Motherboard compatibility issues (HELP!)

Hey there, you self-proclaimed geniuses of this forum!

I’ve gotta give you guys credit. Every single time I’ve posted a question here, you've stepped up to help me out, so thanks a ton for that.

But now, I’m staring down yet another headache, and I’m hoping you can bail me out again...

I recently picked up an ASUS Prime B350M-A from a site over in Canada to save a bit of cash, since prices here in the States are usually way higher by about $67.

Everything went smoothly during the build, and the PC was running just fine at first.
The very first red flag was the onboard audio. No matter what speakers I plugged into that green jack, nothing happened. I ignored it because I desperately needed the machine running and didn't want the hassle of sending it in for repairs right away.
I just plugged my speakers into the monitor instead, and that worked okay.

Fast forward two months: the computer just died on me. It won't boot properly—it turns on, shows no picture, and then shuts itself off after about 15 seconds.

I took it to a buddy of mine who runs a repair shop, and he told me the graphics card basically bullied the motherboard to death.

Apparently, the GPU I’m using is "too big" for this motherboard. My card is an EVGA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti.

Honestly, that makes zero sense to me... how is a motherboard "too small" for a graphics card?

Whatever. Doesn't matter. What I actually need to know is which motherboard I should buy now that'll actually handle this card without dying.

My budget is capped at $267, so that's the most I'm willing to drop on a new board.

Looking forward to some quick answers! Thanks in advance.

A motherboard can't be "too small" for a graphics card. Honestly, that guy is talking nonsense. There's a standardized PCIe slot that’s been the industry benchmark for about 12 years now, so once you have that connection point, the motherboard and GPU compatibility is a non-issue. The only actual constraint would be if your PC case is too compact to physically fit the card, but in that case, you wouldn't even be able to plug it in. Bottom line: get a second opinion from someone who actually knows their hardware. As for buying from those overseas retailers—if you end up having to deal with an RMA, you'll quickly regret trying to save a few bucks, especially with companies like eDigital.

Also, I find it hard to believe that motherboard $67 is more expensive here in the States. Either you were looking at some overpriced boutique shop, or you were checking the price on a refurbished unit rather than something brand new.

Timothy Kim60 said:Anyway, maybe get someone actually smart to take a look at it first.

First, check this out, and if you're sure the MBB is dead, just RMA it—I mean, why bother buying a new one?

I live in freaking El Paso where there's only one damn repair shop in town... I don't buy that excuse for a second.

I'm using a Corsair Carbide Series Spec 01. It's a pretty big case, so there's no way it's small.

I don't know what the hell is wrong with that guy... I am 100% certain the motherboard is dead.
And why on earth is he claiming the GPU is crushing the motherboard? Like it’s too big for the board and I should just go out and buy a "larger" motherboard? What does that even mean? Give me a break. Hahaha.

A graphics card could be fifty meters long and wide for all I care—as long as the PCIe Express slot on both the card and the motherboard matches up so it actually fits, everything works fine. The only real catch is that if you go with a massive card, you're going to need a much larger case to house it. Honestly, the guy clearly hasn't a clue. 🤦 Which specific card are we talking about here? Also, looking at your setup, it seems like you've got an M-series motherboard—basically a Micro-ATX. It’s not huge like a standard ATX, but it still gets the job done, right?

Larry Ortiz5 said:A graphics card could be fifty feet long for all I care. As long as the PCIe Express slot on the board and the card itself match up so it actually fits, that’s the only thing that matters. A bigger card just means you need a bigger case. This guy clearly doesn't have a clue. 🤦 Which card are we even talking about here? Besides, looking at your setup, you're running an M-series motherboard. It's Micro-ATX, so it's slightly smaller than standard ATX, but honestly, it's the same crap.

It's a Sapphire Radeon 470 RX 4 GB nitro

It’s not really that massive or bulky—just your standard dual-fan setup. But honestly, since you mentioned that motherboard was already acting up with the audio right out of the box, it feels like it was only a matter of time before it gave up the ghost entirely. Have you tried putting in a warranty claim? If the warranty doesn't hold up because you ordered it from overseas, just keep in mind for next time that you can stick to local US retailers. You can always order through their webshops and have everything shipped straight to your doorstep.

Alright, fine. Someone give me some motherboard recommendations for this build:

Sapphire Radeon 470 RX 4 GB nitro
Crucial 8GB 2133 MHz RAM
AMD Ryzen 5 1600 3.8
Fortron Hyper 700 w

The PC is strictly for gaming.

.

Kevin Patel2 said:Alright then, fine, just give me some motherboard recommendations for this setup:

Sapphire Radeon 470 RX 4GB Nitro
Crucial 8GB 2133 MHz RAM
AMD Ryzen 5 1600 3.8ghz
Fortron Hyper 700W power supply

It's just a gaming rig.

I ended up grabbing an MSI B350M Pro-VD plus from Future for $167

From what I can tell looking at mine, it's got two fewer RAM slots and doesn't even have an M.2 slot.
Right now I've got an R5 2600 running on it, and I've tested it with an old HD 6850 and a slightly newer GTX 1060—both require a 6-pin PCIe connector—and everything works just fine...

But honestly, if I were you, I'd double-check that the power supply hasn't kicked the bucket... it's a real shame the R5 1600 lacks integrated graphics, otherwise you could actually see how things behave once you pull the GPU out.

Not sure, sounds like a motherboard issue to me. Honestly, the only other thing could be some weird short through the case. Make sure you’ve got the motherboard sitting on the standoffs (those little specialized screws it rests on). This is what it should look like

Anyone else got some solid suggestions for a motherboard I should pick up? Thanks

A little more expensive? Go with this one instead. You'll have it within a day, maybe two at most
.
By the way, if it turns out it’s an MBB issue, go ahead and advertise yours (then you can just flip it later for whatever), but don't let them walk over you
.
Also, check those standoff screws that William Richardson12 was talking about; you might have an extra one lying around or something is sitting in the wrong spot, causing a short
.

Timothy Kim60 said:A little more expensive? Go with this one. It'll get there in a day, maybe two at most
.
BTW, if it turns out to be an MBB issue, just advertise yours (then sell it later or whatever), but don't let them walk all over you
.
Also, check those standoff screws William Richardson12 was talking about. You might have an extra one sitting in the wrong spot causing a short
.

I went ahead and ordered that motherboard. Hopefully everything actually works this time.

It’ll likely hit you over the weekend; if it doesn't catch you on Saturday, you'll probably feel it by Monday.