Building computer question - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

mustang91 · 07-30-2003, 02:43 AM

Heya,

So after all those threads of "what should I get" I finally got all the parts in last night. I assembled everything from Midnight to 3am....was very excited about turning everything on.

Well, the system turned on (yay! I didn't fuck up the power button) but the screen was black, no signal. (Card tested was a 9800 Pro) I doubled checked that the card was seated, it was, and that the power cord was running into the card. It was. I tried the card, both analog and DVI slots on two working monitors. Nothing.

This morning I woke up earlier and opened my gaming machine. It has a GeForce4 4400 inside. I know the 4400 works. I inserted the 4400, checked that it was seated properly, and plugged in the monitor. Turned the system on and again got a black screen on both monitors in both analog and DVI.

To double check the 9800 Pro wasn't the problem I tried it in my older system. The computer did show a bootup screen, but locked immediately at the 'Checking NVRAM' prompt. I believe this is due to my low wattage PSU(~300W).

Anyone have a fricken clue what's going on? I suspect the AGP slot is bad on my motherboard. Could it be the 9800 Pro? It seems doubtful since the other tested card refuses to show anything. Could it be a power issue? I've had the system run with a blank screen for a few minutes and nothing's seemed wrong (i.e. no unusual noises, smoke, burning smell, power failure, etc.)

The parts in the TBA computer are: 2.6CGhz P4, MSI Neo2-LS, ATi 9800pro, Corsair 1GB Twinx PC3200LLPT. If you guys need any other parts in the computer to figure out the problem, just ask.

Any thoughts or ideas on how to deal with this (other than immediately phoning NewEgg and asking for a replacement) would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you.

eltardo · 07-30-2003, 02:54 AM

Do you get any beeps out of the machine by any chance? Motherboards usually have beep codes you can go by to figure out where the issue is if it's beeping at you.

It could also be the RAM, that's a big culprit for no video. It could be the CPU or the motherboard also. Hard to say but I'd disconnect everything aside from the basics (MB, RAM, CPU, Video, KB), reseat the RAM and see what it does from there.

Caphreak · 07-30-2003, 03:12 AM

check the heatsink/cpu connection. Same thing happened to me cause the heatsink was putting too much pressure on the cpu.

But if the computer is POSTing, it wouldnt be that. Try reseating everything.

candyman · 07-30-2003, 04:18 AM

Another thing you can check is the memory. Make sure it is seated correctly.

Pragma · 07-30-2003, 03:08 PM

As suggested, first see if it makes any beeps at all when you turn it on. If so, check those against your motherboard manual - fix whatever they indicate is broken.

If there are no beeps, then it's not POSTing. Go ahead and rip out everything (yes, everything) except the motherboard, CPU, video card, and RAM. Power it on. Does it POST? No? Try putting in known-good RAM. Does it POST? No? Carefully examine the CPU/Heatsink, making sure that they're installed properly/etc. Try again. Does it POST? No? Probably a motherboard issue, RMA it.

If it does post with just those few items in, add them back in, part by part, making sure that everything is seated properly and securely connected. Either you'll find a piece of hardware that makes it not-POST, or else everything will work. If you're lucky, it will be the latter and it means you just didn't hook something up completely the first time.

Since you just bought it, it'll be a little bit of a hassle, but you can send back any defective hardware you may have received.

sixate · 07-30-2003, 03:13 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Pragma
As suggested, first see if it makes any beeps at all when you turn it on. If so, check those against your motherboard manual - fix whatever they indicate is broken.

If there are no beeps, then it's not POSTing. Go ahead and rip out everything (yes, everything) except the motherboard, CPU, video card, and RAM. Power it on. Does it POST? No? Try putting in known-good RAM. Does it POST? No? Carefully examine the CPU/Heatsink, making sure that they're installed properly/etc. Try again. Does it POST? No? Probably a motherboard issue, RMA it.

That's what I was gonna suggest. I had the same problem when I put my system together. It turned out to be a bad MOBO.

mustang91 · 07-30-2003, 03:27 PM

Just got back from work, so I'm going to do everything written down on here now.

Thank you guys so much. Let's hope nothing's messed up. *crosses fingers*

darkure · 07-30-2003, 03:38 PM

I had a similar problem and it turned out to be a burnt out cpu. Check everything before wasting money or time on replacements.

Pragma · 07-30-2003, 04:32 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by sixate
That's what I was gonna suggest. I had the same problem when I put my system together. It turned out to be a bad MOBO.

I hate dealing with bad hardware, and it hurts even more to see people just getting into the "build your own rig" scene get dealt some bad hardware, as it normally ends up leaving a sour taste in their mouth about the whole thing.

sixate · 07-30-2003, 05:17 PM

I didn't give me a sour tase, but I sure was pissed about it cause it was the first PC I built. The bad part is I had to RMA the MOBO twice! It took forever. Anyway, I'm already planning on changing MOBO's and getting a better processor. I can't wait.

Pragma · 07-30-2003, 05:42 PM

Yea, I've got upgrade fever, though my system is less than a year old. Sadly, I don't have the money to buy a new machine for at least a year, possibly longer. I still like drooling over all of the new hardware as it comes out, though.

Seeker_beta_213 · 07-30-2003, 10:38 PM

i just had this problem i had to deal with, with a computer from my company, i ended up finding out it was a RAM problem after i spent 2 weeks and 450$ on new equipment...you may want to try tearing out the equipment and setting it up on a desk without the case surrounding it. you may have to find an old case to tear a power switch out of, but then it makes it much easier to find out the problem. also try taking the ram from your working machine out and testing it with the RAM from the broken machine. you may want to try the whol system outside of the case in case it is a grounding issuse. but i doubt it is that. i also doubt that it might be a PSU problem since 300W is plenty to run up to a 3.0GHz off of. if you need more help email me @ seeker@omega-byte.com

07-30-2003, 02:43 AM	#1 (permalink)
mustang91 Upright Location: Cleveland, OH/Athens, OH	Building computer question Heya, So after all those threads of "what should I get" I finally got all the parts in last night. I assembled everything from Midnight to 3am....was very excited about turning everything on. Well, the system turned on (yay! I didn't fuck up the power button) but the screen was black, no signal. (Card tested was a 9800 Pro) I doubled checked that the card was seated, it was, and that the power cord was running into the card. It was. I tried the card, both analog and DVI slots on two working monitors. Nothing. This morning I woke up earlier and opened my gaming machine. It has a GeForce4 4400 inside. I know the 4400 works. I inserted the 4400, checked that it was seated properly, and plugged in the monitor. Turned the system on and again got a black screen on both monitors in both analog and DVI. To double check the 9800 Pro wasn't the problem I tried it in my older system. The computer did show a bootup screen, but locked immediately at the 'Checking NVRAM' prompt. I believe this is due to my low wattage PSU(~300W). Anyone have a fricken clue what's going on? I suspect the AGP slot is bad on my motherboard. Could it be the 9800 Pro? It seems doubtful since the other tested card refuses to show anything. Could it be a power issue? I've had the system run with a blank screen for a few minutes and nothing's seemed wrong (i.e. no unusual noises, smoke, burning smell, power failure, etc.) The parts in the TBA computer are: 2.6CGhz P4, MSI Neo2-LS, ATi 9800pro, Corsair 1GB Twinx PC3200LLPT. If you guys need any other parts in the computer to figure out the problem, just ask. Any thoughts or ideas on how to deal with this (other than immediately phoning NewEgg and asking for a replacement) would be greatly appreciated. Thank you. __________________ "I'm desperately not trying to feel the early, preconceived notion of love that only exists in top 40's pop songs." "He who wants money, means and content are without three good friends." - Shakespeare "...like Vietnam, or those bands that never got over the fact they opened for Nirvana, I never got over her." -Nick Hornsby

07-30-2003, 04:18 AM	#4 (permalink)
candyman Addict Location: Just look over your shoulder!	Another thing you can check is the memory. Make sure it is seated correctly. __________________ "I am the writing on the wall, the whisper in the classroom. Without these things, I am nothing."

07-30-2003, 03:08 PM	#5 (permalink)
Pragma I am Winter Born Location: Alexandria, VA	As suggested, first see if it makes any beeps at all when you turn it on. If so, check those against your motherboard manual - fix whatever they indicate is broken. If there are no beeps, then it's not POSTing. Go ahead and rip out everything (yes, everything) except the motherboard, CPU, video card, and RAM. Power it on. Does it POST? No? Try putting in known-good RAM. Does it POST? No? Carefully examine the CPU/Heatsink, making sure that they're installed properly/etc. Try again. Does it POST? No? Probably a motherboard issue, RMA it. If it does post with just those few items in, add them back in, part by part, making sure that everything is seated properly and securely connected. Either you'll find a piece of hardware that makes it not-POST, or else everything will work. If you're lucky, it will be the latter and it means you just didn't hook something up completely the first time. Since you just bought it, it'll be a little bit of a hassle, but you can send back any defective hardware you may have received. __________________ Eat antimatter, Posleen-boy!

07-30-2003, 03:27 PM	#7 (permalink)
mustang91 Upright Location: Cleveland, OH/Athens, OH	Just got back from work, so I'm going to do everything written down on here now. Thank you guys so much. Let's hope nothing's messed up. crosses fingers __________________ "I'm desperately not trying to feel the early, preconceived notion of love that only exists in top 40's pop songs." "He who wants money, means and content are without three good friends." - Shakespeare "...like Vietnam, or those bands that never got over the fact they opened for Nirvana, I never got over her." -Nick Hornsby

07-30-2003, 03:38 PM	#8 (permalink)
darkure Addict Location: Dodging the ice pick	I had a similar problem and it turned out to be a burnt out cpu. Check everything before wasting money or time on replacements. __________________ COYW

07-30-2003, 02:54 AM	#2 (permalink)
eltardo Tilted Location: har!	Do you get any beeps out of the machine by any chance? Motherboards usually have beep codes you can go by to figure out where the issue is if it's beeping at you. It could also be the RAM, that's a big culprit for no video. It could be the CPU or the motherboard also. Hard to say but I'd disconnect everything aside from the basics (MB, RAM, CPU, Video, KB), reseat the RAM and see what it does from there.

07-30-2003, 03:12 AM	#3 (permalink)
Caphreak Insane Location: Ames, IA	check the heatsink/cpu connection. Same thing happened to me cause the heatsink was putting too much pressure on the cpu. But if the computer is POSTing, it wouldnt be that. Try reseating everything.

07-30-2003, 05:17 PM	#10 (permalink)
sixate Registered User Location: Somewhere in Ohio	I didn't give me a sour tase, but I sure was pissed about it cause it was the first PC I built. The bad part is I had to RMA the MOBO twice! It took forever. Anyway, I'm already planning on changing MOBO's and getting a better processor. I can't wait.

07-30-2003, 05:42 PM	#11 (permalink)
Pragma I am Winter Born Location: Alexandria, VA	Yea, I've got upgrade fever, though my system is less than a year old. Sadly, I don't have the money to buy a new machine for at least a year, possibly longer. I still like drooling over all of the new hardware as it comes out, though. __________________ Eat antimatter, Posleen-boy!

07-30-2003, 10:38 PM	#12 (permalink)
Seeker_beta_213 Upright	i just had this problem i had to deal with, with a computer from my company, i ended up finding out it was a RAM problem after i spent 2 weeks and 450$ on new equipment...you may want to try tearing out the equipment and setting it up on a desk without the case surrounding it. you may have to find an old case to tear a power switch out of, but then it makes it much easier to find out the problem. also try taking the ram from your working machine out and testing it with the RAM from the broken machine. you may want to try the whol system outside of the case in case it is a grounding issuse. but i doubt it is that. i also doubt that it might be a PSU problem since 300W is plenty to run up to a 3.0GHz off of. if you need more help email me @ seeker@omega-byte.com