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PC won't boot, red VGA light on mobo.

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Apr 21, 2022
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Hey guys, I just built my first pc. Everything works fine except I wont get a display and there's a red light on the motherboard VGA. I'm a bit worried as i accidentally pulled the gpu off with the latch still on, any help much appreciated.

The lights seem to randomly change what they're while booting, which is why one of the pics has a the dram light on.
 

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Hey guys, I just built my first pc. Everything works fine except I wont get a display and there's a red light on the motherboard VGA. I'm a bit worried as i accidentally pulled the gpu off with the latch still on, any help much appreciated.

The lights seem to randomly change what they're while booting, which is why one of the pics has a the dram light on.


Need complete detailed system specs of everything in that case, to include case itself
 
Motherboards will report different codes at different points in the boot process. Shifting codes, in and of itself, is not indicative of a problem.

Your motherboard manual (or the website) may have troubleshooting instructions. Can you identify manufacturer/model?

With no other info to go on, my first thought is that the RAM might not be fully seated, or that it might be installed in the wrong slots. I'd check that first.
 
Specs:
Gigabyte 3080ti OC
i5 12600k
gigabyte z690 ud ddr4
patriot steel viper 3600mhz ram 2 x 16
corsair rm850x 2018
fractal torrent

I tried moving the ram around, nothing.
I also tried another gpu and it did the same thing which may mean its an issue with the mobo, not the gpu thank god
I also tried different pcie slots.
 
Specs:
Gigabyte 3080ti OC
i5 12600k
gigabyte z690 ud ddr4
patriot steel viper 3600mhz ram 2 x 16
corsair rm850x 2018
fractal torrent

I tried moving the ram around, nothing.
I also tried another gpu and it did the same thing which may mean its an issue with the mobo, not the gpu thank god
I also tried different pcie slots.
Pull mobo out of case, place on insulated surface, check lga pins for damage, clear cmos, make sure ram is in slots 2 and 4 from the left to the right.
 
Land Grid Array,
Tried what you said, nothing. Using only one stick of ram and using the igpu worked, but now i dont have a gpu and the BOOT led is on. Maybe because i reset the cmos.

Also, I noticed that the gpu's led turns on, but the fans don't spin.
 
Tried what you said, nothing. Using only one stick of ram and using the igpu worked, but now i dont have a gpu and the BOOT led is on. Maybe because i reset the cmos.

Also, I noticed that the gpu's led turns on, but the fans don't spin.

So you plugged in the 3080 and hooked monitor to it and it failed still?

Where did you get the gpu from?
 
Amazon. From a good seller. I honestly think there's something obvious im missing since this is my first time. Maybe i just need to install an os and get nvidia control panel working?
 
Amazon. From a good seller. I honestly think there's something obvious im missing since this is my first time. Maybe i just need to install an os and get nvidia control panel working?

And who is the good seller, you are being too vague, give details

Thats not going to work if you cant get system to post with the gpu.

Being your first build Get to a shop so the motherboard and gpu can be tested.
 
And who is the good seller, you are being too vague, give details

Thats not going to work if you cant get system to post with the gpu.

Being your first build Get to a shop so the motherboard and gpu can be tested.
I can't at exactly who at the moment, ill see in the morning.

What's strange is I tried using a different gpu and it didn't work either. On several pcie slots. So I must assume there's something wrong with the mobo, even though its new and everything else works perfectly.

I'd really hate to have to take to a shop, especially since there's none in town. I suppose it's an option though.
 
I can't at exactly who at the moment, ill see in the morning.

What's strange is I tried using a different gpu and it didn't work either. On several pcie slots. So I must assume there's something wrong with the mobo, even though its new and everything else works perfectly.

I'd really hate to have to take to a shop, especially since there's none in town. I suppose it's an option though.

Well sounds to me either motherboard or cpu are faulty, get to a shop and have it tested to be sure, also it will verify your 3080 is good or not.
 
My guess is that there are bent pin(s) which makes the PCIe slots go crap themselves.
 
Cpus are now the bus controllers, if any pins are bent, covered in trash, it can cause slots to not work, even pins in slots being bent or covered in trash can do the same.
 
Cpus are now the bus controllers, if any pins are bent, covered in trash, it can cause slots to not work, even pins in slots being bent or covered in trash can do the same.
Yeah, exactly. They're way more prone to errors than back in the day.
 
Looks like the board has been around for more than a year. If there were no bent pins in the CPU socket, and you're using a 12x00 CPU, you may need a BIOS update to allow the board to recognize the newer processor.
 
Looks like the board has been around for more than a year. If there were no bent pins in the CPU socket, and you're using a 12x00 CPU, you may need a BIOS update to allow the board to recognize the newer processor.
Nope, 12th gen (LGA 1700) platform was released last november. And 12600K was released immediately so it's 99.99% sure that it's supported.
 
Okay, I may have found something interesting. No matter the GPU, (1060, 3080ti) the pins won't slot correctly into any pcie slot. So if I damaged the 3080ti by ripping it out, why would the 1060 have the same issue on different pcies? They seem to only snap into place on the right side of the slot, where as the left part can easily be pulled out.
 
Okay, I may have found something interesting. No matter the GPU, (1060, 3080ti) the pins won't slot correctly into any pcie slot. So if I damaged the 3080ti by ripping it out, why would the 1060 have the same issue on different pcies? They seem to only snap into place on the right side of the slot, where as the left part can easily be pulled out.
Post some pics from the 3080 Ti, especially from the connector if you doubt that it's causing the problems.

Also that "No matter the GPU, (1060, 3080ti) the pins won't slot correctly into any pcie slot." makes me wonder that is the motherboard correctly installed, do you have the standoffs installed between the case and the motherboard?
 
OhPost some pics from the 3080 Ti, especially from the connector if you doubt that it's causing the problems.

Also that "No matter the GPU, (1060, 3080ti) the pins won't slot correctly into any pcie slot." makes me wonder that is the motherboard correctly installed, do you have the standoffs installed between the case and the motherboard?
Oh shit, I may have missed them, damn. I didn't see anything like that in the manual, but there are standoffs included with the case. Can that really cause the gpu to not be detected, though?
 
Oh shit, I may have missed them, damn. I didn't see anything like that in the manual, but there are standoffs included with the case. Can that really cause the gpu to not be detected, though?
Yes, stand offs provide grounding and tension so you can insert cards correctly and fully.

I hope you didnt arc your board or break traces
 
Oh shit, I may have missed them, damn. I didn't see anything like that in the manual, but there are standoffs included with the case. Can that really cause the gpu to not be detected, though?
Without the standoffs, your board is screwed straight to the case, shorting everything from the backside as the pins of the board's components gets in touch with each other. And also as they're about 1cm in length, they make sure that the board is on the right height so the add-in cards will fit properly.

Like @eidairaman1 said, let's hope that nothing broke.
 
My pcs at the shop right now so i cant check, i imagine theyll find it. What would the signs be of it being arced or traces broken? Would it just not work or would there be something hard to find and insidious?
 
My pcs at the shop right now so i cant check, i imagine theyll find it. What would the signs be of it being arced or traces broken? Would it just not work or would there be something hard to find and insidious?
Hard to say as I haven't made that mistake during the ~18 years I've been building PCs. In theory, almost anything can be broken IF there's been a short and protection haven't kicked in.
 
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