Problem that is driveing me Crazy!

[shift788]

I recently built a computer. it was together, and Everything worked fine until about a month ago. It started shutting off randomly, and not turning on at times. Now its to the point where it Powers up everything. But nothing comes on the screen (no bios info, nothing) I did over clock the computer modestly. Nothing crazy. Is there anyway to get to the root of the problem. I need to know if its the MOBO, the Processor or as simple as the graphics card. (i hope its the graphics card, as that is the cheapest and easiest to replace. If anyone could offer any help on this, That would be greatly appreciated.

Heres my setup:
GIGABYTE GA-965P-S3
460W SolyTech
MEM 512Mx2|WINTEC
INTEL|C2D E6400
BIOSTAR V7302GT
250G|WD 7K 8M SATA2


All help is Greatly Appreciated. I will answer all other questions you may have.[/b]

 

[crazywheels]

try backing down the overclock, and see if that helps. it sounds like the cpu is getting a little hot.

 

[shift788]

I cant get into the Bios. Nothing comes up

 

[PCKid777]

1) Try replacing/checking the CMOS battery.
2) Take out all the RAM and see if you get a system beep error.
3) Move around your RAM - one stick at a time
4) Replace/test PSU
5) I HATE GIGABYTE MBs - I had a similar problem where the MB began to die (USB stopped working, failures to post, etc) and then it died and would NOT even turn on...so ya, maybe this MB died too... Sorry if it did.

GL.

 

[shift788]

When i take out the memory. it turns on and quickly turns itself off

 

[Waraura]

Did you clear the CMOS yet? That is the only fix I can use on my MB when testing OC's. It could be the same with yours.

 

[shift788]

yah i took the battery out of the MB and Took all the power away going to the MB. it still dosent work.

 

[crabdog]

Try unplugging any USB devices on your computer.

Recently I changed my RAM timings and after I rebooted the system it wouldn't go any further than the POST screen. At first I thought I had fried my ram. But after switching back to my old ram I still had the same problem. So I proceeded to clear the CMOS only to have the same problem still. After about 5 reboots and much removing/jiggling checking of cards and peripherals I noticed that my IPOD Shuffle was still in the usb slot. After removing it the system booted with no problems =\

By the way I am using a GA 965P - DS3 mobo.

 

[PCKid777]

In regards to the removal of the battery, I've heard stories where the battery had to be removed for 30 minutes! I would suggest attempting that as a last ditch effort as supposedly 5 minutes for this person did NOT work...

 

[makoau58]

Sorry to say that after having the same problem twice with the same mobo i returned it to the manufacturer and on both occasions it was a dead bios chip which cannot be fixed by resetting the bios. The chip had to be changed. That particular Mobo is very finicky about bios updates especially when people fail to load bios defaults before updating. My eventual solution which i really knew from the beginning was to purchase an Asus Mobo, my original prefference, and have been clear sailing ever since. Bios updates a breeze.
I hope for your sake there is a better solution but that was my experience.

 

[shift788]

I Think im going to replace the MOBO. Problem is i need a MOBO that has at least 1 PCI Express x16 slot. CPU Socket Type LGA 775 and Supports DDR2 800 Mem.
Dose anyone have any suggestions?

 

[shift788]

id like to stay under 175 if i can.

 

[Onus]

.
.
.
A fast shutdown after powering ON
usually means that the PSU has failed
and the voltage regulators on the
motherboard detect voltages that are
WAY out of range.

Antec sells a cheap ($12) PSU tester,
which is extremely valuable when
assembling components the very first time.

http://www.antec.com (saves time and aggravation!!)

If you power ON and the motherboard
does NOT shutdown immediately,
your problem is almost certainly
a bad motherboard, incompatible RAM
and/or (rarely) a bad CPU.
.
.
.

Whether or not your mobo was dragged along with it, it sounds like your PSU bit the big one. Before putting in another mobo, I would definitely test that PSU. I don't recognize the name "Solytech," and don't think it is on mpilchfamily's list of quality PSUs.
Anyone can get a bad board, but a lot of people on here like Gigabyte mobos; it looks like my next rig will use one too. I intend to use a quality PSU (another Mushkin), and you can bet I tested it first.

 

[Zorg]

Whether or not your mobo was dragged along with it, it sounds like your PSU bit the big one. Before putting in another mobo, I would definitely test that PSU. I don't recognize the name "Solytech," and don't think it is on mpilchfamily's list of quality PSUs.
Anyone can get a bad board, but a lot of people on here like Gigabyte mobos; it looks like my next rig will use one too. I intend to use a quality PSU (another Mushkin), and you can bet I tested it first.

I was waiting to see someone post this.
@OP I agree, at least get a multimeter and test the voltages. If you are going to get a mother board then definitely get a P35. You may have to pay a little more but it's worth it.

 

[Zorg]

A fast shutdown after powering ON
usually means that the PSU has failed
and the voltage regulators on the
motherboard detect voltages that are
WAY out of range.

A fast/immediate shutdown is very often caused by a short. This should be ruled out first.

If you power ON and the motherboard
does NOT shutdown immediately,
your problem is almost certainly
a bad motherboard, incompatible RAM
and/or (rarely) a bad CPU.

A power supply which is flaky can power the MB until demands are too great, or it heats up and component values change. Or it's just provides power that is on the tolerance limit of what the board can accept.

NOTE:
Removing the CMOS battery for 30+ minutes
may cause your BIOS to vanish completely
from the motherboard's EPROM where that
code is stored. When changing a CMOS battery,
remove it ONLY to read the specs, and then
RE-INSTALL IT immediately. Take your written
specs with you to buy a replacement battery,
but leave the old battery INSTALLED in your mobo.

If you did remove your CMOS battery for
more than 30 minutes, it is quite possible
that your motherboard no longer has enough
EPROM code even to flash a new BIOS.

WTF :?: Where did you hear this bit of wisdom? Maybe you could give me the link to your source.

 

[morerevs]

Maybe a stupid question, but when you say 'removed the battery' is that the only thing you did, or did you also use the jumper on the board?
Also the thing about the bios chip losing it's code after removing the battery to long is really not true. It would be like your cars engine management system losing it's data if you have a dead battery for too long. Doesn't happen. It actually takes power to remove/corrupt data from an eeprom.

 

[Zorg]

Maybe a stupid question, but when you say 'removed the battery' is that the only thing you did, or did you also use the jumper on the board?
Also the thing about the bios chip losing it's code after removing the battery to long is really not true. It would be like your cars engine management system losing it's data if you have a dead battery for too long. Doesn't happen. It actually takes power to remove/corrupt data from an eeprom.

How true, how true, hence my question to SupremeLaw about the source of the FUD.

 

[shift788]

Ok, here is my plan of action. Im going to test the power supply as soon as i get the Antec PSU tester. If thats all well and good. Im going to get a new MOBO. Iv been looking at different mobo's what would be the benifet of getting an SLI For instence the.

ASUS P5N32-E SLI Plus LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 650i SLI ATX Intel Motherboard

Rather then getting a standered MOBO. Would it be worth it to pay the extra cash is what i guess im asking.

 

[Zorg]

Ok, here is my plan of action. Im going to test the power supply as soon as i get the Antec PSU tester. If thats all well and good. Im going to get a new MOBO. Iv been looking at different mobo's what would be the benifet of getting an SLI For instence the.

ASUS P5N32-E SLI Plus LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 650i SLI ATX Intel Motherboard

Rather then getting a standered MOBO. Would it be worth it to pay the extra cash is what i guess im asking.

I would build the system out side of the case, as Supremelaw suggested, to ensure that the case isn't shorting the mobo. The chances are slim that it is because it was running, but something could have shifted. As has been said already, that PS is relatively unknown, so it is hard to determine its quality. Also, I strongly urge you to read this article. If you are going to buy a mobo you should seriously consider the P35, it performs substantially better than the older boards. It is an especially easy overclocker. I have seen on NewEgg reviews, and elsewhere, that the one they tested appears to have problems with its SATA ports, but there are others that take DDR2.

Good Luck

Edit: fixed link
http://www.anandtech.com/memory/showdoc.aspx?i=2989&p=4

 

[shift788]

Can you link me to that artical you suggested i read. i clicked the link in the post. but it took me to a site selling memmory.

And is this the model of MB you were talking about?
GIGABYTE GA-P35-DS3P LGA 775

 

[Zorg]

Sorry about the bad link, I fixed it. And here it is again.

http://www.anandtech.com/memory/showdoc.aspx?i=2989&p=4

The board in the limited review is an Asus. I saw a P35 that had DDR2 and DDR3 memory slots but I forgot the manufacturer. I have a bookmark on my laptop. I'll check and post a link when I can.

 

[qwazzy]

Wait, before you suspect the mobo, try a different PSU. I had the same exact problem with Antec's SP-500, which is a horrible PSU. PM me for more.

 

[Zorg]

Can you link me to that artical you suggested i read. i clicked the link in the post. but it took me to a site selling memmory.

And is this the model of MB you were talking about?
GIGABYTE GA-P35-DS3P LGA 775

I found the board, it is a Gigabyte P35C-DS3R.

http://www.gigabyte.com.tw/Products/Motherboard/Products_Overview.aspx?ProductID=2551
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128048

The difference, on quick glance, is that the P35C-DS3R supports DDR2 and DDR3. Therefore, when they tighten the timings and the price comes down on DDR3, you can get a memory upgrade without having to scrap the mobo. It's actually $10.00 cheaper at Newegg which leads me to believe that something is awry. I'll let you compare them to find any differences between the two. If you find anything let me know.

 

[Zorg]

I had to know so I looked it up. click link and scroll down.
http://www.gigabyte.com.tw/Products/Motherboard/Products_ComparisonSheet.aspx?ProductID=2533,2551
It appears that the GA-P35-DS3P has the following compared to the GA-P35C-DS3R:

1 PCI-Express X8 instead of none
2 PCI instead of 3 PCI
DualBIOS Plus instead of Virtual DualBIOS
3 IEEE 1394 Firewire instead of none
2 eSATAII instead of none

So it appears that you give up a fair amount of additional features to get the DDR2 and DDR3 memory slots. You just need to determine what is most important to you. Gigabyte has other P35 boards as well. The important thing is that the P35 is worth a serious look.

 

[robucf4]

I had the same thing happen on a DS3, was fine for 3 weeks, one day I get a blue screen and that was that. When I powered it back on, all fans spin up, you can hear the DVD Drive, HDD, but nothing came on my LCD, it was just blank. After trying for a couple of days with different parts, CPU, PSU, RAM, etc. nothing would get the board to POST. I finally got an Asus board and it worked right out of the box. I guess the DS3 board was hosed...