Trouble Booting with New Motherboard, Please help

[elda]

Hi,

When I boot up my motherboard with the switch on my PSU at 115 it gives me beeps similar to an ambulance siren on the case then shuts off while still beeping. Anyway, when I switch to 230 there's no more beeps on the case or motherboard, but I do not get display to the monitor. I tried removing the vid card, but still got no beeps. Then I tried removing the memory stick, no beeps. Theres power going to the motherboard, but nothing's happening. I replaced the CPU and it does the same as the old CPU. However, with the old CPU it would run on the mobo fine with the PSU switched to 115. Please help me out with any advice that you can. Is switching the PSU to 230 normal for a EPOX board?

Here's the specs

Epox Motherboard for AMD, Model EP-8K9AI
Kingston DDR SDRAM 512 MB 400 MHz PC3200
NVidiaGeForce 3 Ti500
420W PSU

Thanks!

 

[mechBgon]

You should leave the power supply's switch at the voltage that suits your home's utility power. If you live in the United States, that's the 115V setting.

I think the most likely possibility is that your CPU is overheating. Try these suggestions:

• Check to make sure you pulled the plastic cover slip off the thermal compound on the bottom of the heatsink, if it is so equipped (here is a photo of a heatsink with the plastic slip still in place: click)
• If the heatsink didn't come with any thermal compound already in place, use a thin coat of high-quality thermal-transfer compound such as Arctic Silver 3 or Arctic Alumina on the CPU core and the underside of the heatsink where it will touch the core.
• Make super-certain that the heatsink is installed in the correct direction. There will be a step cut into one end of the base (here's a photo illustrating the step very nicely) and this step is there to provide clearance over the raised solid-plastic end of the CPU socket on the motherboard. For your particular motherboard, the stepped end of the heatsink base should face towards the memory slots, because that's where the raised part of the CPU socket is (photo of motherboard)
• If you have a heatsink/fan unit that came disassembled, such as a Thermaltake Volcano 7+, it's possible to orient the heatsink correctly but put the clip on backwards (it's asymmetrical). The pressure point of the CPU clip must be over the CPU core, not the other way.

Hope that helps! If it doesn't, it might be that your 230W venture prevented the motherboard's emergency shutdown circuitry from shutting down the overheated CPU, which could have killed the CPU. Welcome to the Forums, at any rate

 

[elda]

Hi,

Thanks for the info in your reply. I'm using the heatsink that comes with the AMD processors. I removed the compound it came with once I installed the new CPU and used Master Cooler grease instead. How can i make for certain that the pressure is over the core? It's nearly impossible to see under there. As far as I know, it looks the same as the manual and I'm certain that it's on correctly. However, now that I'm looking at it again I can see that some of the CPU pins can be seen from the side. Well I'll mess around with that some more. Thanks again.

- Esmerelda

 

[mechBgon]

Sounds like the CPU might not be seated all the way, perhaps. Try removing the heatsink, lifting the locking lever and reinsterting the CPU, then lock it down again and give it another application of the thermal grease. Good luck!

 

[elda]

Hmm still no dice :brokenheart:. Reinserted it, looks seated correctly. How thick should the layer of grease be? it's pretty thin on mine. when I took the sink off it pretty much had nothing left on the core. Any other ideas? Why would it do it on this CPU and not the other? Thanks again
- Esmerelda

 

[mechBgon]

Originally posted by: elda
Hmm still no dice :brokenheart:. Reinserted it, looks seated correctly. How thick should the layer of grease be? it's pretty thin on mine. when I took the sink off it pretty much had nothing left on the core. Any other ideas? Why would it do it on this CPU and not the other? Thanks again
- Esmerelda

The grease sounds ok, it presses out the excess like that normally. I thing you may have killed your second CPU, that would explain why the other one works but this one doesn't.

 

[neo4s]

Getting a computer put together can be a complicated process. I get the impression that you may not have much experience - you may want to ask a friend to help you. Thats how I learned. Good luck and dont give up