Hi folks, hope someone can help.

I've been having a go at my first PC build. I have all brand new parts. I hooked everything up as I thought was correct but I get no power when I try to turn the machine on. All that happens is the PSU makes a ticking noise.

I've been searching all around for help and tried all suggestions but no joy. I've made sure everything is seated correctly, I've checked jumpers and I've tried different hardware.

The PSU works as I've tried it on another machine. The Motherboard and processor are also fine as I've had them replaced and still have the same problem.

Funny thing is that I've tried a working configuration from my old PC and just moved it into my new case and I still have the problem. No power, just the ticking sound. This makes me think that there is something wrong with one of the case cables. Perhaps the power switch cable, or I am connecting it in the wrong place. Is this a possibility?

What is the bare minimum you need connected for the machine to begin powering up?

Any help is appreciated.

Thanks,
Will

One very likely culprit is a motherboard standoff in the wrong place causing a short circuit.
As to your question about the minimum required to boot, that has been described here hundreds of times. The answer is:
Powersupply, Motherboard, CPU with heatsink/fan, 1 stick of RAM, Graphics (Onboard or plugin) and keyboard.
Disconnect everything else. You do not even need the front case cables connected. Startup can be achieved by temporarily bridging the correct header pins on the motherboard using a screwdriver.
I suggest you remove the motherboard from the case and benchtest it with the above minimum components to see if you can get it to boot into bios. That will be a sure sign the case is your major problem.

I used to have a signature but it disappeared and I just couldn't be bothered writing another so please feel free to ingore this.

This gets mentioned a lot around here but you should ALWAYS benchtest a board BEFORE you install it in a case. If it checks out, THEN you install it in the case & test it again, BEFORE adding cards, HDDs optical drives, etc. If you didn't do either of these important steps, it's impossible for us to tell you what you may have done wrong. I suggest you strip everything out of the case except for the board, CPU w/HSF, ONE stick of RAM, video card, & PSU....& the only external devices that should be connected would be the monitor & mouse, nothing else. Now see if it will boot up & you can access the BIOS....

That ticking noise once happened to me and it was due to a loose screw trapped beneath the motherboard. Follow the advice of #4 and #5 above.