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Newly Built System Won't Turn On

Last response: in Systems

I've just finished putting together a newly built system:

ASUS P8 Z68-V Pro Motherboard
Intel i7-2600K Processor
Seasonic 750W Power Supply
Radeon HD 6950 Graphics Card
Omega Sound Card

I've made all the connections I think I need, when I turn the power supply on, the lights on the motherboard come on, but when I push the power button on the tower case, nothing happens. I've checked the connections to make sure everything's tight, but to no avail so far.

Ideas for a checklist of things I can check to start eliminating problems? Should I try to disconnect various components to see if I can just get the computer to boot?

Thanks for any input.

I always start with the basics:
* Use only 1 RAM stick in 1 slot
* Only 1 DVD drive (if you have more than 1)
* Use onboard video/audio, if you have that option
* Double check all of your PSU connections to the mobo (24 pin, 4/8 pin for CPU power, etc.)

Double check that you connected the front panel connections correctly before you continue on too far. You might not have the power switch hooked up correctly (see page 2-40 of your mobo manual seen here.)
Related resources

Disconnect and remove EVERYTHING except the CPU & CPU fan.

Then reconnect/insert the 8-pin to CPU, CPU fan power, motherboard power, RAM, video output (use onboard, no discrete card), mouse, & keyboard. Then press the "ON" button on the motherboard itself--not your case.

If it works, then you had something connected wrong.

If nothing happens, then at least one of the parts is broken and it's time to try to isolate it (start with cycling individual RAM sticks through slots). Obviously your DVD & HDD are not important at this point and you don't need to be using them until you can reliably get to the bios.

Thank you for your feedback, it's a work in progress! The computer now comes on, but wouldn't boot with 16G, but did boot with 4G. I'm now in the process of going over the manual (again) about getting the BIOS to start correctly and recognize the drives, etc. Thanks again, I will post again when I don't make any headway. If anyone has input on how to set-up the BIOS, that would also be greatly appreciated. Thank you again for your help.

I can't help much with the bios as each one is a little different. The manual will probably help you out a lot. However, if you have specific questions, go ahead and post those and we might be able to explain what a setting does (Google may be faster, but try us if you'd like).

Go check the RAM settings. Set the RAM speed to the slowest possible (probably 1066MHz) and the timings to Auto. Also set the RAM Voltage to whatever the RAM sticks read (likely be 1.5V or 1.65V).

Some specifics that are common in the bios: Make sure to set your SATA setting to AHCI or RAID if there's IDE, RAID, and AHCI choices. Turn on S.M.A.R.T. monitoring. Enable shutdown if CPU fan fails.

Save settings and go back to Memtest86+ to see which RAM sticks and slots work and which don't. If you find that one stick definitely works--try it in every slot.

Does anyone have input on the 1.65V on Sandy Bridge? I've heard you're supposed to use 1.5V RAM.

You shouldn't be using your hard drive or CD drive yet.

I generally make sure most options are at default settings in the BIOS. And I'd do what dalauder says about checking each RAM slot in the mobo with the known good RAM stick. This way you can isolate a bad slot in the mobo, if there is one. If the RAM stick works in all of the slots than it's more than likely you have a bad stick or two in your pack. Memtest86 is a good test to run for RAM testing. I've used it quite a bit to verify RAM is good.

wow david you have the same build as me, except i have a gtx 560 ti and no sound card.

imma bookmark this thread, as dalauder's information is helpful for a first time builder as my self! :D 

Thanks so much delauder and everyone. So here's my status thus far:

I haven't tested the RAM slots, thanks for that idea I will do that.

When my computer is booting up, for a split second it shows that no drives are detected, when in fact there is one. (I had 3, but figured it would be easier to start with one and I was told when I try to boot my Windows 7 Professional 64-bit DVD to only have one drive readable). So, clearly I have some connection wrong with my drive. I have that drive connected to a Marvell Serial ATA 6.0 Gb/s connector rather than a Intel Z68 Serial ATA 6.0 Gb/s connector or 3.0 Gb/s connector. Any thoughts on that?

Then, once it gets through that process, it loads another screen showing: (couldn't read everything, but here's the gist)
the BIOS Version
PCIe x1 (something)
Adapter 1 Disks Information: ANCI Mode
S0 SATA: Samsung (my one hard-drive) 1TB
S1 STAT: DVD (which I believe is my blu-ray burner drive)

Then it finishes with:
Reboot and Select proper Boot device

Thoughts? Thanks again!

You'll need to go to the bios to check some settings. It tells you the button on that bootup screen (bottom probably) and it's probably "Delete".

It sounds like your computer is working fine, but you'll still need to check your settings and figure out if one stick or all of the RAM works. So does your RAM stick pass a full loop of Memtest86+? That's how I'd test for stability.

I'm not sure what you mean about the Marvell SATA III (6Gb/s) connector. Do you have an add-in card? Typically, you'd just plug it into the motherboard in any available port (make sure SSDs use 6Gb/s (SATA III) ports).

You might also want to double check that your temps are okay too, so I'd recommend checking them out for at least 30 min in the BIOS before continuing on. This will let you know if you have some other issue that might not be redily available (other than possible RAM issues).

Hey guys, just wanted to give you an update that the computer is working, but not perfectly yet. I have one of my three drives hooked up, and 8 of my 16Gs installed, so now it's time to play doctor with my drives. I've been reading that I might not have the right RAM, but that doesn't make sense that two RAM slots would work and two wouldn't, so I'm going to check with ASUS to see what's up. Thanks again for taking the time to respond to my inquirys, I really appreciate it. Take care and good luck with your own builds!

Have you run Memtest86 on each and every RAM stick? This would isolate your RAM as being an issue or if your Mobo has a bad RAM slot or not.