SOLVED Very Vexing Problem!!!

[siegedan]

In my twenty years building rigs, I've never had a problem like this...

So I got all my parts for my new box...specs as follows:

P8P67 Pro (B3 Rev)
Corsair 1600 2x2GB DDR3
Coolermaster Silentpro 700W
EVGA 450
Intel Core i5 2300
...plus some other goodies that aren't really relevant...

Anyhow, I put everything together, plug in for my first post and I get nothing but the standby light on the board. PSU fan isn't spinning, nor are any of the chassis fans...just silence. I then take everything off of the mobo, plug in my 24-pin power connector and 2x8 12V EATX...same thing. I take the mobo out of the box entirely and test by plugging in the power and nothing by a single chassis fan, then jump the power button pins...again, nothing but the standby light. So at this point, I'm thinking I've got some dead pins on the power supply socket. I break out my multi-meter and test every pin - all are within spec (and I also did the green wire short test...PSU spins up just fine!).

Now I'm losing my mind and think that it's a mobo problem, so I RMA and get a fresh one a few days later. This time, I don't even put it in the case, just take it out of the static bag, put it on some cardboard, plug in the PSU (both the 12V and 24-pin main power), plug in a chassis fan, short the power button pins...nothing. So then I suspect it had to have been the PSU after all so I buy a SECOND PSU (make/model is irrelevant...you'll see why in a minute), and try the whole test again...SAME THING - the darn PSU just won't spin up! At this point, I feel like the chances of having this many dead parts would be like getting hit by lightning, so I'm reaching out for help.

Now, I'll admit, I took a little risk with this whole new P67 chipset and the new 1155 socket, but I can't imagine that has anything to do with it. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

 

[EarthDog]

Its not the chipset, so lets move past that.

If you arent getting any post, could be a dead CPU?

 

[siegedan]

Its not the chipset, so lets move past that.

If you arent getting any post, could be a dead CPU?

That was one of my earlier ideas. Before I thought it was a mobo problem, I removed EVERYTHING from the board except a single chassis fan (no cpu). After I got a fresh RMA'd board, I never even installed the CPU, just hooked up the PSU and a single chassis fan (all that's required to get the PSU to spin)...no luck.

 

[RollingThunder]

That was one of my earlier ideas. Before I thought it was a mobo problem, I removed EVERYTHING from the board except a single chassis fan (no cpu). After I got a fresh RMA'd board, I never even installed the CPU, just hooked up the PSU and a single chassis fan (all that's required to get the PSU to spin)...no luck.

Dan,

To be honest, I have never witnessed a bad CPU so that would be my last consideration but it's possible. Right about now, every possible thought goes through one's mind as to what the problem could be. The possibility of two bad motherboards and two bad power supplies are slim and none.

My wife would be putting earplugs in about now.........

I'm afraid there isn't anything constructive I can add. And I'll agree an 1155 board and Sandybridge CPU shouldn't have anything to do with it.

 

[siegedan]

Dan,

To be honest, I have never witnessed a bad CPU so that would be my last consideration but it's possible. Right about now, every possible thought goes through one's mind as to what the problem could be. The possibility of two bad motherboards and two bad power supplies are slim and none.

My wife would be putting earplugs in about now.........

I'm afraid there isn't anything constructive I can add. And I'll agree an 1155 board and Sandybridge CPU shouldn't have anything to do with it.

Thanks for the quick reply, thunder. To add insult to injury, I went out and bought an MSI P67 board today just to make sure I wasn't losing my mind. Indeed it turns out I am - still couldn't get the fan to spin!! Arggg... AND...I opened up a complete P5E3 Premium build I've got and swapped the suspect power supply...it worked!! I'm going back to collecting stamps.

 

[EarthDog]

Are you sure the PSU fan is SUPPOSED to spin? I know my seasonic only spins at a specific load (>300W or so) or over a specific internal temp...

Maybe look that up for you PSU?

 

[RollingThunder]

Thanks for the quick reply, thunder. To add insult to injury, I went out and bought an MSI P67 board today just to make sure I wasn't losing my mind. Indeed it turns out I am - still couldn't get the fan to spin!! Arggg... AND...I opened up a complete P5E3 Premium build I've got and swapped the suspect power supply...it worked!! I'm going back to collecting stamps.

Dan,

Keep in mind there are many better experienced here than I am for something like this. However, and I can count on one hand without being able to give you specifics seen here, of a few power supply combinations that just weren't compatible with specific boards or vice-versa. None of this was recent.

Hopefully one of the guys will come along and give some specifics, or perhaps to again challenge your sanity, you can see if anyone else here has the same board and power supply in a signature that is working. From your last post, I suspect this may be another rare case.

 

[siegedan]

Are you sure the PSU fan is SUPPOSED to spin? I know my seasonic only spins at a specific load (>300W or so) or over a specific internal temp...

Maybe look that up for you PSU?

That's a good suggestion, Earthdog...didn't occur to me. However, even if the fan wasn't supposed to spin at low load, the chassis fan I had plugged in would (presumably)...again the only sign of life is the standby light, but no fans spinning (including the PSU).

 

[EarthDog]

if there isnt a CPU in there, the POST doesnt happen and mobo doesnt have control over a fan plugged in to it. In order for a fan to work when plugged in to a mobo, it has to begin to post I believe.

 

[siegedan]

if there isnt a CPU in there, the POST doesnt happen and mobo doesnt have control over a fan plugged in to it. In order for a fan to work when plugged in to a mobo, it has to begin to post I believe.

Earthdog, that would be an amazingly helpful (and contrary to ASUS tech notes) piece of info if correct. No harm in trying - I'll pop in the i5 while outside the box to see if it fires up. Thanks for your help

 

[EarthDog]

Here is to hoping... I really dont have a clue. Sounds logical and easy to test at least.

 

[Exempt]

I had bought a silverstone case one time, and I swear after a week of testing and replacing every- let me repeat, EVERY single component, the system still wouldn't boot. So I decided to actually read the instructions to the *chassis* of all parts, and it had a remote control that came with it that I didn't feel was relevant, and turns out it could only be turned on with it!

Your PSU doesnt sound like the culprit here, I'd go over the simple basics, make sure of the correct pins that are being shorted, and make sure the CPU is properly seated and mounted and that the bracket is completely clipped in.

 

[siegedan]

Here is to hoping... I really dont have a clue. Sounds logical and easy to test at least.

Earthdog....while I'm grateful for your help, I feel like a complete moron. Suffice it to say when I put the basic stuff onto the board (CPU, memory, chassis fan) and plugged it in and shorted the power switch, it fired right up!! Damnit if the tech folks from ASUS didn't insist that I take out ALL components to test the PSU (CPU and memory inclusive)!! Chances are the first board was actually DOA, and the subsequent one was fine (I just never plugged in anything other than a chassis fan to test it).

Thanks for the help!!!