Breadboarding

[decipherfreak]

I'm trying breadboarding because my build didnt startup at first.
What I don't know is if I am able to hear the BIOS beeps.

parts list

Case: COOLER MASTER RC-690-KKN1-GP Black SECC/ ABS ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811119137

PSU: OCZ ModXStream Pro OCZ500MXSP 500W ATX12V V2.2
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817341016

CPU: AMD Phenom II X3 720 2.8GHz Socket AM3 95W Triple-Core

MB: ASUS M4A78T-E AM3 AMD 790GX HDMI ATX AMD Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Comb [...] mbo.205337

Memory: G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820231193

Hard Drive: WESTERN DIGITAL CAVIAR GREEN 750GB SERIAL ATA/300 32MB
http://www.frys.com/product/5954944

Optical: SAMSUNG 22X DVD±R DVD Burner Black IDE Model SH-S222A - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6827151175

Wireless: D-Link WDA-2320 IEEE 802.11b/g PCI Rangebooster G Desktop Adapter Up to 108Mbps Data Rates 64/128-Bit WEP, WPA
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6833127075

 

[hunter315]

Do you have a case speaker attached to the motherboard? if those components are all you are using then no you wont be able to hear bios beeps.

 

[decipherfreak]

Should I connect speakers to the motherboard then?

 

[hunter315]

a case speaker and speakers are very different. Real speakers require alot more power than the case speaker as a case speaker is really just a piezo buzzer. You can get one here
http://www.cwc-group.com/casp.html

 

[Outlander_04]

the case speaker often ships in the case .

The single beep a computer makes as it POSTs comes from that speaker and the beeps it makes help you find out what problem you might have

 

[decipherfreak]

I don't think mine has a case speaker. There is a bunch of lines for the front panel leds and switches, but there is no line for the speaker.
I'll try Fry's tomorrow to see if they carry case speakers.

 

[Outlander_04]

The reasons I never bread board anything

1/ if theres a fault its usually that something isnt plugged in correctly or dust got in the plug socket etc .Breadboarding wont help here at all

2/ you have to handle sensitive items that can be damaged by electrostatic discharge at least twice as much

3/ my girlfriend has a cat

4/ theres nothing you cant do to a computer on an open mounting that you cant do in a case [ with the possible exception of allowing th cat to lick it ]

PS case speakers often ship with the motherboard

 

[jitpublisher]

The reasons I never bread board anything

1/ if theres a fault its usually that something isnt plugged in correctly or dust got in the plug socket etc .Breadboarding wont help here at all

2/ you have to handle sensitive items that can be damaged by electrostatic discharge at least twice as much

3/ my girlfriend has a cat

4/ theres nothing you cant do to a computer on an open mounting that you cant do in a case [ with the possible exception of allowing th cat to lick it ]

PS case speakers often ship with the motherboard

I agree here mostly, the only thing you cannot tell, and this is a big one as a lot of people cannot seem to get a board installed correctly into a case, is if the board is shorting to the case somewhere. Happens a lot with first time builders. In all the PC's I have built, I only had one board years ago that I had to take out of the case and actually breadboard, and after hours and hours of trying everything under the sun even while it was out of the case, it suddenly beeped and POSTED out of the blue. Reinstalled it and everything was fine. Never did figure out why it wouldn't boot at first.
Anyway, yeah a lot of people put boards in without standoffs. The only way we can really help them from here is to find out for sure if they have the board mounted correctly, and that means taking it out of the case, and breadboarding it to start the troubleshooting.

A word of advice to all new builders.....Order a motherboard speaker when you buy your new motherboard. Most boards do not come with them anymore, (at least my last couple of boards did not) and neither do cases. They only cost a couple of bucks, and if you have a problem that is the first thing you need!