PC build woes...

[gurpz]

What graphics card do you have and what PSU do you have if you are using your old PSU for this board it may be the problem as LGA775 motherboards require more power and likewise do PCI-E graphics cards

 

[GazCaff]

Can you tell us what brand and wattage your PSU is (it should tell you on the side).

 

[KillerHERTZ]

Sorry for the slow reply,

Just had another go at it,started it up with nothing attached at all (including RAM!) The speaker started to beep! At least we know that works after all!

With 1 stick off RAM attached, the beeping stops, still nothing at all on the monitor

My PSU is a Q-TEC PSU 400WP Dual Fan gold - attached with a £3 20-24 pin adaptor

One thing that I have also noticed, I dont get a light on the keyboard at all, and pressing F1 for example jouring start up does nothing. Why wouldnt I get any power to the keyboard then?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Rob77]

I'd be suspicious of a Q-TEC PSU ...

 

[KillerHERTZ]

I'd be suspicious of a Q-TEC PSU ...

Really? they meant to be poor? its served me well for the past 3 years

 

[agatward]

Really? they meant to be poor? its served me well for the past 3 years

I have had no end of problems with QTEC power supplies. Typically the ripple on the 12V rails is well out of spec, as is the voltage under load. I have also had two explode on me (again out of spec - the ATX documents says something along the lines of 'power supplies must not emit startling noises or smoke') - when the second one exploded I vowed never to use them again.

It really is worth spending the extra £50 or so for one of the well-known top brands - SeaSonic, Enermax, Tagan, etc. You will tell as soon as you pick them up that they've been engineered properly.

 

[KillerHERTZ]

Trouble is, I dont want to spend another £50 and find out it wasnt the PSU afterall

I still havent contacted or left feedback to the seller ether.

 

[andy_k]

Trouble is, I dont want to spend another £50 and find out it wasnt the PSU afterall

I still havent contacted or left feedback to the seller ether.

take it down to your local computer shop - they will have a tester to plug it into

Cheaper than buying a new one

 

[masqueraid]

One thing that I have also noticed, I dont get a light on the keyboard at all, and pressing F1 for example jouring start up does nothing. Why wouldnt I get any power to the keyboard then?

On most desktops the PS2 keyboard connectors don't power up until the BIOS recognises them (that's usually the point where you get "Hit F2 for Setup" etc on the screen). Unlike the USBs which draw power once connected.

Do you have access to any other desktop PC you could "borrow" the PSU from?

The board we're talking about is quite thirsty for juice and needs both 24 and 4 pin power connections to the board plus the usual drive & graphics card connections. The 20-24 adapter should usually work - do you have the 4 pin supplementary power plug on your existing PSU?

 

[KillerHERTZ]

On most desktops the PS2 keyboard connectors don't power up until the BIOS recognises them (that's usually the point where you get "Hit F2 for Setup" etc on the screen). Unlike the USBs which draw power once connected.

Do you have access to any other desktop PC you could "borrow" the PSU from?

The board we're talking about is quite thirsty for juice and needs both 24 and 4 pin power connections to the board plus the usual drive & graphics card connections. The 20-24 adapter should usually work - do you have the 4 pin supplementary power plug on your existing PSU?

Thanks for the replies,

This 4pin plug, do you mean the small connect connector that attaches itself next to the CPU? then yes its connected.

I think im going to take it to a local PC shop to have a look at it.

All my mates PCs are DELLs etc, factory built & eveything is bolted in.

 

[masqueraid]

Yes a square 4 pin plug - on your board it is between the CPU and the rear connectors.

I've just noticed no one has asked what your old board was. The RAM for the new board needs to be a minimum of 333MHz nonECC DDR CL2.5.

The only ray of hope so far seems to be that the BIOS beeps to tell you there is NO memory installed. At that point it will stop and you won't get a video signal.

 

[GazCaff]

Sorry for the slow reply,

Just had another go at it,started it up with nothing attached at all (including RAM!) The speaker started to beep! At least we know that works after all!

With 1 stick off RAM attached, the beeping stops, still nothing at all on the monitor

My PSU is a Q-TEC PSU 400WP Dual Fan gold - attached with a £3 20-24 pin adaptor

One thing that I have also noticed, I dont get a light on the keyboard at all, and pressing F1 for example jouring start up does nothing. Why wouldnt I get any power to the keyboard then?

Thanks in advance.

I know you don't want to spend money, but you should throw that PSU in the bin anyway. As others have already said, they were one of the worst PSUs on the market. You wouldn't service your Merc with £5 for 5l motor oil from Netto, would you? It's the same principle as gambling all your expensive computer components on a £10 PSU.

 

[Chris_J]

I would definitely remove the CPU and re-seat it again. Have you got the heatsink and fan on firmly with just a smidgin of thermal paste on there too?

What memory are you using? Try the memory in another socket or a different piece of memory. As already asked, is your memory the right spec?

 

[KillerHERTZ]

Ok, an update:

Last week I bought a new 500w PSU, connected it all up and nothing different happened, all lights & fans worked but still nothing on the monitor!

Took the new PSU back & swapped it for a PCI-Express graphics card.

Tried to get a signal from the new card as I havent used a PCI-E card on it and still no signal! - The graphics card powers up (fan) but still a blank screen of death which causes the montior to go into standby mode

Ive tried using both the standard blue VGA connector & the White DYI ports aswell

Any ideas before I take it to a PC shop?


Im still thinking its a RAM issue, but would that really stop any video signal from the offset?

I would definitely remove the CPU and re-seat it again. Have you got the heatsink and fan on firmly with just a smidgin of thermal paste on there too?

I will have another go at removing the heatskink tonight - the termal paste has dried up and the heatskink is not glued to the chip anymore - That wouldnt prevent a signal though

 

[masqueraid]

Did you maanage the CMOS reset mentioned on page 2 of the thread?

 

[KillerHERTZ]

Did you maanage the CMOS reset mentioned on page 2 of the thread?

Yes mate, made no difference

The only RAM related thing ive notice is beeping when I boot with no RAM attached.

 

[Nibbo]

Have you tried one of these?
They give a specific code which tells you exactly what failed.
I used it on mine when it just would not boot or beep or anything; this thing told me that I had a faulty graphics card.
Replaced that an hey-presto PC booted with no problems.

 

[Ratz]

Another thing I would visually check is all the capacitors on the motherboard, it is of the right sort of age (2+ years I am guessing) for capacitors to blow. This is a common problem on Dells. This can explain some parts of your motherboard working and other not (i.e. keyboard not evidently getting power).

Also try disconnecting PSU and hitting the start button(metaphorically), this will discharge capacitors.

BTW capacitors should all be nicely cylindrical with flat tops, any bulging anyway (especially on top) can indicate a failure.