Please help. Not sure of cause; possible short circuit or PSU failure.

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exitspace

Reputable
Nov 26, 2015
11
0
4,510
Hi everyone,

I have had my PC for some years now. Some components are at least 5 years old, others less. I was using it to run a game but was simply on the menu when the screen went black and the computer turned off.

Initial diagnosis

The motherboard (M5A78L-M LX3) was installed a few months ago and bought in the summer after my previous motherboard failed. When I turn it on, the motherboard displays a green light and the chip, case and GPU fan move momentarily when pressing the power button but then stay off.

The heat sink was relatively warm when the computer switched off. I currently have the case open and used a desk fan to cool it. When turning back on, the above still occurred.

I also tried moving wires out of the way and clearing dust (of which there was very little and cable management was relatively tidy on installation of the new motherboard). Unfortunately, nothing.

Removed the older RAM to check if there was some kind of issue there but unfortunately nothing again.

Monitor is connected to the extension lead and stayed on when the computer cut out but I also plugged the PC directly into the mains to double check yet the problem persisted.

Spec

Motherboard - Asus M5A78L-M LX3 (a few months old)

CPU - AMD FX6300 (two years old)

Chip fan - Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO (two years old)

GPU - MSI NVIDIA GTX 960 2 GB (two years old)

RAM - HyperX FURY 8 GB DDR3 (a few months old), Corsair XMS3 4 GB DDR3 (at least five years old)

PSU - HEC Compucase G7 Power Extreme 880W (at least five years old)

The case itself is also five years old.

If anyone has any ideas or suggestions, that would be immensely helpful.

Thanks for reading.
 
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gooseqz

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Dec 16, 2017
4
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520
Before we blame components, first try resetting the CMOS. This can be done on most mainboards by finding two pins labled "CMOS reset" or something similar. Short these pins while the pc is plugged in but not powered on while being carefull to not touch any other parts of the mainboard. This can help if you have overclocked or messed around with CPU/RAM voltage, and frequencies.
For more guidence on the issue, refer to your MOBO manuall. This has saved me a few times
Try booting with only the older ram, and try different DIMM slots. Try removing all usb or other devices from the computer then try booting. Since the pc attempts to boot, and there are power lights on the mobo, this leads me to believe that the power supply is not at fault.
 
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exitspace

Reputable
Nov 26, 2015
11
0
4,510




Hi and thanks to both of your for the response.

I have now tried removing the heatsink and reapplying the thermal paste but unfortunately the problem persists.

I have also removed the newer RAM and run with just the older one as well as reset the CMOS by flushing the RTC RAM (see here, page 27) and then doing the same procedure, also removing the battery but unfortunately neither worked.

I have tried looking through the manual for other possible solutions but nothing here seems immediately obvious to me.

I have noticed a high pitched noise coming from the computer when the motherboard PSU is turned on. I have no idea as to its significance, however. I thought maybe the strain from the heatsink clamp could have bent the etched circuits or the motherboard itself but I cannot see any signs of this, nor does it seem to follow that the motherboard lights would still be on, or the fans work momentarily.

Sorry about all this detail! Thanks very much for your help so far, however. If you have any further suggestions, please let me know!
 
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gooseqz

Prominent
Dec 16, 2017
4
0
520
The high pitched noise could be whats known as "coil whine". To help diagnose this, search "coil whine" on youtube and see if the noise compares.
There is a chance that your cpu has gone. You appear to have similar problem to a youtuber called marzbar in which his new I7 cpu had died. He believed the reason why his cpu died was due to a cheap powered USB hub he had that may have surged into his board and therefore cpu. This may not be the reason for his issue, so it may not be the reason for yours. If you have a cpu that works in your motherboard (any AM3+ cpu) then test that and see if your results change.
 
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exitspace

Reputable
Nov 26, 2015
11
0
4,510




Thanks to both of you for your help. I finally managed to get a hold of a new PSU (the Corsair SFX 450) and replaced my old one. As soon as I had connected everything, the fans worked again and I am now able to use my computer.

Thanks again and Merry Christmas!
 
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