Gaming system - brand new build - not able to keep Windows running - can't boot to BIOS

Van

I am a newbie for building my own gaming computer.  So .... I built the system out - very slowly, because I wanted to be sure I didn't screw anything up.  Following advice from a friend, I purchased a SSD for a hard drive rather than buying a SATA hard drive. When it came time to turn it on, all seemed right. All the lights came on and the fans started. I was happy. I installed a brand new version of Windows 10. All seemed right there. I set everything up on my desk, plugged in all my peripherals, logged into Windows and began installing personal software. It ran for about a 1/2 hour and then suddenly Windows stops cold, the monitor goes blank and Windows returns to the login screen. This happened a couple more times, but eventually I couldn't even get my monitor to recognize a signal from the GPU.  Thinking it was a Windows install issue, I took out the SSD and installed my old SATA hard drive (which has a good version of Windows on it).  After several shutdowns and resets, I was somehow able to get to the BIOS screen and set the new hard drive as the boot drive. Couldn't get it to boot. Back to the BIOS screen. Set the setting for AUTO CLR_CMOS to ENABLED. Rebooted. Windows loaded from my old SATA hard drive and seemed stable. I started installing motherboard utilities from the MSI installation CD. Windows stops cold again and restarts in the middle of the network adapter download/install.  As it is now, I can't get back to the BIOS and can't get Windows to boot.  The monitor does not see the GPU.  I have rechecked all the cables, unconnecting and reconnecting them.  I checked that they were firmly attached to the back of the power supply.  I have removed and reseated the GPU and even moved it to a different slot.  I removed and reseated both RAM sticks (in slots 2 & 4).
COMPONENTS LIST:

+ MSI X470 GAMING PLUS AMD AM4 ATX Motherboard

+ Corsair iCUE 220T Tempered Glass RGB ATX Mid-Tower Computer Case - Black
+ Corsair RM650 650 Watt 80 Plus Gold ATX Fully Modular Power Supply
+ AMD Ryzen 5 3600 Matisse 3.6GHz 6-Core AM4 Boxed Processor with Wraith Stealth Cooler
+ Corsair Vengeance RGB Pro 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3200 PC4-25600 CL16 Dual Channel Desktop Memory Kit CMW16GX4M2E3200C16 - Black
+ Crucial P1 1TB 3D NAND NVMe PCIe M.2 SSD - CT1000P1SSD8

+ ASUS Radeon RX 5700 XT Single-Fan 8GB GDDR6 PCIe 4.0 Graphics Card

Frustrated. Not sure what to do. Don't know if I fried components or simply connected them incorrectly.
PLEASE HELP.

BubbleMax

My suggestion would be to look and VERY gently check the connections and make sure they are fully plugged in. Sometimes power cords get PARTLY plugged in and result in what is going out. And I stress gently cause you don't want to bend pins as I'm sure you are aware. 

TSKyleH

Hello @van, I am sorry this issue has been getting worse with each attempt of starting. There are several things you can check to try to isolate the problem. If the computer restarts constantly by itself there may be an issue with the processor, but based on your description I would suggestion looking at the power supply, motherboard, processor, memory, or video card. We do have an article for a computer that does not post. Some key steps would be trying to use stick of memory or using a different video card. The video card is important since your using a Ryzen 5 3600 because it doesn't support onboard video.

Van

@BubbleMax : Thank you for your comment.  I have, in earlier attempts, unplugged and replugged several cables supplying power and still have the same results.  I, of course, will try again - no harm in gently trying again.

Van

@TSKyleH : Thank you for your comment.  I unfortunately have few resources to test the video card.  I am upgrading from a HP to this new system and my old computer did not have a separate video card.  I have been leaning toward the idea that it might be the GPU that is failing and, given the cost of the card, that would be VERY unfortunate.  However, I have no way to test it.  I wish I had more resources or knew someone with more resources - but given these social distancing requirements - I am really limited right now.  Does MicroCenter have availability to diagnose PC build problems - if I was to haul the PC into the store?

PowerSpec_MichaelB

Van said:

@BubbleMax : Thank you for your comment.  I have, in earlier attempts, unplugged and replugged several cables supplying power and still have the same results.  I, of course, will try again - no harm in gently trying again.

In situations such as these, it's best to rule out as many variables as possible. Before we do so, let's begin by unplugging the power cable from the back of the power supply. While unplugged, hold the power button down on your chassis for 60 seconds. This will drain any residual power in the system. If it still fails to POST, we can move on to the troubleshooting.

 Let's start by going down to a single DIMM of memory, test it in a few different slots, and if that fails, try the other DIMM by itself in a few slots. It's extremely unlikely to have two bad DIMM's, so once we rule memory out, we can move on to reseating the CPU, making sure no pins are bent and no debris is in the socket or pins. You've already tried different PCIe slots on the motherboard, so we do not need to worry about trying that again. If the system still fails to POST after reseating the CPU, we only have one real option left for troubleshooting, which is to "breadboard" the system. Remove the motherboard from the chassis and place it on top of a non-conductive surface. If you still have the motherboard box, this would work perfectly. Once removed from the chassis, install your components into the board and power it on. If you do not have a power switch connected, you will need to use a screwdriver to bridge these two pins: 

This will rule out any potential grounding issue within the chassis. If this works and the system posts, make sure there are no extra unnecessary motherboard standoffs installed, and that the rear IO shield does not have any pins or metal debris inside of your rear IO ports.

Should all of this fail, additional troubleshooting will require having spare components on hand to rule out defective components. While it's pretty common to have an older, spare GPU lying around, it's extremely uncommon to have an extra processor or motherboard. In the event that you do not have spare hardware to test with, it will be best to bring the system in to your local Micro Center store for more in-depth diagnostics. As always, we will be here if you have any questions. Best of luck!

Van

@TSMichaelB : Thank you for this VERY helpful step by step testing routine.  This will give me some great direction today.  Hopefully, following these steps will fix my problem.  I unfortunately do not have a spare GPU to swap out, so if these steps do not produce results, it sounds like I might have to drag my build down to the Micro Center store for further diagnosis.