Watched a few videos online and decided to bite the bullet and buy all the bits I need to build a gaming computer. Number of videos I watched were from tek syndicate so I thought what better place to ask than here for help.
So, bits I have:
Gigabyte Z77X-UD3H : Intel 3570K i5 : 2 x Corsair Vengeance Blue DDR3 1600MHz 4gb sticks : XFX Pro 750W XXX PSU : Sandisk 128gb Ultra plus SSD : Seagate baracuda 1TB HDD : Pioneer blu-ray/DVD writer : Fractal design define R4 case
Things im still waiting on:
Sapphire HD 7970 Vapor-X GHZ edition
While I wait on the graphics card coming I thought I would get ahead of the game and install everything into the case and get the OS up and running (Windows 8 64bit). I connected everything up and turned it on for the first time, the case light comes on and the fans all whir into life but nothing comes up on the screen.
I have a back lit keyboard (corsair K90) and this isnt lighting up either, im holding down the delete key during boot up and nothing comes up on the screen.
I have checked and double checked the memory is seated correctly, and I have tried each stick individualy in slot 1 on the motherboard anod havent had any luck. At the same time I have checked the CPU is seated correctly and doesnt have too much thermal past on it, I had a Noctua D14 installed initially but when I started getting problems I have just fitted the stock cooler until I get it up and running properly. The CPU looks like its installed correctly (to my eyes at least) and I cant see any bent pins on the mother board.
I have also tried disconnecting all the sata leads to see if that has an effect and nothing doing.
Starting to run out of ideas here so any advice on what I should do next would be most appreciated.
Heres what it looks like at the moment: http://postimg.org/image/un6zzw9p1/
Try looking if any pins have bent on the cpu, check if the power and cpu power aren't bent too much and all cables are in properaly and if that all fails one of your parts are faulty, most probably teh RAM as RAM is the most common one.
Thanks, I'll try re-running the 24pin and 8pin power connectors to the mother board, they have a fair bend in them to get them to run neat and tidy. The 8pin connector at the CPU is particularly taught as the cable is pretty short and it was a PITA to get it to connect properly. I was initially running them with the idea of keeping it neat and tidy but now I just want the thing to work!
Will a computer boot into the BIOS without any RAM installed? I dont have another computer or another stick or RAM to do a swap out to test it.
Will do, this isnt something i have ever done before though. Is it just a case of disconnecting the power and taking out the motherboard battery then waiting a few minutes. Then just put the battery back in and turn the power back on?
Is there anything that can go wrong doing something like this?
You'd simply lose your BIOS settings, but since you've never tinkered with them there isn't anything to save. So they will be 'back' to default. I'm fairly certain most motherboards nowadays have jumpers to reset the BIOS. Look through your motherboard manual..for something to do with clear BIOS or clear CMOS.
Recently I had this PC that wouldn't boot. I reset the bios through the jumper and it worked. Then it wouldn't save the BIOS settings after I customised them. I had to pull the battery out and put it back in and only then everything worked properly.
Cheers, there is indeed a couple of clear CMOS pins down near the power switch pins but there wasnt any jumps supplied with the mobo or the case. Is it just case of shorting these pins out? for a few seconds to clear the BIOS?
If this turns out to be the fault, why would a brand new motherboard need to be shorted out before it would work? lol
Your manual tells you what's the position the said jumper has to be placed on the pins in order to clear CMOS. If you don't have any jumpers, I guess you could resort to pull the battery out. Just be careful to not bend anything that holds the battery in place. In all honesty, I'm not really sure why this happens. Some motherboards just seem to have trouble detecting certain hardware right out of the box.
Right, many thanks for the help so fare guys. I managed to get home for lunch and have another go at it.
I hada quick read ofthe manual and although the mobo itself seems to have CMOS clear pins it mentions in the manual to just take out the batter so take it out I did and careful I was. Left it out for a good minute and.....nothing, still not getting a thing up on the screen.
I dont have a speaker at the moment but I have just picked up a motherboard switch set which includes a few lights, some switches and a speaker. Ill connect that up tonight and see what the symphony of beeps says.
Im also going to take take everything out of the case and build it up ontop of a bread board and see if its shorting out somewhere on the case or something stupid, to be honest I cant see this being the issue but im running out of ideas!
It seems like you have a GA-Z77X-D3H from your picture and not a Z77X-UD3H as you state above.
You could try to update your BIOS through Q-Flash if you manage to boot onto it. Make sure you get the proper version, check your Mobo revision, etc. If all fails, there might be some incompatibility or fault with your RAM.
Well thats me completely stumped.....no idea whats wrong or what to try next.
I have taken the Motherboard out of the case and sat it ontop of the motherboard box for now, stripped it bare and started again.
Cant see any bent or broken pins on the LGA1155 socket. Cant see any damage on the CPU
Slotted the cpu back into the socket and slotted on the fan/heatsink and plugged it into the CPU_FAN connector.
Slotted in 1 stick of memory into slot_1, connected the single 8pin power connector to the top of the mother board next to the CPU and the 24pin connector to the side of the mother board.
Clicked the power switch and it powers up, the CPU fan spins, stops for a second then spins up again. The speaker gives slow quiet clicks and no POST screen on the Monitor (I tested the monitor with my laptop and its fine via VGA)
I tried using the 8pin power connector and the 4+4 connector, no joy.
I then tried the memory in every slot one at a time, no joy.
I then took the CMOS battery out for 5min and re-inserted it, no joy.
I then wanted to make sure the speaker was actually working so took the memory out and its beeping like mad so looks like the speaker works fine......just something else that doesnt.
So, any ideas?
Dead CPU Dead Mobo Dead PSU Dead RAM
Whats your money on and how can I test it before I try to send something back?
Heres some pics of what I have now, any ideas on what to try next would be very very appreciated.
Did you turn the power switch on the PSU to the "on" position...or tried a different outlet? (bottom of the barrel stuff) The only thing I could think is the PSU since the Mobo should give you a bad memory code if you have the speaker plugged in. Maybe the cpu....
You'd need other parts to test things with. I'm guessing you don't have them. Take it to a PC shop and ask them if they can diagnose it. Some do it for free. You might be lucky.
I have removed the CMOS battery and left it out for 30-40min while I had dinner and no joy, then tried shorting the pins with the battery removed and no joy again.
The PSU switch must be in the 'on position' I hope, I am getting power to the fans and HDD when it powers up so the power is coming from somewhere. I will double check though and will try another socket in the house
One thought I had though is I am doing this via the onboard graphics of the motherboard, what are the chances that I can plug in the GPU and it powers up and up comes the BIOS screen without any issues? Slim to fat im guessing.
I have a PSU tester in the mail so will be able to test and rule that in/out tomorrow then its down to CPU, Motherboard or RAM.
One other thing I noticed lastnight is when the power is turned on the CPU fan spins up, stops for a second, then spins up to speed. After this the CPU fan speed isnt constant, it seems to flutter a little dropping revs for a split second then speeding back up. Never stops again but I just dont know if this is the norm or points to a fault with something?
Seems to me something with the psu or the motherboard. or some short cirquit, take out the motherboard from the case connect the power supply, lay it on the box fire it up outside the case. use the onboard video (if availeble) first. and use only one ramm stick.
wenn its not working outside the case, then it would be probably youre motherboard of a faulty psu.wenn it does work then
try a second ram in dual chanel test again, does it stil works, put in youre GPU, is it still working put it back in the case. and try again.
everybody prays Gigabyte boards to heaven ^^ i personaly not like them.. but thats offtopic