it just died!

shadow

Golden Member
Oct 13, 1999
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P4T-E, matched rambus pair, 1.6ghz proc oced to 2.367ghz, x3 ram setting, 9500Pro, 431wat Enermax PSU, MX300, intel 10/100 NIC, 2930U2 controller card.

Computer was running, nothing was open, monitor was powered down, no-one shut it down and yet it was off when I went to use it. Hmm, weird I thought. I pressed the power button, nothing. Checked the power strip / plugged in / switched on on the back of the PSU. All good. Kept trying to turn it on, nada. Opened the case and noticed that when I pressed the power button the case fans and the vid card fan would twitch, like they got a taste of juice, they might have spun about 1-1.5 revs. The fan on the retail CPU cooler did not twitch at all.

Switched it back to stock speeds, cleared the CMOS, put it back to jumperfree, reset CMOS again, took the wire off the pins of the CPU (voltmod).

I ripped the mobo out of the case and had nothing but the CPU in it, shorted the pwr btn pins with a screwdriver and heard a very quiet hmm/bzz from the PSU but that was it, the CPU fan did not twitch or spin up. Put the cimms in the #1 slots and tried again, nada. Tried rimms, cimms, two different video cards, and a new PSU (430w TruePower), the Radeon 9500Pro fan twitched but not the CPU fan. I plugged the CPU fan into every available mobo header, no effect. The PSU never turned on (fans never span). I tried the CPU fan with a different, AT, PSU and a 4pin molex to 3pin header converter and the fan sped up. Reseated everything at least 3 times. Removed CPU and cleaned it, applied thermal paste and reseasted.

To get the fans to twitch I have to reset the PSU (either by pulling out the power plug of switching the PSU of and on).
I checked to make sure that the PSUs were set to 11xv and switched them back and forth to make sure.


I took the processor to a local computer shop (Computer Deli in Bloomington Illinois) and they tested it for me at no charge, it posted fine, (that's why I plugged them, good things should be praised, if this is wrong or advertising LMK and I'll edit, or just edit it yourself as needs be).

So I've checked CPU, got new PSU, and used a different known good video card. I'm pretty sure the mobo kicked the bucket, anyone think otherwise? Does anyone know about the warranty on the ASUS P4T-E? I've had it for just under a year, can I still RMA it?

thankyou, shadow

edit: added information
 

pyrokk

Member
Aug 26, 2002
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Something very similar happened to me with a P3 600 system. I believe what had happened, was the harddrive died and shorted out, took out the power supply. which in hand possibly took out the motherboard.

Try unplugging your harddrive, floppy drive, and cdrom drive, and try and power it on with a different power supply.
 

shadow

Golden Member
Oct 13, 1999
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I ripped the mobo out of the case and had nothing but one of two vid cards in it, a brand new powersupply powering it, and with or without memory. The mobo was placed on some sheets of newspaper.

So, I've done what you suggested, it no work :(

thx for the reply

shadow
 

mechBgon

Super Moderator<br>Elite Member
Oct 31, 1999
30,699
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What kind of CPU fan do you have? If it's an aftermarket one that draws a lot of amperage, you may have overloaded your CPUFAN header and fried it.
 

mechBgon

Super Moderator<br>Elite Member
Oct 31, 1999
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The retail one wouldn't fry the header (by itself, anyway).

Try unplugging the CPU fan from the motherboard, though. If the system now spins up its PSU fans, then you're onto something.
 

emjem

Golden Member
Apr 7, 2000
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What you describe with the fans just bumping a notch happens if the power supply is set to 220 volts instead of 110. But you said the computer was running then shut down. Which would leave, first ps died and new one is set at 220 volts -- which I doubt but at this point check it out. Or someone threw the voltage switch when you weren't looking.

Shorting the power button wires will not start the power supply unless the power switch is bad. So to see if the power supply is OK make sure the ps switch is set at 110/120 volts. Then using a paper clip, or whatever, jump the female connector for the green wire to one of the female connectors of a black wire. That's on the ps main power connector that you plug into the mobo. That short starts the power supply and the ps fan(s) should run. Generally that means the power supply is good, but to be sure you can take readings of the other connectors in the plug with a voltmeter.

Be sure to put some electrical tape on the paper click to protect you from getting a shock.

If the power supply is properly set and seems to be good (fans running) then I would guess that your motherboard is defective because it seems like you have tested about every other component.
 

shadow

Golden Member
Oct 13, 1999
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I made sure that they were set to 11xv by switched them to 2xxv and then back to 11xv. I am testing the PSU's now per your recommendation.

thank you gentlemen!

shadow
 

shadow

Golden Member
Oct 13, 1999
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OK!

I tested the new PSU (Truepower 430w) which I bought just the other day from BB, and I could not get it to start up by shorting pin 14 with a ground, even with pins 7&8 shorted as well. My old powersupply (Enermax whisper 431w) started right up when I shorted pin 14 with a ground. I plugged everything back up on my desk, CPU, HSF, RIMMS and CIMMS, no vid card, and same as before. I used the 4pin to 3pin adapter and plugged the CPU fan to the 3pin header on the adapter and I got the CPU fan to twitch along with the PSU fans. The CPU fan would not twitch when plugged into the mobo header.

The voltages on my old PSU tested fine.

shadow
 

mechBgon

Super Moderator<br>Elite Member
Oct 31, 1999
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Ok, but what happens if the CPU fan is not plugged into anything at all? Any change?
 

shadow

Golden Member
Oct 13, 1999
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same thing, the PSU makes it's noise and then nothing, of course the CPU fan does not twitch.

I plugged in a vid card and the fan on the vidcard twitches. I must note that I need to cycle, or rest the PSU in order to get any of the fans to twitch.

As a side note, the new PSU's green and purple wires show 5v and a "special fan only" plug (4pin molex connector) shows .15v everything else shows 0.00

My old Enermax shows 5v on green and purple also, 0.00 on everything else

shadow