New build not turning on, case grounding issue?

[SkyDX]

Hey Neowin^^

I apologize if this thread will be pretty barebones for now but I need sleep and I just wanted to ask beforehand so someone might have a idea until tomorrow :pinch:

Well long story short I build a new PC for a friend inside a Thermaltake v3 Black Edition case and the system won't turn on sadly :/ Not even the fans twitch and before we try another PSU I wondered if it could be a simple grounding issue as the case doesn't have traditional standoffs as you can see here:

The standoffs are basically part of the case itself and I figured this might be why the system doesn't start as the whole motherboard shorts out :/ But the thing is next to the usual PWR SW, RESET SW, HDD LED etc. cables there is a 4-pin cable called GRND which isn't listed in the manual and I assume this is the grounding we are missing though honestly I have no idea where I should connect this cable to as there isn't any place it fits on the board itself :pinch:

Thanks for help and any ideas in advance, I will add more details tomorrow^^

[+Gary7 Subscriber²]

This isn't one of those all plastic cases is it? If there is nothing in the manual try looking on their website.

[SkyDX]

  On 15/02/2013 at 03:34, Gary7 said:

This isn't one of those all plastic cases is it? If there is nothing in the manual try looking on their website.

Thanks for the reply Gary, I just noticed it before I hit shutdown :p Well no it's not a plastic case, the part below the motherboard is definitely metal :/ And that might be worth a try, I only found the manual online but I haven't looked that much yet so hopefully there will be something that helps^^

[CrashG]

I know it's a lot of trouble, but hook up the bare-bones outside the case (ie. on the mobo box). It's SOP for me now..after spending hours trying to figure out WTF was going on with a new build. I try and test "outside" the box or in a known working machine. Saved countless hours of BS

[Andre S. Veteran]

Double- and triple-check that everything is seated correctly on the motherboard, that all required power connectors are in, that the PSU is actually on and plugged in a working outlet.... Everytime this happened to me I had forgotten something obvious.

[linsook]

What power supply, CPU and graphics?

[SkyDX]

  On 15/02/2013 at 03:47, CrashGordon said:

I know it's a lot of trouble, but hook up the bare-bones outside the case (ie. on the mobo box). It's SOP for me now..after spending hours trying to figure out WTF was going on with a new build. I try and test "outside" the box or in a known working machine. Saved countless hours of BS

Yeah this was our next step, it was just very late when we finished yesterday so we postponed it to today^^ I just wondered about this mysterious cable that even Google can't seem to find :pinch: And thanks for the advice, it indeed makes much more sense I will start my next build barebones first :p

  On 15/02/2013 at 03:52, Dr_Asik said:

Double- and triple-check that everything is seated correctly on the motherboard, that all required power connectors are in, that the PSU is actually on and plugged in a working outlet.... Everytime this happened to me I had forgotten something obvious.

Well I know that feeling that's why I always build PCs together with a close friend of mine as each of us alone made countless "D'oh!" mistakes over time though this time all is looking good except the grounding, heck I'm not even sure the case is grounded in the state it is now :blink:

  On 15/02/2013 at 04:23, linsook said:

What power supply, CPU and graphics?

A Corsair CX500 and a GIGABYTE Windforce GTX 660 2GB :)

[Jason S. Global Moderator]

often times i'll mix up those stupid wires that connect to the pwr, reset, hdd leads on the motherboard. - double check those.

Also, is the PSU actually turned on? Some PSUs have a physical power switch.

Is the 25-pin motherboard port securely seated?

like others have recommended, try turning the computer on w/o the case

[SkyDX]

  On 15/02/2013 at 13:55, Jdawg683 said:

often times i'll mix up those stupid wires that connect to the pwr, reset, hdd leads on the motherboard. - double check those.

Also, is the PSU actually turned on? Some PSUs have a physical power switch.

Is the 25-pin motherboard port securely seated?

like others have recommended, try turning the computer on w/o the case

Thanks for the reply! :)

Yeah I also often mix up these wires so I removed them all and tried to jump-start the PC with a screwdriver but nothing :( And the switch was turned on and the motherboard connected so I guess we really have no choice but to build it outside the case :pinch:

[Teebor]

If that ground pin is where you say it is then its not a ground in the sense of what you are talking about, it will be used for something else and you can ignore it, probably an LED or switch.

Always build the machine outside the case first so you can make sure the parts work before installing. saves a lot of time if something needs to be returned :) But I all to much know the eagerness to get it in a case and running :D

Have you seated the CPU and memory correctly?

remove ALL add-in cards (GFX etc)

disconnect all drives (CD/DVD, HDD, Floppy etc)

[Wakers]

I used to have that case, the built in studs shouldn't be a problem, as long as you make sure to remove the ones that you don't need!

[tim_s]

I find it odd that the PSU is not even turning on.

Are you sure the power switch from the case is plugged in correctly?

[SkyDX]

Again thanks for the help everyone, the PC started working :D We actually didn't do much other than wiggle at ever cable despite them being seated properly and it started to boot up :blink: Well whatever happened exactly I don't care much^^