I built a new PC just a couple of days ago, and it's been working fine—until today. Here's what I have in my setup:
- Motherboard: Asrock Taichi x870e (Bios 3.20)
- CPU: 9950x (I'm planning on heavy workstation use and a second GPU later)
- CPU Cooler: Lian Li GA II LCD 360MM AIO
- GPU: MSI 5080 Gaming Trio OC
- RAM: 64GB (2x32) Corsair Vengeance 6000
- PSU: Corsair HX1500i (I went big since I plan for a second GPU).
On Day 1, everything went smoothly. I powered it on, installed Windows 11, and played some games without issues—temp was good, no problems at all. Day 2 involved a bit more tinkering: I tweaked the CPU with a negative 10 curve optimizer and adjusted the RAM from 4800 to 6000 MHz using Expo. After running Cinebench with no issues, I continued gaming.
But on Day 3, while I was out celebrating my wife's birthday, I returned to find the PC powered off. The motherboard and GPU RGBs were still lit, but it wouldn't boot. I tried the power button, but it only triggered a brief fan spin before nothing. After unplugging and re-plugging, the motherboard's RGBs began flashing along with the power and reset lights. I tried holding the power button for 30 seconds, reseating components, and even hitting the CMOS button—but I'm getting nowhere. Now, it won't power up at all; only the power and reset buttons light up. I'm in desperate need of advice on what next steps to take!
1 Answer
It sounds like your PSU might not be the issue since you did the paperclip test and it worked fine. Did you try reseating all the cables? Sometimes, it's just a loose connection that can cause these power problems. Also, check for any lights on the motherboard when you try to power it on, especially the troubleshooting LEDs.
I went ahead and tried booting with just the CPU and motherboard connected. But the issue remains—nothing happens long enough to reach POST or show any debug codes. The only thing that's lighting up on the motherboard are the power and reset buttons. I confirmed the PSU works since the fan spun when I jumped some pins on the 24-pin connector, but I can't figure out why it shut down after running fine!