Okay, my power supply just came in today, so I was finally able to test everything out.
Failure.
Now, I think I have a pretty good idea about what's going on, but I'd like a second opinion. Here's the deal. I have only the bare minimum hooked up (PSU, motherboard, CPU, one stick of RAM), and upon powering the computer on, the CPU fan (and other fans if they are connected) spins and absolutely nothing else happens. No POST, no beeps, nada. Now, I'm reasonably sure that the CPU and motherboard are not at fault, as I got them from a friend and have had visual proof of them being functional.
I suspect my problem is as simple as my RAM not being compatible with my motherboard. Does that sound right?
EDIT: Also, I've got no signal from any of the video ports.
EDIT: No, the RAM is theoretically compatible. Test the board with another GPU, and make sure the RAM is seated in the right slot. Your slots should come in two main sets composed of two slave slots. On ASUS boards, seat ram sequentially. A1, then A2, then B1, then B2. Also, RAM can take a lot of force to seat. Push hard enough that the lock pins set.
I'm using the integrated graphics for the purposes of troubleshooting, but I haven't had any luck with my 6870 either. The CPU is a Phenom II X2, which is definitely compatible with the motherboard.
Did you plug the second power plug into the motherboard?
Yes. I have also tried clearing the RTC RAM, but to no avail.
The normal checklist would be:
4-pin connector into motherboard, normally located away from the 24-pin connector. (I know you said you did it, but this is the most common for fans spinning for just a second, AFAIK) Standoffs under motherboard (I know this sound stupid, but a friend RMA'd two mobos before I looked at it and noticed he was seating the mobo on the bottom of the case without standoffs) Reseat RAM/RAM problems/etc. Reconnect power supply connectors Bad power supply? (Can you test it with another?) Bad CPU/Mobo? (If you know these work, clearly this should be a last resort, but you can't rule it out.)
EDIT: Also, I've got no signal from any of the video ports.
If you aren't getting it to even spin up, you aren't going to get any video.
4-pin connector into motherboard, normally located away from the 24-pin connector. (I know you said you did it, but this is the most common for fans spinning for just a second, AFAIK) Check. On my motherboard it's right next to the CPU slot. Standoffs under motherboard (I know this sound stupid, but a friend RMA'd two mobos before I looked at it and noticed he was seating the mobo on the bottom of the case without standoffs) Check. I also tested the motherboard outside of the case on a piece of cardboard just to be sure. Reseat RAM/RAM problems/etc. Reseated and tested one DIMM at a time. I'll be able to try out some differnt DIMMs on Sunday. Reconnect power supply connectors Check. Bad power supply? (Can you test it with another?) Will try out another on Sunday Bad CPU/Mobo? (If you know these work, clearly this should be a last resort, but you can't rule it out.)
It's looking like the problem is with either the power supply or the RAM.
4-pin connector into motherboard, normally located away from the 24-pin connector. (I know you said you did it, but this is the most common for fans spinning for just a second, AFAIK) Check. On my motherboard it's right next to the CPU slot. Standoffs under motherboard (I know this sound stupid, but a friend RMA'd two mobos before I looked at it and noticed he was seating the mobo on the bottom of the case without standoffs) Check. I also tested the motherboard outside of the case on a piece of cardboard just to be sure. Reseat RAM/RAM problems/etc. Reseated and tested one DIMM at a time. I'll be able to try out some differnt DIMMs on Sunday. Reconnect power supply connectors Check. Bad power supply? (Can you test it with another?) Will try out another on Sunday Bad CPU/Mobo? (If you know these work, clearly this should be a last resort, but you can't rule it out.)
It's looking like the problem is with either the power supply or the RAM.
If you have a multimeter on hand, you should be able to check the voltage outputs on the power supply. It wont really tell you if it's a wattage problem, but if the power supply is completely dead it'll be noticeable. Just take all reasonable precautions in dealing with it.
I do have my grandfather's old military multimeter, but I'm not quite sure how to use it. It looks just like this one: I'll just wait a few days and try out my friend's power supply if the RAM doesn't solve my problem.
Hell, you can test whether a PSU is dead or only providing a short burst of power with just a paperclip. Unbend the paperclip into a U shape, unplug the PSU from everything (including the wall), then stick the paperclip in the slot for the green wire on the 24-pin connector as well as one of the black wires. Keep everything away from the paperclip and plug the PSU into the mains. If the PSU's fans spin up and stay spinning, then the PSU should be functional. From here you can back-probe the rest of the pins if you want to check their voltages.
Something no one else mentioned: if you try to power it up without the RAM, does it throw a POST sequence indicating no RAM? On most motherboards this is three short beeps.
Something no one else mentioned: if you try to power it up without the RAM, does it throw a POST sequence indicating no RAM? On most motherboards this is three short beeps.
Yeah, I get the three "no RAM" beeps if they're not in there.
ASUS has POST-Check lights on most boards. You'll see them flash sequentially when you power it up. Use the manual to diagnose the problem.
No POST-Check lights on this board, just a warning light that tells you when the power supply is on.
Alrighty, my friend is putting together a computer, with a budget of $500 or so. He's willing to bump it up if there's a nice price point somewhere close.
So, I used the chart up top and filled in what he doesn't have already. Can anyone give any better recommendations than this? I pretty much grabbed stuff off the chart and read the reviews on it. I've built quite a few systems, but I haven't done one in a couple of years. Also, he's planning on doing SLI in the future, and he definitely wants USB 3.0.
If the power supply came with a generic case, it's probably terrible and might screw the system over. Make sure it's decent. The rest seems okay to me, but 500GB is not a good hard drive size for value for money at the moment - stick with 2TB or so.
Also, do clock speeds matter as far as matching the ratios anymore? I was worried about mis-matching the memory and the processor clock speeds.
Just get the fastest RAM that your motherboard can support.
It pretty much doesn't matter except to overclockers. Don't spend any more than you need to on the RAM unless you have good reason.
I know this old Dell technician who preaches about the necessity of matching your clock speed ratios. (e.g. 2.4 processor/1600 mhz ram 2.66 processor/1333 ram) I just wanted to make sure he was being old.
Well, it used to be the case that the processor's clock speed would be tied to the memory clock speed, both being multiples of the FSB. The new architecture doesn't do this anymore.
Basically, higher bandwidth and lower latency is better for memory, but the performance advantage will be at most something like 5%, and that kind of edge will only occur in rare applications, such as 7-zip. Most of the time it's like 1% at most.
Comments
Hello world.
I know your laptop's a PC, but it can't play new video games, so it doesn't quite count.
Failure.
Now, I think I have a pretty good idea about what's going on, but I'd like a second opinion. Here's the deal. I have only the bare minimum hooked up (PSU, motherboard, CPU, one stick of RAM), and upon powering the computer on, the CPU fan (and other fans if they are connected) spins and absolutely nothing else happens. No POST, no beeps, nada. Now, I'm reasonably sure that the CPU and motherboard are not at fault, as I got them from a friend and have had visual proof of them being functional.
I suspect my problem is as simple as my RAM not being compatible with my motherboard. Does that sound right?
EDIT: Also, I've got no signal from any of the video ports.
EDIT: No, the RAM is theoretically compatible. Test the board with another GPU, and make sure the RAM is seated in the right slot. Your slots should come in two main sets composed of two slave slots. On ASUS boards, seat ram sequentially. A1, then A2, then B1, then B2. Also, RAM can take a lot of force to seat. Push hard enough that the lock pins set.
4-pin connector into motherboard, normally located away from the 24-pin connector. (I know you said you did it, but this is the most common for fans spinning for just a second, AFAIK)
Standoffs under motherboard (I know this sound stupid, but a friend RMA'd two mobos before I looked at it and noticed he was seating the mobo on the bottom of the case without standoffs)
Reseat RAM/RAM problems/etc.
Reconnect power supply connectors
Bad power supply? (Can you test it with another?)
Bad CPU/Mobo? (If you know these work, clearly this should be a last resort, but you can't rule it out.)
If you aren't getting it to even spin up, you aren't going to get any video.
Edit: Also, that RAM is definitely compatible.
I'll just wait a few days and try out my friend's power supply if the RAM doesn't solve my problem.
Something no one else mentioned: if you try to power it up without the RAM, does it throw a POST sequence indicating no RAM? On most motherboards this is three short beeps.
Time to install Windows.
So, I used the chart up top and filled in what he doesn't have already. Can anyone give any better recommendations than this? I pretty much grabbed stuff off the chart and read the reviews on it. I've built quite a few systems, but I haven't done one in a couple of years. Also, he's planning on doing SLI in the future, and he definitely wants USB 3.0.
Case - 10 Bay ATX Mid-Tower Generic Case - HAVE THIS ALREADY
Power Supply - 550W that came w/ case - HAVE THIS ALREADY
Graphics Card - GTX 560TI - HAVE THIS ALREADY
Motherboard - MSI P67A-G45 (B3) or Gigabyte GA-Z68A-D3H
Processor - Core i5-2400 3.1 Ghz
Ram - Patriot (2 x 4gb) DDR3-1333 $20 mail-in rebate
Hard Drives - Crucial M4 64GB SSD (Found it for $89 + Free Shipping on Buy.com) and WD Caviar 500GB
Also, do clock speeds matter as far as matching the ratios anymore? I was worried about mis-matching the memory and the processor clock speeds.
The rest seems okay to me, but 500GB is not a good hard drive size for value for money at the moment - stick with 2TB or so.
Basically, higher bandwidth and lower latency is better for memory, but the performance advantage will be at most something like 5%, and that kind of edge will only occur in rare applications, such as 7-zip. Most of the time it's like 1% at most.
There's some testing here you can look at.