1 Rookie
•
5 Posts
0
61
June 2nd, 2025 12:57
Aurora R10 Ryzen, motherboard issue
Yet another possible MB issue. All original components, nothing changed/removed/reinstalled since purchase (until Issue started). It's my adult son's PC. He didn't notice anything unusual before the issue started. He's not a tech guy, so i know he didn't tinker with anything: no overclocking, etc.
It won't power on. Press the power button and all the fans run, the large front LED lights up, GPU lights up, but not the alien head power button. It runs for ~ 3-5 seconds and turns off. The fans will keep running as long as I hold the button. Nothing ever appears on screen so I can't get to BIOS.
It tries to give an error code, but it gets cut short, so I doubt I'm getting the full msg. I sometimes get 2 blinks before it shuts down, but no more. Sometimes, it doesn't stay on long enough for even that. I can tell the 2nd blink gets cut short, so there may be more.
I've cleared CMOS, reseated RAM one at a time, and reseated SSD, checked and reseated all mb wires. The PSU seems to check out.
Any other suggestions to try and narrow it down to a failed MB vs anything else, like a bad processor? It seems like our only option is a used MB, which is not something I'd normally consider. The CPU is water cooled, which is something I don't have much experience with, so I'm not sure if there could be an issue there. I think if there was, it would at least try to boot.
Thanks
scottroll
1 Rookie
•
5 Posts
0
June 5th, 2025 00:44
Update: I bought a used motherboard from eBay for $100. I received it today, put it in, and the PC is up and running like a champ again.
Thanks everyone for your input and advice.
scottroll
1 Rookie
•
5 Posts
0
June 2nd, 2025 13:05
I'm posting a reply since I can't edit the original post. I wanted to add that I also tried replacing the CMOS battery.
anne_droid
3 Apprentice
•
649 Posts
1
June 2nd, 2025 13:43
Hi
2 age related things come to mind, and the first you have covered which is CMOS coin cell battery, and the other is CPU Thermal Paste, where the CPU goes into thermal shutdown.
scottroll
1 Rookie
•
5 Posts
0
June 2nd, 2025 15:05
@anne_droid
Thanks for the reply.
Good point about the thermal paste. However, if it was that, shouldn't the PC still boot up and run briefly before the CPU reached an unsafe temp and shut down?
Vanadiel
6 Professor
•
6.9K Posts
1
June 2nd, 2025 17:04
Disconnect everything from the tower except the monitor, and see what happens next.
scottroll
1 Rookie
•
5 Posts
0
June 2nd, 2025 17:25
@Vanadiel
I tried that, both with only the monitor and also with only the monitor and a wired keyboard connected, and I got the same results as described above.
The power button clearly attempts to convey an error code, but it gets cut off before it is completed. The monitor never displays anything.
redxps630
9 Legend
•
14.4K Posts
1
June 3rd, 2025 22:00
someone mentioned thermal paste. the story sounds like a bad motherboard. if you remove the cpu cooler, and put your finger on it while trying to power on the board, and the cpu IHS stays cold after a few minutes, it is a bad sign that it does not even get to the cpu.