I've built a new PC a month ago with a 9850x3d processor and an ASUS B850i motherboard, and I'm facing some frustrating issues. I sometimes leave my PC running while I'm out, but recently I came back to find the system fans maxed out with no lights on any peripherals. I tried turning the PC off using the power button, but it wouldn't turn off, so I unplugged it. However, when I plugged it back in, it wouldn't boot at all. Instead, it just clicks and shuts off immediately every time I try to start it. After a while, it would only click once and then not attempt to boot again unless I power cycled the PSU. It seems like something is causing the power supply to trip, but I can't determine if it's the CPU or the motherboard. Here's what I've already tried: a brand new PSU and cables, clearing the CMOS, reseating all cables, taking the motherboard out, testing with just one stick of RAM in different slots (even without RAM), and I tried booting without a graphics card. Currently, the only components in the system are the CPU, motherboard, RAM, and cooler, but the issue still persists. Any ideas or suggestions?
1 Answer
It sounds like your motherboard isn’t getting past the CPU initialization process, which usually points to either the CPU or the motherboard being defective. Since you already replaced the PSU, that’s less likely to be the issue. CPUs rarely fail unexpectedly, so I’d lean towards the motherboard as the potential culprit. However, it’s worth checking the CPU for any burn marks just in case. I’d recommend considering an RMA for both the CPU and motherboard to be safe.
By the way, do the four LEDs on the motherboard indicate anything? I noticed that when I removed the RAM, the RAM LED was on, but the others were off. Should the boot LED be on or off?