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5 reasons why a new PC cannot start
Building your own PC will bring a certain sense of satisfaction. It would be very interesting to study the construction, possibly save money for various components, and then piece them together. Some builds are easier than others-assembling a custom water cooling circuit is obviously more difficult than tapping the stock air cooler in place and inserting the pre-installed chassis fan. But that’s okay, it’s an ecstatic moment to press the power button for the first time and see your carefully crafted system suddenly rejuvenate.
Or, if nothing happens, it can be maddening.
Even the simplest build can sometimes be stubborn. Refusal to start the newly assembled PC will test your knowledge and patience and your ability to troubleshoot. Sometimes it is a bad component, it is between you and the happiness of the first boot. But more commonly, this is an error in the build process. Don’t worry, these things will happen even if you have been manufacturing PCs for many, many years.
We assume that you have checked whether your system is plugged into a power source and the power switch is in the correct position-to be honest, we have never been attracted by this. Once you delete that one from the list, here are the five main reasons why your newly assembled PC may not start.
1. Misplaced front panel connector
The first is the front panel connector. When referring to the positive/negative diagrams listed in the motherboard manual, we still have to fumble for a small set of wires, which seems stupid, but it is the case. These wires extend from the front panel of the chassis and connect the power button, reset button, and drive activity LED to dedicated connectors on the motherboard.
It is easy to insert them into the wrong pins. For example, if you plug the power LED wire into the place where the power switch wire should be connected, nothing will happen when you press the power button of the chassis. Fortunately, inserting them in the wrong location will not harm your PC.
Less important to the power and reset switches is the correct alignment of the positive and ground (or “negative”) wires. However, you should still try to do this, because reversing the LED leads will cause the light to not work, which will prevent you from troubleshooting. On most plugs, there is a small arrow indicating the positive wire. If there is no arrow, check the color of the wire. The colored wire is positive, while the white and black wires are both grounded.
2. RAM installed incorrectly
When it comes to RAM, the system can be finicky—memory may be the number one cause of build problems. Generally, you don’t need to limit yourself to a few memory kits specifically approved by motherboard manufacturers, although this is not a bad starting point.However, you Do You need to make sure that your RAM stick is properly seated, as this is one of the most common reasons why your PC cannot start.
When installing RAM, carefully align the notch on the RAM module with the notch in the DIMM slot to ensure that the module will not be stuck backwards. If the alignment is correct, press down firmly so that the tabs on both sides snap into place. Even though the RAM seems to be installed correctly, if your system fails to boot, try removing the modules and reinstalling them.
3. Missing power cord
Your motherboard needs power, and your processor and graphics card also need power. Depending on your specific components, you may see three or more power cords extending from the power supply that need to be plugged in. If one of them is missing, your system will only stare at you when it tries to start.
The critical cables on a fully modular PSU are particularly easy to overlook. If your PC does not start up, please double check whether the 24-pin ATX main cable is plugged into the motherboard. Some motherboards have a 20-pin connector. On most modern PSUs, the four extra pins are separated from the main connector. Also make sure that you have plugged the appropriate PSU cable into the motherboard’s 4-pin or 8-pin CPU connector.
Separate from the motherboard, your graphics card needs at least one power cord (there are exceptions, but they are niche). Nowadays, one or two 6-pin or 8-pin connectors are common. If you are packaging a very powerful GPU, then you may need up to three 8-pin connectors. These are marked as “PCI-E” on the corresponding PSU connector.
Finally, when using a modular PSU, make sure that all cables are firmly inserted where they belong, including the component side and the PSU side.
4. Missing motherboard bracket
Many modern cases have brackets installed on the motherboard tray, while other cases put them in a bag, and it is up to you to place them where you need to go. These supports raise your motherboard so that it does not come into direct contact with the metal tray. Otherwise, you may encounter two problems. One is that the motherboard cannot be properly aligned with the front I/O panel of the chassis, and more importantly, the second is that the motherboard may be short-circuited.
Different sizes of motherboards use different numbers of brackets. For standard ATX motherboards, there are nine holes that can be aligned with the corresponding brackets. You can usually reduce the usage, but it is best to use them all to ensure that your motherboard does not move and is properly supported. In any case, please make sure that your motherboard is not placed directly on the tray.
5. CPU overheating
It is rare for a CPU to fail, but if your system fails to boot, please don’t ignore this possibility. We assume that you did not press your internal Hulk and CPU into the socket when installing, bending and breaking the pins. So, what else can it be?
It may be that your CPU is overheated. One of the signs of a problem is whether your PC has been turned on for a short time, and then suddenly shut down. Your CPU cooler may not be in full contact with the processor, and your PC is shutting down to prevent any damage. Or, if you have an AIO cooler, you may not have the power cord connected to the pump-the end result is that the CPU overheats.
The first thing to check is the fan connector. Make sure that the fan of the cooler is plugged into the CPU fan header on the motherboard. This will be somewhere near the CPU socket and should be clearly marked. If you check it out, like everything else so far, remove and reinstall the CPU cooler. For the brand new version, you do not need to clean and reapply the thermal paste unless you use too much or too little at the beginning. Hopefully, by reinstalling the cooler, it will contact the CPU correctly and finally make your PC boot.