No fans or lights or anything

[Futurebababooey]

I put together a new computer recently and when everything was assembled and it was time to power it up for the first time I got nothing. No lights (PSU, mobo, fan LED's), no fans (PSU, CPU, or case fans), not a thing happened. I have tried different power outlets as well.

This is my first build, so when things went wrong the first time I called the PSU tech support. They told me to see if the PSU worked by putting a paperclip in the green wire and a ground in the 20+4 pin connector and turn it on, and it powered on. Lights, case fans, started right up. They told me it wasn't the PSU so I called the mobo's tech support. They told me to take everything out of the case and put it on an insulated surface and try again with only the 20+4 pin, 8 pin, and CPU fan plugged in, and nothing turned on at all. So they told me to RMA it. I did, tried again, and nothing again. This time I tried to see if maybe it was the PSU by using a voltage meter to see what was being put out when I had it turned on with the paperclip in it, and when I touched any of the pins with the meter, the PSU would shut off. So tech support told me to RMA the PSU. I just got another PSU back from Newegg and plugged only the 3 things in again to try again, and nothing happened again. I'm completely out of ideas, and have no idea what could be wrong.

- Specs -
Links are to Newegg (Where I've purchased all parts)

CPU: Intel Core i5 750 (LGA 1156)
MOBO: MSI P55-GD65 LGA 1156 Intel P55 ATX Intel Motherboard
RAM: G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Dual Channel
CPU Cooler: Stock
Video Card: ATI - XFX Radeon HD 5770 1GB
Power Supply: Rosewill RP600V2-S-SL 600W ATX12V v2.01
Hard drive: Western Digital Caviar Blue WD6400AAKS 640GB 7200 RPM
Operating System: Windows 7 (Not that I've gotten that far...)
Case: COOLER MASTER RC-690-KKN1-GP Black SECC/ ABS ATX Mid Tower
DVD: Sony Optiarc Black

 

[o1die]

Make sure the ram is seated all the way into the slots. You may also want to try a different power supply; I always have a spare. Sometimes older ones work fine with the 4 pin connector. Be sure the video card connector is correct. And try just one stick of ram at a time in case one is bad.

 

[nocheese]

One thing you don't mention is how you are attempting to power on the system. It is possible the power switch on your case is bad, so have you tried powering the system up by using a phillips screwdriver to short the power on connector directly on the motherboard?

Also, when testing the system, try it out of the case, just the motherboard, CPU and PSU. RAM and video card not needed to see if system powers up. You won't get any output on the display, but if the motherboard has a built in speaker (or a header for a system speaker with a speaker attached) it will at least power up and give you beeps codes.

 

[Futurebababooey]

Make sure the ram is seated all the way into the slots. You may also want to try a different power supply; I always have a spare. Sometimes older ones work fine with the 4 pin connector. Be sure the video card connector is correct. And try just one stick of ram at a time in case one is bad.

It's seated properly, and I've tried with RAM and without RAM, no progress. Same thing with the video card, it's all in correctly, and I've even tried it without the video card. I don't have a spare power supply, but I was wondering if that could work, but that thought went away when I RMA'd the other one and got a completely new one. Could it be the PSU isn't compatible with this mobo (Or the other way around, whichever)?

One thing you don't mention is how you are attempting to power on the system. It is possible the power switch on your case is bad, so have you tried powering the system up by using a phillips screwdriver to short the power on connector directly on the motherboard?

Also, when testing the system, try it out of the case, just the motherboard, CPU and PSU. RAM and video card not needed to see if system powers up. You won't get any output on the display, but if the motherboard has a built in speaker (or a header for a system speaker with a speaker attached) it will at least power up and give you beeps codes.

I've tried shorting it with a screwdriver, using the case's switch, and using the button on the mobo itself. I've also tested it outside the case with only the mobo, CPU, CPU fan, and the PSU connected. When any 3 methods of trying to power it on are applied, nothing happens. No lights, no beeps, nothing.

 

[jsc]

Our standard checklist and troubleshooting thread:
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/261145-31-read-posting-boot-problems

My first guess would be the PSU. Rosewill is trying to do better, but based on previous experience, they have a long way to go.

So, the best bet is to replace the PSU with a known good one of similar power capacity. Brand new, out of the box, untested does not count as a known good PSU.

Next best thing is to get (or borrow) a digital multimeter and check the PSU.

Yellow wires should be 12 volts. Red wires: +5 volts, orange wires: +3.3 volts, blue wire : -12 volts, violet wire: 5 volts always on. The gray wire is really important. It should go from 0 to +5 volts when you turn the PSU on with the case switch. CPU needs this signal to boot.

You can turn on the PSU by completely disconnecting the PSU and using a paperclip or jumper wire to short the green wire to one of the neighboring black wires.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5FWXgQSokF4&feature=youtube_gdata

This checks the PSU under no load conditions, so it is not completely reliable. But if it can not pass this, it is dead. Then repeat the checks with the PSU plugged into the computer to put a load on the PSU.

 

[Futurebababooey]

Well I don't have another PSU to test this with, so I'll go ahead and send this back and get another one. Any recommendations?