Gaargh... yet another build/troubleshooting thread (**fixed**)

[SaltBoy]

Hey guys, just FYI, it turns out that the 2600k was faulty. I replaced it with another one and now everything's smooth as butter.

Regardless, I *really* appreciate all of the help; I learned a LOT about troubleshooting during the process.

-------------------------

Okay, this is my new build (the vital stuff):

Core i7-2600K
ASUS p8p67
GTX 570
GSKILL 4x2GB DDR3 1866 (F3-14900CL9D-8GBSR)
Rosewill HIVE Series HIVE-750 750W (PS)
Antec P280 Case

Pretty standard build these days, I imagine.

So, when I plug in the power supply, the motherboard's on-board green LED light lights up, which is a good first sign. Then, when I actually press the power button and turn everything on, the fans spin up and everything seems fine, but I get no post and no speaker beeps. Everything then shuts down for about five seconds - which is usually a sign that the CMOS is being reset, from my experience - and then everything powers back up, again with no post and no speaker beeps, and stays that way. This happens every time I turn it on.

I'm 99% sure the problem isn't due to the power supply - I tried it with my previous build (Core 2 Q9550) and it worked just fine. I also used my older power supply on my new build and got the exact same, no-post behavior.

I'm 99% sure it's not the video card, either, as I've gotten it to work with my previous build, as well.

I'm *pretty* sure it's not the memory but I have no way to tell 100% since I can't use them with my previous build. However, I did try using just one stick at a time and/or each of the different DIMM slots, etc. and got the exact same, no-post behavior.

So, that leaves me with either the CPU and Motherboard. I'd *like* to think that it's the motherboard but I don't know of any other way of knowing for sure without actually getting another CPU and/or motherboard to test with. And no, ASUS' Engrish-filled troubleshooting steps don't fill me with confidence, either(see http://support.asus.com/Troubleshoo...p=1&s=39&os=&hashedid=jBkHsYmLy2wnZMUE&no=978 - seriously, what does "please contact your retailer for a check" mean???).

I'm open to RMA'ing the motherboard but I'm worried that if I get another one just like it, I'm going to be in the exact same situation and would have to (again) determine whether it's yet again the motherboard or the CPU that's the source of the problem.

Thoughts?

P.S. The P280 ROCKS. I would highly recommend it if you're looking to get a new case. I upgraded from a P180 and the difference between the two is staggering.

 

[janas19]

Double-check all your connections. Sounds simple, but you'd be surprised.

24-pin ATX, 4-pin 12v ATX, and speaker. Make sure they are all correctly connected.

Second, you may want to take your board outside the case and sitting flat on cardboard, in the possibility there is a contact short (controlling for all variables here)

Btw, you also can disconnect your graphics card and all peripherals, you don't need those in order to confirm a POST beep, which should be the first step.

 

[SaltBoy]

Double-check all your connections. Sounds simple, but you'd be surprised.

24-pin ATX, 4-pin 12v ATX, and speaker. Make sure they are all correctly connected.

Second, you may want to take your board outside the case and sitting flat on cardboard, in the possibility there is a contact short (controlling for all variables here)

Btw, you also can disconnect your graphics card and all peripherals, you don't need those in order to confirm a POST beep, which should be the first step.

I've checked the connections several times (with both psu's) and have also tested outside of the case - not on cardboard, but on the non-static bag that the motherboard came in.

What's the bare minimum requirements for at least a post? Motherboard,cpu, and ram? Or is even ram required?

 

[BoomerD]

I've checked the connections several times (with both psu's) and have also tested outside of the case - not on cardboard, but on the non-static bag that the motherboard came in.

What's the bare minimum requirements for at least a post? Motherboard,cpu, and ram? Or is even ram required?

Yes, you need at least ONE stick of RAM to POST.

If the PSU is connected correctly, (the EPS12V cable is often the cause of this) then my next suspicion is bent pins in the motherboard's CPU socket.

 

[janas19]

I've checked the connections several times (with both psu's) and have also tested outside of the case - not on cardboard, but on the non-static bag that the motherboard came in.

What's the bare minimum requirements for at least a post? Motherboard,cpu, and ram? Or is even ram required?

CPU and RAM.

This is going to be a lot harder to confirm the problem if you only have 1 computer.

I tell you what to do first. Plug your speaker into a known working mobo. Power up and listen for a beep. Ok, we know speaker is working, you can eliminate that.

Second thing, plug confirmed working speaker into your buggy setup. Listen for beep. If it beeps, good. If it doesn't, do this: count the approximate time the mobo runs until it switches off. Does it stay on or switch off very quickly? Keep powering on and see if the "shut-off time" remains consistent, or it changes.

 

[janas19]

Yes, you need at least ONE stick of RAM to POST.

If the PSU is connected correctly, (the EPS12V cable is often the cause of this) then my next suspicion is bent pins in the motherboard's CPU socket.

Bent pins even a noob can see. If this guy doesn't know he has bent pins, he's useless.

 

[SaltBoy]

Yes, you need at least ONE stick of RAM to POST.

If the PSU is connected correctly, (the EPS12V cable is often the cause of this) then my next suspicion is bent pins in the motherboard's CPU socket.

Hmmm... is there an easy way to find this out? Magnifying glass?

Regarding the memory, could I try lower frequency RAM from my previous build, just for grins and giggles?

 

[SaltBoy]

CPU and RAM.

This is going to be a lot harder to confirm the problem if you only have 1 computer.

I tell you what to do first. Plug your speaker into a known working mobo. Power up and listen for a beep. Ok, we know speaker is working, you can eliminate that.

Second thing, plug confirmed working speaker into your buggy setup. Listen for beep. If it beeps, good. If it doesn't, do this: count the approximate time the mobo runs until it switches off. Does it stay on or switch off very quickly? Keep powering on and see if the "shut-off time" remains consistent, or it changes.

Okay, I tried the speaker on another mobo, and it worked just fine.

So, on this new build, when I boot up, everything runs for about 7 seconds, *consistently*, then shuts down. It then starts up again about 2 seconds later. Again, no beeps, no posts, no nothing.

And I couldn't find any bent CPU pins but even if there were and if the CPU wasn't seated properly, wouldn't there at least be some beeping going on from the speaker, telling me that the CPU was out-of-whack?

 

[janas19]

Okay, I tried the speaker on another mobo, and it worked just fine.

So, on this new build, when I boot up, everything runs for about 7 seconds, *consistently*, then shuts down. It then starts up again about 2 seconds later. Again, no beeps, no posts, no nothing.

And I couldn't find any bent CPU pins but even if there were and if the CPU wasn't seated properly, wouldn't there at least be some beeping going on from the speaker, telling me that the CPU was out-of-whack?

Ok, so if the motherboard runs for 7 seconds consistently before shutting off, that means you know it isn't shorting out the PSU or any circuits, so that's good.

What you should do now is re-seat your CPU and HSF. Pay especially close attention to the alignment keys and corner triangle- make sure they line up exactly like pictured in your manual. Plug in the fan.

Does the mobo now stay on longer than 7 seconds? If yes that's good. If no, then it may be a problem setting the BIOS. The next thing you try is pulling out the CMOS battery and then power on. If this also significantly changes the power on time either up or down, then you know the problem.

Other than that, if you're still not getting a POST beep I can't think of a whole lot more to tell you. You really need to POST to diagnose any problem. Visually inspect the motherboard for any swollen capacitors, discolored circuits/resistors, or manufacturing defects. If you can visually confirm anything out of the ordinary it will help you in RMA process. Or you could replace if you can solder.

 

[janas19]

Btw, I should add make sure you are using the stock hsf.

 

[mfenn]

Bent pins should be obvious upon close inspection of the mobo socket after removing the CPU. If one does turn out to be bent, it is possible to bend it back to the correct position with a pin and a steady hand.

Based on the symptoms though, my gut is saying memory configuration error. You've already tried using one stick of RAM, so it is probably not a bad stick per se (you did try all 4 sticks individually right?) Try clearing the CMOS (pull the battery for 30 minutes if you have to). Non-standard RAM like DDR3 1866 is notoriously finicky though (one of the big reasons I don't recommend it ever), so it could be that it isn't compatible with your mobo. Sometimes a BIOS update will help improve memory compatibility, but obviously that doesn't help much if you can't boot into the BIOS in the first place.

 

[SaltBoy]

Hey guys, just FYI, it turns out that the 2600k was faulty. I replaced it with another one and now everything's smooth as butter.

Regardless, I *really* appreciate all of the help; I learned a LOT about troubleshooting during the process.

 

[janas19]

Hey guys, just FYI, it turns out that the 2600k was faulty. I replaced it with another one and now everything's smooth as butter.

Regardless, I *really* appreciate all of the help; I learned a LOT about troubleshooting during the process.

Awesome, glad you got it fixed! Defective CPU, huh, I admit I wouldn've probably never thought of that.

 

[mfenn]

Hey guys, just FYI, it turns out that the 2600k was faulty. I replaced it with another one and now everything's smooth as butter.

Regardless, I *really* appreciate all of the help; I learned a LOT about troubleshooting during the process.

Glad you got it fixed! The memory controller is on the CPU, so I guess that's why the symptoms looks like bad memory. I agree with janas, it is pretty odd for a CPU to be defective.