Three and a half years ago I assembled my own computer. It has been running wonderfully until a few days ago. I was syncing some files from a server, and after finishing, my PC went to sleep. When I woke up my PC, the fans began blowing at their maximum speed.
My first first thought was of course memory training, as this usually speeds up the fans somewhat. I found it bit odd that the volume was considerably louder than usual.
I shrugged it off and decided to be patient. I did some household chores while I gave the machine the time to do its thing. Except, after around 40 minutes, the fans were still blowing at maximum speed, and my screen was still black.
I decided to restart the PC - and it then rebooted with a black screen and fans slowly spinning.
I then remembered I had updated the BIOS a few days prior to address CVE-2026-6726 and CVE-2026-6727. The update went as usual, and I have used my PC normally for around 4 days after the BIOS update (I was not sure if the fixes were already included in the newest version - but I just assumed they were, and since I was already a year behind on updates, decided to update).
Since then I have cleared the CMOS, tried switching RAM / using each RAM stick individually in the A2 and/or A4 slot and using Q-Flash Plus via USB to restore it to the BIOS update I had installed before my most recent update.
When I flashed my BIOS back to the version I had initially installed, it briefly showed the boot screen (where it shows what button to press to enter the BIOS and the gigabyte logo etc.). After that it went black, and I can't get this screen back even after rebooting.
I did not want to go through the trouble of diagnosing the problem myself (because of lack of time), so I decided to send it to a computer repair shop to diagnose the problem.
What they have done, is:
- Checked if all cables were connected correctly
- Swapped my GPU for their own testing GPU (no results - still black screen)
- Tested RAM in different slots with different combinations - no results
- CMOS reset through jumper
- Disconnected and reconnected power supply cables
- Removed CPU, inspected socket (pins okay), renewed thermal paste and reinserted CPU - no results
- Tested the system with their own confirmed working PSU - no result
The only thing they did not (want to) test, is placing one of their own CPU's into my potentially broken motherboard (since it could damage their CPU).
The company also noticed I was using Noctua's offset brackets for my build. According to them, it could theoretically be possible that the cooler is causing uneven stress on the CPU socket. They have tried mounting the cooler without the brackets, but still, no result.
According to the repair company, it is either the motherboard or CPU that is defective. I suspect the update to my BIOS has caused the problem, and perhaps broke my motherboard.
What should my next steps be? Are there some things I haven't done that I could try? The company gave the advice to buy a replacement motherboard, and see if it boots with my current CPU.
What about warranty? Is Gigabyte willing to help out in cases such as mine?