Motherboard Help! Did my mobo die?

[Pelican]

I turned my PC on this morning and it won't post.

The case fans and CPU fan turned on. The GPU fan started whirring. The hard drive seemed to be going. Nothing else worked-- no video output, system beep, or boot process. The LEDs on the mobo were not working, the wraith spire cooler on my Ryzen CPU had no light (except the AMD logo which was glowing) and I had no power to any of my USB devices (they are LED and were all off).

I tried various diagnostic techniques, reseating GPU, testing each memory module, removing peripherals, connecting the clear_cmos pins with a screwdriver. In the end I ran the mobo with just power, the CPU, and the CPU fan, and it still just turned on and did nothing. No system beeps or anything, which makes me think it has died.

Any thoughts? It's a Gigabyte AB350N gaming-wifi ITX board.


UPDATE: Board fault confirmed in RMA process. Will update with details on exactly what failed if I get them.

 

[BaK]

In the end I ran the mobo with just power, the CPU, and the CPU fan, and it still just turned on and did nothing. No system beeps or anything, which makes me think it has died.

For a minimal test you have to put at least one RAM stick along with the CPU/fan, and with the monitor connected to the HDMI port of the mobo.
Probably not that but you should still have a look at the 3V CMOS battery.
A PSU tester could usefull here.

 

[Pelican]

For a minimal test you have to put at least one RAM stick along with the CPU/fan, and with the monitor connected to the HDMI port of the mobo.

I thought it was meant to start beeping / complaining if it is run without memory...

 

[BaK]

Hmm, I guess so but it could also depend on the mobo.
And you need a system speaker of course

Maybe browse through this list to see if there is something you haven't tried yet:
http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/261145-31-perform-steps-posting-post-boot-video-problems

 

[Pelican]

Okay, I'll have a go at those steps.

I do have a speaker on the mobo; it comes with one that you plug in. I know it works because it used to beep once every boot.

 

[Pelican]

Just tried breadboard with and without memory and gpu. Also tried swapping out the psu for a different one. No change, no beeps.

 

[tinyitx]

From your description, I gather this is not a new build but the system has been assembled and worked flawlessly for a while?

As the motherboard is a quite recent model, the chance that the CMOS battery being dead is not very likely. But, nonetheless, replace with a fresh one.

 

[Pelican]

Correct, I assembled it last year. Recently I was having some issues that I blamed on my GPU, but the GPU was tested as part of the RMA process as well as by an independent local company, and they gave the card a clean bill of health. This was a few weeks back.

I will replace the battery on the mobo and see what happens...

EDIT: yeah, that ain't happening. The battery is a crappy wrapped / cabled CR2032W. I can't just swap it out, I have to order it as a piece either from Aliexpress (which takes forever) or spend $10 - $40 trying to get someone from eBay to ship me one. Given how rare it is that this will be causing the issue, it would be about as long and inconvenient to RMA the board and see what their test reveals.

 

[Choidebu]

Dead mobo for sure... any warranty left on it?

 

[tinyitx]

In NZ, have you tried:
https://nz.dhgate.com/cr2032w-3v-lithium-battery-new-zealand.html

It seems you have to buy a minimum lot of 4 pieces though.

Or, you can order from the US.
https://www.impactcomputers.com/cr2032w.html

 

[confusis]

@Pelican, Where in NZ are you? I can help you out with one of those batteries if you're nearby!

 

[Pelican]

In NZ, have you tried ... [snippy]

US stuff usually takes 3 weeks to get here. Buying from Asian suppliers directly is similar (in my experience).

That's an awful long time to gamble on a rare battery issue...

@Pelican, Where in NZ are you? I can help you out with one of those batteries if you're nearby!

Thanks but I'm in Chch

 

[Choidebu]

Isn't it just CR2032 with 2 wires? Can't you jerry rig something?

 

[BaK]

Don't you have a multimeter to test out the battery?
Anyway, I have nothing easily available at hand right now, but i am almost sure you can boot a computer without a 3V battery. At least to reach the BIOS.

I turned my PC on this morning and it won't post.
The case fans and CPU fan turned on.

Every time I got this it was either the PSU or the mobo fault.

So if you've tried mobo + PSU +1 stick of RAM + CPU + CPU fan, and if you are sure the PSU is working fine, then the problem comes from the motherboard 99%.

 

[Pelican]

I even tried it with the PSU from my backup machine and it didn't help.

I've started the RMA process now. I'll tell everyone what happens when I get a result.

 

[Pelican]

Hello again everyone.

I sent my mobo back to the store I got it from. They confirmed a fault with the board and are proceeding with the RMA process! I've asked for details on what it was but I don't have those yet. They did mention they tried their own CPU / PSU / memory and had no post.

Quite frightening! One night it was working well (or it seemed to be) and the next time I turned it on, it was no good! I'm glad I have a backup rig, but it's a good reminder to never leave any work to the last minute if you depend on your machine.