# [SOLVED] My motherboard is shorting w/ the tower case... so now what?



## ablang (Dec 26, 2007)

Hey guys,

I bought one of those barebone kits from TigerDirect.com. It is very nearly similar to this one GIGABYTE GA-H61M-S2-B3 Core i3 Barebones Kit - GIGABYTE GA-H61M-S2-B3 Motherboard, Intel Core i3-2100 CPU, Patriot 8GB (2x 4GB) DDR3 RAM, Seagate 1TB HDD, 24x DVDRW, DiabloTek Mid-Tower Case, 450W PSU at TigerDirect.com
except mine didn't come w/ a hard drive and instead I got a 1GB EGA video card. All the other parts are identical.

Anyways, I put it together and power it up and find that the computer continually shuts down and turns on again every few seconds. So I shut off the power supply and disconnect the power cord. After researching through this site I find that many others have had similar problems w/ this same symptoms.

I decide to give the "bench test" motherboard a try. Before doing that, I had removed the CMOS battery and left it off overnight. Next day I put the battery back in and try the bench test (skipping the video card and using on-board video plus the power case switch). Lo and behold I am able to see the motherboard startup (Gigabyte) screen and it goes to the BIOS selection asking about using the default profile.

So I conclude that probably neither my motherboard nor power supply is DOA. I figure that something of the case is touching the motherboard.

So what do I do now?

Do I have to create cushions using construction power to separate the standoffs from the motherboard in 6 places? Should I remove the I/O shield plate so that it's not touching the motherboard? Should I apply electrical tape around all 4 edges of the motherboard?

Where do you guys suspect the 'touching' is occuring and how should I solve that?


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## dai (Jul 2, 2004)

*Re: My motherboard is shorting w/ the tower case... so now what?*

it will be under powered as soon as you add the video card

usually it is a standoff that does not line up touching the m/b in the wrong place

as long as the i/o plate is clipped in when you slide the m/b in it will only contact where needed


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

*Re: My motherboard is shorting w/ the tower case... so now what?*

As noted by dai, the most common shorting problem is a standoff. You need t use one standoff, no more-no less, for each Mobo mounting hole.
I would strongly suggest replacing that low quality PSU before proceeding with the build.
SeaSonic-XFX-Corsair (not the CX-GS-M Seies) are top quality. The power required is dependent on the GPU. You mentioned including a 1GB GPU but failed to include the Brand & Model Number.


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## Rich-M (May 2, 2007)

*Re: My motherboard is shorting w/ the tower case... so now what?*

Never ever use power supplies that come in cases as they are at best "freebies". There are few psu's as poor as Diablotek and I would do as my partner Tyree suggests and replace that before going forward. The deals from Tiger are good enough you can afford a decent Seasonic or Corsair psu as suggested and the one you have will damage other components as well over time.


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## ablang (Dec 26, 2007)

*Re: My motherboard is shorting w/ the tower case... so now what?*

Hey guys. The video card is a Nvidia GeForce GT 520 and it has 1024MB DDR3 on it. How much power does just the video card require?

Do I need to have some kind of insulated or plastic washers between the standoffs and the motherboard? My tower case didn't come with that.


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

*Re: My motherboard is shorting w/ the tower case... so now what?*

The Mobo mounting holes are insulated from the Mobo circuitry. 
A good quality 550W PSU would be sufficient for the GT 520.


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## ablang (Dec 26, 2007)

*Re: My motherboard is shorting w/ the tower case... so now what?*

Thanks for all of your help guys.

I had my suspicions about where to start as far as insulating the board from the case. 

I decided to try making my own insulated washers for the standoffs out of thin cardstock. I have 6 standoffs in the MB holes that correspond to holes that line up in the case. So I decided to make 12 'washers'. A set of 2 for each standoff. It would go over and under the MB. Under the MB, I had to use Elmers glue to make it stick to the bottom of the board as I mounted it. It took some time (about 15 mins) but it worked.

Thanks again to this great community for all the help.

P.S. the manual for my video card says that the card only uses 29W so I'll stick w/ this PS for now.


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

Glad you got the short figured out. Your money-your choice using that junk PSU. 
There is more to a PSU than the Wattage numbers, which are commonly exaggerated on low quality units, on the label. 
It will only lead to damage of components.


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## Rich-M (May 2, 2007)

I have to second what Tyree says. You are not saving money, in fact you are most likely costing yourself quite a bit more because those cheap psu's blow out, if they work at all, and when they do, they will most likely take the motherboard and cpu or hard drive with them with a cloud of smoke or a loud "bang" or both!


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