I just finished building my PC with a 7800X3D, B650M ASRock motherboard, and a 7900XT Pulse, using a Gamdias Athena M3 case. I have some doubts about my assembly, and I'm worried I might have messed something up.
Here's what I'm concerned about:
1. The CPU cooler seems uneven; one side is lower than the other.
2. I might have touched some circuits on the motherboard.
3. I installed the SSD in the Gen4 PCI slot without issues.
4. While mounting the motherboard, I had a tough time aligning it with the screw holes. The I/O panel fits, but I couldn't secure the top-left corner because it was too tight.
5. I connected everything, but the power switch cable is a 2-pin connector, while the manual only mentions a 1-pin setup.
6. The PSU installation went okay. The 24-pin cable seems fine, but the 8-pin CPU cable was difficult to reach, and I'm not confident it's fully seated.
7. For the GPU, I installed it in the PCI slot next to the CPU, but I could only attach two out of three screws for the Sapphire support bracket.
Now, nothing happens when I power it on, and I'm really stressed about having possibly wasted over 1300 euros. What should I do?
3 Answers
It'd really help if you could share closer pictures of your setup. Describing it can be tricky, and visuals will give us a much better idea of any potential issues. Ensure everything is aligned properly—CPU should sit flat and PSU cables must be fully seated. I recommend taking it all apart and starting fresh, testing each component outside the case first for simplicity.
It sounds like you might want to start by rebuilding your PC from scratch. The ASRock motherboard you're using has a reputation for issues with X3D CPUs, so be cautious there. You can use the iGPU of the 7800X3D to diagnose if the GPU is fine. Just take it slow and double-check everything as you go.
First off, make sure your power supply is plugged in and turned on. For the front-panel connectors, it sounds like you're looking at the wrong pin configuration. The manual should show a 2-pin setup for that power switch. Check the manuals again for confirmation!
Here's a link to some photos I took before plugging everything in, showing the CPU cooler situation: https://imgur.com/a/kKQE6LA.