Motherboard Won't Boot

[drhinton]

Hey Everyone,

I'm doing my first build and running into problems getting my motherboard to boot. The supermicro board(s) I have gone through don't light up the power indicator and the fan doesn't move at all. The BMC indicator does light up and blink normally. My problem is really similar to these two threads:

https://forums.freenas.org/index.ph...eds-look-ok-but-computer-won't-turn-on.26861/
https://forums.freenas.org/index.php?threads/failure-to-power-up.44460/

I figured my problem was the motherboard as supermicro's manual indicated that if you don't hear any beeps and the boot light doesn't turn on, return the motherboard. So I did that, purchased a new supermicro, did the same thing, and it won't boot. I've tried the process of removing the RAM, fan, etc and the motherboard state doesn't change when applying power. I'm guessing my PSU is bad, but I want to be sure that is the issue before I just start shipping things back and wait for new parts (already did that once with the motherboard).

Here is my build:
Noctua NH-L9i, Premium Low-profile CPU Cooler for Intel LGA115x (Brown)
Intel Xeon E3-1245 Processors BX80677E31245V6
Supermicro X11SSH LN4/F
Fractal Design Node 804 Case
WD Red 4TB for NAS 3.5-inch Desktop Hard Drive - OEM
Crucial 16GB Single DDR4 2400 MT/s (PC4-19200) DR x8 DIMM 288-Pin Memory - CT16G4DFD824A
EVGA Supernova 550 G3, 80 Plus Gold 550W, Fully Modular

I'm pretty sure it's my PSU, but I've read there may be a problem with old BIOS on these systems not supporting the XEON E3-1200 line. Is this something I should worry about?

I haven't reset the CMOS simply because two separate MBs had the same problem. I also tried removing everything and only attaching the fan to the fanA slot and applying power to just test the PSU and it didn't move at all. I don't have any other systems to try the PSU on. Any suggestions for further validation? Or, should I just pack up the PSU and replace it?

 

[Evertb1]

Not having a second system to cross test components reduces your efforts to find out what is going on pretty much to a guessing game. However there are some things you can do. First off all it is possible to test your PSU seperatly form your system. Look at this video. Take the given warning about the dangers of electricity serious and know that you do this at your own risk. Be aware however that this test shows only that the PSU is still working. It does not tell you how healthy it is. If it fails the test you can write the PSU off. Otherwise it needs to be tested if it still provides the correct voltages etc.

Another thing I always do when struggling with an unwilling system is rebuilding it step by step starting with the most basic configuration. If that starts I add components one by one. And try to start it again until it fails so I know what component is most likely the culprit.

 

[drhinton]

Thanks for your help Evertb1. The paperclip test was helpful and proved the power supply is fine. I called supermicro as a last resort and they taught me about shorting the power pins on the board. I didn't realize I needed to do that. Despite that feeling of stupidity, I'm glad everything is working.

One other thing I discovered about the X11SSH-LN4F board is that if you only have one stick of ram it must be placed in the furthest blue slot from the CPU. I tried the other slots without success, but supermicro informed me that was the case. I hope that's helpful for someone else.