3rd PC build, very strange issue. I'm out of tricks. Long read.

[OilMagnate]

So I just built my 3rd PC in a year. First one was absolutely flawless and still working flawless, even after a recent upgrade. Second one (that I just built 2 weeks ago) went flawless except for a proven faulty MOBO that I later confirmed with the MFR that is in the process of being returned & replaced with a different type. The GPU becomes disengaged every 36 hours or so without touching it. Unclick it and click it back in - problem solved for another 36. Not a heavy card - EVGA 2080 TI Hybrid. Most of the weight is in the external radiator, just a single fan and thin heatsink onboard. Point is - I'm able to diagnose hardware pretty easily.

However, build #3 has me stumped.

Build #3 is actually for my business. *NO GPU*, new i3-13100, new SSD, new RAM, and the original MOBO from build #1 (#1 got an upgrade 2 weeks ago and some parts went to #2 and #3). Everything went just as smooth in assembly as the first two. It boots and runs windows fast and without error. Everything seems perfect. Then as I'm getting my preferences setup, I'm asked to get something out of my desk drawer. I close the drawer like I would any other time and POOF - the entire screen artifacts like crazy. Nothing is legible, just pure insane seizure-inducing artifacting across the entire screen. Had to do a hard shut down. The slight thud from the desk drawer was the trigger.

So me being the analytical type who feels the process of elimination always solves everything, I start going down the list. HDMI cable? Reseat it. Nope. Use a different one. Nope, still artifacts. Loose connection somewhere...anywhere? Nope. Aftermarket "pretty" MOBO cable faulty? Nope. I][/B] it's not that weird cable? Test it again. Nope. Eliminate the "pretty" cable completely. Nope. Fine. Reseat the RAM sticks. Nope. Ok, humor me. Recheck all connections again - SATA, PSU cables, everything. Nope. Could it be a driver issue? Maybe. I'm quite ignorant in the software department. I checked everything I know to check (which is limited). Everything is up to date. But I doubt it's a driver considering I can duplicate the artifacting 100% of the time with a light bump of the desk. Bad electrical circuit? Move it to the same outlet as #1. Nope. Bad power cable? Try a different one. Nope.

There is only one other odd observation that I cannot perfectly duplicate. The LED lighting (Corsair parts, ran by Commander XT) also flickers randomly as if you took a power blip. Infrequent, but definitely there, and definitely seems to be related to the bumping also. Best way I can describe it in car terms is like a bad ground or loose battery terminal.

Unless I'm not thinking of something, here's what I'm down to:

*Faulty PSU cables (single CPU, MOBO, single SATA is all that is installed).
*Faulty PSU.
*Faulty MOBO (not likely, it worked perfectly before transplant, was not injured or static shocked during transplant, and works perfectly every single time it boots...until bumped).
*The CPU isn't seated correctly (which seems impossible considering it works perfectly unless I bump it and it idles at 28C when ambient is 23. FWIW, I am running a Corsair H100i RGB Platinum SE AIO cooler).
*Some kind of software/driver issue (which is plausible because of my ignorance, but deniable due to the physical jolt being 100% replicable).

I will be swapping the SATA PSU cable tomorrow just to eliminate the variable. Ironically, I just ordered several spare cables direct from the manufacturer two days ago just for the sake of troubleshooting (jinxed myself), so I will be able to swap the MOBO and CPU cables once they arrive. That should prove or disprove the PSU cable theory completely.

I seriously doubt it's the MOBO, it worked without a single tiny issue for a year.

Here's the full part list:
*NEW Corsair 4000D Airflow Case
*NEW i3-13100
*USED Corsair H100i RGB Platinum SE 240mm AIO (which I just discovered as I type this has the apparently chronic pump LED issue. Ugh. Might be replaced soon.)
*NEW MSI Tomahawk Z690 DDR4 Wifi (New when purchased, 1-year old)
*NEW Corsair Dominator 2x8GB DDR4 3200 RAM (basic XMP enabled - running at 3200)
*NEW MSI Spatium M470 1TB
*USED Corsair Commander XT
*NEW 6x Corsair ML120 RGB Elite Fans
*USED EVGA 650 G3 PSU

I know, why put all of this in a work computer? When it's error free and complete, I'll post pics and you'll understand why, but that's another topic for another day.

My money is on a bad PSU. What do you think? Sorry for the long read, but I know details help in the computer world. Thanks for your time and input.

 

[Urshurak776]

Agree on PSU. At first I thought maybe your cooler isn't seated correctly on CPU, but your temps look fine. Please keep us posted.

UNplug and replug in all the cable from PSU to Motherboard. Making sure they're seated? Did you forget the CPU power cable plug (probably a 4,6 or 8 pin going to motherboard separate from the main cable.)?

Somethings loose and not making contact properly if you can replicate it by bumping table. Hope it's not a rabbit hole for you....

Did you buy a new PSU?

 

[redhat]

Does the back of the motherboard have any area where it has a factory tape or sticker to prevent grounding out? If so, is that still in tact?

Since this mobo was in what sounds like another case previously, are all of the standoffs in the same spots? Maybe a standoff is in a different spot ever so slightly grounding out?

Mobo tight in the case?

 

[KrisZ]

It could be the power/reset switch in your case. Disconnect all the header pins and jump the pins with a screwdriver to start the computer.

Since you mention LED flickering, I would disconnect everything and just leave the bare minimum plugged in, so 12 pin mother board and 4 pin CPU. Disconnect everything else and start connecting one at a time.

 

[Skippy722]

Test the RAM, usually faulty ram will cause a BSOD but sometimes it can make everything just go haywire like you’re describing. Windows has a built in memory testing tool (Windows Memory Diagnostic) or Memtest86. If a chip on a stick of ram has a bad solder joint or something that could explain why the problem is reproducible by closing the drawer.

 

[dogememe]

I agree on checking if any standoffs between motherboard and case are incorrectly positioned.

Could be PSU, swap for another if possible.

Too bad you aren’t local, my test bench PC shares a lot of specs with yours and we could play swap the parts til it works.

 

[Rand]

make sure its not grounding on an extra standoff or anything metal.. extra screw that fell behind?
also make sure the ram is in the correct slots.
Some Mobo want 1 and 3 others 2 and 4.

if you have them in the wrong slots it can cause random issues.

Edit its slot 2 and 4

 

[KrisZ]

if you have them in the wrong slots it can cause massive random issues.

Never heard of that before, unless the actual slot on the motherboard is bad. Putting RAM in wrong slots will make is run at the slowest speed, that's it. It will not cause any other issues.

 

[Rand]

Never heard of that before, unless the actual slot on the motherboard is bad. Putting RAM in wrong slots will make is run at the slowest speed, that's it. It will not cause any other issues.

my ddr5-6400 was running at 4800 and I was having other issues.
enabling xmp would cause it to crash within an hour.. and it was unstable during games several blue screens.
The pic in my asus manual was very small and easy to misinterpret.

Its a good idea to check.. everyone else covered the more common.
asus z790a prime wifi.

 

[KrisZ]

my ddr5-6400 was running at 4800 and I was having other issues.
enabling xmp would cause it to crash within an hour.. and it was unstable during games several blue screens.
The pic in my asus manual was very small and easy to misinterpret.

Its a good idea to check.. everyone else covered the more common.
asus z790a prime wifi.

Probably because it's ddr5 (new) and 4800MHz is it's slowest speed, and motherboard manufacturers not having it patched properly yet.

Having said all of that, RAM stick in wrong slots would not have anything to do with a PC going crazy by bumping a table.

Since it's linked to physical movement, that would mean it's related to things either not properly seated or having an internal, or external short somewhere.

That's why I recommended disconnecting everything except the bare essentials required to turn on the PC. I would not start changing parts blindly, removing the motherboard, CPU etc. because even if that fixed the issue, OP will likely not know what actually caused it and it may return or even damage his system in the future (if it's a short for example)

 

[Pew]

I'm with the not-a-driver-issue camp if you already updated the UEFI to work with Raptor Lake with that specific motherboard. Here's the webpage to the MSI UEFI downloads. Version 7D32v18 released in Sept 2022 was the UEFI release for Raptor Lake but the latest one, 7D32v1C, from this month should work also.

Is the Corsair iCUE the only thing plugged into the SATA PSU cables?

Also, could you confirm that only 1 cable is plugged into the CPU_PWR1 slot from the CPU1 connection from the PSU, and nothing plugged into the CPU_PWR2 connector on the mobo?

If you have already updated the UEFI, then start the computer with minimal physical connections; remove all fan/AIO connections, and start with 1 stick of RAM without XMP. See how far you get. If the PC is stable with minimal connections start plugging this back in one by one, starting with the RAM, then the AIO, then the fans. If none of that works, reseat the CPU and AIO block and make sure none of the pins are bent. If that doesn't work, completely disassemble and reassemble. If none of that works either, either start part-swapping out with different computers starting with the power supply. I'm willing to wager if the problem gets this far, it's either the mobo, or CPU.

 

[Rand]

What heat transfer paste did you use and how much did you gob it on.. some are electrically conductive.

 

[OilMagnate]

Wholly cow, I didn't expect this many replies. Let me try everything mentioned here one-by-one and I'll report back asap with the findings from each suggestion. Thanks everyone!

 

[OilMagnate]

UNplug and replug in all the cable from PSU to Motherboard. Making sure they're seated? Did you forget the CPU power cable plug (probably a 4,6 or 8 pin going to motherboard separate from the main cable.)?

No, the CPU 4+4 cable is plugged in. There is only one cable output on the power supply, and only one is required. There are two cable ports on the motherboard since it is a Z690, but I can't overclock a 13100, so it isn't needed.

Did you buy a new PSU?

No, it is a used PSU. It's high on the list of suspects.

 

[mk378]

This isn't very strange at all to anyone who has worked on an old radio or TV. The troubleshooting procedure is to very lightly tap and probe each part to find the one that is most sensitive to causing the problem.

I'm with the various theories that something is touching the underside of the motherboard and shorting it out. Press down very lightly on various spots on the board.

 

[OilMagnate]

Does the back of the motherboard have any area where it has a factory tape or sticker to prevent grounding out? If so, is that still in tact?

Since this mobo was in what sounds like another case previously, are all of the standoffs in the same spots? Maybe a standoff is in a different spot ever so slightly grounding out?

Mobo tight in the case?

No, it only has something along the lines of 'do not contact zones' on the rear. I've never touched the rear nor do I have anything behind it like cables, etc. I'll double check the standoffs and report back. Yes the MOBO is tight in the case, installed the same way as the previous case.

 

[OilMagnate]

It could be the power/reset switch in your case. Disconnect all the header pins and jump the pins with a screwdriver to start the computer.

Since you mention LED flickering, I would disconnect everything and just leave the bare minimum plugged in, so 12 pin mother board and 4 pin CPU. Disconnect everything else and start connecting one at a time.

I guess I'm not familiar with jumping pins on anything. Can you elaborate on this?

This build is a bare minimum build. There are only 3 cables installed on the PSU and all are required to be connected. THe MOBO and CPU cables obviously, and the SATA is required for the AIO. The only thing I can disconnect is the Commander XT which controls the accessory fans PWM and RGB only. It still artifacts with the SATA cable for the Commander completely disconnected. So it is confirmed to be a core component/cable/connection.

 

[OilMagnate]

Test the RAM, usually faulty ram will cause a BSOD but sometimes it can make everything just go haywire like you’re describing. Windows has a built in memory testing tool (Windows Memory Diagnostic) or Memtest86. If a chip on a stick of ram has a bad solder joint or something that could explain why the problem is reproducible by closing the drawer.

Interesting thought. I removed both sticks and installed a known good set. Same artifacting. So the RAM is not the issue.

 

[OilMagnate]

I agree on checking if any standoffs between motherboard and case are incorrectly positioned.

Could be PSU, swap for another if possible.

Too bad you aren’t local, my test bench PC shares a lot of specs with yours and we could play swap the parts til it works.

The MOBO standoffs are built into the case on the 4000D cases. All 8 screws are tight, and the center alignment pin (where the center screw would go) is correct.

I really didn't want to undo my stellar cable management jobs, but I swapped it with build #2's PSU. Artifacting persists. Now I'm really stumped...

 

[OilMagnate]

make sure its not grounding on an extra standoff or anything metal.. extra screw that fell behind?
also make sure the ram is in the correct slots.
Some Mobo want 1 and 3 others 2 and 4.

if you have them in the wrong slots it can cause random issues.

Edit its slot 2 and 4
View attachment 161536

I'm gonna have to rip the entire MOBO back out after the discovery in the above reply. FML. The RAM sticks are in DIMM A2 and DIMM B2. When looking from the outside, I am using slots 2 and 4 when labeling them slots 1-2-3-4 Left/Rear-->Right/Front. They are correct.