New Processor/Motherboard won't boot :/

[spinez]

Just got a new P4 2.53ghz and an MSI 648Max motherboard. I also got a 512mb stick of PC2700 DDR from Crucial. When I hit the power, the system powers on, but nothing ever happens. I can hear it seek the cdrom, but no video output is displayed and I'm pretty sure the system is flat out hung.

I've double/triple checked the proc/hsf and that looks fine. I don't have another stick of DDR to test the RAM out. Is there a way I could definitely see if the CPU or RAM is faulty? I've put together computers before so I'm fairly confident that everything else is installed correctly.

Any help is appreciated.

 

[NYHoustonman]

As far as I know, if anything happens (ie CD-ROM can be opened or is even active, etc.), it's not the CPU. I had the same problem when I upgraded. For me, it was the memory.

 

[Duvie]

Wow it can be such a huge list of things....

First thing you should do is make sure you have just the Cpu/hsf, mobo, 1 stick of ram, vid card plugged in...no ide devices and just plug power up to devices being used....

1)recheck that the ram and vid card is seated firmly...

2)check to make sure all jumpers are set correctly for the processor you have...

3)try ram in another slot


If it powers up then it could be a powr issue if it wont with all other devices plugged in...

 

[SinfulWeeper]

Sometimes a rpm monitoring fan needs to be plugged into the CPU fan header on the mobo.
It took me two whole days to find that one

 

[mechBgon]

Welcome to the Forums spinez Here are my brainstorms:

• Is the 4-pin auxiliary power plug plugged into the motherboard to provide extra 12V power?
• Is your power supply a pretty decent one, good namebrand and 300W+?
• Try running the system for about 15 seconds with no fans plugged in also, in case their RPMs are low enough to boggle your mobo (I've seen this happen)
• Have a quick look at the rear I/O panel plate to make sure none of its springy finger things are getting into your USB ports or network jack back there
• Double-check that the video card really is down into both layers of contacts in the AGP slot... I had a really stiff one fool me one time, and the card was only into the top layer of contacts
• If you've got one of them thar new-fangled video cards that has an auxiliary power plug on it (Radeon 9700's & 9500's, for example) don't forget to plug that in too (duh)
• If nothing else is working, take Duvie's advice and do a bare-bones test, and if that doesn't work, then do the same but with the board outside the case on cardboard, in case there's a stray motherboard support grounding it out underneath

Good luck with the troubleshooting If you have another DDR-based computer around, you could test the memory in it, but it's not common for Crucial memory to point-blank refuse to work.