Q: Computer Wont Power Up. I'm an Amateur and Need Some Help.

https://www.newegg.com/cyberpowerpc-gamer-xtreme-s780/p/N82E16883230227?Item=N82E16883230227

I bought that computer a few years ago and it has worked great the whole time. However the other day it randomly turned off on it's own. When I went to power it up nothing happened. It seemed like it was getting power for a split second because my LEDs would go on but immediately turned off.

I assumed it was the PSU so I took it out and put another one in and I got the same reaction from my computer. It got power for a split second then stopped working. My research has led me to believe the problem is the motherboard but I am very much an amateur and would greatly benefit from some help here.

If the problem is in fact the motherboard please point me in the direction of a good replacement. I have been meaning to upgrade my motherboard anyways so I could run multiple video cards so if you could point me in the direction of one that allows me to upgrade to SLI I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks for any help with this problem.

have you tried unplugging everything but the essentials?

so just have the CPU, 1 stick of ram (or maybe no ram, i'm not 100% on whether a mobo will turn on with no ram) and just the 24 pin and CPU power plugged in. dont have anything else conected to the mobo or the PSU.

it's possible something connected to the motherboard has died and is shorting out.

if it does turn on when everything is plugged out then it's a case of plugging everything back in one at a time until it stops working again.

if its still not working when just trying the bare essentials then the mobo is probably hosed. It may still be worth trying to remove it and re-insert it into the case and checking that nothing has slipped down behind it that would cause a short but that's a long shot.

A similar thing hapened to me. One night i shut down my PC and everything was normal. the next morning i went to turn my PC on and nothing. not even a brief flash of light. It was just completely dead. I have narrowed it down to the mobo or CPU but at that point i need to replace both anyway.

As for mobos: if you are using your PC for gaming then i wouldn't bother with SLI. It's not really supported in most games and is generally not very effective. I would put the money towards 1 stronger GPU instead of 2 weaker GPUs.

other than that just make sure you are getting the right mobo for your CPU and check out reviews. dont cheap out on it too much but there is no need to spend a ton of money on it either. if you are dead set on SLI then i think the motherboard needs to support that too so something to watch out for.

what PSU are you currently using, what are it's specs? a low quality power supply will almost always lead to issues sooner or later. and most pre-built systems such as this one come with relatively low quality ones. the fact that you've tried a replacement and get the same issue could mean that the first PSU actually caused physical damage to other components if\when it died. I would be sure I have a highly rated trustworthy PSU before trying any new components or even continuing with troubleshooting the old system.

since you are already gearing towards upgrading, I would recommend just purchasing new components and use the new platform as a source for testing your existing hardware. maybe get a nice new current gen motherboard & a nice new >\=8 core CPU to start. then try your other current components on the new platform and see if they fire up correctly.

if you still feel the urge to upgrade other components afterwards; an NVMe M.2 drive for the OS & apps, SATA3 SSD for games, a more powerful current gen GPU, faster RAM with better timings, a nice CPU cooler & a better case to house it all would be a good option that would provide a huge improvement all around.

before recommending any parts in particular, knowing your budget is essential. you could get some more mediocre components for decent gaming under $750, or you could move on to the best gaming experience currently available for $1500+, or land anywhere in between. nowadays it is fairly easy to sell used components through online sites or social media like Facebook Marketplace, so you can consider that some of your money would be covered through selling your current components.