Motherboard Dead? Maybe not, check your firmware first.

I have been building computers for my clients and myself for a long time.

I switch between AMD and Intel setups depending on the requirements. Every now and then I come across a piece of hardware that is DOA (Dead on Arrival), it's unavoidable as since these parts are mass produced their is always a chance you get unlucky and it's time to pack it up and send it back under warranty. On a completely new build it sometimes is tricky to find out what is causing the issue if a system simply won't boot, as it could be the PSU (Power Supply Unit), CPU, RAM or the motherboard. So when I recently got a batch of Gigabyte GA-B85M-HD3 motherboards and 2 out of 3 were not working I was puzzled. As I ended up testing everything PSU, RAM, Motherboard and couldn't figure out what was going on. The system would not even get to post but it was powering up.

2 out of 3 in one order couldn't be DOA could they?

I then finally checked the CPU's (Intel I5-4590), it seems as though the newer Haswell CPU even though still LGA1150 was not compatible with the firmware that shipped on 2 of the motherboards I received. I have to update the firmware to somehow get my CPU's working with these boards but since it can't even get to BIOS I was struggling to figure out how to do it. 

Luckily I had an older Haswell CPU lying around so I had to transfer it into the motherboards, boot to the bios, update from a usb drive and then swap back the newer Intel Haswell and all were working. Problem is that if you weren't in possession of an older CPU then you will have no choice but returning the boards to the supplier for them to update the firmware for you, which really is a pain especially if you needed the computers built and delivered quickly.

So next time you think you have a DOA motherboard on your hands ask yourself, is there a chance that the firmware is simply incompatible with the CPU I have on board?

Building computers, don't skimp on the power supply

I have been building computers for a long time now for clients and friends alike. However, there is one thing that keeps coming up and has been an issue since more people started to build their own. Everyone seems to skimp or go cheap on the power supply. In most cases where a client's computer will not start up it is due to a generic PSU that has decided to die. 

If you see something like this, it could be this causing the issue.

Now there is definitely a price advantage to going cheap on the power supply, the range in on PSU's pricing can be quite broad and to the average builder a 500w PSU is a 500w PSU right? Wrong, you can find some PSU's with the same wattage almost $100 in difference. So why the difference in price? It comes down to consistent voltage distribution and the biggest one reliability.

Most clients in my experience understand that this often overlooked component of a computer is valuable and will be happy to pay extra for a more reliable computer.

Haven't had one of these die on me yet...

If you are looking for a quick sale and want to get the box out the door and client is only concerned with price, sure put in an el-cheapo PSU in the box. However, if you want to keep this client happy and value their custom built computer at least set $50+ aside for a decent durable power supply. Some brands I recommend are http://www.antec.com/ and http://www.corsair.com/en/