Problem Troubleshooting for Newbies

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corwin323

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I'm putting together my first computer, and I'm experiencing some difficulty. I have all of the parts now, and I'm pretty sure they're all in the right places, but when I plug in the power supply, turn that on, and press the switch, nothing happens. I assumed it would be something to do with the case's connection to the mobo, but I consulted the mobo's manual and the POWER SW is clearly in the right place. (the right orientation, though, I don't know, I should try turning it around.)

Here is my build:
AMD Phenom II X4 840 3.2GHz
SAPPHIRE 100289VGAL Radeon HD 5670 1GB DDR3
Kingston HyperX 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM
Antec BP550 Plus 550W Continuous Power ATX12V
ASRock M3A770DE AM3 AMD 770 ATX AMD Motherboard
Xigmatek ASGARD II B/B CPC-T45UC-U01 Black / Black

There are more parts, but those are the main ones. Could anyone possibly give me some pointers?
 
Did you plug in the 4/8 pin power to the CPU?

Also, you can test the power switch pins by using a flathead screwdriver. just touch the two pins for the power switch.

Generally, not always, the side of the power switch, reset switch, etc. that are labeled go up. A black cable almost always means ground.
 
Make sure both power connectors are plugged into the mobo, there should be a 24-pin and a 8-pin.

Did you use the stand-off's between the motherboard and the case? Are they located in the correct positions, if one of them is located improperly it will short out the system. Try removing the power connectors from the drives, one at a time, to see if one of them is shorting out the system. Try starting the system with just one memory module, try the other module by it's self. Try starting it without any memory, it won't start but it should beep. Try removing the video card, once again it won't start but it should beep. Lastly, try removing everything from the case and assemble the parts on a table or on a large piece of cardboard (Not The Carpet) and see if it will start.

Generally, not always, the side of the power switch, reset switch, etc. that are labeled go up. A black cable almost always means ground.

That doesn't matter as I always make sure the label goes down so it can't be seen.
 
I know I checked the 24-pin power connector, but I'll have to double check the 8-pin.

MoM, what exactly did you mean about testing the power switch pins?

SlayMate, you're talking about the stand-offs that hold the mobo above the case? If one of them is placed and doesn't need to be could that short it out? o_O And also, what do you mean located improperly? If it isn't screwed in all the way could that be a problem?
Also, for SATA drive power... How does that work exactly? I have a modular PSU, so I plugged in the drive connector, and it had 3 outputs, all in a row. I'm pretty sure I used the first one and the last one.

I'll start fiddling with the wires, and try removing different parts and seeing if it will start. Thank you very much.
 
The front port panel on your motherboard, where your power switch, power led, reset switch, hdd led go. On the two pins that turn the computer on, take a flathead screwdriver, and touch those two pins.

Yes, if there is a standoff where there isn't a hole, it will short out your board.
 
Alright, I got everything set up, and I tried a couple of your suggestions. Turns out I was plugging in the PCIe Power into the CPU power header. *derp* Just one question though: As I attempted to turn it on, the fans started whirring and what not, and it all seemed functional. I plugged in my hard drive and CD drive to my modular PSU, and made another attempt. At first I saw something foggy in the back of the case (near the 3.5" drive bays), and I noticed I smelled something burning. I shut off the power supply immediately and began to investigate cautiously. Nothing really came of it, and I didnt see any damage, so after a break I continued. I didnt notice anything at first, but after checking the bios, it didnt even recognize my hard drive was plugged in. And after further investigation, my CD drive doesn't read CD's. Is there something that I might have done wrong? Because I'm now using old equipment, plugged in the same way, and they seem to be working fine. Could a single piece of faulty equipment have done that to the whole circuit? Or were they both just defective?
 
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