First time PC builder, Cannot get PC to boot into BIOS. Debug LED help?

[smithbr]

Hey everyone,

Just finished building my first gaming PC. I have spend countless hours learning about the process and felt very confident going into it.

It is a Ryzen 5 3600 with an MSI B450 Gaming Pro Carbon MOBO

Assembly went well. Followed all manuals and watched videos before every step.

After I completed the assembly, I connected to a monitor and was unsuccessful in booting into the BIOS (using repeated pressing of the delete key)

I went back to the manual and check the debug-led information. My top light comes on for a few seconds after powering on, the goes off. Followed by the third and fourth lights coming on and off seconds later. So is it telling me I have an issue? I would assume they stay on if there is? Here is a link to a video:

[MEDIA=youtube]prGXhISM2jw[/MEDIA]

Like I said, I am new to this. This is my first PC and I don’t really have anyone to turn to for help. So any advice is greatly appreciated!

Thank you!

Brian

[phillpower2]

Hello smithbr,

Couple of questions if I may;

Are you aware that the MB may need a BIOS update to be able to work with 3rd generation Ryzen CPUs.

If the answer to the above is yes, did the place from where you purchased the MB confirm that the board had the necessary BIOS revision already.

If you are 100% certain that the MB has the correct BIOS please see the below;

Please provide information about the rest of your hardware, post the brand and model name or number for the RAM (including the amount) add on video card and the PSU (power supply unit) providing these details will enable folk to better assist you.

[smithbr]

Hello smithbr,

Couple of questions if I may;

Are you aware that the MB may need a BIOS update to be able to work with 3rd generation Ryzen CPUs.

If the answer to the above is yes, did the place from where you purchased the MB confirm that the board had the necessary BIOS revision already.

If you are 100% certain that the MB has the correct BIOS please see the below;

Please provide information about the rest of your hardware, post the brand and model name or number for the RAM (including the amount) add on video card and the PSU (power supply unit) providing these details will enable folk to better assist you.

Yes I am aware of the MB needed a BIOS update. I confirmed with the place I bought it that it was Ryzen 3000 ready and it says so on the box.
Here is a list of the components in the system:
-Ryzen 5 3600
-MSI B450 Gaming Pro Carbon
-Corsair Vengeance 16GB DDR4-3000 RAM
-Intel 665 M.2 PCIe NVMe 3.0 SSD
-Gigabyte Radeon 5700xt GPU
-Thermaltake RGB 850w Bronze PSU
-Thermaltake View 71 Case

[phillpower2]

BIOS apparently ruled out then.

Is the PSU here the same model as yours, reason I ask is because your MB has the following PSU requirements;

[COLOR=rgb(97, 189, 109)]1 x 24-pin ATX main power connector
1 x 8-pin ATX 12V power connector
1 x 4-pin ATX 12V power connector [COLOR=rgb(226, 80, 65)]?

And the PSU has;

[COLOR=rgb(97, 189, 109)]1 x 24-pin ATX
1 x 4+4pin EPS
4 x 6+2 PCI-E
9 x SATA
6 x Peripheral
1 x Floppy

Which if correct means that the MB is missing a power connector from the PSU.[/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR]

[smithbr]

BIOS apparently ruled out then.

Is the PSU here the same model as yours, reason I ask is because your MB has the following PSU requirements;

[COLOR=rgb(97, 189, 109)]1 x 24-pin ATX main power connector
1 x 8-pin ATX 12V power connector
1 x 4-pin ATX 12V power connector [COLOR=rgb(226, 80, 65)]?

And the PSU has;

[COLOR=rgb(97, 189, 109)]1 x 24-pin ATX
1 x 4+4pin EPS
4 x 6+2 PCI-E
9 x SATA
6 x Peripheral
1 x Floppy

Which if correct means that the MB is missing a power connector from the PSU.
[/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR]

[COLOR=rgb(97, 189, 109)][COLOR=rgb(226, 80, 65)][COLOR=rgb(97, 189, 109)]
Hmmm… I see what you are saying. I was under the impression a 4+4 was the same as an 8 pin. But even if not, wouldn’t I be getting a Debug LED activation to notify me that the cpu is not getting power?[/color][/color][/color]

[smithbr]

Hmmm… I see what you are saying. I was under the impression a 4+4 was the same as an 8 pin. But even if not, wouldn’t I be getting a Debug LED activation to notify me that the cpu is not getting power?

And is there an adaptor that would do the trick here?

[phillpower2]

Will come back to the above later but first of all have something for you to try;

With the computer isolated from the mains electric;

Split the 4+4 connector into two, connect one to the 4 pin 12V ATX connector for the CPU, tuck the other 4 pin cable away somewhere secure, reassemble then see if you are able to power up.

[smithbr]

Will come back to the above later but first of all have something for you to try;

With the computer isolated from the mains electric;

Split the 4+4 connector into two, connect one to the 4 pin 12V ATX connector for the CPU, tuck the other 4 pin cable away somewhere secure, reassemble then see if you are able to power up.

Just tried it. No post. Also started up without cpu power connected. CPU Debug LED light remained illuminated. Would that mean it is getting power since it acted different when unplugged?

[phillpower2]

Not all boards are the same and the suggestion was made just to see if the behaviour of the LEDs changed at all. some boards the LEDs stay lit when all ok and some don`t light up at all if there is an issue.

Back to the power connectors, no one has done a build using every type of MB so there may be an exception but having used a lot of them over the years to me the board should post with just the 8 pin and the 24 pin connected and not need the 4 pin.

What does the user manual say about the debug LEDs

[smithbr]

Not all boards are the same and the suggestion was made just to see if the behaviour of the LEDs changed at all. some boards the LEDs stay lit when all ok and some don`t light up at all if there is an issue.

Back to the power connectors, no one has done a build using every type of MB so there may be an exception but having used a lot of them over the years to me the board should post with just the 8 pin and the 24 pin connected and not need the 4 pin.

What does the user manual say about the debug LEDs

This is all the info in the manual about the LEDs

[phillpower2]

Below is how your debug LEDs should work, take a look and let us know how they differ if you will.

1. CPU LED turns on for a few seconds, then turns off if CPU detected and working
2. DRAM LED turns on and then off if DRAM detected and working
3. VGA LED turns on and then off if GPU found and working
4. Boot LED turns on if SSD/HDD with Boot Loader is found and off if boot loader is valid

[phillpower2]

Any update for us smithbr?

[smithbr]

Yes- Sorry for the delayed response. I’m still not entirely sure what was wrong. I took it to a computer repair store and they had zero issues booting it. Thought it might be something wrong with my monitor/cable. Brought the PC back to find it would only work on HDMI and not Displayport. Finally got Displayport to work by plugging both HDMI and DP in at the same time, then unplug HDMI to run off DP. Everything is up and running now and I still have no idea what the issue was. Thank you for the help. It was much appreciated.

[phillpower2]

No worries, glad that you got it sorted and thank you for taking time out to come back and let us know (y)

You are welcome