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

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Ok, from my first build a couple of weeks ago, I posted my problems here at this link:

http://forums.techpowerup.com/showthread.php?t=133273

Since then you guys have determined that I ruined the mobo. So I ordered a new one and it arrived today. I do not want to roast this one so I need your help. It is a Gigabyte 890GPA-UD3H mobo. Tomorrow I am going to Frys during my lunch hour to get a wrist strap to help prevent shorting. Then and only then will I take the board out of the box. Here is where I need your help. Here are the items I have so far:

Athlon Phenom II X4 965 Deneb 3.4Ghz Black Edition CPU AM3 Quad core 45nm
Corsair XMS3 DDR3 dual channel kit memory 4gb (2x2) PC3-10666 1333Mhz
Cooler Master GX 750 watt ATX PSU
Cooler Master Armor A90 mid-tower case w/120mm and 200mm fans
MSI Radeon HD5750 1 GB PCI Video Card
Sound Blaster SE PCI Sound card
Logitech speaker System



I need to do two things please:

(1) I need to know how to test this board FIRST to make sure it is not a defective board. How do I do this before hooking everything else up?

(2) Once the board is determined to be good, can you please give me a step by step setting this Gigabyte mobo up so I do not roast anything!

A side note: It was determined that the first board was ruined but what if it was the CPU? How can I tell if I just bought myself another good board and the CPU is the problem?

Thanks again for all your help! I really, REALLY appreciate everything you can let me know as I am a NEWBIE here!
 

streetfighter 2

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Previous threads in the great Thlorian saga :):
I) Help Please! Only green SB light on mobo comes o...
II) Your suggestions on a new mobo to replace the bad...

1) If all you want to do is test a board then connect the bear minimum number of things:
-Install the CPU and heatsink
-Connect 1 stick of RAM
-Connect a switch to turn on the mobo (assuming it doesn't have one)
-Connect a monitor to the rear I/O VGA/DVI/HDMI for the onboard card
-Connect the PSU
(I suggest doing it in the order I mentioned. You can run it on the box or you can install it in the case. Either way be careful about static. Don't assemble the components on a metal table or on a carpeted floor. Having built at least 50 computers I usually just assemble them in the case and assume all is well. The DOA rate in my personal experience is less than 5%.)

2) I'm not willing to write up step by step instructions on how to install the mobo but maybe somebody else is.

If the CPU is bad then you can expect this board to have boot failure. If the CPU is the problem then the board may have a beep or LED code which says there was a failure related to the CPU. Otherwise you may be forced to try a different CPU or the same CPU in a different mobo.

Best of luck.

Thanks again for all your help! I really, REALLY appreciate everything you can let me know as I am a NEWBIE here!
We were all newbies once. I'm pretty damned sure you'll get this thing up and running without much more fuss. You got unlucky is all.
 
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CDdude55

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I need to do two things please:

(1) I need to know how to test this board FIRST to make sure it is not a defective board. How do I do this before hooking everything else up?

(2) Once the board is determined to be good, can you please give me a step by step setting this Gigabyte mobo up so I do not roast anything!

A side note: It was determined that the first board was ruined but what if it was the CPU? How can I tell if I just bought myself another good board and the CPU is the problem?

Thanks again for all your help! I really, REALLY appreciate everything you can let me know as I am a NEWBIE here!

1.To test if a board is defective the general practice for finding that out is to place the mobo on a non conductive surface(a box is fine) and hook up only the essentials to get the board to POST, that would be the CPU, RAM, Video card, monitor and Power Supply. Once you have situated those components onto the motherboard turn the system on by either hooking up the cases power switch pin onto the motherboard or using the onboard power button on the motherboard if that motherboard has one(it probably does). That's truly the only way to tell if a componant defective or not besides actual damage to the motherboard itself. You won't know if a part works or not before you actually try it.

2. Set it up like you would any other system, place the components in their proper place, boot it up and hope nothing blows up lol.

And if the CPU was dead generally it would have the same symptom, the system wouldn't POST and you'll have to find a replacement part for that item. Your motherboard should/may give out a certain number of beeps and when it does, count the beeps and look into your motherboards manual to determine what the issue exactly is. Saves you a ton of time trying to zero in on the component causing the issue.
 
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Previous threads in the great Thlorian saga :):
I) Help Please! Only green SB light on mobo comes o...
II) Your suggestions on a new mobo to replace the bad...

1) If all you want to do is test a board then connect the bear minimum number of things:
-Install the CPU and heatsink
-Connect 1 stick of RAM
-Connect a switch to turn on the mobo (assuming it doesn't have one)
-Connect a monitor to the rear I/O VGA/DVI/HDMI for the onboard card
-Connect the PSU
(I suggest doing it in the order I mentioned. You can run it on the box or you can install it in the case. Either way be careful about static. Don't assemble the components on a metal table or on a carpeted floor. Having built at least 50 computers I usually just assemble them in the case and assume all is well. The DOA rate in my personal experience is less than 5%.)

2) I'm not willing to write up step by step instructions on how to install the mobo but maybe somebody else is.

If the CPU is bad then you can expect this board to have boot failure. If the CPU is the problem then the board may have a beep or LED code which says there was a failure related to the CPU. Otherwise you may be forced to try a different CPU or the same CPU in a different mobo.

Best of luck.


We were all newbies once. I'm pretty damned sure you'll get this thing up and running without much more fuss. You got unlucky is all.

Thanks - one question please from your list above:

"-Connect a switch to turn on the mobo (assuming it doesn't have one)"

Which one are you referring to please? One of the little tiny wires that are marked SW, LED, etc. coming from the case and of which basically plug into the mobo relatively close to each other and over in the lower corner of the mobo??
 

CDdude55

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Thanks - one question please from your list above:

"-Connect a switch to turn on the mobo (assuming it doesn't have one)"

Which one are you referring to please? One of the little tiny wires that are marked SW, LED, etc. coming from the case and of which basically plug into the mobo relatively close to each other and over in the lower corner of the mobo??

Yes that is correct, he's talking about the the headers that you plug into the small pins in the corner of your mobo to turn the motherboard on.
 
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i just did a similar build for a friend that we couldn't get to turn on after a few teardowns turns out the tab on the reset switch on the case was too long and pressing the actual switch, causing it to not post.
 
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Quick help please as I am in my build right now!

Ok, I VERY carefully on wood floors with NO metal around and an anti-static band on, removed my new mobo and set it carefully on the cardboard board that came with it. I connected the cpu, heat sink, and one mem stick. My next step is to connect the tiny POWER SW plug from the case into the F-Panel on the mobo. Here is where I am stuck. The mobo manual tells me where to plug it in and the two pins on the mobo are marked + and minus -. The problem is with the POWER SW plug from the case. One of the wires is BLUE and the other WHITE. I do not know which one is plus and which one is minus. Can someone let me know so I can get this going please. THANKS EVERYONE!

Also, the last three steps after this will be to plug in a monitor and keyboard and then the 24 pin plug from the psu just so I can make sure this mobo is good. If I have missed a step plmk and THANKS again for your help!
 
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blue is positive

white and black are almost always negative... (unless used together, which is rare except in pairs where one is the common negative between other colors)

your case manual should also say...
 
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blue is positive

white and black are almost always negative... (unless used together, which is rare except in pairs where one is the common negative between other colors)

your case manual should also say...

Thank you VERY much for the quick answer...I'm on it....:cool:
 

temp02

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For a power/reset switch it's completely irrelevant which is + or -, since it will work fine both ways.

As for power/reset led, connect them as you think it should be and if they don't work invert the polarity and thats it, no big deal. :)
 
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For a power/reset switch it's completely irrelevant which is + or -, since it will work fine both ways.

As for power/reset led, connect them as you think it should be and if they don't work invert the polarity and thats it, no big deal. :)

i thought so... but wasn't sure enough to post it :)
 
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Ok I have th:
-cpu
-heat sink
-power sw
-keyboard (not usb)
-monitor to onboard video connection

...all attached. I am ready to plug in both the 12 and 24 pin plugs from the psu into the mobo. Is there anything else you feel I should connect before I do this and turn the computer on for the mobo check please?

THanks!
 
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Yes thanks - I have one stick of ram in ready to go! Should i also plug in the HDD plug and reset plug?
 
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Well - I am now beyond frustrated and quite upset right now. Nothing came on - no power light - no onboard green SB light - nothing. I can't keep buying more parts! I know you all helped and I appreciate that very much but I KNOW that I am doing this correctly. The odds of this board being defective are simply not possible!
 
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I have the following CPU in the computer I am using right now to converse here:

AMD Athlon II 620 quad core

Can I remove this one from this computer and place it in the Gegabyte AM3 board I am having problems with to see if the CPU I have in there now (965 AMD Black Edition) is ruined? I'll be upset but at least I will know it it s the cpu. If not, then I am out of solutions and pretty much done...
 

Thetimewarp

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I have the following CPU in the computer I am using right now to converse here:

AMD Athlon II 620 quad core

Can I remove this one from this computer and place it in the Gegabyte AM3 board I am having problems with to see if the CPU I have in there now (965 AMD Black Edition) is ruined? I'll be upset but at least I will know it it s the cpu. If not, then I am out of solutions and pretty much done...

Post a link to both CPUs and the MoBo please!
 
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Yes, that is also an AM3 chip, so it would work.

One thing: You really have to press the dog crap out of the 24 pin, and sometimes the 4 pin to make sure they are fully seated. I have had failures to post a few times because the sockets weren't tight. Make sure that the clip on the 24 pin is over the tab on the MB, same with the 4 pin (you said 12 pin, not sure about that, they are usually 4 or 8.) Check all of that before panicking.
 

Thetimewarp

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I know it sounds stupid but also check the PSU switch, the outlet switch and the power cable.

EDIT: Any updates?
 
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I know it sounds stupid but also check the PSU switch, the outlet switch and the power cable.

I did thanks. I also was given a tip on how to check the PSU on it's own via a paperclip inserted into to pin holes on the 24 pin plug. When I did this, the fans on the case and PSU started up right away so I feel good that the psu is ok.
 
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Post your setup picture, maybe we can help you from there.
 

qamulek

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add reset switch and try reset cmos

Add in a reset SW. I once took apart my uncles system and put it back together to find that the reset and power switch were switched D: I found out because the first time I tried turning it on I got nothing. Freaked me out. I checked the power supply was turned on, checked all connections, then decided wth hit the reset switch and luckily it turned on. Don't ask me why they were switched, but in every other mobo I've put together I got the power/reset switch right so my uncles mobo was a weird one...

Oh last mother board I had to reset the cmos to get the thing to boot the first time. Resetting cmos usually involves unplugging the power supply, trying to turn the computer on a few times to drain the charge in the power supply, taking out the small battery on the motherboard, then moving a jumper on the motherboard for a few seconds. You can find better instructions that are particular to your motherboard in the manual that came with your motherboard(my current motherboard I only had to hit a button :D).
 

Thetimewarp

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I take it from the eerie lack of Thlorian in this thread that his poor CPU is dead and he's rocking gently to and fro on the floor weeping. :[
 
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