Help on diagnosing POST failure (P8P67 Pro)

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Zontar

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Dec 30, 2010
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Last night, I went to bed and my computer suddenly shut down on its own. When I attempted to start it back up, the machine failed to boot, and the motherboard lit up the red CPU LED. I pulled all but one RAM module and the machine still doesn't POST. So, I'm thinking it's one of three possibilities: the power supply went, the motherboard went, or the CPU went. But I don't have any other systems to cross-check most of these components and figure out which to RMA (everything is new enough to be under warranty.) I *do* have an old 2006 era system that I can test my PSU with, but that's it.

Adding to my fears is that whatever is causing the problem is causing a cascading failure. For example, the PSU might have went bad (it was a good SIlverstone model though so I'm not sure) and took out the rest of the system with it. Or the motherboard might be bad and ruining any replacement CPU I might put in it. Stuff like that.

This is the first system I built and had significant problems with, so where do I begin troubleshooting? What is the recommended order for replacing the components in a failure like this?
 
Pretty unlikely for a CPU to just go out like that, so I'd put that at the end of my troubleshooting. Have you tried pulling out all the add-in cards as well, or moving the GPU to a different slot? My first P8P67 Pro had a PCIe slot 1 go bad and it wouldn't post with a card in it, but moving the card to the lower slot worked fine.

Edit: The fans are spinning and everything, just the CPU led is on? You've tried resetting the CMOS?
 
usually if the PS goes, the fans will jerk, then stop...

there is a PS lead called "Power Good", when there is no signal on it, it tells the MOBO its bad,and wont spin up the fans.
 
I had a Silverstone PSU that failed and did exactly as you describe as to a socket 775 system. Luckily I had another system I could cross check it with. The damn PSU took out the mobo, and a quad core Q6600. I'll never buy another Silverstone PSU.
 
its been my experience that red LED CPU means bad CPU - lol

just curious - what Heatsink brand/model you using?
(when you ask for help, its good proceedure to have your whiole component list in sig)
 
New developments:

I've disconnected everything but the main motherboard power from the PSU. When I disconnect the video cards and hard disks, the machine will get farther than the red CPU LED (all the way to throwing a video card error because I have none plugged in...expected behavior.) This gives me reason to suspect that there is nothing wrong with the CPU since I see it pass the test right in front of me when everything else is unhooked.

When the disks and video are connected, the motherboard will alternate between two failure states: it will stay on the red CPU LED, or it will repeatedly shut off in five-second intervals after staying on for one second.

Do I now have reason to suspect a PSU issue, and should I request an RMA for this device first?
 
cisco guy said:
its been my experience that red LED CPU means bad CPU - lol

just curious - what Heatsink brand/model you using?
(when you ask for help, its good proceedure to have your whiole component list in sig)
Click to expand...

I'm using the CM Hyper 212+. Have kept a close eye on temps and was not overheating to my knowledge.
 
Zontar said:
New developments:

I've disconnected everything but the main motherboard power from the PSU. When I disconnect the video cards and hard disks, the machine will get farther than the red CPU LED (all the way to throwing a video card error because I have none plugged in...expected behavior.) This gives me reason to suspect that there is nothing wrong with the CPU since I see it pass the test right in front of me when everything else is unhooked.

When the disks and video are connected, the motherboard will alternate between two failure states: it will stay on the red CPU LED, or it will repeatedly shut off in five-second intervals after staying on for one second.

Do I now have reason to suspect a PSU issue, and should I request an RMA for this device first?
Click to expand...

Try the video card in the second PCIe slot (the lower one) first. My top slot went bad, and it would hang on POST, but when I moved the card down the board would work fine. At least that way you can keep using it while you wait for a cross-ship RMA.
 
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