Bes
join:2006-01-24
Canada
| Newly Built PC - A Bitter End
I'm not sure if anyone remembers me, but I made a thread in the WoW forums here about building a budget WoW pc for under $400. I bought all my stuff, finally received it all, and put it all together. My first time to ever build a pc on my own, and I have to say, it's left me feeling quite bitter.
No matter how much I tried to do everything by the book, as carefully as any surgeon doing open-heart surgery, I just can't get this thing running properly. I went through the instructions a hundred times over and over, each time making very sure that I did not overlook anything.
The only trouble I had building this, was the little pins for the power switch, reset switch, H.D.D, and all the LED's, but other than that, everything was a piece of cake! Although now I'm thinking everything was a little too simple. I can't help but think I've forgotten something very little or very important.
But anyway, let me get to the point. The problem I'm having, is when I turn on my computer, it will run for about four seconds, shut down for four seconds, start back up for four seconds, and it repeats that process forever until I pull the cord. That happens only if I insert the little 4-pin ATX 12V power plug thingy. Without that little 4-pin plug inserted, and only the main ATX power plug inserted, the computer turns on and stays on, but I don't get any visual on my monitor, so I have no idea if it's even booting up to DOS, or anything.
I've tried running the pc with only the video card, ram, and cpu connected, and the same thing occurs. I'll note that all fans are working properly, including the video card's, so I'm sure even the video card is receiving power. I've tried switching the power supply with other working psu's, so I know it's not the psu, and the one I'm using is a 460W psu, and that's more than enough to power up what I have.
Here is what I'm running:
-Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3L ATX LGA775 P35 1333FSB 1PCI-E16 3PCI-E1 3PCI SATA2 Sound GBLAN Motherboard
-Intel Pentium Dual Core E2160 Dual Core Processor LGA775 1.8GHZ 800FSB 1MB CPU
-XFX GeForce 8600GT 540MHZ 256MB 128BIT 1.4GHZ DDR3 PCI-E Dual DVI-I HDTV video card
-OCZ Gold XTC PC2-6400 2GB 2X1GB DDR2-800 CL5-5-5-12 240PIN DIMM Dual Channel Memory
-Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 320GB SATA2 3GB/S 7200RPM 16MB Cache HDD
-a CD rom drive
-a floppy disk drive
I'll admit, there's a good chance, with my crappy luck, that something I bought might be faulty. I really hate thinking that way, but sometimes a guy just has to face facts. But with that out of the way, would anyone happen to know how to fix my problem, assuming that it is indeed fixable? |
|
ross
join:2000-08-16 | For starters, what PSU are you running? Does it have a 20-pin, or 24-pin, main MB connector? |
|
Bes
join:2006-01-24
Canada
| The plug is a 20-pin connector, but it has a little 4-pin attached to it that comes apart if not needed. I'm also using that little 4-pin because the insert on the mobo is 24 pins.
Like this right here:
»images10.newegg.com/NeweggImage/···1-13.JPG
"Coolermaster Extreme Power Plus 460W ATX Power Supply 12V V2.3 20/24PIN 80MM Fan" |
|
Sweet Witch
Be the flame, not the moth.
Premium,MVM
join:2003-07-15
Gallifrey | reply to Bes
Can you take a close-up picture of this connected to the motherboard for us? Also one of the other 4-pin over by the processor.
--
"While you can teach an old dog new tricks, you simply can't teach him to be a cat." |
|
ross
join:2000-08-16
 ·Digizip
edit:
May 5th, @06:21PM
| reply to Bes
That may be your problem. Check the wiring diagram for the motherboard power connector, and make sure you have the proper voltages going to the right pin positions. There is a caution in the MB manual about using the 4-pin connector at the main motherboard connector if you are using a PSU with a 20-pin main and a 4-pin auxiliary connector. There is a plastic protector in the four pins on/at the end of the main motherboard power connector, covering pins 11, 12, 23 and 24. This is to keep you from applying the wrong voltages to the MB when using a PSU with a 20-pin main and 4-pin aux. connector.
Make sure the pinouts are the same for PSU and MB.
...and you're really, really sure you have the reset switch and power switch wired correctly, right? |
|
Bes
join:2006-01-24
Canada
| Sweet Witch-
I don't have any digital cameras lying around, or anything like that, but my cell phone does have a camera on it which I can use to take a picture of my set up, but the cell phone is with someone else at the moment... I'll upload a picture ASAP.
ross-
There doesn't seem to be any protectors covering pins 11, 12, 23, or 24. Nothing obvious, anyway. What is the protector supposed to look like? |
|
ross
join:2000-08-16
·Digizip
edit:
May 6th, @01:40PM
| The manual says the MB ships with a plastic insert covering pins 11, 12, 23 and 24 of the ATX power connector. It must be removed if you have a 24-pin PSU. Now, the manual may simply be out of date as most ATX supplies ship with 24-pin connectors these days.
The issue is not whether the Aux. 4-pin connector will fit, but rather what VOLTAGES are present on the respective connectors. See the extracted page from your motherboard manual above. Check the voltages present on the motherboard vs the voltage present on the 4-pin Aux. connector from the PSU. |
|
Bes
join:2006-01-24
Canada
| Hm, well, there doesn't seem to be anything blocking the holes, and I was able to insert the plugs into all 24 pins without any trouble. I do vaguely remember peeling a sticker off the motherboard when I first opened it. I wonder, is that was what you're talking about? |
|
gallowsroad
join:2004-08-09
Tulsa, OK
 ·Comcast
| said by Bes  :Hm, well, there doesn't seem to be anything blocking the holes, and I was able to insert the plugs into all 24 pins without any trouble. I do vaguely remember peeling a sticker off the motherboard when I first opened it. I wonder, is that was what you're talking about? No. That sticker is basically a promotional type deal. Nothing to do with the operation of the board itself.
When you had the 4 pin CPU power connector on, are you certain you had it oriented correctly?
--
Ha ha haaaaaaa....ever get the feeling you've been cheated?
- John Lydon, last Sex Pistols show |
|
srr2
join:2001-12-20
Bethlehem, PA
·RCN CABLE
·Verizon Online DSL
| reply to Bes
I just built a system very close to what you have there. The m/b I have did not come with the cover over the power plug that the manual talks about. My PSU had a 24 pin plug so I'd have noticed for sure. Mine booted and ran perfectly.
I'm very suspicious about two things that you mention. The problems you had with the front panel connections and the four-second shutdown. I'm suspicious because an ATX board will shut down in four seconds if you hold the power switch closed. I suggest that you revisit the front panel connections ... better yet, have someone else look at them. It's amazing how one can make the same mistake over and over again. You can run the board with nothing on that particular header. Try that. You can use a small screwdriver to bridge the power switch pins. Make yourself a large drawing of the connector layout so there's no doubt about which pin is which.
This is a nice board BTW. It boots Vista-64 Ultimate to the desktop in 32 seconds with an E8400 processor running at 3.6GHz.
Advice: Do not try to run AHCI. It works if you don't want to use S3 standby, but once you put it on standby, there are problems trying to turn back on.
The only sticker I recall peeling off was an advertising kind of thing stuck on the PCI connectors.
There's a four-pin plug from the power supply with two black wires and two yellow wires that has to be plugged into a four-pin receptacle near the processor. You have that connected, right? |
|
yuutomo
The Wonder Kitter
Premium
join:2001-08-27
Missoula, MT
·Bresnan Online
| reply to Bes
I'd say the PSU is underpowered. I have a 8600 and tried a 460Watt psu, and it struggled, put in a 500 watt and everythings running smoothly. I'd also recheck the FP connectors and make sutre they are in the right spot and right polarity for those that matter. |
|
srr2
join:2001-12-20
Bethlehem, PA
·RCN CABLE
·Verizon Online DSL
| said by yuutomo :I'd say the PSU is underpowered. I have a 8600 and tried a 460Watt psu, and it struggled, put in a 500 watt and everythings running smoothly. I'd also recheck the FP connectors and make sutre they are in the right spot and right polarity for those that matter. That system does NOT need that kind of power. Mine, with two optical, four WD 7200rpm HDDs, an 8600GT, SCSI adapter, 4GB of Corsair PC8500 @ 1000MHz, floppy, and multi-card reader is running perfectly fine on a 300W Seasonic PSU. This business about huge power supplies is so overblown it's ridiculous. I measured the power consumption at idle and at full CPU utilization: 105W and 125W respectively. So much of this power supply misinformation stems from absurd ratings of cheap crap power supplies. Buy a good name brand and the need for those big numbers vanishes. |
|
yuutomo
The Wonder Kitter
Premium
join:2001-08-27
Missoula, MT | post the PC Wizard screenshots of your system and the overall benchmark form it as well, I've yet to see a 300 watt psu run a system with that supposed hardware. |
|
gallowsroad
join:2004-08-09
Tulsa, OK
·Comcast
| 460 watts is plenty for the rig the OP has posted. I built two rigs with the same mobo, a 380w Antec supply, E6750, 2GB RAM and 8600GTS video card and ran it at 3.2 to 3.4GHz rock stable.
The problem he is having is not the power supply unless it is actually defective. |
|
Bes
join:2006-01-24
Canada
edit:
May 6th, @02:30AM
| Sweet Witch-
Here are a couple pictures of the power connectors. Sorry about the small resolution, but I had to use my cellphone.
srr2-
I've gone over the front panel connections a bajillion times, including a couple more times just an hour ago. A friend was over earlier, someone who is rather decent at building computers. He told me everything looked fine, and he even redid the front panel connections himself.
I'm not quite sure how to do what you suggested with the screwdriver. You want me to hold the screwdriver on the two pins where the Power SW connector would go? Isn't that a little bit dangerous? I'm a little intimidated by that idea.
Also, yes, I do have the little four-pin plug right beside the processor connected. See: Image 1.
yuutomo-
I have a friend with almost the same build as mine, but her processor is a little bit better than mine, and she only uses a 430W PSU. She hasn't had any problems.
gallowsroad-
I also tried a 450W psu that I had lying around, that I know works, and it didn't make a difference.
Oh and, I just want to add that my motherboard's revision is 2.0. |
|
gallowsroad
join:2004-08-09
Tulsa, OK
·Comcast
| said by Bes :You want me to hold the screwdriver on the two pins where the Power SW connector would go? Isn't that a little bit dangerous? I'm a little intimidated by that idea. It is a tad intimidating the first time around, but not really dangerous.
Pull the front panel power switch connector, and use a small screwdriver to short the two pins on the motherboard together. It just takes a quick touch. This rules in/out the switch as the source of the fault.
If it powers on and off as before, then the switch is not the cause of your troubles. If it powers up all the way, then you know where the problem is.
One other thing occurs to me - when you mounted the motherboard did you make sure to match up the motherboard stand-offs in the case with the corresponding holes in the board? Are you sure there weren't any extras? If there are extras they can cause a short in the board, which can cause problems.
--
Ha ha haaaaaaa....ever get the feeling you've been cheated?
- John Lydon, last Sex Pistols show |
|
Dream Killer
Graveyard Shift
Premium
join:2002-08-09
Forest Hills, NY
clubs:
| reply to Bes
I had a 2.0 revision of the GA-P35-DS3L. It did the same exact thing when I put it together. I've taken all the necessary precautions (ankle-strap, no jewelry...etc) and the motherboard behaved exactly as you said. I even ran it on top of my wooden table to see if there was a short in the case, and same thing. When I put all the parts into my Rev 1.0 GA-P35-DS3L, the parts worked like a charm. I finally returned the thing to Newegg and never bothered with it. I just have to live with one bad SATA port on my Rev 1 (it was my fault).
From that experience, I think your board is dead. However, before you RMA it doesn't hurt to try the suggestions here. |
|
srr2
join:2001-12-20
Bethlehem, PA
·RCN CABLE
·Verizon Online DSL
edit:
May 6th, @07:51AM
| reply to yuutomo
said by yuutomo : I've yet to see a 300 watt psu run a system with that supposed hardware. Well, DUH! I guess that the system (with its "supposed" hardware) that's sitting here running quietly and cool as I type on it isn't actually here at all. While it may be true that due to your inexperience you may not have seen such a system, I, on the other hand, have seen many. I've made over a hundred actual power measurements on actual systems to assess real-world power and heat load conditions. But hey, when it comes to thing like this, why be bothered with facts, huh? Uninformed opinions formed by reading web sites where gamers are the technical experts are just as good!
BTW, Mine's a rev. 2.0 too. Interesting that someone else has reported the same behavior. Also, there's a new BIOS for it, posted less than a week ago. |
|
captokita
Premium
join:2005-02-22
Calabash, NC
| reply to Bes
Sounds like a bad switch, as someone else has said.
What I would try - remove all connectors for the front panel, and ONLY connect the power switch, and try it out. If it does the same thing, power, off, power, off, then remove the connector and use the RESET switch connector instead over the power switch's pins. Now, using the reset button, turn the unit on, and see if the problem is gone. If so, the power switch is bad or sticking. Just leave it be (or replace it) and use the reset button for power. If you want, move the switch on the panel itself to the power button if it's a pain to get at the reset button. (some new cases are tough to get at the reset button) |
|
Ray422
Premium
join:2002-03-04
Adger, AL
clubs: 
·RoadRunner Cable
| reply to Bes
Just playing devil's advocate.
--Are you "SURE" you don't have the atx 4 pin power and the 4 pin cpu connector improperly "crossed/switched" up? Should have a matching guide or a matching arrow.
--Is the 4 pin cpu connector properly oriented? The clip and notch should match.
--Does the clip and notch match on the atx connector?
--Is the power panel connector properly oriented to the mobo + and - terminal. As others have said; remove other panel connectors and momentarily by-pass the power connector with a screwdriver.
--If you tried what others have said about disconnecting everything; did you also disconnect the cd-rom and floppy?
Did you also remove one stick of ram, and retry each in the primary slot?
PS: That sticker you removed was a Gigabyte round green advertising sticker affixed to the video slots. Don't mean "nuffin".
--
Team Discovery and Project Hope |
|
