Random Shutoffs - E5200 chip, ASUS P5N7A mobo

[geekisthenewcool]

The computer I'm building randomly shuts off. I haven't even been able to keep it on long enough to install the OS. It does an immediate, complete shutdown. Everything (fans, hard drives, etc) just instantly shut off.

Parts:
Chip: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116072
Motherboard: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131348
RAM: 1x2GB of OCZ DDR2
Case/CPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147010

I recently started building this new computer for my wife, and there have been strange issues like this from the get-go. I would press the power button and the fans would spin for a quarter of a second then turn off. Using a more powerful PSU borrowed from a friend did not help. (I did a power calculator online, put in all my parts - and actually added a couple more to be safe - and the PSU I have is more than enough.)

I thought it was the motherboard at first, so I returned it and got a new one. The problem was gone at first, but the fans and drives all spun up, but I realized that I'd forgotten to put the RAM in. When I put the new RAM in, it would do the same thing as before when I pressed the power button.

I eventually, on a whim, moved the RAM to a slot other than the one recommended (A2 rather than A1) and it finally turned on and gave me a picture. Then it shut off halfway through bootup. It has done this several different times at several different points in the setup procedure (a couple different times while in the BIOS, twice while trying to install windows, and numerous other times in between).

I can't figure out what on earth is going on. I have devoured the manual, tested the computer with different RAM (the other stick of the pair from which I'm borrowing my current stick), tested it with a beefier PSU, and consulted every other computer-savvy person I know.

This website has helped before and I have faith that it can again. Thanks! You guys are great!

 

[xthekidx]

I am going to blame the motherboard, it sounds like you have done a good job eliminating the other options. The Nvidia chipsets are notorious for this kind of issue, they are very unstable relatively speaking to other chipsets. They are bad enough that I wouldn't rule out the possibility that you got two bad ones in a row, as slim as the chances seems like they would be. I would recommend going with a different motherboard/GPU:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128380
+
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121235

That is about the same price, a little cheaper I think and should give you better performance and be more reliable.

If that doesn't fix the problem, then it sounds like the CPU might be causing it, but that is very rare. I am putting my money on the motherboard, as long as we are sure of a few things: 1. The ram you borrowed to test works in another computer, and 2. The PSU you borrowed works in another computer.

 

[geekisthenewcool]

I am going to blame the motherboard, it sounds like you have done a good job eliminating the other options. The Nvidia chipsets are notorious for this kind of issue, they are very unstable relatively speaking to other chipsets. They are bad enough that I wouldn't rule out the possibility that you got two bad ones in a row, as slim as the chances seems like they would be. I would recommend going with a different motherboard/GPU:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128380
+
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121235

That is about the same price, a little cheaper I think and should give you better performance and be more reliable.

If that doesn't fix the problem, then it sounds like the CPU might be causing it, but that is very rare. I am putting my money on the motherboard, as long as we are sure of a few things: 1. The ram you borrowed to test works in another computer, and 2. The PSU you borrowed works in another computer.

Yeah, I considered this, but while I was waiting for the second motherboard to come back, I took all the guts from her older, slower computer and put them in the case and it did the same thing. Does that mean that it's the PSU?