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Background:
Desktop PC was working last week. I moved/hid it to prevent it from being stolen in case someone broke into my house as I was away, now it won't turn on.

Problem description:

  • computer won't turn on despite motherboard light being on
  • when I press the power button, the power button light turns on very briefly
  • during that brief time none of the motherboard components (other than light) seem to receive any power as case fan, CPU fan, GPU fan all remain off
  • motherboard doesn't beep

What I know works:

  • the power / power strip as I have another working PC plugged to it
  • PSU paperclip test: put a paperclip on the main 24-pin cable (like so): the PSU starts, and so does my external SATA drive connected directly to the PSU.

What I checked:

  • PC case isn't touching any metal
  • All components (GPU, RAM etc...) are well mounted, no component seem loose
  • All case buttons (e.g. power button) seem properly connected

Does anybody have any troubleshooting tips which don't involve replacing hardware (e.g. replacing the various parts one by one like the power supply which I will try after any suggestions here)?

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    To start with re-seat all components like RAM, PSU Cables, GPU etc and check. Do one at a time. Check if PSU turns on by doing a basic paperclip test. You can google for search string PSU Paperclip test to know how to do it.
    – patkim
    Commented Dec 30, 2022 at 10:13
  • OK PSU paperclip test is working, checking all components one more time
    – Max
    Commented Dec 30, 2022 at 10:36

1 Answer 1

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Thanks to @patkim's suggestion on PSU Paperclip test which allowed me to rule out the PSU without a spare one.

In the end the problem seemed to be caused by one of the HDMI/Display cables as unplugging/replugging those cables fixed the issue. I suspect a contact with the case.

Setup:
I run a 4-display setup with a GeForce GTX 1660 on a Fractal Design Define R5 tower. Somehow there's very little space for me to plug the cables as the HDMI/Display ports are very close to the horizontal separators at the back of the case.

Troubleshooting:

  • Checked again that all components were well mounted on the motherboard, tested again => no difference
  • Removed all hdmi/display cables, tested again => it worked!
  • Plugged hdmi/display cables back, and it kept working

Hence my conclusion that it was a contact issue between cables and the case as I can't see what other issue unplugging/plugging back could have resolved, but if you have suggestions I'm all ears.

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  • PSU paperclip test is a very basic test just to confirm if PSU turns on or not in first place. A PSU that turns on in paperclip test may still be faulty in such a way that it may not turn on under load of the full system. But this basic test helps to confirm if PSU is dead or not.
    – patkim
    Commented Dec 30, 2022 at 12:33
  • Got it, thanks for the additional info
    – Max
    Commented Dec 30, 2022 at 12:35

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