First "Custom" Water Cooling (Hard Tubing) Build - System No Longer will Power On

S

sk3tch

2[H]4U
Joined
Sep 5, 2008
Messages
3,387
Hi all, this is a fun one. I bought the Bitspower Titan X 1.2 kit from Micro Center on 3/9 - primarily to get the 3080 - but I decided I would just build in it, too. Fast forward to this weekend, finally received my 11900K (hence the delay) - added memory, storage, the CPU, put down some paste, got everything installed - started filling the radiator. As instructed, filled to 90%, powered on, let the pump process it to near empty, repeat. I did this until it was "full" and all power off/power on worked just fine. Towards the end, the RGB lights stopped coming on but fans would run - OK, fine. Finally, with nothing else changing - it would no longer power on. Double-checked connections, checked the power switch mobo connection, etc. - motherboard lights up, everything looks fine - but power button does nothing. Left it for a couple hours last night - nada. Left it over night - just tried now - nada.

Of course, Bitspower is in Taiwan so their support is so far via email. The good news is it looks like Micro Center has pretty good walk in service - so I will try that.

Any hints or things I can check from you pros? Nothing even starts at all - and I have previously done BIOS flashback (to prep for the 11900K) in addition to the work that I did this weekend - so it's really strange. There were no leaks and no moisture or water to be found around the case and everything seems to be fine there.

Parts:

Bitspower Titan X 1.2 kit:
- ASUS Z490-E Mobo
- EVGA Gold 850W PSU
- EVGA RTX 3080 FTW3 Ultra
- Lian Li 011 Dynamic
- Bitspower Touchaqua 360MM radiator, fan, pump, block, tubing, fittings, etc. - all included and mostly pre-installed.

Added parts:
- 11900K retail
- Corsair Hydro XL5 Pre-Mixed Coolant (clear)
- Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut Thermal Grease
- 2x Samsung 980 Pro 2TB
- Kingston HX432C16FB3K4/128GB 3200MHz DDR4 CL16 memory

I'm outside of my return window by a few days but frankly I just want it to work!

And yes - thankfully I peeled this off of the block prior to install (my heart sank thinking I had forgotten when everything stopped working, lol):

IMG-2099.jpg
 
Did you try jumping the power switch pins or using the surface mounted power switch on the MB if it has one to see if it started? I would also try another psu if you can.
 
vegeta535 said:
Did you try jumping the power switch pins or using the surface mounted power switch on the MB if it has one to see if it started? I would also try another psu if you can.
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Thank you for the reply. I did not try the pins - there's a clear CMOS but I did not see anything like that, and this is a more "mid-range" board so no power on the board, unfortunately. I do have another PSU that I can try. I am very close to packing it up and taking it to Micro Center sometime today. I had giving up but with work and kids I don't have as much time as I would like to futz with this stuff. :ROFLMAO:
 
sk3tch said:
Thank you for the reply. I did not try the pins - there's a clear CMOS but I did not see anything like that, and this is a more "mid-range" board so no power on the board, unfortunately. I do have another PSU that I can try. I am very close to packing it up and taking it to Micro Center sometime today. I had giving up but with work and kids I don't have as much time as I would like to futz with this stuff. :ROFLMAO:
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Jump the 2 pins that you use to connect the case power switch with a flat head screw driver and see if it turns on.
 
vegeta535 said:
Jump the 2 pins that you use to connect the case power switch with a flat head screw driver and see if it turns on.
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So plug it in - then use a flat head to touch those two pins (versus leaving the power switch connector connected)?

EDIT: nothing happened, unfortunately.
 
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1) Make sure ATX and EPS connectors are fully seated. <------ YOU ARE HERE
2) Reseat CPU, then reseat waterblock, making sure that clamping force is even (tighten screws in an X pattern).
3) Reseat RAM, try only 1 DIMM.
4) Reseat GPU
5) Try a different PSU
6) Try a different Mobo
7) Try a different CPU
 
sk3tch said:
So plug it in - then use a flat head to touch those two pins (versus leaving the power switch connector connected)?

EDIT: nothing happened, unfortunately.
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No leave the power connectors unplugged and use a screw drive to bridge the 2 bare pins. If that doesn't power on then either the MB or PSU is borked.
 
vegeta535 said:
No leave the power connectors unplugged and use a screw drive to bridge the 2 bare pins. If that doesn't power on then either the MB or PSU is borked.
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That’s what I’m afraid of. Heading to Micro Center today. To replace the board it’s a lot of water cooling deconstruction that I’m not comfortable with as a noob. To replace the PSU is easy enough but it’s a kit so having one of those two possibly bad id rather have micro center help.
 
sk3tch said:
That’s what I’m afraid of. Heading to Micro Center today. To replace the board it’s a lot of water cooling deconstruction that I’m not comfortable with as a noob. To replace the PSU is easy enough but it’s a kit so having one of those two possibly bad id rather have micro center help.
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I would talk to them first before you take it apart. Maybe they will have a look at it and see if either is borked. Where are you located? I could maybe lend you a psu of you are local to me.
 
vegeta535 said:
I would talk to them first before you take it apart. Maybe they will have a look at it and see if either is borked. Where are you located? I could maybe lend you a psu of you are local to me.
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Oh yes, absolutely. Since it's a kit, I'm gonna drop it on them to help first versus going out and trying out different parts.

I appreciate the offer to help! I am in MN - so if that works out I'd take you up, but I can probably scavenge some random PSU in the garage. Just gotta see where this goes with Micro Center. I am gonna pop over there this afternoon.

I will keep everyone posted!
 
- I am assuming it is the strix e-gaming. If it is then your motherboard has qleds (just above the 24 pin). There should also be a q-code at the bottom left (two numbers/letters). Do either of them show anything?
- Is the mounting mechanism for the CPU spring based, e.g. self regulating in clamping force? Could be worth trying to losen the mounting a tiny bit in case the motherboard has issues with the pressure.
- Is the GPU in the loop, if not then I would try to boot on integrated GPU only. Basically remove the GPU and just use the on in the CPU.
 
sk3tch said:
Oh yes, absolutely. Since it's a kit, I'm gonna drop it on them to help first versus going out and trying out different parts.

I appreciate the offer to help! I am in MN - so if that works out I'd take you up, but I can probably scavenge some random PSU in the garage. Just gotta see where this goes with Micro Center. I am gonna pop over there this afternoon.

I will keep everyone posted!
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Sorry in MD! Worth asking since there are so little MC around.
 
evhvis said:
- I am assuming it is the strix e-gaming. If it is then your motherboard has qleds (just above the 24 pin). There should also be a q-code at the bottom left (two numbers/letters). Do either of them show anything?
- Is the mounting mechanism for the CPU spring based, e.g. self regulating in clamping force? Could be worth trying to losen the mounting a tiny bit in case the motherboard has issues with the pressure.
- Is the GPU in the loop, if not then I would try to boot on integrated GPU only. Basically remove the GPU and just use the on in the CPU.
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All good things to check but the computer would still need to power on at least to get a bios error code. It should at least power on even if any of those things are the issue.
 
evhvis said:
- I am assuming it is the strix e-gaming. If it is then your motherboard has qleds (just above the 24 pin). There should also be a q-code at the bottom left (two numbers/letters). Do either of them show anything?
- Is the mounting mechanism for the CPU spring based, e.g. self regulating in clamping force? Could be worth trying to losen the mounting a tiny bit in case the motherboard has issues with the pressure.
- Is the GPU in the loop, if not then I would try to boot on integrated GPU only. Basically remove the GPU and just use the on in the CPU.
Click to expand...
Yes - good suggestions, particularly the mounting mechanism - checked that and I did it per instructions (should show visible gaps between the spring) but I loosened it a bit just in case - no go.

I did get the Q-codes and everything firing while using the setup all the way up until I was done filling the reservoir. The lights went awry, things kept working - but after that it would not boot. I am guessing the mobo is toast versus the PSU since power flows and while the mobo lights up - it doesn't do anything. I'll let Micro Center deal with draining it or whatever. It's 4/12 and I bought 3/9 so I am outside of the return window - so we will see what happens. I want to keep it, just don't want to be bothered to replace the mobo after I did all of the WC plumbing. I also have a tech support thread with Bitspower so maybe they can help but it comes down to shipping heavy stuff so I am hoping local MC will take the ball.
 
sk3tch said:
Yes - good suggestions, particularly the mounting mechanism - checked that and I did it per instructions (should show visible gaps between the spring) but I loosened it a bit just in case - no go.

I did get the Q-codes and everything firing while using the setup all the way up until I was done filling the reservoir. The lights went awry, things kept working - but after that it would not boot. I am guessing the mobo is toast versus the PSU since power flows and while the mobo lights up - it doesn't do anything. I'll let Micro Center deal with draining it or whatever. It's 4/12 and I bought 3/9 so I am outside of the return window - so we will see what happens. I want to keep it, just don't want to be bothered to replace the mobo after I did all of the WC plumbing. I also have a tech support thread with Bitspower so maybe they can help but it comes down to shipping heavy stuff so I am hoping local MC will take the ball.
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That's the sucky thing about water cooling. It is always good to build out the system on a pseudo test bench before plumbing it up.
 
Just dropped it off at Micro Center for "diagnostic" - $39.99. Man, what a noob I've become, lol. It was a very interesting experience sauntering up with my $4k build next to Grandma and her dusty eMachine that can't get emails. Good news is they're an official warranty provider for a ton of places so the output will be a working box with working gear. ETA on diagnostic result is like a week due to it being WC. :)
 
sk3tch said:
Just dropped it off at Micro Center for "diagnostic" - $39.99. Man, what a noob I've become, lol. It was a very interesting experience sauntering up with my $4k build next to Grandma and her dusty eMachine that can't get emails. Good news is they're an official warranty provider for a ton of places so the output will be a working box with working gear. ETA on diagnostic result is like a week due to it being WC. :)
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I would think some kind of warranty would cover a bad part and you should get the diagnosis fee refunded.
 
vegeta535 said:
Did MC get back to you yet?
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Thanks for checking in! They just finally sent me a text - but nothing else of substance. Bitspower also said they would reach out to Micro Center to coordinate - so positive experience thus far, overall!

EDIT: they confirmed it is likely a dead mobo - they tried new RAM, PSU, etc. - want to charge me half of the "advanced flush" charge which I guess is $250. Just told them I'll pay what I have to, I guess. Bitspower hasn't reached out but he said typically they just blame the user for it, anyway - so they won't help. LOL! All good...lesson learned - just sell the stuff, keep the 3080. Don't build yet another PC. Hahaha. :)

pendragon1 said:
why? he built it. if he brought them a dead gpu theyd just swap it.
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It's a "kit" - case, mobo, PSU, GPU, and water cooling all pre-config'd or included (just add CPU, RAM, storage) - so there's some argument for some help...but yeah, you're right.
 
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sk3tch said:
Thanks for checking in! They just finally sent me a text - but nothing else of substance. Bitspower also said they would reach out to Micro Center to coordinate - so positive experience thus far, overall!

EDIT: they confirmed it is likely a dead mobo - they tried new RAM, PSU, etc. - want to charge me half of the "advanced flush" charge which I guess is $250. Just told them I'll pay what I have to, I guess. Bitspower hasn't reached out but he said typically they just blame the user for it, anyway - so they won't help. LOL! All good...lesson learned - just sell the stuff, keep the 3080. Don't build yet another PC. Hahaha. :)
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I figure it was MB or PSU. I wouldn't pay the flush charge. Just tell them to put it back together to how it was when you brought it in. Fill it up yourself when you get home cause $250 is ridiculous.
 
sk3tch said:
Thanks for checking in! They just finally sent me a text - but nothing else of substance. Bitspower also said they would reach out to Micro Center to coordinate - so positive experience thus far, overall!

EDIT: they confirmed it is likely a dead mobo - they tried new RAM, PSU, etc. - want to charge me half of the "advanced flush" charge which I guess is $250. Just told them I'll pay what I have to, I guess. Bitspower hasn't reached out but he said typically they just blame the user for it, anyway - so they won't help. LOL! All good...lesson learned - just sell the stuff, keep the 3080. Don't build yet another PC. Hahaha. :)


It's a "kit" - case, mobo, PSU, GPU, and water cooling all pre-config'd or included (just add CPU, RAM, storage) - so there's some argument for some help...but yeah, you're right.
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What does "advanced flush" charge mean? Not from the US so it is an unfamiliar term. Is it in case they find something that you did wrong and you get it back if it turns out it was a bad motherboard?
 
evhvis said:
What does "advanced flush" charge mean? Not from the US so it is an unfamiliar term. Is it in case they find something that you did wrong and you get it back if it turns out it was a bad motherboard?
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https://www.microcenter.com/product/609401/-pc-water-cooling-radiator-flush---advanced

I think they're using it as a "catch-all" for the type of problem that I have and because it's a hard tube custom watercooling system (versus AIO).

Since I bought it about 40 days ago, I am hoping warranty/good will helps with some of the cost. At worst, it is looking like I will owe $290 for all of this. Not the end of the world, I guess. I also enquired about moving to the Z590-E (from the Z490-E) if the mobo is, indeed, defective.
 
sk3tch said:
https://www.microcenter.com/product/609401/-pc-water-cooling-radiator-flush---advanced

I think they're using it as a "catch-all" for the type of problem that I have and because it's a hard tube custom watercooling system (versus AIO).

Since I bought it about 40 days ago, I am hoping warranty/good will helps with some of the cost. At worst, it is looking like I will owe $290 for all of this. Not the end of the world, I guess. I also enquired about moving to the Z590-E (from the Z490-E) if the mobo is, indeed, defective.
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That is really expensive for that kind of service IMO. Hopefully it works out.
 
evhvis said:
That is really expensive for that kind of service IMO. Hopefully it works out.
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Yeah, it's basically $250 for them to tear it down, diagnose, build it back up, and test - so not as bad as it seems but still pricey for people like us that do it ourselves. For me, I'm OK with it as I am not comfortable with water cooling. I will learn via this rig because come 12 months from now I will need to drain and clean and refill myself.

End result is they finally realized it was a kit - still a $40 diag fee and $250 build fee - but they are replacing the board under warranty. They don't have any in stock and instead of returning everything (and losing the 3080) I am buying a Z590-E for $380. They'll get me a Z490-E in a week or two via RMA that I can dump on eBay and net about $200 so all in all not horrible because now I get Z590 which, yeah, is better for PCIe4 and NVME stuff but the reality is I need it so I can have current BIOS. The Z490-E just has a January beta BIOS. :-/ (so no ABT, etc. - maybe never).
 
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Build complete - very glad that I upgraded to the Z590-E. Alex at Micro Center Saint Louis Park, MN did an awesome job with the water cooling. I swapped an AX1500i PSU into this bad boy to replace the "meh" EVGA 850 Gold. :) (128GB kit also had issues so I returned those and got a 32GB kit - F4-3600C16Q-32GTZNC). Boosting to 5.3 GHz. Let my son take the 5950X box, lol.
IMG-2317.jpg

Thanks for all of your help, guys!
 
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