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New build made huge POP sound at first startup - help needed

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I just finished building my first rig, and turned it on without any RAM in it just to test if everything was fine (wiring, etc.) and was expecting to get an error beep (I had not hooked it to a monitor yet).

When I plugged it into the wall, the LEDs started up, everything looked fine, ut as soon as I hit the power button, there was this huge"pop" sound! It sounded electrical.

My build is as follows:

2.4 Intel quad CPU
Rampage Formula MOBO
4870 X2 GRAPHICS CARD
1TB Seagate 7200rpm HDD
Asus CPU HSF
750w Silverstone PSU

What could have gone wrong? More importantly, what could this sound mean? Is something harmed? It it possible that my mobo is fried?

I don't remember neglecting anything aside from one 1394 cable that I could not find a place for. I obviously can't tell you what I did wrong, as I have no idea.

Please keep in mind that the LEDs continued to work after this.

I'm sorry if I come off as erratic, but this is the first time I attempt to build a PC, and this seems like one of the worse things that could happen.

Any input would be greatly appreciated.

More about : build made huge pop sound startup needed

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I just wanted to add that both the graphics card and the sound card (that came with the Rampage) might not have been seated all the way in the slots as I was having a difficult time fitting them in the Gigabyte 3DAurora case.

IF they are, and I'm still not sure if that's the case, would that have been the reason? If so, what are the ramifications?

Sorry to say, but this POP means that something went really wrong. You may have damaged something in your rig.

And what is more complicated is the fact that is very hard to know what went wrong. Can be many things (wiring, short-circuit of the board on the case, the PSU, etc etc etc).

What I would recommend is to take your rig to a friend that you know that has a lot experience building pcs and ask him for help.

Otherwise, you can try to start all over again from scratch, making sure that you're doing the right thing when it comes down to screws, wiring, connections, etc. But if you're already unsure of what went wrong, this may lead to the same problem in the end...
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PSU blew a capacitor?
Take your mainboard out, and you might - insert only cpu, ram and vga and test it again - if it doesnt boot, try sniffing around and see if you can smell any electrical burnt odors.

Thanks for all the helpful comments.

I rebuilt my computer again, and now everytime I hit the power button, the fans turn for a second, as well as the PSU fan, and the fans' LEDs flicker just once and then nothing. When I hit the power button again, nothing happens until I switch the computer off, switch it on again, and hit the power button, at which time the same thing happens with the fans and LEDs.

I'm trying to have a friend's friend take a look at it, someone who works in IT and has massive experience building computers.

How's this for an update: Like an idiot, I inserted the 8-pin motherboard power connector into the 8-pin PCI-E power socket for the 4870 X2 and a small puff of smoke came out.

I think I just fried my $500 card. I won't know for sure until I take it to a shop tomorrow.

Sorry to hear about your GFX card. Though I don't have experience building my own computer(I am just getting ready to build my first rig). I would boot up my computer with least number of components (Only HDD, CPU,may be RAM, PSU) then would do a incremental build to make sure everything looking good. Also, I would check for any jumper settings on mobo, HDD to make sure they are set ok. I would double check any power connections before plugging it in. Just make sure your processor is sitting with arrow pointing in the right direction.

Thanks.

I'll take it to a shop today and give an update when I know what's at fault. I might ask the IT department at work first, as I have the rig in my car (driving to the shop after work).

Update:

Took it to the shop. Both mobo and GPU are fine. The reason the PC wasn't starting was because I did not connect the 8-pin power connector to the mobo, but connected the 4-pin instead.

I learned a lot from this experience, and I'm so glad it didn't cost me much.
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