Budget build troubleshooting... Power on but no video

[Diwi]

I built a pc yesterday from buying some budget parts to complement some secondhand components I've acquired over the past year from friends or salvage. Since assembled been having some problems, can't get any monitor to recognize the video input at all, not even to bios. Monitors are simply not reacting, blinking "no signal" continuously.

Mobo: ASRock 970 Extreme3
CPU: AMD FX 8150 8-core Black edition (with the Asatek cpu liquid cooling kit)
PSU: 450 w (can't recall model at the moment, not around rig currently. Pulled it out of another computer though in which it was working fine)
GPU: PNY Geforce GTX 460 Performance
HDD: Western Digital Caviar Blue '04 160g
Others: RNWD-N9003 Wireless PCI-E adapter
Everything else has been disconnected in the systematic trials to figure out what is wrong.

I have also pulled the GPU and put in an Radeonx800 GTO instead with no change in behaviour to rule out the GPU. Both were PCIe so that doesn't really rule out the mobo slot though.

I have elminated the possibility that the input type is the cause (tried hdmi, dvi, and vga now)

I have elminated a monitor specific problem. I've tried with 3 different monitors now.

I haven't built a pc in the better half of a decade, with half the parts onhand though it felt like the easy option. If the problem is incompatibility, feel free to flame... I'm outdated in my knowledge. Anybody have any insight into what could be going on? There is no onnboard video on the mobo to test the PCIe slots. I suppose if I had to I could go buy a way outdated regular PCI card, but I've tried both PCIe cards in both PCIe slots to no avail.
PSU seems to be generally working, lights light, fans start. Only thing I could think of on that front would be that one of the atx connectors has broken since I pulled it from the other computer 4 months ago, or that one of the adapters that I wasn't using before is not functioning considering it was in a significantly older and less demanding rig the last time.
The power button obviously works, so the mobo isn't totally fried, but it is currently my leading suspect. Correct me if I'm wrong, but even if the proc was a problem, the mobo should still read to the post screen shouldn't it and monitors should still recognize the video?

Any help would be appriciated, let me know if i need to post more info.

 

[orthokid]

your motherboard may be broken. Did you try no GPU and plugging in to motherboard?
If thats the case then you need to download the driver and see if it works. If not the GPU is broken

 

[Diwi]

no onboard video on the motherboard, also that would mean 2 GPUs mysteriously broke at the same time wouldn't it?

 

[orthokid]

It may actually be your power. The site suggests 450W for ONE GPU, an you have two. The mobo may have some feature that turns off power intensive hardware to save energy. I dont know if this affects it, but do you have 20 or 24 pins in the Mobo power input?

 

[Diwi]

I only have one GPU. I swapped it out with the radeon as I said to verify that it wasn't the problem. I only have a 20 pin atx and a 4 pin atx, for the motherboard's 24 pin and 8 pin atx slots, but the mobo manual says those would be fine so long as I connect them in the right settings.

 

[orthokid]

Oh, ok, Then it may be a some kind of PSU or BIOS problem, flash BIOS.

 

[Diwi]

Can't really flash bios without getting a display... the mobo is actually one of the new parts, i'm not sure of the keystrokes to try it in the dark and have faith that that actually PROVES something, other than to put a motherboard at risk that may very well have been fine in the first place.
I suppose I can try pulling my bios battery for a few minutes, and resetting cmos. I've never ever seen a factory new mobo that one would have to reset the cmos on, but my hardware knowledge is about 7 years dated I suppose.

 

[smorizio]

you need a newer power supply you need all 24 pins on the atx plug connected and at lest 4 pin on the 8 pin atx plug if you dont the mb wont power on. the 8150 chip will post with any bios per mb cpu guild. i would make sure your using mb case standoffs and not shorting the mb to the case.

 

[Diwi]

Yeah, standoffs are probably good thinking, I'm tearing stuff out now to make sure that standoffs are perfect before I rule anything as insufficient. My motherboard installation guide does say explicitly though "This motherboard provides 24-pin ATX power connector, it can still work if you adopt a traditional 20-pin ATX power supply. To use 20-pin ATX power supply, please plug your power supply along with Pin 1 and Pin 13." (Which is the way I have it) It says similar of the ATX 12v connector with 8-pin/4-pin. I suppose the psu could still be insufficient, but as that would mean ordering a new part, I'm trying to rule everything out beforehand.