Looking for a second opinion/confirmation about my potatoe

[communistM]

Hello everybody! So, I am pretty sure that I just bricked by computer. But I'm not really sure how I got here. I'm hoping you guys can tell me what went wrong/what did I do wrong. This all started when I decided to upgrade my rig with some Black Friday sales. The new components are as follows:

• Intel Core i5-6600K
• Gigabyte Z170X-Ultra Gaming
• G.Skill Tridentz DDR4-3200 16 gb
• XFX Radeon RX480 8gb (GTR)

And, here is what I'm keeping from previous setup:

• Intel 520 Series SSD (240 gb - Windows 10)
• SeaSonic X-Series X-850
• SilverStone FT02
• LG 34UM57 (34" 21:9 Ultrawide FreeSync)

The physical build went fine. And, since I was using my old ssd I kept my previous install of Windows and just uninstalled all the old drivers & loaded up the new ones. At this point everything is running fine, I even loaded up Overwatch really quick to take a peek at the new auto detected graphics settings. Then I remembered that my panel had FreeSync option/setting in the OSD and it was set to OFF. Then as soon as I enabled FreeSync the panel went black/flickered for a second (kinda like an old CRT monitor changing resolution). Then just as i though the panel was gonna come back the whole system powered down completely. I tried to turn it back on and got nothing (no POST, no fans, nada). Power was still on though (back light on keyboard & mouse sensor still on).

I tore down the new build and rebuilt the old one. It booted up and everything was fine. I decided to put the RX480 into the original build. It booted up, but no video signal was picked up by the panel.

So, I think at this point its safe to assume the RX480 and Z170X are both toast. I don't have an immediate way of testing the 6600K or RAM (old motherboard not compatible), but is it safe to say that they're gone too? Also, is there way of finding out/testing without plugging them into another system.

Finally, what happened? Did i enable FreeSync incorrectly, faulty hardware, bad luck?

 

[UsandThem]

It's doubtful you killed anything, but you are going to have to troubleshoot your hardware.

Before that though, I will say that motherboard has some pretty rough user reviews, and it's too bad a motherboard in that price doesn't have a debug led on it to make it much easier to see what error code is happening.

So basically you want to put your motherboard on a non conductive surface outside of the case (like a wood desktop or the motherboard box). Only leave the CPU, one stick of RAM, and connect the PSU. You can then try to power it on by briefly touching the two power pins with a small metal item (like a screwdriver). If no post, try resetting your CMOS or reverting back to back-up BIOS (http://forum.giga-byte.co.uk/index.php?PHPSESSID=3hc17v6gbscmosk06j2almued2&topic=15913.0). If it posts, it should throw an error because there is no HDD attached. At this point, power down and connect your SSD, and then power it on again. If there are no issues, try adding the video card.

If it doesn't post, try the other stick of RAM in a different slot. If no go again, it will likely be the motherboard, since your PSU works in your old system (once again, bad reviews on motherboard).

You can also always take it to a local shop where they can test the motherboard to confirm it is the issue or not.

 

[Ketchup]

Put together your new build minus the video card. Plug your display into the video output on the motherboard. Run a clear CMOS. Tell us what happens.

 

[communistM]

Thanks for the suggestions guys, but unfortunately the results were the same. I did some testing with an alternate motherboard, but the results were inconclusive. So ended up just returning/replacing/RMA all the components.

 

[VirtualLarry]

Sorry to hear that you had such troubles.

Did you test the LCD monitor with another system? I'm wondering if possibly that might be the part that went?

Also, were you certain to use a VESA-compliant DisplayPort cable? The cheaper ones pass voltage on pin 20, and are non-compliant. (Can screw things up.)

Google "Accell VESA DisplayPort cable".

https://www.amazon.com/Accell-B142C-010B-UltraAV-DisplayPort-Latches/dp/B0098HVXVQ

 

[communistM]

I did not test the panel with any other systems. But the DisplayPort cable I am currently using is not VESA-compliant, so I'll be swapping that out next. Thanks for the tip.