New Build - How much damage have I done?

[whovous]

I am building my first new rig in about three years. Much has changed.

Here are the parts of my system I think matter to this question. I've been buying "Hot Deals" for the past month or two, and finally got NewEgg to deliver the right MoBo to me and put it all together today.

Pentium P4 - 1.5Gig.
Gigabyte GA-8IRXP MoBo.
ATI Radeon 64Meg DDR VIVO.

I got this last item from one of NewEgg's frequent refurb sales for $109 delivered.

A sticker covered the AGP slot warning me not to use 3.3 volt video cards and stated that would damage the board. I was certain that the card was a 4xAGP and hence not a problem. I hooked everything up in my new Evercase, popped in the video card, connected a cheap monitor and turned on the machine for the first time. All the fans spun, including the CPU and (I think) the video card. Lights lit on the floppy, DVD and CDRW drives.

Nothing else ever happened. The screen remained dark. There were no beeps, but then again I am not sure there is a speaker anywhere in the case to make beeping noises. I did not hear any of the sounds that my current machine (a 350mhz PII) makes when it is posting.

When I built the old machine, I had a similar problem that turned out to be an improperly seated AGP (1x) card. I learned that it is common for these cards to be tough to seat properly. So, I turned off this new machine and made sure the card was all the way in and turned it back on. No result. Blank screen and no noises that sounded like a POST routine to me. Power off. Put in a boot disk (dreaming, I know) and powered on. Still no result.

If you are smarter than I am, you've figured out the problem by now. The Radeon (which did not include an owners manual since it is a refurb) is a 3.3v card. ATI's home page says it works in "universal" 2x/4x boards but makes no mention of the voltage. I had to dig quite a way into the provided installation CDROM to find a PDF file that told me it was 3.3v.

So, how much damage have I done, and what should I do next? For those tempted to make the obvious response here, please be advised that I do not own a gun.

Neither do I own an another MoBo with which to test the card, nor do I own a 1.6v video card with which to test the MoBo. How likely is that I have trashed something?

Any and all advice will be greatly appreciated.

Phil

 

[Wolfsraider]

that motherboard has some shutdown problems? i've heard

you might try to get a different mobo as the fix is still pending (again i heard)

should be in motherboard forums Here

don't know if this helps.



now the radeon issue are you sure the radeons are 3.3 as i am running the radeon all in one wonder on a mobo that has the same restrictions and ati tech support told me this was fine on a 1.5 volt mobo and i haven't had any problems?

make sure ram is seated good?
video card too?

sounds like something isn't seated properly.

if all else fails i have heard clearing the cmos (unplug short the cmos replug) helps if nothing else does

a friend also has the same restriction and he's running a radeon card too!

hope this helps

 

[Richard98]

I'd try a PCI video card; maybe the refurb card is just bad. You should be able to pick up one of those cheap on the fs forums or ebay.

 

[whovous]

I have to get this new machine to start before I worry about shutdown problems. I do not know that I will be overclocking it enough for that problem to even matter.

Different mobos take different cards. Some take 1.5v, some 3.3v, and many take both. Mine takes 1.5v. My card is 3.3v. I am pretty sure this explains why it won't POST, but wonder if it suggests damage like the mobo warning says or not. How can feeding 1.5v to a 3.3v device damage either the device or the mobo? I can see why the device would not respond to a too-low voltage, but not how the video card could be damaged by it. Likewise, what could the card do to a mobo that fed insufficient voltage thru an AGP slot?

This radeon is described as being suitable for 2x/4x combo boards. I suspect all such boards are 3.3v, but am not sure of that. Newer Radeons may give different results.

 

[DaiShan]

it could try to draw too much power through the mobo and damage it, but I don't think that is the case, you should really attach the system speaker so we can tell if you are getting any beep codes (this is essential)

 

[whovous]

Someone on another forum reports that he called ATI and was told that the Radeon 64 DDR VIVO autodetects 1.5 or 3.3v and adjusts itself accordingly automatically. This strongly suggests that neither my card nor my mobo have been damaged as I suspected.

I have connected the wire for the system speaker, but if there is one in the case, I do not know where it is. So, maybe I have a beep code, and maybe I don't. I do know I have a completely blank monitor without so much as a cursor in the corner, and that the machine does not make any noises I associate with startup other than fan noises.

I intend to reseat the card, RAM, and CPU. Any advice on being sure the CPU is properly seated would be appreciated. It didn't feel right when I did it, but it had the right corner in the right position, and I didn't see what else I could change. Still, it seemed noticeably loose when I lowered the little arm. Installing the retail box heatsink and fan tightened it all up, however.

With my luck, I've damaged the CPU instead.

 

[jcmoran]

I recommend using a known good video card. The one in your current machine should work nicely. A known good monitor should be used as well. Again, the one from your current machine is what I was thinking.
The thing about trouble shooting I've learned is, you have to start with what is known good. Then try to find what won't work.
You may have access to a shop that will test your mobo for you if you get to the end of the trail without getting a solution.

 

[zodder]

Try reseating your CPU, too. That's a classic sign that it either isn't seated correctly, or it's a dud.

 

[GregMal]

That was my problem recently. Installed a new Soyo-TISU MB with Celeron 1.2 Tualatin.
No beeps, no nothing. Discovered that the CPU wasn't totally inserted into the ZIF.
An easy mistake.........Greg

 

[whovous]

I am using a known good monitor, but do not have a known good video card. My other machine has a 1x card in it, and cannot be suitable for a 1.5v slot.

Is there a way to tell if the CPU is properly seated? It felt a bit loose when I lowered the lever. Is that normal?

 

[zodder]

Not really. Just take it out and insert it again.

 

[whovous]

I'll cut to the end of a very long chase. I reseated everything. I am confident the CPU was not seated properly. Still no POST. Bought a new GEFORCE card which felt much more firmly placed than the Radeon. Still no POST. Reseated em all again, and this time it worked. Put the Radeon in, and it worked, too.

Latest problem is that all three boot disks I found in my floppy box won't work. I think I can deal with this one.

Thanks, everyone. It should be working soon.