halp! No POST with new build

shwaipshwaip bluffin' with my muffin Icrontian
edited March 2010 in Hardware
So I finally got all the parts from the IC gaming birthday computer...but it's not POSTing.

I've got it outside a case, with just the CPU, RAM, and onboard video. I also tried with the 5870, still no post.

The beep code is long beep, long beep, long beep, pause, repeat.

I've tried both sticks of ram independently, and in different slots. All the power connectors are connected on the motherboard.

I do have another processor to test with, but I'd rather not take apart that computer unless there's a sign pointing to that being the problem.

Also, specs:

AMD Phenom II X4 965
Ultra X4 750w modular PSU
OCZ PC3-12800 Black Edition Ready CL8 Dual Channel RAM
ECS A790GXM-AD3 Black Series motherboard
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Comments

  • RyderRyder Kalamazoo, Mi Icrontian
    edited December 2009
    If you attempt to boot with no ram, do you get the same beeps?

    Same for Video.
  • shwaipshwaip bluffin' with my muffin Icrontian
    edited December 2009
    With ram - 3 long beeps, repeating
    without ram - 3 shorter beeps, repeating

    I get the same thing with the integrated graphics or with the 5870 installed.
  • lordbeanlordbean Ontario, Canada
    edited December 2009
    Motherboard manufacturers really need a lesson in this area. There is no point to the BIOS beep codes if they don't put a reference as to what the codes mean somewhere. I just read through the entire manual for this motherboard as well as searching manually through their site and trying to google the beep codes, and there's no information on them anywhere.
  • ardichokeardichoke Icrontian
    edited December 2009
    That would be because POST codes are somewhat standardized at this point. At least, the BIOS manufacturer uses the same POST codes for each motherboard (generally). 3 beeps generally means memory problem, if you're not getting any video with your memory installed it usually means a parity error in the first 64k of memory thus making it impossible to start the video system. Try the memory in a different system (or different, known good memory in this system). If that doesn't work, the board is probably going to need to be replaced shwaip. That or the memory you have isn't compatible with the board.
  • RyderRyder Kalamazoo, Mi Icrontian
    edited December 2009
    Hmmm.... If you are willing, please tell me if it gets the same short 3 beeps without a CPU (but ram and video installed).

    Do you have any other DDR3 you can try in it?

    The 965 could be the issue, as it is a fairly new CPU. The board may need a bios update, who knows how "old" the board that was shipped to ICHQ was.
  • shwaipshwaip bluffin' with my muffin Icrontian
    edited December 2009
    I don't have any other ddr3 I can test with.

    I'll try to take out the processor tonight and see what I get.
  • Cliff_ForsterCliff_Forster Icrontian
    edited December 2009
    Looks like ECS just released a BIOS update on 12/17 to address some issues.
  • shwaipshwaip bluffin' with my muffin Icrontian
    edited December 2009
    Saw that, but I trusted their notes of:

    -improve cmos checksum issue
    -update raid rom 3.2.1540.2

    as the what the bios update fixed.
  • Cliff_ForsterCliff_Forster Icrontian
    edited December 2009
    shwaip wrote:
    Saw that, but I trusted their notes of:

    -improve cmos checksum issue
    -update raid rom 3.2.1540.2

    as the what the bios update fixed.

    Improve cmos checksum "issue" looks kind of ominous to me. Could be anything. I mean, what is this "issue"?
  • SnarkasmSnarkasm Madison, WI Icrontian
    edited December 2009
    A deficiency with the CMOS checksum, of course.
  • shwaipshwaip bluffin' with my muffin Icrontian
    edited December 2009
    Well, it's not going to be adding support for a cpu, because they list that explicitly in the previous update.

    A "checksum issue" sounds to me like it might have an incorrect checksum, which would make the board think that a bios might be corrupt and prompt me. A BIOS that won't post because it has an incorrect checksum wouldn't be fixable with a bios update.
  • RyderRyder Kalamazoo, Mi Icrontian
    edited December 2009
    You have not even got to the point that you can tell what bios is installed, have you?

    Is there any kind of sticker on the bios chip that indicates what bios version (sometimes manuf. will put one)?
  • shwaipshwaip bluffin' with my muffin Icrontian
    edited December 2009
    RyderOCZ wrote:
    You have not even got to the point that you can tell what bios is installed, have you?

    Is there any kind of sticker on the bios chip that indicates what bios version (sometimes manuf. will put one)?

    Nope, no display at all.

    I'll check to see if there's a sticker.

    While it doesn't really mean anything, the board came direct from ECS, and everything was new/packaged. I'd guess it has a pretty recent bios on it, but there's no way to be sure.
  • RyderRyder Kalamazoo, Mi Icrontian
    edited December 2009
    Well.. the inital 965's had issues.. so there as an update to the Silicon, this may have made a bios update (Microcode) necessary, not sure.

    If you can't get anything to boot or get the same beeps with no CPU.. I will fax you a stick of ram so you can get running.
  • shwaipshwaip bluffin' with my muffin Icrontian
    edited December 2009
    RyderOCZ wrote:
    Well.. the inital 965's had issues.. so there as an update to the Silicon, this may have made a bios update (Microcode) necessary, not sure.

    If you can't get anything to boot or get the same beeps with no CPU.. I will fax you a stick of ram so you can get running.

    Hmm, email is faster for sending RAM, IIRC.

    Also, the 965 that I have is the C3 Black Edition (125 W TDP) rather than the C2 vanilla edition (140W TDP).
  • RyderRyder Kalamazoo, Mi Icrontian
    edited December 2009
    You are right.. Email will be faster :)
  • shwaipshwaip bluffin' with my muffin Icrontian
    edited December 2009
    Board with no cpu, with ram: no beeps
    Board with no cpu, no ram: no beeps.

    I didn't see any obvious labelling to tell me what the bios version was.
  • jaredjared College Station, TX Icrontian
    edited December 2009
    It's a good thing shwaip won this computer lol ;)

    so weird.
  • shwaipshwaip bluffin' with my muffin Icrontian
    edited December 2009
    le sigh.

    I'm thinking of picking up the cheapest AM3 cpu i can find to see if that's the problem.
  • shwaipshwaip bluffin' with my muffin Icrontian
    edited December 2009
    And upon further inspection, my 965 is the C2 core, so it's on the supported list anyway.
  • RyderRyder Kalamazoo, Mi Icrontian
    edited December 2009
    Evun send address, Ryder make things worky.
  • shwaipshwaip bluffin' with my muffin Icrontian
    edited January 2010
    Thanks to ryder's help, I now have a machine that posts. I'm currently installing windows on my brand spankin new computer.
  • UPSLynxUPSLynx :KAPPA: Redwood City, CA Icrontian
    edited January 2010
    woohoo!

    about time :/
  • jaredjared College Station, TX Icrontian
    edited January 2010
    So it was the ram...
  • ThraxThrax 🐌 Austin, TX Icrontian
    edited January 2010
    MORE BROKEN OCZ RAM????one
  • shwaipshwaip bluffin' with my muffin Icrontian
    edited January 2010
    Hmm this may have been premature. The machine won't post reliably with the 5870 installed. Seems to work fine with just the onboard video though.

    le sigh.

    The machine will post once with it installed, but to get it to post again i have to clear cmos. I go into the bios, set the date/time and restart, and it once again won't post (no beep codes). The monitor does blink a little bit (sometimes).

    Sometimes the fan on the card keeps spinning at the very high speed, sometimes it returns to quiet after running fast, sometimes it starts quiet.

    FML.

    For now, I have it running with the onboard graphics.

    update - it appears to work just fine with my 8800 gts.
  • LeonardoLeonardo Wake up and smell the glaciers Eagle River, Alaska Icrontian
    edited January 2010
    I haven't looked it up, but what are the differences in power requirements for the 5870 and the 8800GTS? Your PSU should have enough total power, but perhaps it doesn't have enough amperage on the particular rail that is supply your video card's connectors. If the computer won't even boot with that card, but will with another video card or the onboard chip, it's most likely either a bad video card or an inadequate PSU.

    I did look up your PSU, and based it's published specs, it would seem to have plenty of power for a single 5870. Don't know what else to tell you.
  • shwaipshwaip bluffin' with my muffin Icrontian
    edited February 2010
    Alllrighty...

    About a month ago I got a replacement 5870 from AMD (yay). I plugged it in, it worked great. No issues. Until today when...

    My display started blinking a little bit at random. Then windows crashed. Then my machine wouldn't post. There appears to be a couple different ways that it doesn't post:
    1) I can hear the 5870's fan running full blast, stays that way until i shut down
    2) The 5870's fan never speeds up, just stays running silent

    If I can get it to post (either by clearing CMOS or just the luck of the draw), it loads into windows fine. As soon as I shut down, I get back into a loop of not posting.

    This happens with my dvi-hdmi cable or just a hdmi cable attached.

    tl;dr version - my new card is now exhibiting the same signs as my old card.
  • shwaipshwaip bluffin' with my muffin Icrontian
    edited February 2010
    well, it would seem that i have found the problem - the motherboard. i removed the video card, and connected to the onboard hdmi out, and now i'm getting no post. i've cleared the cmos many a times, but still no postssss.

    any recommendations for an am3 motherboard?
  • LeonardoLeonardo Wake up and smell the glaciers Eagle River, Alaska Icrontian
    edited February 2010
    I noticed your motherboard is an ECS. Was this a budget build? That's the only reason I can think of for purchasing an ECS board, Nvidia, AMD, or Intel chipset.

    I haven't built built an AMD system in quite a while, but regardless, I'd stick with a more reputable motherboard makers, as in Gigabyte, Asus, and MSI. Sure, any brand can fail, but with ECS, you are dealing with a company that designs motherboards with the main feature being low cost.
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