Frustrated...but trying again & need help please!

[MT Alex]

Bummer
I still have a feeling it's something minor. Hopefully.

 

[Thlorian]

Thanks for all your help and tips. I'm tossing in the towel and going outside to enjoy a nice cigar. Thanks again....I would like to purchase a nice performance machine that has a low-end graphics card, low-end hard drive, and low end memory. Then I will take the nicer card, memory, and hard drive from my build failure and simply add them to this partial bare-bones system.

So plmk your suggestions of where I can buy a system that has a nice case, cpu, mobo, and psu, but is light on the rest...

Thanks

 

[sneekypeet]

I wouldn't give up so easy.

Start with the basics and work your way up.

I assume you have a mobo speaker? Just power the kit with the CPU installed, nothing else, no ram, no card, no drives. Does the speaker make any noise when you attempt to boot?

If it makes noise, what is the beep code?

 

[qamulek]

The manufacturer's site for these?

If so here they are:

The AMD cpu's = http://www.amd.com/us/products/desktop/processors/phenom-ii/Pages/phenom-ii-model-number-comparison.aspx

The mobo = http://www.gigabyte.us/products/product-page.aspx?pid=3516#ov

Thanks

Thx for the link. On page 33 of the manual(downloaded from link) are instructions to clear the cmos. Unplug the power supply from the wall. *try* turn on the computer to get any juice out of the power supply. Near the battery(which is near the middle of the motherboard) is a jumper that needs to be shorted for a few seconds to reset the cmos. Apparently they don't have a jumper cap thats always near it, so you probably have to short the jumper with a screwdriver. Special warnings from the manual are to never have the jumper shorted while the power supply is plugged in or bad things will happen...

 

[qamulek]

Thanks for all your help and tips. I'm tossing in the towel and going outside to enjoy a nice cigar. Thanks again....I would like to purchase a nice performance machine that has a low-end graphics card, low-end hard drive, and low end memory. Then I will take the nicer card, memory, and hard drive from my build failure and simply add them to this partial bare-bones system.

So plmk your suggestions of where I can buy a system that has a nice case, cpu, mobo, and psu, but is light on the rest...

Thanks

If all else fails first take your gear to some computer shop and tell them to make it work. They'll figure out what is good and what needs replaced(possibly selling you the stuff right there) and charge you a relatively small fee* compared to buying a bare bones system then putting the gear you already bought into it.

*small fee depends on various factors that are out of my control, so I won't say with certainty that it will cost less.... Also you have to find a place that actually fixes pc's rather then just sell pc parts.

 

[Thlorian]

I wouldn't give up so easy.

Start with the basics and work your way up.

I assume you have a mobo speaker? Just power the kit with the CPU installed, nothing else, no ram, no card, no drives. Does the speaker make any noise when you attempt to boot?

If it makes noise, what is the beep code?

Thanks for the tip. No noise at all - It just sits there and mocks me!

 

[oily_17]

Thanks for the tip. No noise at all - It just sits there and mocks me!

If you dont get any beep codes, lights etc, then I would start with the PSU.Do you have any other PSU that you can try.

Not sure how the POST runs through, but I think the PSU is the first to pass the test.

Are both the 8 and 24 pin connections in.

 

[Thlorian]

If you dont get any beep codes, lights etc, then I would start with the PSU.Do you have any other PSU that you can try.

Not sure how the POST runs through, but I think the PSU is the first to pass the test.

Are both the 8 and 24 pin connections in.

Thanks for your help on this. Yes, the 24 pin connector and two 4 pin connectors are in good.

Someone in another thread (or site) told me to use the two ends of a paperclip to test the PSU. I separated the PSU from everything. Then I took one end of the clip and inserted into one of the 24 holes in the PSU power plug and the other end to another one (I forget which colors - maybe green and black - but I was told which specific colors to use). After I did this I connected the case's large fan to a power connector coming from the psu and then turned it on. Both this large fan and the fan inside the PSU came on instantly and ran. So even though I have never done this type of test before, I felt that the PSU was cool (no pun intended). Was there another way to test this psu? OH, I also tested the only other PSU I have (a generic brand 300 watts unit) and it did not get the mobo and others running. When I put this generic psu back into the desktop I first had it in, it started up fine so I know it works.

 

[oily_17]

Yes the paper clip will turn on the PSU, just doesn't test to see if the 12v line etc are up to scratch.

But as you tested another PSU, then we can generally rule out the PSU as the problem.

The next test I would do is swap out the CPU as I think it is the first main component on the board that POST will test.

Most failures I have seen are Memory or PSU....

 

[REDDLINE]

Yeah, im getting that feeling from whenever something is going wrong with one of my builds right now, you know, where you think your doomed but it turnes out to be something small.
I hope your CPU comes through, since you tested the PSU you should try the CPU in a currently working computer, i do this by asking my friends if i can run a CPU in their
computer just to see if its operational. If all else fails, you can turn to a life of crime

 

[n-ster]

Where do you live? if you live somewhere near a TPU member, I'm sure he won't mind stopping by to check it out for you

maybe take pictures(or videos) so that we can see? we might pick up on something

 

[Deleted member 74752]

Thanks for all your help and tips. I'm tossing in the towel and going outside to enjoy a nice cigar. Thanks again....I would like to purchase a nice performance machine that has a low-end graphics card, low-end hard drive, and low end memory. Then I will take the nicer card, memory, and hard drive from my build failure and simply add them to this partial bare-bones system.

So plmk your suggestions of where I can buy a system that has a nice case, cpu, mobo, and psu, but is light on the rest...

Thanks

I can hook you up with what you want in this case...COOLER MASTER Storm Scout SGC-2000-KKN1-GP Black S...

Perhaps a socket 1156 mb/cpu? The case has never been used and I have plenty of hardware sitting here. Let me know what you desire and your approx. location.

 

[streetfighter 2]

Thanks for all your help and tips. I'm tossing in the towel and going outside to enjoy a nice cigar. Thanks again....I would like to purchase a nice performance machine that has a low-end graphics card, low-end hard drive, and low end memory. Then I will take the nicer card, memory, and hard drive from my build failure and simply add them to this partial bare-bones system.

So plmk your suggestions of where I can buy a system that has a nice case, cpu, mobo, and psu, but is light on the rest...

Thanks

(schadenfreud?)

We've all been there. Don't give up...
http://xkcd.com/349/

If the CPU is bad the computer will still turn on, it just won't post or do anything else useful (except maybe LED or beep code saying the CPU is bad). You should even be able to turn on the computer without any CPU socketed. Nothing will happen of course, but the mobo power LED should light up (and fans turn on, etc. etc.).

Are you sure all of the PSU connectors are securely connected to the mobo? Is the CPU fan plugged in? Did you say ten hail Marys?

I usually wouldn't suggest it but maybe a picture (or two or three) of your setup from a proper digital camera could help us diagnose the issue. (Cellphone pictures do not apply.)

 

[Achilles1600]

Sound's like he maid a mess, with his build.

 

[REDDLINE]

I can hook you up with what you want in this case...COOLER MASTER Storm Scout SGC-2000-KKN1-GP Black S...

Perhaps a socket 1156 mb/cpu? The case has never been used and I have plenty of hardware sitting here. Let me know what you desire and your approx. location.

Very good case, i have one, i was skeptical on getting it, but it was worth it.

 

[Thetimewarp]

Sound's like he maid a mess, with his build.

Indeed, it sound's like he has maid a few cockups.

 

[JrRacinFan]

@Thlorian,

When you are "attempting" to power on the machine, do you get psu fan spinning?

 

[Steve-007UK]

Sorry if its been mentioned already but instead of trying to use the power cable from the case, use a jumper to short the pins on the mobo to power it up, The reason i say this is because about 4 monhts ago my bosses pc decided it wont power up anymore, We tryed all the usual stuff but we still had no power, We ended up spending £70+ on a new PSU and guess what? The pc never powered up lol, At this pont we were thinking the mobo had died but it turned out to be the power cable on the case, Bascily it decided it just don't want to work anymore even tho it still clicked fine and all that.
In the end i got the reset switch cable and pluged it into the power on the mobo and clicked it and the pc powered up.

If you do try the jumper method make sure you only short the pins and dont leave the jumper on them or it will be like holding the power button down to make the pc turn of.

 

[JrRacinFan]

Sorry if its been mentioned already but instead of trying to use the power cable from the case, use a jumper to short the pins on the mobo to power it up, The reason i say this is because about 4 monhts ago my bosses pc decided it wont power up anymore, We tryed the usualy stuff and still no power, We ended up spending £70+ on a new PSU and guess what? The pc never powered up lol, At this pont we were thinking the mobo had died but it turned out ot be the power cable on the case, Bascily it decided it just dont want to work anymore even tho it still clicked fine and all that.

In the end i got the reset switch cable and pluged it into the power on the mobo and clciked it and the pc powered up.

If you do try the jumper method make sure you only short the pins and dont leave the jumper on them or it will be like holding the power button down to make the pc turn of.

That's exactly my reasoning for asking!!

 

[Thlorian]

Update on the Thlorian saga (less the weeping on the floor ;-) ):
Thanks again for all of your tips and help. I'm placing the CPU and mobo to the side for another day of detective work down the road. I did run out and purchase an HP 6610f (sort of a bare-bones with a decent cpu). I added the ram from my faulty build above and also installed the HD5570 card. Here is the only problem. The PSU that came with the HP does not have a 4 pin plug for the HD video card as well as it does not have extra sata plugs for an additional hard drive I wish to add. So what are your recommendations on a modular PSU that I can pick up at say Best Buy that will fit into this system (mid-size atx case) and still not clutter me with cables galore. Lastly I have a Creative Labs card (Audigy) but the remaining slots are "tiny" and don't look like they fit the card? I don't want to try shoving it in and thus ruining the card w/o your advice first. Once again although the build above just didn't work out, I had a tasty cigar last night and decided to move on and get back to this in a month via a fresh start. So I'm saying that although I am a beginner in this area, I was VERY impressed on the quickness, politeness, and professionalism on this site in regards to your answers! Thanks!!!

 

[Thlorian]

@Thlorian,

When you are "attempting" to power on the machine, do you get psu fan spinning?

Nope - nothing comes on...

 

[Deleted member 74752]

Sorry Thiorion but a HP or Dell was not the solution here...you may not even find a standard psu to fit it.

If thats the route you wanted to take should have considered something like this...Computer Parts, PC Components, Laptop Computers, L...

 

[JrRacinFan]

Nope - nothing comes on...

Then attempt to jump the power on header with a screw driver. I am thinking the power switch on your case is bad or you have the clear cmos jumper stuck in the clear position.

 

[streetfighter 2]

The PSU that came with the HP does not have a 4 pin plug for the HD video card as well as it does not have extra sata plugs for an additional hard drive I wish to add. So what are your recommendations on a modular PSU that I can pick up at say Best Buy that will fit into this system (mid-size atx case) and still not clutter me with cables galore. Lastly I have a Creative Labs card (Audigy) but the remaining slots are "tiny" and don't look like they fit the card? I don't want to try shoving it in and thus ruining the card w/o your advice first.

I would highly discourage you from picking up a PSU at Best Buy. Their prices on some items are reasonable, but PSUs are not amongst the reasonably priced items. Expect to pay 2x what you'd pay at Newegg when shopping for a PSU at Best Buy.

In regards to your Audigy card it is probably a PCI card. There are several different types of card slots though there are really only (at most) two groups with a modern computer: PCI and PCIE. Your troublesome mobo, the GA-890GPA-UD3H, has three PCIE x1 slots (the small ones), two PCIE x16 slots (the big ones most commonly used for graphics cards) and two of the older style PCI slots (on the bottom of the mobo). Older motherboards didn't have PCIE slots but instead had an AGP slot with several PCI slots (example).

Where this may get confusing is that PCIE can also be x4 and x8 which makes the slot size somewhere in between that of PCIE x2 and x16. (The top slot in this picture is a PCIE x4). If this doesn't clear up your problem I'd suggest looking up the specific model of your Audigy card online to determine what slot it uses and then matching that to the figures in the motherboard manual.

Then attempt to jump the power on header with a screw driver. I am thinking the power switch on your case is bad or you have the clear cmos jumper stuck in the clear position.

Good idea though I wouldn't recommend using a screw driver as it's a little unnecessarily dangerous. Instead I'd suggest, assuming he has an old computer lying around, that he extract the power switch from an older computer and plug it into the new mobo.

 

[Thlorian]

As luck would have it, I have a Master Cooler 520w psu from my "old" machine that is modular and I was able to use it successfully to replace the one in the HP I picked up. Not a killer monster rig but right now I need to make lemonade out of a frustrating situation. I put the mobo, cpu, and PSU away for now along with the case and will tinker with it over xmas break. I have a decent system up for now that I can work with via a quad core chip, 8gb ddr3 ram, and a decent video card (ATI HD5750) so I can't complain from where I was a week or two ago. My wallet is sore but I'm back up gaming! Thanks again all...