Overcoming Mishaps: How I Resolved a Motherboard Malfunction

Hello fellow tech enthusiasts,

Recently, I encountered quite a challenge while cleaning my PC. I decided to give my setup some much-needed dusting with a can of compressed air. Unfortunately, during the process, a small amount of fluid accidentally sprayed onto my motherboard (mobo), but I assumed it would evaporate without issues. However, things took a turn for the worse when I attempted to detach my graphics card.

Due to the size of my CPU cooler, it was a tight squeeze, and in an effort to unlock the PCIE latch, I inadvertently scratched the motherboard with a screwdriver. This led me to fear that I may have damaged critical circuit traces beneath the surface.

After this incident, my computer refused to boot; it wouldn’t even show the BIOS screen and instead entered a continuous loop of reboots with no display. I recalled a similar issue that was easily fixed by properly reseating my RAM, but this time, the solution wasn’t so straightforward.

For reference, I have included an image of the scratch I unintentionally inflicted. Check it out here.

Seeking Guidance

As I navigated through potential solutions, I took a few troubleshooting steps: I reset the CMOS, tried reseating the GPU, SSD, and sound card, and even swapped the RAM into different slots. However, due to how my NH-D15 cooler is mounted, I didn’t feel comfortable unseating the CPU pins without proper thermal paste, which I didn’t have on hand.

In my research, I learned that it’s possible for short circuits to occur between traces, even if they physically look intact. Unfortunately, I don’t possess the skills or tools necessary for delicate soldering work, so I decided to visit my local store for a replacement motherboard and some thermal paste.

The Conclusion

After some deliberation, I ultimately replaced the damaged motherboard with an identical Aorus Elite Z390 model. This decision came after a thorough analysis of the situation:

1. The CPU red status LED was illuminated.
2. The scratch I made appeared to disrupt the traces between the chipset and CPU.
3. I hadn’t tampered with any components other than the CPU fans and the GPU, which indicated a failure elsewhere.
4. Following a minimal setup test—with just the CPU, cooler, RAM, and motherboard—it was clear that while the system was powered on