New build, had video out but now it doesn't

[VashHT]

I put together a new PC for work with a 7870k and a FM2A88X motherboard from Asrock. I have 2 sticks of DDR3 2400 in there and a data hdd. When I first built it this morning, it booted fine and didn't seem to have any problems.

I come back a little later to install the OS and I'm getting weird video problems. When it first boots there is no video, but after a minute or two something will come up. I've tried resetting the bios but that doesn't seem to help. I've also disconnected the hdd and any peripherals which also did not seem to make a difference.I'm not really sure what could be the problem at this point as I've run out of ideas, I wouldn't be surprised if there is a problem somewhere in the system but not sure what it could be.

 

[Steltek]

What version of the FM2A88X do you have (i.e. Extreme4, Extreme6, etc) and what BIOS version is it running? Also, what make and model power supply are you using? Right off the top of my head, I'd suspect either a power problem or a defective motherboard. I presume you pulled the CPU and checked for bent pins?

One other thing you might try is to dismount the motherboard from the case, put it on an anti-static bag or piece of cardboard, hook up the power supply, insert one memory module, and try to boot the system to see if it might be a ground fault of some sort related to the motherboard mounting in the case.

 

[Ketchup]

So, onboard video? I would make sure the screen and cable are showing good output on another machine.

If that isn't it, try a different video output (looks like you have VGA, DVI, and HDMI to choose from).

Are you getting a normal POST beep, or is it also delayed?

 

[VashHT]

Thanks for the replies guys, I have a bit more info after playing with it today so here goes:

First off, a bit more detail on the system:
ASRock Fatal1ty FM2A88X+ is the MB model
CORSAIR CX series CX500M is the power supply
G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 2400 (PC3 19200)
AMD A10-7870K Godavari Quad-Core 3.9GHz Socket FM2+
Corsair Carbide Series 200R Black Steel (case)

So I tried pulling the system out of the case this morning and set it up on an ESD mat, had only one stick of memory installed and nothing else (besides the cpu of course). Same exact problem with this setup. I also pulled out the CPU to recheck for bent pins and it looks good.

After that I tried swapping the RAM module for the other one but no luck there either.

At this point I grabbed a second power supply and plugged that in, but no luck there either. I then swapped the RAM modules with some from a working PC, also with no luck.

To answer your question about the POST beep ketchup, I'm not really sure there is a beeper on this board, I don't see one and I never heard a POST beep even when it was working fine.

For the video I have tried using DVI and VGA, I don't have an HDMI monitor here at work but I get the same results using DVI and VGA. I've tried two different monitors that are known working so I don't think the problem is there.

From what I can tell, it appears that the system is waiting on something to even start booting, when it finally does come up (after 2 or 3 minutes of watching it) I see the initial splash screen and then the normal boot process. I've been think there may be a dead component on the mainboard that keeps the system from booting until it times out and then the system proceeds to boot after that point.

I can't think of much else to try now, the only parts I haven't swapped are the CPU and the MB and I'm leaning towards the MB as the culprit at this point. If you guys have any other suggestions though I'll try it out before I get a replacement, apart from sitting there for a few minutes before booting it looks like it works OK so if I could solve this problem I'd probably be good.

 

[Ketchup]

Well, unless someone has a better clue, 99% sure it's something on the board. I would go ahead and RMA it.

You could take a look at device manager once it does boot and see if any devices aren't installing, but that will probably only show you a more specific reason for RMA, if it does show a problem.

Once it does boot, do you get a chance to enter the BIOS?

Oh, and the POST beep would go through a case speaker on that board, so if you don't have it connected, you aren't going to hear anything.

 

[Steltek]

Looking at the motherboard manual, I don't even see that a header for a case speaker is present. You might try plugging a powered speaker in to the audio out jack on the rear I/O panel just in case the POST beeps are routed through the audio jack.

The only other thing I could think of is the BIOS. It appears the board requires at least BIOS revision P2.30 to fully support that particular CPU. Can you tell what revision of BIOS is actually installed on the board?

Otherwise, since it did work before, I agree with ketchup that you probably ought to either RMA the board or return it to where you bought it and swap it out.

 

[Ketchup]

Looking at the motherboard manual, I don't even see that a header for a case speaker is present.....

Look harder. It's right above the two fan headers at the bottom of the board (#16 if you are looking at the manual).

The BIOS level is a possibility. However, I don't know if I would be comfortable trying to flash a BIOS that doesn't POST correctly. It may even affect your warranty.

I think the best bet is to actually CALL Asrock and see what they suggest. If they suggest flashing, and are still willing to honor the warranty, have at it!

 

[daveybrat]

That motherboard requires the latest bios revision 2.30 to work with all AMD Godavari processor's. My guess is that the board has an earlier revision.

One of those quandaries in that you probably need an older cpu to flash the bios first.