Custom build dead?

[bcontoursvt]

Hi all, need some advice on a major problem:

My wife said she was using the computer and put it in sleep mode while she left for an hour. She said when she came back pc would not restart and was completely dead. I came home and indeed it is done. Power button on pc and on motherboard does nothing. Checked power cable, front panel power pins, tried resetting CMOS, etc...

My build:
ASRock Z68 Fatal1ty
Core i7 3770k w/ Antec Kuhler 920
Corsair Vengeance 16gb RAM (4x4)
Samsung 840 Pro SSD
Seagate Barracuda 3tb HDD
XFX 7970 ghz Crossfire
Cooler Master Silent Pro Hybrid 1300w PSU

Normally there is a blue light on the Kuhler 920 (powered by fan and USB header) that stays on all the time (even when pc is off) the light is now off. Also there is a red motherboard led that stays on, that one is off too.

Any ideas what this may be and what is the best way to troubleshoot?

Note: PSU is about 2 months old, MB is 2 months old, CPU and video cards are about 3 months old, memory is about 1 year old.

 

[danieljvdm]

If there's no POST or anything, you're motherboard is most likely shot.

 

[bambiboom]

Hi all, need some advice on a major problem:

My wife said she was using the computer and put it in sleep mode while she left for an hour. She said when she came back pc would not restart and was completely dead. I came home and indeed it is done. Power button on pc and on motherboard does nothing. Checked power cable, front panel power pins, tried resetting CMOS, etc...

My build:
ASRock Z68 Fatal1ty
Core i7 3770k w/ Antec Kuhler 920
Corsair Vengeance 16gb RAM (4x4)
Samsung 840 Pro SSD
Seagate Barracuda 3tb HDD
XFX 7970 ghz Crossfire
Cooler Master Silent Pro Hybrid 1300w PSU

Normally there is a blue light on the Kuhler 920 (powered by fan and USB header) that stays on all the time (even when pc is off) the light is now off. Also there is a red motherboard led that stays on, that one is off too.

Any ideas what this may be and what is the best way to troubleshoot?

Note: PSU is about 2 months old, MB is 2 months old, CPU and video cards are about 3 months old, memory is about 1 year old.

______________________________________

bcontoursvt,

If may be as danialjvdm suggested, the ASRock Z68 has suffered a Fatality, but when there are no status lights working I would first see if the PS is sending Electrons- put the old DVM on the outputs.

The Cooler Master Silent Pro PS you're using has a fairly high unhappiness quotient (43%) on Newegg>

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=17-171-063&SortField=0&SummaryType=0&Pagesize=10&PurchaseMark=&SelectedRating=1&VideoOnlyMark=False&VendorMark=&IsFeedbackTab=true&Keywords=%28keywords%29&Page=1#scrollFullInfo

- which includes some mentions of early failures. Perhaps that's where the "Silent" comes from.

Just to eliminate the simplest possibility, is there any chance that the computer is plugged into a circuit, surge strip, or GFI outlet that has tripped off? Does the PS have an onboard reset/ breaker/on/off ?

-Sorry! Let us know what you find out.

Cheers,

BambiBoom

 

[bcontoursvt]

Thank you all for the answers.

BambiBoom: The computer is plugged into a surge protector. There are other items plugged into the same strip yet they all work. No GFI and I don't know if the PS has a breaker reset.

When everything worked, my computer speakers have always had a very noticeable hum when the power cable is disconnected from the power supply. It continues to do this even now with something dead.

 

[bambiboom]

Thank you all for the answers.

BambiBoom: The computer is plugged into a surge protector. There are other items plugged into the same strip yet they all work. No GFI and I don't know if the PS has a breaker reset.

When everything worked, my computer speakers have always had a very noticeable hum when the power cable is disconnected from the power supply. It continues to do this even now with something dead.

becontoursvt,

The change in the conditions for the speaker hum may be a revealing detail. The hum you describe when disconnected from the PS may be due to the lack of a common ground of the speakers and computer. If the hum occurs now when connected, that may be a signal of a new ground fault with the PS- the transformer may have an open circuit. If the computer is wired Internet, network, connected to an outboard sound system with wired input, or especially if there's a wired FAX line, try the speakers with all exterior cables disconnected to further isolate the ground fault possibility. As the speakers must be powered separately, make sure they are plugged into the same place- outlet or surge strip- as the computer.

Again, only to eliminate the easy-fix stuff- any chance of any PS to motherboard connection not fully seated?

Here is a link to some posted Cooler Master PS troubleshooting ideas >

http://forum.coolermaster.com/viewtopic.php?f=30&t=14821

> which gives a technique to "jump start" the power supply using a paper clip that I think is bridging negative to ground. -There's grounding conversation popping up again. It doesn't say- and the volts and amps may be very low, but if you try the paper clip start, to be on the safe side, don't touch the bare paper clip with power on or let the clip touch anything else. In that post there are also links to PS support and chat. Advanced techniques may include sacrificing a chicken,..

It's outside the realm of probability, but being within a 50-mile radius of Plymouth Notch, Vermont could be responsible.

Cheers,

BambiBoom

 

[bcontoursvt]

I went to a local electronics store and bought a temp power supply.

I got home and tried the paper clip test and the PSU did not respond. I swapped it out with the spare PSU and my machine fired right up.

CULPRIT: Dead PSU. Luckily it has a 10-year warranty through Cooler Master. After two months of ownership I now see why ...

 

[bambiboom]

I went to a local electronics store and bought a temp power supply.

I got home and tried the paper clip test and the PSU did not respond. I swapped it out with the spare PSU and my machine fired right up.

CULPRIT: Dead PSU. Luckily it has a 10-year warranty through Cooler Master. After two months of ownership I now see why ...

bcontoursvt,

Seeing the Newegg user comments- DOA, failure after two weeks, after three months, etc, plus the symptoms you described made the pooped PS an inevitable conclusion.

Not a pleasant experience, and there's the fuss of two PS swaps and cost of the temporary PS, but at least you know where you are, and can use the system.

Cheers,

BambiBoom