770 Extreme3 won't post - CPU or MB?

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   Hi I've got a 770 Extreme3 based system that has been working fine for years but the other day when I went to turn it on and turned on for about 3 seconds and then shut back down again. I've tested the CPU and its fine.

Sometimes it wouldn't turn on at all (no fans start) and sometimes it would turn on like above (just a few seconds before shutting down again. No beeps, no video, no post. I tried yesterday to remove the video card (no change) and then I tried removing the memory sticks (3 beeps than turned off).

Strangely today when I tried again the turning itself back off behavior stopped but other than when I remove the memory its still not beeping, and with the memory in there's no beep or post. Why it decided to stop turning itself off I don't know.

I've rechecked all the connections and they are fine. There are no cards installed besides video and I've unplugged everything else. I've also attempted to clear the CMOS.

My assumption at this point is that either the CPU or the motherboard is dead and needs to be replaced. Assuming its not both, is there anyway I can tell which is dead short of trying a different cpu (which I don't have)?

Thanks.

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fallenturtle Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 28 Oct 2015 Status: Offline Points: 5	Post Options Post Reply Quote fallenturtle Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Topic: 770 Extreme3 won't post - CPU or MB? Posted: 28 Oct 2015 at 2:19am
	Hi I've got a 770 Extreme3 based system that has been working fine for years but the other day when I went to turn it on and turned on for about 3 seconds and then shut back down again. I've tested the CPU and its fine. Sometimes it wouldn't turn on at all (no fans start) and sometimes it would turn on like above (just a few seconds before shutting down again. No beeps, no video, no post. I tried yesterday to remove the video card (no change) and then I tried removing the memory sticks (3 beeps than turned off). Strangely today when I tried again the turning itself back off behavior stopped but other than when I remove the memory its still not beeping, and with the memory in there's no beep or post. Why it decided to stop turning itself off I don't know. I've rechecked all the connections and they are fine. There are no cards installed besides video and I've unplugged everything else. I've also attempted to clear the CMOS. My assumption at this point is that either the CPU or the motherboard is dead and needs to be replaced. Assuming its not both, is there anyway I can tell which is dead short of trying a different cpu (which I don't have)? Thanks.

Xaltar Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Moderator Group Joined: 16 May 2015 Location: Europe Status: Offline Points: 22688	Post Options Post Reply Quote Xaltar Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 28 Oct 2015 at 2:25am
	Always suspect the PSU first when a system has been up and running for a long time. In my experience whenever a system suddenly stops posting after the PC has been working fine for a year or more it is usually its PSU. The post beeps when memory is removed is a good sign that the CPU and board are communicating which tends to indicate either bad RAM, unlikely that more than one will fail, or bad power. Try another PSU if you can. I hope this helps.

fallenturtle Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 28 Oct 2015 Status: Offline Points: 5	Post Options Post Reply Quote fallenturtle Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 28 Oct 2015 at 2:31am
	You think it could be the PSU even if it passed one of those PSU testers that checks the rails? The PSU is actually pretty new as my old one died about a year ago. I figured if the RAM was bad it would still post or at least beep at me. Assuming the PSU and memory are ok, is there a way to determine if its the MB or CPU?

Xaltar Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Moderator Group Joined: 16 May 2015 Location: Europe Status: Offline Points: 22688	Post Options Post Reply Quote Xaltar Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 28 Oct 2015 at 2:53am
	It is possible yes, the testers often do not place enough load on the PSU to cause it to fail. Your system draws far more power than the tester so while the PSU may handle the load of the tester fine it may not be able to handle your system anymore. As for figuring out if it is motherboard or CPU I would say that if the system beeps 3 times without RAM installed then the CPU, which contains the memory controller and is initialized first is likely OK. Good luck

fallenturtle Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 28 Oct 2015 Status: Offline Points: 5	Post Options Post Reply Quote fallenturtle Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 28 Oct 2015 at 5:35am
	So I tried a different PSU and now it is displaying output. It's getting to where it said my memory is OK, and not proceeding past that. It seems to respond to keystrokes right after turning on but for not long. For example if I hit tab right after turning it on I can get the post messages instead of the graphic screen and if I hit del or f2 when turning it on it does say it's entering startup but it still doesn't progress past showing: Entering SETUP... Press F6 for Instant Flash Press F11 for Boot Menu Dual Channel Memory Mode 4096MB OK I tried using F6 and F11 but that didn't do anything. I tried both sticks of RAM by themselves and other than it saying Single Channel instead of Dual and reporting 2038MB OK its acting the same way. Edited by fallenturtle - 28 Oct 2015 at 5:48am

Xaltar Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Moderator Group Joined: 16 May 2015 Location: Europe Status: Offline Points: 22688	Post Options Post Reply Quote Xaltar Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 28 Oct 2015 at 6:29am
	It would seem in that case that the power supply may have damaged the board when it died. You can try clearing CMOS again and seeing if that helps at all but if not then it is likely the power circuits of the board may have been damaged or the PSU you tested with may also be faulty (not likely if it is new).