboard, can you help?

Code Phox · Jan 6, 2017

Let's start with my rigs specs.
All parts are around 3years old from when I first built the PC besides the GPU which I got in November.

Motherboard: Msi Z87-G45 Gaming
Cpu: Intel Core I5-4670
Gpu: Msi GTX 1070 8GBs
Ram: 16GBs (4×4GBs) Corsair DDR3 1600MHz
Power: Corsair Builders Series CX 600 Watt

Storage is not important but
SSD: 120GBs
HD: 1TB

Cooling is air cooled.
12fans total with 2fans on CPU Cooler Master heat sink and 2fans on GPU card.
The remaining 8fans are controlled by manual switches. I don't over clock hardware.
The PC is idle around 30degrees C and never goes over 60degrees C.

Now, I tell you my story. Just two days ago the PC ran just fine. I shut it down and went to bed.
The next day after work I came home and turned on the PC and my T.V. and was confused because the
T.V. wasn't picking up any input (I use HDMI connections). The PC seems to turn on as fans start rotating and the hardware
lights on the motherboard and GPU light up. I checked to see if the HDMI cable was fully in the
GPU and restarted the PC, a prompt came up on the screen saying something like "your system CPU or memory has been modified,
please change the settings" and gave me an option to boot with normal settings or go into bios. I went into the bios and looked at the hardware I had installed, it said I didn't have any RAM installed! However, it clearly was when I looked in the case.. so, I took the Ram out and put it back in the slots making sure they were secure, the rebooted.. Nothing, I have been unable to make anything display again. I have tried taking everything out of the PC (ram, Gpu, soorage) and connecting the HDMI directly to the motherboard and nothing changes. I have tried removing the motherboard battery to restart BIOS setting and zipp..

This is what happens:
I press the power button and the computer receives power but displays nothing for about 10-20secs, then it seems to restart and continues the same symptoms only doesn't restart again.

What do you think is my problem or what happened? Can you point me in the right direction to help?
Thank you for your time!

Tanyac · Jan 6, 2017

A couple of things.

Do you have a speaker connected to the motherboard, if so are there any beeps? If not, can you get access to one?
Do you have a spare power supply you can try?
Do you have access to another PC so that you can try the memory in that PC?
Do you have another monitor you can connect to your GPU?
Your motherboard has a HDMI port. Have you tried connecting the TV (or other monitor) to that port?

8 fans is a lot of fans. Try with just a CPU fan, rear exhaust and one intake. Not counting the GPU fans.
If your Power Supply is dying it may be struggling.

Code Phox · Jan 7, 2017

1)I have tried connecting a speakers to the front and rear aux ports and turned the volume to max.. No sound at all (this is when I have only a Cpu installed, nothing else)
2)I don't have a spare power supply.
3)Don't have access to another PC to test the RAM
4)I connected an xbox to the same HDMI cable I use on the PC and it displayed Sound and video just fine on the display.
5)I have tried the motherboardsame HDMI port, nothing changes.

Code Phox · Jan 7, 2017

So, if there are no beep sounds without RAM installed the motherboard is Dead?

Tanyac · Jan 7, 2017

Code Phox :

This is what I meant by motherboard speaker... http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812201032

They are generally still supplied with PCs, but few people connect them these days. Possibly because motherboards have debug LEDs. But yours doesn't. If there is a POST problem, the speaker will give a series of beeps, and that will give us a clue as to what is going on. If you haven't got one - get one.

Without a debug LED and no speaker we'd be guessing. At this stage is *might* be your motherboard.

Do you have access to a PC store that would be willing to put it on their test bench for you? Or a computer market that tests components for free?

Another thing many PC stores have is a PSU tester. These cost from around $15 upwards. They will tell you in seconds if your PSU is faulty

Code Phox :

You have no friends that have a desktop PC?

With zero access to any test facilities whatsoever, it's a bit hard to diagnose anything 100%

What's the return/refund policy like where you are? Can you buy a motherboard, carefully unpack it, test it, and if it doesn't work take it back for a refund? I know it's a PITA but you can't say with 100% certainty from what you have done so far that it is the motherboard.

The most likely culprits are PSU and motherboard. RAM can fail, but it's not as common as the other two.

Code Phox · Jan 7, 2017

Great!

I custom built the PC so that speaker did not come with the motherboard or the case. Luckily, I had a micro controller kit that had one of those speakers. I held the speaker's pins to the pins coming out of the motherboard and turned on the power...

I didn't hear beeps BUT I heard 3 faint clicks which indicates it's a memory probably. So, I played with the ram a little bit.. I'm able to plug two of my newer ram sticks into slots 2&4 (which are used first) but if I try to install my other two sticks into slots 1&3 I run into the problem of having no display!

I also tried putting those two older ram sticks into slots 2&4 and run into the same problem. So, the problem is those two older ram sticks?

Tanyac · Jan 8, 2017

Now we're getting somewhere!

Do you know which BIOS you have?

For an AMI bios 3 beeps is a memory error. (lets hope this is the BIOS you have)
For an award bios 3 beeps (1 long 2 short), is a monitor or graphics card error. - Since you've tried the integrated graphics I'm favoring the AMI BIOS... Fingers crossed

From what you have tested it certainly does seem to be memory.

When you say "older ram sticks", are you saying the memory is not a single matched kit? You've put 2 x 8gb kits on the motherboard?

If you put the two good sticks in slots 1&3 does it boot?

If you need 16gb of RAM, I'd buy a 16gb replacement kit (assuming you can still buy DDR3), and keep your two good sticks as spare, or sell them. Better to have all memory sticks as a matched pair or kit.

Code Phox · Jan 13, 2017

OK!

When I initially built the PC I installed 2x4GBs of ram then recently installed 2x4gbs more of the same brand and model. The original two sticks must be dead because those are the two that give me the memory problem when I try to install them. I had those sticks for 3years, is that the typical lifespan of the hardware?

I did as you said and purchased 2x8GBs of ram and even upgraded from 1600MHz to 2113MHz!
I'll keep the working 2x4GBs incase I ever run into this problem again. Thanks for your help and teaching me something!

Tanyac · Jan 13, 2017

Good news!

Code Phox :

Memory is often quoted as a "Lifetime warranty", though the real-life meaning of that is often rather ambiguous.

If you want to test the water you can see if the manufacturer will RMA the memory. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

With declining manufacturing standards as a costs saving mechanism, quality of most PC components is nothing compared to what it was 5 years ago. It's a real crap shoot, especially at the higher end RAM speeds.

I've had memory fail 4 months after purchase and I've had memory last 8 years. The average has been longer than 3 years though. TBH, these days I tend to upgrade my systems so fast most memory kits don't seem to be installed for more than 2 years

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