Hey everyone,
So, my friend's PC is totally unresponsive after a recent storm. When pressing the power button, the only indication of life is a quick flash from the mouse light. The motherboard doesn't seem to light up at all, not even the diagnostic light.
Unfortunately, the computer wasn't plugged into a surge protector during the storm, so that might be the culprit.
I've only done some basic troubleshooting, like resetting the CMOS and power cycling. The specs are:
- Motherboard: Gigabyte B650 AORUS ELITE AX ICE
- PSU: MSI MAG A850GL PCIE5 850 Watt 80 Plus Gold
- CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 9700X
If there's more info needed, feel free to ask. We plan to get a surge protector as soon as we can.
Thanks in advance for any advice!
3 Answers
Start by breadboarding your setup, which means running the PC with only the essential parts. This includes your motherboard, one stick of RAM, CPU, and a single drive. If you have a GPU, add that too. It’s best to do this on a non-metal surface, like the motherboard box. If it boots, add another component one at a time until it fails. If it doesn’t boot from the get-go, the core components might need replacing. Having access to a second PC to swap parts would be super useful too.
If you can't test with spare parts, consider taking it to a local repair shop. It might cost around $50-100, but it'll be worth it to diagnose it properly. Try the paperclip test on the PSU while it’s unplugged from everything. If the fan doesn't spin even a bit, it’s probably dead. If it does work, run the system with one DIMM in the farthest slot and no other components attached. If it boots, the video card or storage drives could be the issue.
I might end up taking it to a shop since I don’t have the necessary parts. Fingers crossed it’s just the PSU!
Given that storm, I'd be suspicious of the PSU first. It’s meant to protect other components, but there’s a chance it failed and took the others with it.
Here's to hoping! I'd rather it be the PSU than anything else, but replacing it will be a hassle.
Agreed! I hope that’s the case because I’m dreading it being something more serious.
Thanks for the suggestions! I’ll give that a shot before taking everything apart.