A friend recently installed an ASUS TUF GAMING B550-PLUS WIFI II AM4 motherboard but ran into some trouble. After connecting everything, the motherboard lights up, but the PC won't turn on. We checked all connections multiple times with no luck. We took the motherboard to a service center, and they declared it dead. However, the seller claims we damaged it, pointing to a small visibly broken chip—something we noticed after opening it and hadn't even started the installation yet. AI mentioned that this small chip might be a 32.768 kHz quartz crystal, which shouldn't stop the motherboard from functioning, but I'm unsure if that's accurate. Does anyone know if a broken quartz crystal could really kill a motherboard?
1 Answer
Definitely! If that broken crystal is a clock generator, it can cause serious issues, possibly preventing the motherboard from starting altogether. You might need to get it soldered back on or pay someone for repairs. Hang in there while you continue to push ASUS for an RMA; if that doesn't work out, you may have to send it in for repairs.
What are the chances this came broken? My friend noticed it right when he opened the box, long before we fitted anything.