Could my PSU be incompatible?

[sebber91]

Hey, I recently bought a new CPU, mobo and chassis as upgrades to my old Pc and now the thing won't start when I press the power button, and I thought it was odd since I followed multiple video guides plus my mobo instruction manual and all looks good to me... However this is my first ever complete build from the ground up so I may have missed something : /

All I could think of is that my Psu from the old case might be incompatible since the old motherboard was a micro-Atx or mini, at least it wasn't a normal size ATX which the new one is, and I already had to buy an extra 8-pin extender for the Eatx12v port because the old motherboard didn't need that, but obviously this hasn't done anything, the PC still won't start So can anyone help me understand whether I need a new PSU as well or if there might be something else? (I did check that everything was connected and the front panel cables are firmly placed where the manual for the chassis told me to put them)

I can provide photos if it would help as well as the product names of the components if needed

 

[treefrog07]

I would re-check the front panel connectors, especially the PWR_ON, and Reset connectors - there may be a polarity shown in the motherboard board manual. GND (-) is usually the white wires on the front panel connectors.

I would also ensure the 12V extension is firmly connected to the PSU' connector.

Did you remember to connect the 4-pin (or 8-pin) connector from the PSU to the CPU_PWR connector on the board?

 

[delluser1]

List your specs.

 

[sebber91]

Thanks for the fast answers, I've taken a look and made sure the front panel connectors match what the motherboard instructions say, also double checked that the 12v plug was correctly inserted and about the CPU_PWR thing, well, there are no sockets saying exactly that. What I can see is CHA_FAN1 and PWR_FAN close to the CPU and then theres another CHA_FAN2 for an extra fan in the top of the chassis plus a CPU_FAN besides it. First I had the CPU fan cable plugged in to CPU_FAN, now I tried PWR_FAN though the cable has 4 pins while the socket only takes 3, also nothing happened still : /

My specs are as follows:
- Motherboard: ASUS P8Z 68-V LX with the 1155 socket
- PSU: 115/230 V - I don't know about the make or other details of it, I can unplug it if necessary [imported from old chassis]
- RAM: 8 Gb. [imported from old chassis]
- GPU: Gigabyte GTX 460 1 Gb. [imported from old chassis]
- CPU: Intel Core i5 2500k (the reason I ended in this situation since my old motherboard had the 1156 socket -_-') [new and unused, did put a thin layer of cooling paste on it, placed it very carefully in its socket without touching the chip-side]
- CPU fan: The stock one that came with the i5 CPU since the old one didn't match the motherboard's screw holes
- Chassis: Cooler Master 430 Elite
- HDD: Western Digital 1 Tb. [imported from old chassis]

- No optical disc drive yet since the one in the old chassis was impossible to unscrew (screws just got teared up in their sockets ) [I wouldn't think this made any difference in order to actually power on the Pc since the HDD already has a working Windows installation on it]

That should be it... As mentioned I'm confident most larger components are correctly inserted, GPU, CPU, RAM, HDD and PSU has cables connected to GPU like in the old chassis, in the HDD plus a Sata 6 gb/s cable that came with the motherboard - 24 pin ATX PWR cable and 8 pin extender connected to the last remaining 4-pin cable from the PSU is firmly placed in the EATX12v socket. Looks right to me : /

 

[delluser1]

PSU specs are kind of imporant, but if it worked with your old setup it should be fine.
Let's start here;
You say an 8 pin extender connected to the psu 4 pin, is it a 4 pin to 8 pin adapter ? Or did you just plug the 4 pin into one side of an 8 pin extension ?
If the cpu power header on the board doesn't have a cap over half of the pins it usually signals that it needs all 8.

 

[sebber91]

I bought a 4-to-8-pin adapter and the socket did not have any cap on it, no caps at all on the motherboard, also if it helps, <a href="http://www.avxperten.dk/Billeder/bigEVN-946.jpg">here's a picture of the cable I bought</a> : /

 

[delluser1]

OK 4 pin to 8 pin adapter, check

Any activity at all ? MB power light ?

 

[sebber91]

Nothing, not even a slight click or spin of the fan

 

[delluser1]

Time to start troubleshooting. work thru the list
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/261145-31-perform-steps-posting-post-boot-video-problems

 

[sebber91]

It was a nice checklist and I have now removed all but the first RAM stick (placed in the farthest socket from the CPU which my manual also told me to, also I removed three spare risers that the motherboard didn't reach. This has not helped though, it still doesn't turn on, only thing I've noticed is that a little green lamp lights up when I turn on the power on the wall switch, so something definitely happens

I checked that no spare screws lay under the board or around in the chassis, I made sure all cables and cards are firmly attached, even tried taking out the Reset Switch cable as suggested in the guide, I'm positive that I put on a really thin layer of cooling paste (used a plastic card to sort it out on the chip carefully) and removed all plastic covering before I first tried booting, also tried holding the power button for a few seconds, still none of this has worked : /

 

[WatchOut]

Your PSU may be incapable of giving the mobo power the amount of power it needs.

 

[sebber91]

So I might have to buy a new one, as I suspected?

 

[delluser1]

Your PSU may be incapable of giving the mobo power the amount of power it needs.

Don't know what the original chipset was, board had an 1156 socket
New board is socket 1155 with the Z68 chipset
Difference in power consumption between a Z68 and a P67 is about 5 watts
Difference between a Z68 and H67 is about 6 watts
I doubt that lack of power is the problem

 

[delluser1]

So I might have to buy a new one, as I suspected?

Can you slap the old components together ( breadboard style ) and make sure the psu still powers it ?

 

[sebber91]

I could try but it would take some time, also I don't know if I damaged the old motherboard when I took that out of its case : /

 

[sebber91]

Ok, I breadboarded the old motherboard with the old components and when I turned on the power the GPU and CPU fans continously started whirring but stopped since there was no HDD attached and only one stick of RAM in the sockets, but besides that I definitely saw a reaction.

Does that mean there's something wrong with the new motherboard?

 

[delluser1]

Ok, I breadboarded the old motherboard with the old components and when I turned on the power the GPU and CPU fans continously started whirring but stopped since there was no HDD attached and only one stick of RAM in the sockets, but besides that I definitely saw a reaction.

Does that mean there's something wrong with the new motherboard?

Could be the motherboard, more rare, but possible, could be the cpu no way of knowing without being able to test either

 

[sebber91]

So what can I do? :S

 

[sebber91]

I really have no idea what to do about this, should I have a professional look at it or is there anything else I might be able to try out?