ASUS motherboard service in Bangkok

[ETatBKK]

hi there

out of sudden a 2-years old DIY built ASUS P8Z68 system not working. although motherboard power + reset LEDs are still on, the system has no response, no fan, no noise. after I unplug and re-plug nVidia, RAM, and I guess it is a motherboard problem.

questions :

1) should I bring the complete system to the shop that I bought it ( Fortune ) ? or

2) should I bring only the ASUS motherboard to Synnex service center directly ?

a Thai IT guy suggested the second option.

your idea appreciated !

[MaiChai]

take the small battery out and leave it out for 10 minutes. chances are your BIOS settings are corrupt. maybe that battery is flat? you may need to clear all settings via a jumper. suggest you download the manual for it and have a read on How to factory reset/clear settings.

[h90]

could be the power supply also.

Plenty of these died here and they still have some currency so it is normal that some lights are on.

If it is the motherboard, I recommend that some Thai shop, or have a look yourself. It might be just some capacitors. To swap them is something like 50-100 Baht.

[Daffy D]

Another vote for the power supply.

[h90]

Another vote for the power supply.

Going to one of the dirty shops and let them test....maybe 50 Baht for the test pays off if you don't have a second computer at home...

[ETatBKK]

thanks guys, I think you all keen on recovering it. yes, I do as well !

then more info may help :

- ASUS P8Z68, i7-3400, 4GBx2 RAM, NVidia Quadro 2000, Corsair AX750 PSU, Win8 on intel SSD, behind APC

- this system runs perfectly fine and is well updated and maintained, no virus

1st symptom - last week, unexpected shutdown while unattended; then manual startup as usual

2nd symptom - last week, could not startup, yet in few minutes it comes up and worked as fine

I did software diagnostic on PSU, temperature on CPU, M/B, NVidia, all okay. Sunday night till 23.45h okay, Monday morning 07.00h not start up.

I have one urgency - access my DATA in the Seagate 1TB HDD. this is the only desktop in the house, my Dell Latitude cannot connect to the SATA HDD directly.

all ideas appreciated !!

p.s. a link on testing PSU - http://www.corsair.com/en/blog/testing-your-corsair-power-supply/

[h90]

the 3 most probable things:

power supply dead

motherboard broken

something else broken and short so the motherboard does not get the electric

Fastest solution:

Take it to the next Computer center, like Panthip placa. Look where it is dirty there you take a shop (not the neat and nice shops, they only sell).

There they have all the parts and swap till it is working again, than the know what is broken, buy it for you and install it.

Usual if the guys are honest it is very cheap. They charge you the part costs + 50-200 baht for their job.

[frankold]

If it is the motherboard just buy a new one. They will not replace it any time soon. I took a expensive APC UPS to them 5 months ago and all I've had from them is a monthly SMS saying they are still dealing with it.

[ETatBKK]

take the small battery out and leave it out for 10 minutes. chances are your BIOS settings are corrupt. maybe that battery is flat? you may need to clear all settings via a jumper. suggest you download the manual for it and have a read on How to factory reset/clear settings.

thanks reminding this basic diagnostic, just done this morning, clear the RTC and also unplug and re-plug the battery. hmm . . . doesn't help in my case.

may check further on other factory reset.

[ETatBKK]

Fastest solution:

Take it to the next Computer center, like Panthip placa. Look where it is dirty there you take a shop (not the neat and nice shops, they only sell).

There they have all the parts and swap till it is working again, than the know what is broken, buy it for you and install it.

Usual if the guys are honest it is very cheap. They charge you the part costs + 50-200 baht for their job.

exactly, I actually need an IT bench - the dirty place ( not a shop ) ! likely I know how-to diagnostic a system, but all other computers are laptops, I don't have tools and matching spare parts :-(

now it comes down the power supply, or the motherboard.

If it is the motherboard just buy a new one. They will not replace it any time soon. I took a expensive APC UPS to them 5 months ago and all I've had from them is a monthly SMS saying they are still dealing with it.

yeah, that is also my concern if I go through the 'dealer'. just do basic diagnostic if any 5 minutes stupid problem, otherwise I prepare to pay a new motherboard.

[keeniau96]

First, the Pantip Plaza repair shops ... dirty ones. If can fix OK, if not, buy and install replacement mobo. You have nice CPU etc so would suggest one of the new Haswell series Z87 mobos from Asus, Gigabyte or Asrock. JediCool shop at Pantip will have many such, as will most of the other shops. For an overview look here: http://www.anandtech.com/show/6970/haswell-z87-motherboard-preview-50-motherboards-from-asus-gigabyte-asrock-msi-ecs-biostar-and-evga. I am planning to be the Gigabyte Z87X-D3H myself, cost about 5500 baht. I have had many GB mobos and find them reliable and easy to work with.

[ETatBKK]

ok, a very rough test on the Corsair PSU - FAILED. made couple of tests with 2 different case fans, none spin - http://www.corsair.c...r-power-supply/

mine is not a gaming rig and not so power hungry. first get a cheap replacement and keep things running, then repair this faulty one still under a 6-year warranty.

[Dork]

Lot's of good suggestions in this thread. If it does turn out to be a faulty motherboard though, I think your IT guy has the right idea. Synnex have very good aftersales service. I'm pretty sure that if you return it to them they will give you an exchange MB on the spot. They have done that for me even with products out of warranty. You don't need any warranty card or purchase receipt.

The shop that you bought it from might do the same thing but it will take much longer.

[ETatBKK]

Lot's of good suggestions in this thread. If it does turn out to be a faulty motherboard though, I think your IT guy has the right idea. Synnex have very good aftersales service. I'm pretty sure that if you return it to them they will give you an exchange MB on the spot. They have done that for me even with products out of warranty. You don't need any warranty card or purchase receipt.

The shop that you bought it from might do the same thing but it will take much longer.

yeah, Synnex has quite alright services. but now it turns out the expensive Corsair PSU, then I am not sure Dcom has the same level of services. nevertheless, PSU is by far more simple than the mobo. I guess it is just a modular replacement.

[ETatBKK]

First, the Pantip Plaza repair shops ... dirty ones. If can fix OK, if not, buy and install replacement mobo. You have nice CPU etc so would suggest one of the new Haswell series Z87 mobos from Asus, Gigabyte or Asrock. JediCool shop at Pantip will have many such, as will most of the other shops. For an overview look here: http://www.anandtech.com/show/6970/haswell-z87-motherboard-preview-50-motherboards-from-asus-gigabyte-asrock-msi-ecs-biostar-and-evga. I am planning to be the Gigabyte Z87X-D3H myself, cost about 5500 baht. I have had many GB mobos and find them reliable and easy to work with.

hmm . . . one excuse for a Haswell Z87 mobo gone :-) by the way, my i7 was the earlier Sandy Bridge LGA1155, it only goes up to Z77.

from this incident, I learn that as least I need a simple HDD>USB dock here, for accessing data. I have one active data HDD, 2 different backup images on 2 other HDDs, all inside a local machine. and I don't have another desktop as alternative. just stupid.

[NeverSure]

Have you made sure that the computer's speaker is plugged in (not your external speakers) so you can do beep tests and have you done them? Will the computer POST?

Here is something you might read if you want to play with it yourself. Link

Here's another that might be easier for a newcomer. Link

[aidenai]

Disconnect the 4 or 8 pins CPU power but leave the ATX power connected. Turn on the computer. If the computer wants to boot, but obviously can't, your motherboard is broken.

[ETatBKK]

Disconnect the 4 or 8 pins CPU power but leave the ATX power connected. Turn on the computer. If the computer wants to boot, but obviously can't, your motherboard is broken.

thanks, could you elaborate a bit more on 'If the computer wants to boot, but obviously can't, your motherboard is broken' ! this test troubleshoot mobo and chipset. what symptom expected - beep alert as NeverSure suggested ? at the moment, only on-board power sw + reset LED on, then no fan, no light, no noise, no beep - no response, of course no POST.

the 'paper clip' test on the Corsair PSU AX750, the case fan not spin, yet a current goes through the ATX cable ( as H90 mentioned ). no multi-meter with me, can't tell exact the strength of the current.

[NeverSure]

One nice thing about having a shop is that you'd have spare parts to swap out such as the power supply. But when you say:

"at the moment, only on-board power sw + reset LED on, then no fan, no light, no noise, no beep - no response, of course no POST"

And I'm left only to guess, I'd guess power supply. Remember, the power supply has several colors of wires and several types of connectors, and each one has a different voltage. It's possible for only one to go bad but that still keeps it from booting.

Your case has a very small speaker, usually in the front. It has nothing to do with your sound speakers. If it is hooked up to the motherboard with its two small wires and you are getting no beeps at all, I would swap out the power supply. It could be the motherboard because the beeps are generated by the bios, but it never hurts to have a spare power supply around.

A power supply tester is cheap and easy. Maybe a shop would test your power supply to decide if you need one.

[h90]

One more advantage of a shop testing:

Got one tested (either Asus or Gigabyte). Motherboard broken.

The guy looked and found out it was on the last day of a warranty (I think it was 3 year).

He took me and the motherboard to a service center in Panthip and told them to exchange it.

They didn't had that anymore and gave me a more modern board.

No paper work, no money nothing.

I gave the guy 200 Baht tip.

Without him I would have wait 3 weeks for an exchange....

[ETatBKK]

BINGO, it is the half dead Corsair PSU !! I found a DIRTY SHOP ( thanks h90 ) and the guy did the same paperclip test as I do, then he checked couple of cables, and he said 'mai dee'.

I went back to the shop I bough it ( not dirty one ) and the technician connected the PSU to a PSU tester ( Cooler Master ), also failed. he asked if I want to send it for repair - yes, but I need to bring all the cables.

bought a new Corsair basic PSU - B2,250. reconnected all the cables - DONE, HAPPY !! Win8 couldn't startup in the first 3 boots and went into the recovery mode. now okay and I am alive !!

thanks everyone here ! now I have redundant PSU, HDD, SSD, keyboard, mouse . . . hmm please don't count the mobo :-)