Computer's busted. Need simple advice.

September 5, 2011 4:47:09 PM

Hi, my computer stopped working recently. It randomly turned off one day in the middle of using it, and now doesn't even turn on or anything. I'm sure it's the motherboard that is not working, because I replaced the power supply with one that works, and it still didn't turn on. I just want to make sure that before I go and spend money on a new motherboard that it's really the problem. I thought that if the problem was the GPU, RAM, or CPU, the computer would still turn on to the bios, right? I also made sure to check that the pins are in the right place for the case's power button.

Thanks.

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stephen-mc

September 5, 2011 5:14:10 PM

if theres is no beeps i think its the motherboard.

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inzone

Homebuilt system Master

Motherboard Master

September 5, 2011 5:21:24 PM

If there were some problem with the gpu ,ram ,or hdd then the post would give you a series of beeps and you could look in the mb manual to see what the beeps refer to. Try taking out the ram and video card and see if that would let it even turn on. It's always unusal dor something to just stop working with no indication of what it could be and your left guessing. If taking out those two things lets itn turn on then you have narrowed it down if not then it could in fact be the MB. As a last resort take out the cpu and try.

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taqdagger407

September 5, 2011 5:50:42 PM

inzone said:

If there were some problem with the gpu ,ram ,or hdd then the post would give you a series of beeps and you could look in the mb manual to see what the beeps refer to. Try taking out the ram and video card and see if that would let it even turn on. It's always unusal dor something to just stop working with no indication of what it could be and your left guessing. If taking out those two things lets itn turn on then you have narrowed it down if not then it could in fact be the MB. As a last resort take out the cpu and try.

Thanks! Yeah, there were no beeps. But I did forget to mention that several days before it broke, I got "CPU overheat" messages when I turned it on, Which is weird because I don't overclock. Maybe the fan was not on tight enough. Anyway, thanks. I tested it out without GPU, CPU and RAM, but still nothing. So I guess I'm getting a new MB. Hopefully the comparability issues with the ram will be easier than when the i5's first came out. I had to re-buy my memory twice, on my asus MB..

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AdrianPerry

Homebuilt system Authority

Motherboard Expert

September 5, 2011 6:42:59 PM

for SandyBridge 1.5v RAM is recommended, 1.65v has been known to have compatibility issues and can damage the CPU.

When you get your new motherboard, make sure to properly clean off all thermal paste from the CPU cooler and the CPU. Re-apply using a small amount (plenty of guides and videos available if your unsure how to apply it) and then keep an eye on your temps. HWMonitor is a great piece of software for this.

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taqdagger407

September 10, 2011 3:47:41 PM

I can't seem to find any socket 1155, ddr3 1600, motherboards that have a parallel port on them. Does any one know where to get one?

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taqdagger407

September 21, 2011 7:26:01 PM

Unfortunately, i found out my i5 was older and used the socket 1156 instead AFTER I bought it. But after replacing twice, I finally got a motherboard that worked.

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