First build, not booting up...think it's PSU

[kershner]

How do I test to see if the mobo is bad? Or test for a short?

 

[brinks]

Just want to make sure, do you have the 8-pin cpu power connected?

 

[kershner]

Oh yeah.

 

[kershner]

So, is there a way to test if the mobo/case connections are bad? Or do I just start RMAing at random? Lol

 

[nderscore]

Try having only the bare minimum:
Motherboard
CPU
One stick of RAM
Video Card
Power Supply

Make sure the 24 pin and 8 pin on the motherboard is connected.
Make sure the video card has power by supplying the appropriate PCI-E cables.
Make sure when everything is plugged in that the switch on the back of the power supply is in the closed position ( - rather than o ).
Plug in your power supply to the wall outlet.

At this point you should see some LED light up on your motherboard, indicating that the board has power.

 

[kershner]

Do I need to have the front panels from my case correctly hooked up for this test to work?

Basically, will I get the LEDs on the mobo to light up without the front panel connectors being connected? And if they don't light up...bingo, bad mobo?

 

[Jayce]

My vote is for the pin settings on the lower right of the motherboard which attach to the front of the case. You need your power button to work. If it doesn't, you won't be able to power on. If it's not at the right pin connection, then nadda is gonna work.

Look in your manual for your wiring configuration. Even if your mobo manual sucks, it should still have a diagram somewhere in it.

 

[patonb]

You don't need the switch, use something to jump the pwr switch/pins.

Edit, as Surge said.. pg 27 of the MB manual shows you which are which.

I bet you've got them wrong.

 

[NightSurge]

Do I need to have the front panels from my case correctly hooked up for this test to work?

Basically, will I get the LEDs on the mobo to light up without the front panel connectors being connected? And if they don't light up...bingo, bad mobo?

You shouldn't need the front panel pins connected.

Now, I just want you to know that you don't have to feel bad because your first build had complications. It is very common for PC hardware to be DOA or have issues, especially when building custom machines as each part will have a different percent chance of failure. The chance that something was DOA or failed in your build is the same as if you would buy a computer from somewhere else, only this time you get better warranties on the parts, better support because you can call all of your part manufacturers, and usually a more reliable computer since companies like Dell, HP, etc. often use no-name cheap brand parts.

So basically, keep your head up and once everything is up and running you will have a great sense of accomplishment!

 

[kershner]

You don't need the switch, use something to jump the pwr switch/pins.

Jump the pwr switch/pins? Can you elaborate on that for me?

I've tried putting the PWR_Switch cable into every single slot on the front panel connector board, none of them work.

Thanks for giving me a little bit of hope about the DOA parts...I was starting to wonder if it was exceedingly rare for a part to be DOA (and therefore I must be doing something wrong).