Computer won't turn on, possible static electricity from headphone jack?

[EKR]

Right, so I have a PC that is barely half a year old. I've had few issues with it - every once in a while it would just freeze, but nothing that a reboot couldn't handle. But since two weeks ago, it has just refused to turn on. (Edit) It's not a no post - nothing happens when I push the power button, or the restart button. The "PWR_LED" lights up for some time when the PSU is turned on (sometimes only a few seconds, sometimes several minutes), then it fades away. But sometimes it comes back again. Pushing the power button while the power LED is still lit changes nothing.

The peculiar thing is that the PC shut down right as I was inserting my headphones (Apple Earpods) into the minijack. I'm using an integrated sound card. Is it reasonable to assume that the motherboard (or some other part of the PC) was damaged because of the minijack insertion? The headphones in question spend a lot of their time lying in my pocket. Could it have been a static discharge or something? It seemed to happen literally as I finished plugging in the cord.

Is it safe to assume that the motherboard is the issue because of the aforementioned observation with the power LED? Is it supposed to always be lit when the PSU is on? If not, could it be the PSU, or maybe the case? I do have a PSU from my old PC, but I'm not sure I can connect the new MB to it. I could try another case, but I'd rather not switch that out.

Does anyone have any help or recommendations? I would be really grateful if I could have the faulty part(s) identified once and for all.

The parts of my PC are, for reference:
Motherboard: ASUS Z170-A
RAM: 2x8 GB Corsair Vengeance LPX (DDR4) 3200 MHz CL16, WHITE
CPU: Core i5 6600K
CPU cooler: Silverstone Argon AR01
PSU: Corsair RM650i
Case: Fractal Define R5, white windowed
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO 500GB

 

[UsandThem]

Try removing the sound card and see if the PC boots.

What issues you describe could be a motherboard, PSU, or even a grounding issue. Make sure the electrical outlet you are using is properly grounded (a surge protector will tell you this with a light, and they also sell testers at home improvement stores).

If removing the sound card doesn't help, try the other PSU you mentioned if possible. If still a no go, remove your motherboard from the case and try testing it on a non-conductive surface like wood or cardboard with just the CPU, one stick of RAM, and OS drive. If it still won't boot, it will likely be the motherboard.

I know it's a lot of work, but determining the computer issue is a process of component elimination.

 

[EKR]

So I've finally got the time to deal with this (and I wanna play the current Overwatch event), and I'm going to swap out the PSU today. The new one is a Corsair RM650i and the new one is a ditto HX620w. I just have one stupid question: If the cables fit, there won't be any problem, right? There's zero risk of me damaging anything, yes?

Edit: Also, is it okay to place the old PSU directly on top of the case while I'm trying it out?

Edit 2: It looks like I might not be able to provide a grounded power connection for the PSU. Do you think it might be alright (as long as I don't use the headphones I keep in my pocket)? I've been using the computer without a grounded connection since getting it in August...

 

[EKR]

So I decided to go ahead and turn on the old HX620w (with only one stick of RAM), and the only difference was that instead of turning on a few times before turning off (which it did under the RM650i), the PWR_LED was flashing weakly at a stable interval. Whether it would have done so indefinitely I do not know, because pushing the power button on the case still did absolutely nothing and I quickly gave up and accepted that the problem must be with the motherboard. I don't really see any other way around that, since my sound card is integrated and the PC shut off exactly as I plugged in a set of earbuds that I still carry in my pocket virtually every day.

But if anyone has other suggestions, I'd love to hear them before I dismantle everything and pack up the motherboard. Could the problem be with the power button itself? I haven't really considered this much, because I thought that the erratic way in which the PWR_LED has behaved every time I turned on either PSU was proof that the problem was with either the motherboard or PSU.

 

[Iron Woode]

your best option in this situation would be to take the PC to local PC repair place and have them do some tests.

This would be easier than trying to test each component for the issue. Of course this will cost money but it will give you a definite answer.

An alternative would be to bring it to a friend who knows about repairing and diagnosis.

 

[EKR]

Yeah, that's probably what I'll end up doing... I don't really have time for anything else.