SK8N w/Opteron processor will not power up

[rags41]

My son is trying to assemble his dream computer. Asus SK8N motherboard, Opteron 146 2.0 GHz processor, Gainward GeForce FX5700 128MB Video Card, 512 MB of ECC registered Buffalo Technologies Ram and a Powerlab 450 watt power supply. When he first bought all of this he had non-ECC registered ram and we were getting system beeps at startup. OK we figured out that he needed ECC-registered ram and purchased this, inserted the ram and he powered up. I heard him cheer when he actually got something on the monitor that it was looking for bootable media. 30 seconds later the whole thing shut-down. We shut off the power switch, waited a minute and tried again. Here is what it is currently doing. 1 - turn on power switch in back, green light on motherboard comes on. 2 - turn on power switch in front and fans spin for 1/2 second and shut off(power light is still on on motherboard. Now if I disconnect the 4 pin 12v power connection all of the fans, lights turn on but no system startup. I'm at a loss. I have tried the following things. 1- I took my 350 watt power supply from my computer and hooked it up to the motherboard with the same exact results.
2 - we disconnected everything and rehooked everything up. this includes taking the procesor out, checking the pins, (we put new Arctic Silver thermal compound on before re-installing heat sink).
3 - We tried removing any unnecessary peripherals, extra fans, lights, etc.
4 - I tried re-setting the CMOS
5 - Checked to see if there were any grounding issues, couldn't find any - also he has a Xoxide acrylic case so I would'nt think it could ground out on the case.
A lot of these fixes were suggested by the ASUS help tech online. A couple of them were reinforced by reading some posts here. I can't help but feel that this is a power issue. I've checked the rating on the power supply and it has plenty of poop if it's working properly.
Any suggestions besides shooting the dang thing?

 

[mechBgon]

Welcome rags41 Don't try to run the system without the 4-pin secondary power plugged in. Do seat the video card and memory very firmly. If that doesn't get you anywhere, pull the whole system apart, lay the mobo on cardboard, and try it with the memory, video card, CPU/heatsink/fan and keyboard, and see if it'll power up that way. No drives for this benchtest, just essentials. Let's hear your results from those tests and see where we're at.

If you don't mind my saying so, I would get an Enermax, Fortron, Antec or PC Power & Cooling power supply for a nice-quality rig like that. I've never heard of Powerlab.

 

[rags41]

Thanks - I'm going to try that. I wish I had paid more attention when he was getting his parts together. I have a feeling this is going to come down to either a bad component or a power supply issue.

 

[rags41]

Removed the motherboard as suggested above - same result.

 

[mechBgon]

I would've suggested removing and re-seating the CPU in its socket, except you've done that already I have a couple of other suggestions:

1) make sure that there's an RPM-sensing fan plugged into the CPU_FAN1 fan header that's shown on page 2-10 of the manual. Some motherboards freak out if they don't pick up an RPM reading on the CPU fan header. I don't know whether the SK8N is one of those or not, but it can't hurt.

2) I know this is probably obvious, but the ATX12V plug has that latch on the one side, and for the SK8N it looks like that would need to face the rear of the case.

3) If you have one memory module, use it in the slot closest to the CPU. If you have two memory modules (desirable so you get dual-channel operation), put them both in blue slots.

4) Consider going out and getting a nice Antec TruePower430 for it if possible

Good luck! I'll check back in the AM to see how it's going

 

[MichaelD]

If everything else mechBgon suggested checks out OK, then it is 99% sure the power supply...which he also suggested....this wording isn't coming out right. Time for bed.

Synopsis: Get a good PS; the Opteron is a hungry little ah heck.

 

[rags41]

Thanks for your help. I will have to wait for a power supply. We live in a small town and I will most likely have to order one over the internet. The boy will just have to be patient.

 

[wvl38]

Hello , I have done five such builds in the past 30 or so days . What I have found with that same set up is , that you need to be sure that you have bios 1004 or higher to start . I have mostly used Antec power and cases , 330 true power up to 430 , all worked fine . Ram as it seems is a nother story , I have found that the corsair cmx512re-3200llpt or muskin 991125 are a must , others have been maybe at best . I did have one opteron 146 that had bad memory controller that gave me errors with everything . One system that refused to boot , I removed power , removed battery for cmos and after that it has been fine .

 

[rags41]

wvl38 - This motherboard has 1.03 revision. I saw the 1004 Bios revision on the ASUS website. I've downloaded this file. My problem is I can't get this thing off of the ground to even load this revision. I took the 450 watt power supply My son had purchased for this (Powerlab 450W) and hooked it up to my computer. I have an ASUS A7N8X with an Athlon XP2400processor. The power supply worked like a champ. I'm at a loss. Do I declare the Motherboard defective and ship it back. Is the Processor defective? I have no way to check this out. No one I know even has a 64 bit processor let alone an Opteron processor. Do I assume that this is still a power supply issue even though the power supplyoutput exceeds the requirements for this system and runs like a champ in my system? We purchased ECC registered memory(Buffalo Technologies) but it isn't on the preferred vendor list. The Buffalo Technologies website lists this memory as preferred for this system from their end. Lots of questions, no clear answers. Frustrating. I'm thinking now of sending the motherboard back for replacement, ordering another power supply as suggested above and I'll buy the other power supply from my son and use it in my computer, as it is definitely better than the 350 watt power supply that I have. What do you think? Also I'm curious, your building a lot of these, what are they typically being used for?
Also here are the specs form the powerlab 450W power Supply:
+3.3v is 30A
+5V is 50A
+12v is 25A

 

[mechBgon]

To expand on something that wvl38 mentioned, it says in Asus's manual that to clear the CMOS, you must

1) unplug the computer

2) remove the CMOS battery (an unusual step, they don't usually recommend this)

3) move the Clear-RTC jumper to the Clear position

4) replace the jumper to the normal position

5) replace battery

6) plug computer in


So if you didn't go to that extent of removing the CMOS battery, you might try that too. Also, what speed is the Buffalo R-ECC module(s) you got? They're in the blue slots, right?

 

[rags41]

512 MB of PC3200. One stick . It is in the blue slot nearest the CPU. Already tried clearing the CMOS. Have to go to work so I can afford these computers

 

[wvl38]

Hi , At bios ver. 1003 , you should still get to your settings by holding delete and then power up system . also should be able to stick floppy in at boot . I would think if you havn't already , try a different video card . I know that ram is a bastard at pc3200 for the Opteron , look to see if the last two letters are "AK" .Like in ADA146CEP5AK , some early 146 will refuse to work with pc3200 , try if you have a stick of 333 or 266 ecc reg. ram . I would RMA that board if you can"t get to post after all this . I have had some problems ( most of them ram ) but all in all this setup runs fast and is like a rock stability.

 

[rags41]

the number on the Opteron is OSA146CEP5AT. I am returning the board to NewEgg. I just hope that that is the problem. I'm also going to order another Power Supply just for good measure. Would the Antec "True 430" 430 watt powersupply be a good one for this setup? I don't understand about the ram. I didn't realize these processors were so finnicky. My XP2400 takes about anything I throw at it. Anyway I appreciate all of your comments. Thanks. It will probably be a good week and a half before I get to try this again.