System won't boot

[Bob701]

I just started having an issue yesterday where my system will not boot. The monitor screen is black with an 'A2' in the bottom right corner. I did get it to boot once and checked every driver individually in the device manager and they are all up to date. I ran scans for viruses and malware - all came up clean. I scheduled a check disk on the next restart but it won't boot. The monitor reacts to the system being turned on and off (same result using HDMI and DVI cable. Checked all connections on the motherboard. Do not know what's wrong. Any assistance is welcome and appreciated. I built this computer in May and added the GPU a couple of weeks ago. It has been working great until yesterday.

Intel i5 4670K CPU
MSI Z87-G41 pc mate Motherboard
EVGA GEForce GTX 750TI GPU
2 X 8GB Patriot Viper DDR3 PC3-12800 Memory (placed in the correct slots)
Thermaltake TR2 500W Power Supply
Crucial M500 120GB SSD HD for OS (Windows 7 Pro)
WD Black 1TB 7200 RPM HD for files

 

[Darkbreeze]

Get a new PSU. The Thermaltake TR2 accounts for roughly 50% of the build failures I encounter on this forum.

It might not be YOUR problem, but it is A problem, and may very LIKELY be YOUR problem.

It's a Tier 5 "Replace immediately" rated PSU as seen here:

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-1804779/power-supply-unit-tier-list.html


And I'm very familiar with this unit, as it's what brought me to Tom's in the first place and was the source of my very first post, similar to your symptoms, as seen here:

http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-2194316/likelihood-psu-failure.html



More likely than not, the introduction of a new, higher demand GPU may have been more than it was capable of handling. We're you previously using the onboard integrated graphics? If so, that takes very little power and the TR2 has been found in testing to put out only a portion of it's rated capacity, resulting in problems. It's also got poor, well, everything.

 

[Darkbreeze]

Alternatively, you can remove the GPU and try the onboard video again to see if the problem still exists. That at least will possibly help with diagnosing the issue.

 

[Bob701]

Darkbreeze, thanks for the reply. I neglected in my original post to mention that I had removed the GPU and tried to use the onboard video, but unfortunately the problem still existed. So I put the GPU back in and tried again with no success. And yes before I purchased the GPU I was using the onboard integrated graphics.

The GPU by EVGA that I purchased only draws 60 watts and does not even require a seperate 6 or 8 pin power connection from the power supply. It works directly off the motherboard. It was also stated that only a 300 watt PSU was required. I even tried a PSU calculator and it came up with my system needing a minimum 277 watts. So I figured the 500 watt unit that I purchased should be more than enough to handle it. After looking at that list, it seems that this is not the case. What tier PSU would you recommend I look at for the system I have? Thanks.

 

[Darkbreeze]

What is the model of you GPU? I am not aware that there are ANY 750 TI models that do not require at least one 6 pin connector, although it may be hidden on the backside and not up at the top like on most GPU models.

Every 750 TI I looked at on the EVGA website either indicated in the system requirements that it needed a 6 pin connector or showed it in the image gallery. That doesn't mean it's not possible, I'd just like to verify it for you. Sometimes the connectors are hidden very well and mainly the difference between the 750 and 750 TI is the fact that the 750 TI can provide a more powerful graphics solution since it DOES draw the extra power from an additional cable rather than getting all it's power through the board.

 

[Darkbreeze]

All things being equal, I'd go with the Antec VP-450 which should be plenty for your configuration unless you have a medium-ish or higher overclock on the CPU. That is a very good 450w unit and is well reviewed throughout the industry, plus it's generally below thirty bucks so it's very affordable.

 

[Bob701]

My GPU is an EVGA GEForce GTX 750Ti. The part number is 02G-P4-3753-KR. This kind of stumped me as well when I was installing it. I was looking all over the card for the 6 or 8 pin adapter to plug into but it wasn't there. The instructions read "If your graphics card is equipped with a supplemental power adapter, it is required that it be connected at the time of installation. So I took that 'IF' to mean that not all graphics cards have it. I finished the install, started it up and it worked fine until a couple of days ago.

 

[Darkbreeze]

Well, it does seem as though that card doesn't need external power aside from what it draws through the motherboard.

I would replace the PSU with a good one as indicated above, first. I would however initiate the RMA process for the board so that you can get it replaced if it turns out to be the issue.

 

[Bob701]

What does it mean to initiate the RAM process and how would I go about it?

 

[Darkbreeze]

There is nothing about RAM that needs to be manually initiated. Initializing is something that is done by the system, the micro-code build into the CPU and BIOS to "initialize" supporting hardware so that it can be used for whatever it's needed to do. It's not anything you would need to do or know about in detail.

Any hardware needing to be initialized, should be by the BIOS and CPU. If not, then there is a motherboard or processor problem, or the hardware is faulty.

Why do you ask about that?

 

[Darkbreeze]

Have you tried using just a single stick of RAM and installing it in different slots? Switch to another stick of RAM and do the same?

 

[Bob701]

I only asked because you had mentioned it and I wasn't sure if it was something I needed to do. Thanks for clearing that up. I did already try switching the RAM and going to a single stick in different slots...that didn't work either. Going to purchase another power supply. I will let you know how it turns out. Thanks much for all your help and expertise.

 

[Darkbreeze]

Ha ha ha ha ha. Haaaaaaaaaa. My bad. I had typod' that last reply. It was supposed to say RMA process, not RAM process. The RMA is the return merchandise authorization which is required by manufacturers and online vendors to return goods to the store or for warranty.

I was going, what, I never said anything about initializing the RAM. Hee hee.

 

[Bob701]

Ok, received my Antec VP-450 and installed. Still have same problem. I also purchased a cheap power supply tester - has LED indicator lights for each voltage. Everything lit up on both power supplies for all connections except the -5VDC indicator light on the 24 pin connector (same on both PSU's). Now I could not find reference to -5VDC on the chart for either PSU. So my question is...does this voltage exist on these power supplies?

 

[Bob701]

I have since removed my SSD operating system hard drive and plugged it in to my SATA to USB adapter and attempted to read it as an external hard drive on my laptop. It shows up as drive F but I cannot open it because it says the disk needs to be formatted before I can use it. Is this hard drive shot? Not a big deal if I have to reformat and re-install windows. All my files are on a second hard drive and backed up.

 

[Darkbreeze]

A failed drive shouldn't stop the system from Posting and being able to have an onscreen display and get into the BIOS. If you can't get into the BIOS something besides the drive is bad. Try without the drive connected at all and see if you're able to at least POST and enter the BIOS. If you can't, try all of these steps to see if any of them help.

http://www.tomshardware.com/faq/id-1753671/bench-troubleshooting.html