Weirdest PC Issue I've Run into...I need help

[Devastator0]

Hey guys,

Long time lurker, first time topic poster here (I will also apologize for the wall of text but please stick with me). I am trying to be a good grandson and have been handed my grandparents PC that's having the weirdest issue I've ever run into. What I'll do first is give you the full specs of the system:

Case: InWin Dragon Slayer mATX
PSU: Corsair AX650 80 Plus Gold
Mobo: ASUS Maximus IV Gene-Z/GEN3
CPU: Intel Core i7 2600K
CPU Cooler: Coolermaster Hyper212 EVO
RAM: 4 x Corsair CML16GX3M4A1600C9 DDR3 = 16GB
GPU: EVGA GTX580
HDD: Samsung 1TB HDD w/ Win 10 Pro
ODD: Liteon DVD-RW
Wireless Card: TP-Link TL-WDN4800

Now, onto the issue...bare with me if my explanation is a bit convoluted but I'll do my very best to make sense.

I'll start with an original issue that the machine was having a little while ago that made me need to check it out the first time. So the PC was supposedly experiencing shut down problems (I wasn't given clear information at the time, which is typical) but I pretty much brought the PC home and when I tested it, the rig would start up fine, run and be all sweet. I stress tested it at that time and it all seemed ok. Then when I shut the machine down, just at the moment the fans stopped spinning, specifically the CPU cooler fans, the machine would suddenly start up again. I was racking my fucking brain for days thinking what it may be. I completely dismantled the rig onto my kitchen table and just tried running it as an open air bench. Issue still happened, I was like wtf (I originally thought it was a PSU issue but I tested the rig with a 100% known good PSU & issue still persisted). Eventually I got the idea in my head to swap out the CMOS battery. Lo and behold, that fixed the problem. I was amazed. So I thought great, it can go back to them all happy. Machine was behaving correctly.

This ended this past weekend where they told me the PC was randomly shutting down, and when it did, it wouldn't power back on. Pushing the power button on the case has no effect. I was told that they had to wait like 2 hours before the system would start up again via the power button.

I was like wtf so I brought the rig home again, plugged it in, it switched on fine and seemed ok. Ran a few games, surfed the net, ran Unigine Heaven for a bit and was ok. I then turned it off and tried to switch it back on again. The rig would not switch on. Neither via the case power button or via the mobo "Start" button on it. I briefly checked to ensure all cables were connected correctly and they are since the last time an issue happened, I rebuilt the whole rig and cleanly managed cables and made sure all was hooked up properly.

I've just spent the last day looking blankly at the PC trying to think of what to do to try and fix this issue without needing to spend any money at the moment lol.

I'll welcome any feedback or suggestions because in all my time working on PC's, what this machine is doing does not make sense. If you need any more information from me, let me know and I'll post as soon as I'm able to.

Again, sorry for the wall of text but I would very much appreciate any assistance from this awesome, and knowledgeable, community.

 

[dorsetknob]

Sounds like a Power issue with the PSU
Inspect the PSU/Motherboard Connectors( both the 4+4 and the 24 pin )
for signs of Arcing/burning/overheating

 

[Devastator0]

Sounds like a Power issue with the PSU
Inspect the PSU/Motherboard Connectors( both the 4+4 and the 24 pin )
for signs of Arcing/burning/overheating

See, the last time this rig had issues, I borrowed a work friend's 100% working PSU but the issue that it was having at the time still persisted. I even took the PSU from the problem PC to work and tried it in a rig there and it worked fine. I originally suspected a bad PSU but this test made me say ok, no, it's not that. I'll take a look at the cables though...

Edit: Ok so I've looked at the cables, the pins look clean & gold. No signs of melting or burns or the like.

 

[Athlonite]

Also for the power off and starts straight back up issue check the BIOS for resume on power off make sure it's set to remain off some BIOS's come with it set restart computer
dorsetknob maybe onto something with it being a PSU problem if you unplug the PSU from the power socket wait a few minutes and plug it back in does it then start up if yes it was the PSU going into a protect mode during the shutdown sequence for some reason

 

[Devastator0]

Also for the power off and starts straight back up issue check the BIOS for resume on power off make sure it's set to remain off some BIOS's come with it set restart computer
dorsetknob maybe onto something with it being a PSU problem if you unplug the PSU from the power socket wait a few minutes and plug it back in does it then start up if yes it was the PSU going into a protect mode during the shutdown sequence for some reason

That issue with the machine turning back on again stopped last time after I replaced the CMOS battery (for some weird reason, but it did). I guess I'll need to try another PSU again now to see if the machine reacts the same.

 

[Caring1]

Have you tried disabling the Asus anti-surge in the BIOS?

 

[DRDNA]

inspect the motherboard for a bad capacitor.

 

[qubit]

It sounds like hardware failure on the mobo and/or PSU. Yes, even though you've done the PSU swap tests it doesn't eliminate the possibility. Try another known good PSU again. I suspect the mobo more though.

I'll second drdna on the caps, too. Check for bulging caps, especially.

Another thing to try is a cmos ram clear by removing the battery and touching the pins on the mobo, as per the manual. It's surprising what weirdness this fixes sometimes. You can try this one first, as it's a quickie and costs nothing.

 

[trog100]

i recon its the motherboard going bad.. meaning maybe it needs replacing.. unless you love banging you head against brick walls.. ..

trog

 

[TheoneandonlyMrK]

It sounds like hardware failure on the mobo and/or PSU. Yes, even though you've done the PSU swap tests it doesn't eliminate the possibility. Try another known good PSU again. I suspect the mobo more though.

I'll second drdna on the caps, too. Check for bulging caps, especially.

Another thing to try is a cmos ram clear by removing the battery and touching the pins on the mobo, as per the manual. It's surprising what weirdness this fixes sometimes. You can try this one first, as it's a quickie and costs nothing.

i agree with this but would add that actually jumpering the clear cmoss and leaving it overnight as opposed to a quick clear has worked for me before too(I had tried quick clear).

 

[qubit]

i agree with this but would add that actually jumpering the clear cmoss and leaving it overnight as opposed to a quick clear has worked for me before too(I had tried quick clear).

Doesn't hurt to do that, but I think the benefit varies from mobo to mobo.

I remember on my various Abit boards from a decade+ ago, it was enough to remove the battery and short the pins for a couple of seconds for a complete clear. But yeah, our OP has nothing to lose by taking the unhurried route.

 

[krull]

open the window side of the chase. put a fan at side making airflow going full inside the chase and try again.

try withwow tplink wifi inside the chase.

applause when pc is running.

later all

 

[Devastator0]

Ok, so, to wrap up this thread, you guys called it. Dodgy PSU. I tested using another known good PSU again and the machine booted up. I picked up a replacement Corsair RM650x and have whacked it in the system and it's all good now. Boots up, runs and seems fine now. So annoying though, especially since I tested the PSU about a month or two ago and it was all good. Ahh well, these things happen I guess. Thanks to everyone for your input and advice. It's much appreciated!!

 

[Caring1]

Like I mentioned earlier in the thread, the Asus anti-surge setting in the BIOS can and will cause this type of behaviour if the PSU is not performing within it's specified range.

 

[ChunkyComputerGuy]

Hi Kids!. @Devastator0 that doesn't seem like a grandparents type of pc at all. Well, except for the mechanical hdd. Otherwise it looks more like a young kids computer!. Young at heart I guess!. Wondering if you sent in the PSU for an RMA. Corsair has excellent warranty/rma service in my experience. In fact, I just looked that model up and it has a 7 year warranty.

 

[Devastator0]

Like I mentioned earlier in the thread, the Asus anti-surge setting in the BIOS can and will cause this type of behaviour if the PSU is not performing within it's specified range.

I'll be sure to keep that in mind going forward. I'll monitor how the machine goes with the new PSU for a few days and make the appropriate changes from there. Thanks again for your feedback/suggestion mate

 

[Devastator0]

Hi Kids!. @Devastator0 that doesn't seem like a grandparents type of pc at all. Well, except for the mechanical hdd. Otherwise it looks more like a young kids computer!. Young at heart I guess!. Wondering if you sent in the PSU for an RMA. Corsair has excellent warranty/rma service in my experience. In fact, I just looked that model up and it has a 7 year warranty.

Yeah, it is actually my grandparents rig, Grandfather plays Fifa & a number of racing games. I cobbled it together years ago with parts I had lying around and some people have donated equipment to it, such as the GPU. As an example, the rig originally had a 560, but a friend gave me his 580 when he upgraded. As for the PSU, yeah, I'm aware of the 7 year warranty, but I needed to get the PC up and running quickly. I'm not even sure as to when I originally purchased it so it probably is out of warranty by now.

 

[John Naylor]

The 650AX was built on Seasonic's X series platform and came out in mid 2012 IIRC.... understanding that ya needed to get it up and running, I'd RMA it anyway and keep the replacement as a standby for just the reason that ya needed one here.

 

[jagjitnatt]

The most common reason for this problem is a short on the motherboard. And usually its a case that is shorting the pins behind the motherboard.
I would boot using just the motherboard, CPU and RAM, and that also placed on a plastic bag.
If that is also not working, then try to update BIOS, clear CMOS, re-seat the CPU. Remove RAM, clean the contact points using a rubber eraser, and re-seat the modules.
If none of that works, then try a fail-safe boot - increase voltage to CPU by 0.05v, Don't use XMP timings for RAM, disable all onboard stuff like sound, ethernet, power management etc.

If even that doesn't work, then you've got a bad motherboard.

 

[kennyreid95]

Weird life I say

Tech life

 

[agent_x007]

Are all MB standoffs installed (and those that are, do not flex installed board in any way) ?