I was working on my PC and it was running perfectly until a couple of days ago when I accidentally sparked something while adding more ARGB fans. I didn't put rubber tips on the exposed prongs and I think it might have hit the motherboard and damaged it. Since then, I've tried replacing the motherboard but the system still won't power on. The motherboard lights up, but nothing else happens. I've done a lot of troubleshooting like testing the PSU, shorting the power button pins, switching RAM sticks around, and even trying to boot without the GPU attached. I also noticed when I tried powering on with the ARGB hub connected, it flickered and smoked a bit. At this point, I'm really unsure if the CPU got fried in the process, but I thought the motherboard would take the hit first. Is there a way to confirm if the CPU is okay without having a spare to test? Here are my specs: ASUS - ROG STRIX X870-F motherboard, Hx1200i PSU, 9800x3d CPU, Lian Li Hydroshift LCD cooler.
1 Answer
Honestly, I would lean towards replacing the PSU first. The CPU is likely fine, but since you're experiencing all these issues, starting with a new PSU could resolve the problem. Make sure to test everything outside the case too; strip it down to the essentials—no extra components, just the motherboard, CPU, and RAM. If that doesn't do the trick, then consider getting a new motherboard as well.
Yeah, I had a similar experience once. The PSU can definitely mess things up if it’s not working correctly. Good luck!