Apparent failure of the motherboard or a system device on the motherboard

Outright motherboard failure is fairly rare in a new system, and extremely rare in a system that is already up and running. Usually, the problem is that the motherboard has been misconfigured or there is a failure with one or more of the components that connect to it. Getting a system in the mail that has a loose component or disconnected cable is very common. In fact, though, there are a surprisingly large possible causes for what may appear to be a motherboard failure.

Problems related to Motherboard

Running the motherboard without a case is a common technique used by technicians to eliminate any weird grounding and shorting issues or mechanical stresses. It also makes it much easier to swap the CPU if that's required. I normally do my bench testing on top of a cardboard box, with a static free bag or foam between the bottom of the motherboard and the cardboard. You don't walk away from a test like this or you might come back to find the box on fire! If your motherboard powers up on the bench with the same power supply that you used in the case, you have a geometry problem.