Frustrated & Upset: Motherboard, PSU, problem???

[npandreasen]

These are the parts that I am using for my build:

Antec 110 Mid Tower
i5 3570K Ivy Bridge (Artic Silver 5) CPU
Xigmatek Dark Knight II Night Hawk Edition CPU Cooler
Asus Sabertooth Z77 Motherboard
Corsair HX 750W PSU
Mushkin Enhanced Blackline 8 GB 1600 MHZ
Plextor M3 128 GB SSD
Seagate Barracuda 7200 RPM 64 MB Cache 1 TB HDD
HiS IceQ 7850 GPU

I finally got around to building my first computer after months of researching parts and years of saving money. I think I did a fairly nice job hooking everything up for a first time builder, including cable management, even though it took me a really long time to do. And then the moment of truth came, plugging in the power and turning it on!

And alas, it booted up to the BIOS screen! My RAM was recognized at 1333 MHZ and I was easily able to set it up to 1600 MHZ in the UEFI BIOS. Then I installed Windows 7 x64 bit. No issues yet! Then I installed some ASUS Utilities from the Motherboard disc, and was beginning to install my network drivers so I could finish updating drivers for the rest of my equipment, when things went to hell.

My computer shut it self down and restarted, and the error that presented itself was:

Power supply surges detected during the previous power on. Asus Anti-Surge was triggered to protect system from unstable power supply unit! Press F1 to start setup.

Then the problems got worse from there... It loaded Windows and restarted itself with the same error several times. I Googled the problem from my phone, and numerous things come up with that error. I tried to turn off the Asus Anti-Surge protection in the BIOS, but I could not find it, and finally, the computer won't turn on at all, not even the fan on the power supply.

When I go to push the power button on the computer, I see the LED for CPU Cooler try to start on, and it immediately fizzles and turns off. The Standby LED on my motherboard is lit up solid green, but it won't start up. When I plug in my old 400W Dynex power supply, the computer will at least power up.

Before I RMA'd the power supply, I went to a local computer store and they tested the power supply, and they said it was running fine. So now I am stuck, and have no idea what to do, or what the problem is (power supply, motherboard, enough power from the wall, etc.). I have taken the entire computer setup around the house trying different plugs in the house, I'm pretty convinced that's not the issue.

At this point I am sick and absolutely regret not buying a prebuilt machine from a reputable company.

 

[bshk]

Hey, my computer knowledge is limited but seeing as how no one else has answered, I thought I would reply.

It sounds to me you got a bad power supply, and the fact that your computer works with your older power supply pretty much confirms that, I would RMA the unit and not use the computer until you get a replacement, if you HAVE to use the computer with your old power supply, take out the graphics card and run on integrated so you don't burn out your 400w.

Edit: Also, the computer shop was probably wrong, as you don't know how they tested the unit or what hardware they used, and don't worry about the replacement PSU, corsair is (usually) the most reliable power supply brand.

 

[Guest]

unplug your computer. remove the CMOS battery for a few minutes to reset your bios. after plugging it back in reboot with default settings.

 

[aaab]

I've seen this exact same problem. A friend of mine had a new PSU that was resetting and complaining about the PSU. He took it to a computer store and they tested it for 6 hours and said it was fine.

As soon as I replaced the PSU it all stopped. Who knows what your local computer store did to test it.

Bottom line, RMA the PSU.

 

[npandreasen]

I've seen this exact same problem. A friend of mine had a new PSU that was resetting and complaining about the PSU. He took it to a computer store and they tested it for 6 hours and said it was fine.

As soon as I replaced the PSU it all stopped. Who knows what your local computer store did to test it.

Bottom line, RMA the PSU.

The guy at the store said that even though it tested okay, they can still be bad. They used what looked to me to be a generic power supply tester.

I have sent the RMA request and NewEgg approved it. I just hate the fact that I'm going to have to wait so long to get the replacement.

I have also tried various cords and wall sockets just to be thorough. I think I got a lemon PSU, those things happen.

 

[npandreasen]

The new power supply arrived, when I hooked everything back up again, I am left with the exact same problem.



Can a motherboard be fried even though the power LED on the actual motherboard shows up green?

I can literally see the LED on my CPU fan go on for a fraction of a second but nothing ever boots up to full power when I press the actual power button on the PC case.

I'm really at a loss for words at this point.

The fact that I went from Windows 7 being installed and working to not even being able to turn the PC on at this point is utterly asinine.

 

[fmydog]

this is my exactly headache at the moment. I have one new psu that does not work and a old psu that is confirmed working and nothing on an old gigabyte mobo. i fear that esd might be the culprit i just posted a thread above this one if you want to check it out i feel for you tho i hate not knowing the problem, the only difference is this is computer 9 for me i am embarrassed. Lucky for me the Toms hardware forums dont have trolls to pick on people

 

[npandreasen]

this is my exactly headache at the moment. I have one new psu that does not work and a old psu that is confirmed working and nothing on an old gigabyte mobo. i fear that esd might be the culprit i just posted a thread above this one if you want to check it out i feel for you tho i hate not knowing the problem, the only difference is this is computer 9 for me i am embarrassed. Lucky for me the Toms hardware forums dont have trolls to pick on people

I don't know what ESD is, however, I have tried removing my graphics card due to a suggestion that I read, and that is confirmed to NOT be the problem. I still have the same problem with the system not wanting to power up.

I can't for the life of me think of anything aside from perhaps beating this machine like the printer in Office Space.

I thought about the cables from the actual power button on the case being lose, but then, why would I see the machine try to start at all? It's mind baffling.

The statistical anomaly of having two bad power supplies is astronomical.

Nothing makes sense, aside from faulty motherboard issues (ASUS software!), after the machine powered up and Windows 7 was installed, then everything went to hell.

 

[npandreasen]

Can anyone tell me if a motherboard is fried even if the power LED lights up?

 

[razgriz]

I know that's too much too ask, but have you considered taking your case to a friend's house to test it there? Just in case.

Also testing your psu on a friends working pc would be a good idea.
Generally when building a pc at home it's good to have a way to test all the parts on something else which you know it works. I know that's just silly but that's how i manage to solve most of my problems.

Also, the Light on motherboards does not Means it works. I had the same belief until i read an article about it. It's only minimum power going through it.

A good idea would be to borrow a friends psu and test your build.

 

[npandreasen]

I know that's too much too ask, but have you considered taking your case to a friend's house to test it there? Just in case.

Also testing your psu on a friends working pc would be a good idea.
Generally when building a pc at home it's good to have a way to test all the parts on something else which you know it works. I know that's just silly but that's how i manage to solve most of my problems.

Also, the Light on motherboards does not Means it works. I had the same belief until i read an article about it. It's only minimum power going through it.

A good idea would be to borrow a friends psu and test your build.

I really don't think the PSU is the issue, since I RMA'd the first one and have exactly the same issue.

I should probably RMA the motherboard next.

 

[aaab]

Chances of it being a PSU problem are higher than you think.

1 thing to check, make sure the power button is actually working. Where you have connected the power switch to the motherboard, unplug the power switch. Get a screwdriver and just touch the pins together.

 

[npandreasen]

Chances of it being a PSU problem are higher than you think.

1 thing to check, make sure the power button is actually working. Where you have connected the power switch to the motherboard, unplug the power switch. Get a screwdriver and just touch the pins together.

When I touch the pins together, it is exactly the same as if I had pushed the power button on the case.

Case & CPU fans light up for a split second and nothing turns off.

 

[aaab]

Sweet,

Okk... Try unplug everything except exactly what you need.

If you have onboard graphics, remove your video card.

Disconnect any HDD's, CD/DVD rom's, expansion cards etc... Try again.

Still no luck? Try re seat the RAM, try it with one stick. Then try it with the other one.

Still doesn't work. It's gotta be the mobo, RMA

 

[npandreasen]

Sweet,

Okk... Try unplug everything except exactly what you need.

If you have onboard graphics, remove your video card.

Disconnect any HDD's, CD/DVD rom's, expansion cards etc... Try again.

Still no luck? Try re seat the RAM, try it with one stick. Then try it with the other one.

Still doesn't work. It's gotta be the mobo, RMA

Today's venture consisted of:

- Unplugged case fans from Power Supply
- Unplugged front panel audio connections
- Unplugged GPU
- Unplugged HDD
- Unplugged SSD
- Unplugged USB (2.0 and 3.0)
- Tried to start up with only 1 RAM stick in the A2 DIMM (if you are looking at the board, from left to right: CPU -> A1_DIMM, A2_DIMM, B1_DIMM, B2_DIMM), the motherboard manual says to use the A2 & B2 DIMM's first, using A1 & B1 if you have 4 sticks.

I still have the same issue.

I have not yet tried:
- Using each RAM stick in each RAM slot
- Throwing it out of the window

There are several POST LED's supposedly on the motherboard, according to the motherboard manual, however, I think they may be covered up by the Thermal Armor (I am not removing this, it was installed by the manufacturer). I can't see ANY of them. There is a MemOK light but I have never seen it light up in any fashion whatsoever.

 

[aaab]

Yea I would RMA the motherboard.