Deadliest PC Demon I've Faced

[MidRanger]

In 2016 I built my gaming computer using a brand new Intel I7-6700K CPU and ASUS Maximus VIII Hero Alpha Extreme motherboard. It worked for a month or two and then one day would not POST. Right after that happened I had to put the computer into storage.

When I retrieved it in July of 2020, I could not figure out what was wrong and so I took it to a computer repair shop. I was told that the motherboard was defective so I purchased a new old stock motherboard compatible with the CPU. A day later I was told that the computer would still not POST with the new motherboard and the shop did not know how to fix the computer. The old motherboard was put back in.

I then took the computer to another computer repair shop and they tested both the old and new motherboards and found them both to be defective. I was told that the CPU was also likely defective. They told me that it was extremely rare for this to happen. I asked what could have caused the motherboard and CPU to fail and I was told a bad power supply or power shortage. They told me the EVGA PSU in the computer was good and that things happen.

The computer was connected at all times to an uninterruptible power supply that has performed flawlessly with other computers and there was not a power shortage.

If you think I could do more to fix the computer, please let me know. At this point I consider much of the hardware in the computer to be a loss. I’m prepared to buy a new motherboard and CPU for another build. I’m not sure if it would be wise to reuse the PSU or if I should consider that a loss too.

Thank you kindly for reading my post and for your reply. All best to you.

 

[mnewxcv]

Don't know if I trust the shops, unless they had another motherboard and cpu of the same Socket to confirm your motherboards were defective (with their working cpu) and your cpu is defective (with their working motherboard).

As far as building a new system, get a new power supply. I'd suggest this even if yours was for sure working fine, just a safe practice based on age. Only exception I make to that rule is high end seasonic.

 

[MidRanger]

Hi, thank you for your reply. I know that the second shop tested the original ASUS board with a known good CPU of the same Socket.

 

[Fix Me]

I second getting a new PSU as well.

 

[Smoblikat]

Run the board out of the case, with nothing extra plugged in (just a boot drive, 24 pin and 8 pin). Put it on a non static surface like the mobo box, then run IBT/P95 on it for a while, if it passes, try memtest, if THAT passes, put it back in the case and do the same process again, this time adding more things untilt he problem comes back. A buddy of mine had a case fan that would intermittently cause issues like this.

 

[pendragon1]

demon? was expecting something like this

or

 

[bigdogchris]

Sounds like a auto shop that just throws parts at the problem. I wonder how they determined the motherboard was bad. Did they actually move your CPU, memory and GPU over to a known good board and make sure it worked before claiming it was the mobo? I mean that seems pretty simple to me but obviously they didn't do that.

Using known good parts to rule out bad parts is like PC repair 101.

 

[cyclone3d]

Sounds to me like the shops you took it to shouldn't ever be allowed near a computer...

I have seen a CPU kill a motherboard and the other way around as well though.
I have also seen:
shorted fans that cause a no-power on
bad HDDs and other drives that cause a no power on
cases that have a standoff in the wrong place or something else shorting out with the motherboard causing a no power-on or no POST
bad reset button switch that cause a no POST because it is shorted.

The best way to test is:
1. Take the motherboard, RAM, CPU, video card and PSU out of the case.
2. Set it up on a non-metal/non-plastic table or whatever.
3. Hook it all up and try to power it on.

Even better is if you have a system you can test the video card in. If it is bad or shorted out, it can also cause a no power-on or no POST. Same for the RAM.

You can normally test in a case, but seeing as you have had multiple shops take a look at it, I wouldn't trust it being in the case at all.

I really doubt the PSU would have killed the motherboard or CPU. There are safeguards built into modern PSUs to prevent this.

If you want to test the motherboards, I would get a cheapo CPU or 2 for that socket off of eBay... and also a good motherboard.

Test the new CPUs in the new motherboard and then try one in one of the old motherboards. If it works, yay... and you know the CPU is the problem. If not, then maybe try your old CPU in the new motherboard. If it kills the new motherboard then you know the CPU is the problem for sure.

Either way, to do proper testing you are going to need to get some more parts if taking it out of the case to eliminate the case and everything in the case doesn't help.

 

[MidRanger]

Thank you for your replies. I'm looking into doing some of the testing suggested myself.

 

[mnewxcv]

If you are in MA or RI I would be willing to do some free troubleshooting.

 

[Dan_D]

Ordinarily, I think people toss PSU out as a suggestion for problems far more often than makes sense. In this case, I think that's likely your issue.

 

[mnewxcv]

Ordinarily, I think people toss PSU out as a suggestion for problems far more often than makes sense. In this case, I think that's likely your issue.

You'd think a shop would test it, but I guess they just test until one thing shows a fault and calls it a day...

 

[Dan_D]

You'd think a shop would test it, but I guess they just test until one thing shows a fault and calls it a day...

I can tell you how most of these shops work. They might have some shitty ATX tester kit that basically plugs into the 24 pin ATX cable and lights up green if its good and red if it isn't. They are hardly infallible. Also, they might simply conclude its not bad based on the system powering up, even if it does't post. Ordinarily, they wouldn't necessarily be wrong, but the only real way is to check the various rails to ensure everything is in spec.

 

[MidRanger]

Wanted to update with new information. I spoke with a tech at the second repair shop regarding this issue I asked if a drive or fan could be causing this issue of not POSTing and and he told me that the original motherboard was determined to be defective because when the 8pin supply for the PSU is disconnected the GPU and fans light up, but when it is connected they do not. He thinks it is highly unlikely that a drive or fan is causing the issue. The second motherboard that I brought in was never tested because of bent pins in the socket. The CPU was never able to be tested because they don't have a motherboard in the shop with that socket type.

 

[Dan_D]

Wanted to update with new information. I spoke with a tech at the second repair shop regarding this issue I asked if a drive or fan could be causing this issue of not POSTing and and he told me that the original motherboard was determined to be defective because when the 8pin supply for the PSU is disconnected the GPU and fans light up, but when it is connected they do not. He thinks it is highly unlikely that a drive or fan is causing the issue. The second motherboard that I brought in was never tested because of bent pins in the socket. The CPU was never able to be tested because they don't have a motherboard in the shop with that socket type.

That makes more sense then. It would seem to be a bad motherboard if what they are saying is true.

 

[Kardonxt]

From my experience working at a repair shop back in the day......

-Bad CPUs are extremely rare. So much so that many techs will always blame your mobo if a test PSU doesn't fix it.
-Bad Mobo, PSU, or CPU can all result in the same powers on with no 8 pin issue.
-Like Dan said normally they us a simple pass \ fail psu tester. I started plugging in known good "tester" PSUs because it was so inaccurate.

Personally I would pick up a cheap psu and a low end compatible CPU to test them yourself. I suspect you can pick them up for dirt cheap locally or on ebay.

Things may have changed, but I believe Intel CPUs and upper end Asus mobos had 5 year warranties. You may be able to get them replaced or repaired by the manufacturer once you determine the issue.