SOLVED: Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3P beep codes

[RoundSparrow]

Howdy,

Building a new system. GA-P35-DS3P. Getting 3 beeps, pause, 8 beeps. Resets and repeats. No video output.

I have traded DDR2 modules, power supply, video card (ATI 1650 Pro and Nvidia 7900 GS). Nothing changes. Nothing installed or attached other than RAM, Video Card, CPU.

Only thing I haven't tried is an alternate CPU. But this is a p4-based Celeron that came out of a Gigabyte GA-965P-DS3 motherboard and worked fine.

Any ideas what 3-8 beep sequence means? Is gigabyte support worth calling?

thanks.

 

[Zorg]

Have you tried looking for the beep codes for your BIOS and on the Gigabyte website to determine what they mean? I'll give it a search if someone doesn't post it first.

 

[Zorg]

So far I have found this
Award BIOS beep codes
Award uses the least of any of the BIOS manufactures just two codes, they prefer to display a message on the screen state the error. The only time you will get any beeps is if the video cards fails or a RAM problem.

1 Long, 2 Short A video error has occurred and the Bios cannot initialise the video screen to display any additional information.

Any other beep(s) RAM Problem.
http://www.comptechdoc.org/hardware/beepcodes/1.htm

Sounds like BS to me, still searching.

 

[Zorg]

It must be a secret. Call or email Gigabyte and see if you can get the full list, the codes in the manual are week at best. If you do get additional information post it so that all Gygabyte owners can benefit.

I'm assuming that you already did this but just in case, reset CMOS as per the manual.

 

[RoundSparrow]

The manual and website is pretty worthless in describing these codes. Found a few references to similar beep patterns (3,7) on other forums - where user had issue with two PCIe cards in the large slots - but I'm not doing anything like that. And I did try the older ATI card that I know is simple/good.

 

[Zorg]

What CPU?

 

[RoundSparrow]

ok, turned out it was the CPU. I replaced it with a Celeron 420L and it turned right on.

Celeron D 336, which IS listed on the compatibility list on website. The same CPU I put back in a 965P-DS3 and it works fine.

So the final word: 3 beeps, pause, 8 beeps. This is a CPU compatibility issue.

P.S. The heatsink I have is a PITA to remove, so I was doing the CPU swap last.

P.S.S. Thanks Zorg, agree the manual's description of beep codes is worthless.

 

[Zorg]

Happy to see you got it cleared.

It really pisses me off that something so simple yet so important as the POST error codes is handled extremely poorly by Gigabyte, and probably by all the other board manufacturers. Even if it isn't in the manual, which is bad, it is unconscionable that they don't even address it on their website. I know that the error codes are a function of the BIOS, but Award states that these BIOSs are heavily modified by the MB manufacturer and that only the MB manufacturer will have the complete set of codes. Therefore, the task falls to the MB manufacturer.

[end rant]

 

[Guest]

4 Beeps on going, on a gigabyte motherboard, i change the memory round to the white slots and reseated the cpu, it did not look like there was any problem with the cpu, but still did it, it all works ok now