First time builder, system wont power on

[Troas]

Alright, so ive been reading lots of books and threads on how to build computers and i know how to do just about everything confidently. So i built my computer today, pretty sure i put everything together correctly, but my problem is when i plug it in and try to turn it on, only my mobo ON light turns on...nothing else. None of my fans spin, dont hear any noises, nothing. Havent tried powering it on with the minimum connections, havent tried clearing my CMOS yet, and i dont like thinking its a problem with a component (just simply dont have any money left). Help please.

Athlon 64 3500+
Asus A8N-SLI Deluxe
X850 XT PE 256MB PCI-E
Sound Blaster Audgiy 2 ZS
WD 160GB SATA
SONY DVD Burner (cant remember the model, think its DRW or something close)
TT Xaser 5 Damier series (Harcano is a little frustrating, opted not to setup that yet)
TT 420 PSU (came with case, but i hear its good, not too sure now)

 

[Paperlantern]

Check the PSU, it might still be set to 220/230, instead of 115/110. but since it came with the case, thats not usually the problem, but never hurts to check it, usually a little red switch. Another possability is just a faulty, or improperly connected power switch, double check the connection on the jumper for that too, those are the 2 things that get me and i usually whack em on the second time over the system

 

[spanky]

if there are jumpers on the mobo, u might wanna double check those

 

[Monkey muppet]

I know!!!
I know!!!!

You havn't got any RAM installed, on a serious side:

It's the little risers used to attach the MB to the MB tray/case, one of them is shorting your MB (no lasting damage), make sure you havn't got any extra ones where the MB mounts aren't.

Once you've tried the above, remove all SATA, ATA, Optical devices & any other PCI cards.

Check the MB jumpers
Check the CPU is inserted correctly (don't laugh - I've seen it happen)
Check the PSU with a known working one
Ensure you are using the correct RAM slots (some MB's wont boot unless you have the 2x ram in the correct channels)

 

[Allanv]

plug in the little 4 pin plug from the PSU to the motherboard

 

[Troas]

Im a noob onlny because its my first time building, but im not that noobish allanv. Yea, so i just check all my PSU connections theyre fine; checked my jumpers and theyre in there proper setting for the BIOS configs; i took out all expansion cards and the second memory stick (and theyre both in the right slots, the blue ones for the first set of dual channel); i also check the PSU and its set at 115 like normal; and i guess ill have to do a little more to get it running cuz its still not getting any power - not even the PSU fan will spin or the CPU fan. You guys think it might be a more of like me connecting my CPU incorrectly, or faulty PSU or faulty cords?

As for the risers/standoffs idea from monkey muppet. That might be it actually, but how do i know which ones i need to take out? When i pout the mobo in the case, i put the little metal standoffs wherever there was a spot open for one basically (you know the little holes with the metal surrounding it). I was a little confused though when i put the mobo in. In my TT case, they gave me little plastic things to insert into the standoffs for the last touch. Hadnt seen that in any of my previously bought machines. But anyways, yea, how do i know which standoffs/risers to take out or check? Just pull one out at a time and keep re-powering on until i get it? Or rather, what does a standard riser spot look like? so i know which ones to take out.

I do have one other question though: For Sata Hard Drives, there the usual 4 pin power connection spot, and then theres the SATA power slot with the SATA type cord connection. Which one do i use, or do i use both? I dont think me doing this incorrectly is what isnt getting my computer to power up, but i do want to make sure im not killing my HD with giving it too much power.

Thanks for the ideas guys.

 

[Troas]

Ok, so i reseated my mobo (checked for the correct ATX standoff positions, 9 of them) and i actually found that one of the standoffs was bent and touching the board in a wierd way. So i replaced that with just a gold screw insert, put in the mobo and got it all situated. I reconnected my PLED, RESET, SPEAKER, etc connections. Reseated my graphics card. Lastly i put the 12volt PSU connection in, and the CPU fan, PSU fan, and the large power connection that goes near the IDE cord connection and memory slots. Plugged her in, turned on the power...still only got my mobo light to turn green. So i pressed the ON button (as funny as that sounds) on the front of the case, and that didnt get anything either. What could be the problem? Could it be that my mobo is shorting out like monkey muppet said? It couldnt be a bad PSU, because the mobo green light turns on showing im getting some power, but im just not getting power anywhere else. Beginning to think it might be faulty power cords, shorting my mobo out, or im forgetting to do something (but im pretty sure i did everything correctly). Please help me.

 

[Paperlantern]

THis is a massive board you have here, i see you have a decent PSU, but if its set up to be full load right off the bat, it needs 500 Watts with 25A current on the 12 volt lead. Check to be sure the model of PSU you have has enough juice, if it doesnt, the board will never get the power good signal, and never power on, even though it HAS power

 

[Troas]

You might be right, and i was just thinking about whether i need a new PSU. However consider this: the manual show 3 different categories of PSU requirements for different system specs. Mine falls closely under the "Normal" category which has athlon 64 3800+, 6800GT x2, 2 DDR DIMMS, 2 HDDs, 2 optical drives, 2 PCI cards, and 4 USB devices. My system is listed below, and i dont have two graphics card but i do have a very powerful one, i dont have 2 HDDs, i dont have 2 optical drives (cuz i really dont need my floppy, might install later though), i do have 2 PCI cards, and i might use all 4 USB. The "Normal" category requires a 400W PSU with a 20A to the 12V. Now, assuming that all of this is true, and my system is close to this, then my 420W PSU SHOULD work. However, it isnt, and im thinking that maybe my system needs more juice. I really hope not, because im so poor its ridiculous now (only 17 so money is just for consumer goods). You do have a good point though, but i do hope youre wrong just because i dont want to have to go out and buy a new PSU...but it looks like i'll have to because ive tried just about everything else.

 

[Allanv]

i built a few 64 chips over the xmas period with 350 watt psus, so i dont realy think the power is the issue.

So the MB light is green sounds good so far, have you tried shorting the soft switch to check if the case switch is bad?

without memory at all do you get any error beeps?
is the cmos jumper in the correct or normal position, if so then clear the cmos and try again.

Regards

Allanv

PS: i wasnt being funny about the 12volt plug just i have done that a few times before and forgotten to plug it in.

 

[Troas]

heh well my 12V was plugged in. How would i short the soft switch to check it? But honesrly i dont think thats it, because when i plug the power cord into the PSU i dont get the green light. When i flip the PSU power switch on the back, thats when the green light turns on and off. Yes, my cmos jumper is in the correct position (position 2,3 for config...1,2 is normal after config). Turning it on without any memory is something ill try, and also i havent trued clearing my cmos. Ill try both of those real fast and reply with my results.

 

[Troas]

Alright, i tried powering on with no memory...but im an idiot to even try that because ive tried powering on with my HD and video card not plugged in so i should get POST beeps for those too. Despite the fact that i know i wont get POST beeps, i still cleared my CMOS and tried to power on. Didnt work. But, i made a pretty good discovery: the 4 pin 12V cord, when disconnected, the green light still turns on with just the 20pin cord plugged in (by the memory and IDE). So...i think that my problem is my 4pin 12V cord is faulty or just possibly my PSU isnt enough (but im pretty sure it is). This all would make sense though, because im getting some power (green light turns on), but i just dont get any fans spinning or my CPU working. Please confirm what you guys think about my discovery. Thanks.

 

[Monkey muppet]

OK, this would stump me as well.

I'm thinking it's either the case power switch or a Mobo short.

When I do builds (some peeps say this isn't nessecary), but I put a little plastic red washer between the stand-offs, the Mobo, and the screw. I only have onewithout a washer (this grounds the Mobo to the case)
I would personally go through the process of elimination.

Check the PSU is good

Power is good - I'm running a very similar setup with a 380w - later replaced with a 400w (more amps on the 12v)

Is you PSU ATX v2.0 certified or are you using a 20>24 adapter??

You state that the PSU fan doesn't spin up. You can short two pins on the 24pin connector - you will have to look up on your specific PSU to find out which pins are required, try searching under "dual PSU set-up" (I've only done it on 20pins) then when you flip the rear switch the PSU fan should spin up. If i doesn't, bad PSU. If it does then either try it in a different system or get a PSU tester.

Check the Mobo is good

Do you have a spare you can test the other parts in???

WHen you fitted the HSF on the Mobo did you use a screwdriver to lock the HSF in place, a slip of the screwdriver could mean a broken *can't remember what it's called* link (some shops repair - and so do some AT'ers)

Try the build outside of the case, you can place a jumper on the Mobo power switch - this would mean to turn on your system you would use the main PSU switch at the back. (not really recommended - but a last case option).

RAM???

Do you have other sticks you can test, can you test these sticks???

 

[Troas]

yea this is a main problem, i really dont have any other parts to test with (this being my first system build and my dad doesnt like it at all when i screw around with his Dell's). Im going to try a few of the things you said, and ill get back to you guys later. I really appreciate all the help and the ideas, thanks alot.

 

[darrontrask]

Am I following this correctly? The switch that you are turning on to get the light is the PSU switch? I am not familiar with this mobo but every pc I have ever built I had to hook up the front power on button to get it to start. it will not power up with out it. you can short the on switch also but it need to be activated that way.

 

[Troas]

Yes you're correct. I plug in my power cord, and to get my PSU on i flip the switch on the back of the PSU. This turns on the green light of my mobo. Now, i have my fron panel buttons and everything connected, but when i hit the power button. Nothing else is happening. Which makes me believe that im either having a PSU problem, mobo short like others have said, or my PSU cords themselves arent working properly. I just find it very odd, to have everything connected, flip the PSU switch on, press the ON button, and have nothing happen but a little green light turn on. Nothing else happens. My PSU or CPU fan will not spin even. I still havent tried the latest things monkey muppet said, so ill get back to you on those ideas soon.

 

[tcofww]

I'm having a similar problem, 1st time builder, thought I put it together by the book. I have got fans/lights on for a couple of seconds two ot three times then nothing. It appears that I have a short?? I installed the power supply unit form my gateway that has a reset button and it would fire up and immediat;y shut down. I may have the wrong memory chip, If I have installed a memory chip thats not compatible, would'nt it still power up??

 

[Troas]

umm, it should power up yea. But you'd get a POST message from it beeping that youve got incompatable memory. But then again, your mobo might not even turn on with incompatable memory, just mobo to mobo basis basically. If its a recent mobo though, you should get a POST beep/s if the memory isnt compatable.

 

[mechBgon]

tcofww, welcome to the Forums and please post your system's specs

Troas, if you're planning to run a high-end PCI-Express video card, you should bail the Thermalscum 420W unit. Try one of these. Also make sure your case's power wire is on these pins here and that the switch is being actuated properly by the bezel's pushbutton.

 

[Troas]

sounds like a good idea. I actually talked to a friend over the phone, described my problem to him and he says that yea ive got a faulty PSU. He says he might have time to come over and check it out, but hes not sure. But he definetely recommends i get another PSU also.

 

[mechBgon]

I just edited my post above to add a second tip, check on that too. The picture's from a different Asus board but should still apply. Asus has funky silkscreening sometimes.

 

[Troas]

to your edit about the pins, thats not even in my manual for my mobo as odd as that seems. Ill have to go check to see even if i have a connector for that. I dont know having one left over or named for that...

*edit* yea, my manual doesnt show that ATX Power Switch pin location, and calls the SMI one a HDD LED or something close. The rest is the same, but i still need to check out to see if i have that connector for the ATX Power Switch.

**edit** ok, i actually checked this time haha. I do have a connector that says Power SW, and im assuming that means Power Switch. But listen to this, its not connected to anything else but the mobo! I didnt realize this before. I have it connected to the right pins, but the other end is just flopping around. Im going to have to toy with my case to see where i have to plug this in. The end of it is a large (compared to the other end that fits on the pins) plastic base type thing with a black button in the middle. When i was first putting my mobo in the case i noticed this end but didnt trace it to anywhere. So now im going to need to spend some time and figure out how im going to connect this to the ON button on the front of my case (cuz obviously the case manufacturer neglected to do it, or it shook off). Im actually embarassed to have to admit not seeing this before, didnt really think much about the pins until mechBgon said something. Ill be back soon to let you know if this fixes it or not. Thanks mechBgon....for now haha :laugh:.

 

[Troas]

lol you guys arent going to believe this. After trying to figure out what was wrong since this time yesterday about, it all boiled down to the Power On Button cord not being connected to the case properly. Guys, you were great - giving me some good help and ideas on how to fix my problem, you made a regular out of me. Ill be checking these boards all the time now. Thanks alot. After getting the power button to work, the CPU fan kicked in, PSU fan did too i think (didnt really check i was just so happy). Now its time to get the rest of the computer put together, and if i have any more problems i cant fix...well i'll let you guys know .
Again though, thanks for being for helpful. I really appreciated it.

 

[Paperlantern]

Your welcome, and glad to hear your a regular, its a great place to hang out