New system build automatically powering off

[davekov]

I am building my first from-scratch computer. And it isn't working.

Dear Internets: HELP!

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All parts arrived. I built the system carefully & with good anti-static precautions.

I had some trouble at first, but it was all clearly my fault - must plug the PSU into the mobo by the 20+4 AND the 8-ATX, case fans should be plugged into the mobo OR the Molex... important stuff! But once it was all said and done, things seemed to be going better.

The computer would boot. It would POST clear (single beep). Launching BIOS would show all processor cores recognized and operating well and cool, all four RAM chips up and running, all drives recognized... all a-ok.

I installed Windows 7 to the SSD, booted, and it launched! Internet and USB3.0 connectivity. Beautiful.

After about 5 minutes, computer suddenly powered off. Rebooted, tried again, and... yeah. Between 2 and 10 minutes of perfect working, then it would suddenly completely lose power. No BSD, no freezing - off.

I tried playing around. I disconnected all case fans, the DVD drive and secondary hard drives. Then it wouldn't get past the BIOS. I tried plugging them back in. Same deal. I tried removing the graphics card - then it wouldn't even POST. I put everything back, and... nope. No booting.

Based on my research, I concluded that the most likely culprit was either the mobo or psu. So I returned them both. Replacements just arrived. So I put them in, rebuilt the machine, and turned it on.

POSTed successfully. BIOS showed all clear. Got the ubiquitous 'windows did not shut down correctly' message. I told it to boot normally. And - power off.

This happened three times in a row. Nada.

I tried booting windows from cd. Nothing. I tried booting Linux Mint from a Live CD. same problem.

I took out the graphics card, tried booting - nope, wouldn't POST.

I put the graphics card back in, and - still won't POST.

I took it apart entirely and put it back together. Everything seems properly connected! Then the fans spin up properly, everything looks great... but no signal to the monitor.

I try DVI, I try HDMI... nothing. I try with one stick of ram, w/o peripherals, w/o graphics card... nothing.

Then it stops getting that far. Now it powers off a few seconds after I press the on button.

The computer is in the exact same configuration it was in when it would (at various times) A) boot successfully but power off after a short time, B) power off at the launch of the gui, C) display BIOS but not get to bootloader, D) turn on but output nothing to monitor, E) power off the moment it was turned on.

I took it apart completely and put it back together again. Nothing.

I tried an on-the-box build - nothing but motherboard and PSU, hooked up to power and the monitor. And with various combinations of peripherals. Entirely outside the case. Nothing.

I've tried booting from each hard drive, from various install CDs... nothing.

I've gotten a new power supply, a new mobo, and tried every possible combination of chips and peripherals. Right now it's just a box of very expensive silicon.

Dear Internet: WHAT CAN I DO?!

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The specs are as follows:

PROCESSOR:
intel core i7-3770k ivy bridge 3.5ghz lga 1155 77w quad-core desktop processor / intel hd graphics 4000

MOBO:
gigabyte ga-z77x-d3h lga 1155 intel z77 atx

RAM:
avexir standard ddr3-1600 32gb (8gbx4) cl10

PSU:
xion xon-850p14f 850w, atx 12v 2.91 & eps 12v

OTHER:

27″ ViewSonic monitor
Arctic Silver 5 thermal paste
Rosewill wireless card
LG CD/DVD burner/player
Western Digital Green 3TB 7200rpm drives x2
Mushkin Enhanced Chronos SATAIII 240GB SSD

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HELP!

-davekov

[zburns]

Davekov,

Very sorry to hear about your problems. I can help you in the morning, a small beginning right now. Your quote:
All parts arrived. I built the system carefully & with good anti-static precautions.

How did you go about using 'good anti-static precautions' -- just describe how you did this as straight forward as possible.

Regarding the handling of your components, the following is 'approximately' what you should have done. All circuit boards should 100 % of the time be handled by the thin edges of the board only. You should absolutely never touch the underside of a board or any components on the top side of the board. Just the raw fiberglass edges of the board only. In handling the cpu chip, one finger on one side of the chip, another finger on the opposite side.

It is best to leave the boards in the manufacturers shipping bags until you are ready to do the assemble. The boards are shipped in a anti-static bag generally and they should remain in the plastic shipping bag until the point they are to be installed.

Last question deals with the weather at the time you were doing the assembly and any unpacking. If the weather was dry and very cold, with or without snow, these are ideal conditions for static discharge. If weather was warmer and humid (some rain), the chances of static discharge are less.

Also, describe the table or workbench you did the assembly on and the floor covering (if any) in the room you did the assembly on.

So give me the info above; I will reread your post above multiple times, look at the various components and comment back to you tomorrow am. But I do need the above info, and please be brief but 'very clear in your statements'. I am not trying to pin your problems on static discharge, but I do want to rule it out as best possible.

[zburns]

Try these steps to see when the system fails. But use Static protection thru out!

1. Remove the cpu from the motherboard.

2. Hook up motherboard to psu as if everything normal. Turn on psu. If the motherboard stays on (hopefully some led on the mobo lights up) or some led on the psu says 'everything ok'!

3. Provided step 2 works out ok, add one stick of RAM in one of the dual channel slots, but one of these two slots is the prefered slot if only one stick of RAM is used per 'dual channel group of two sticks' -- check your manual.
Turn combo of psu, mobo and one RAM stick on. If ok at this point go to step 4.

4. Reinstall cpu to mother board, leave single RAM stick in place. Turn on, if all is ok, then go to step 5.

5. Add one more RAM stick to other dual channel slot -- again see manual. You will have one stick in one dual channel slot and the other stick in the other 'dual channel slots'. In both cases, there is a preferred slot in each of the dual channel pairs -- you manual will explain.

6. Based on what you have said, by now something should have failed. When trouble shooting these type components, you have to test 'one component' at a time. You are looking for the 'component' that triggers failure.

The motherboard is a component, likewise each stick of RAM is a component, the cpu is a component. Keep the video card out of the picture, unless, by some chance, that the mobo, cpu and RAM sticks all work together and the psu stays on. If you do have things work, then your monitor will show successful BIOS on the monitor screen, but do not hook up the monitor until you complete steps 1 thru 4. At this point, step 4 successful, then mobo, one stick of RAM and cpu are all ok! As you go to step 5, something has to cause failure as you add the additional RAM sticks.

[RickyTick]

1. Remove the cpu from the motherboard.


Yep, this sounds like the likely culprit. The cpu is probably not seated well. Clean off with some rubbing alcohol and reapply thermal paste.