new computer problem

philhu

Supporting Founder
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Supporting Founder
Sep 1, 2004
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Cold Boston Area
Hi

Building a quad-core machine, with a gigabyte mb. And a evga nvidia 8800 video card, Antec 650W ps (3 rail supply).

The problem is that it comes on when you push power, usually no beeps, but then it goes off for about 5 seconds and tries to come back on, over and over. As a test, I did remove the 2 2g ddr2-800 memory sticks and it does do 2 beeps, pause, 2 beeps, so some stuff is working.

I plugged in the 20 pin, the 4 pin and the 8-pin connectors. This motherboard also wanted a standard 4-pin connector. I also did plug in the evga power port, a connector to 2 std 4-pin connectors. If I dont plug it in, i get a high shrill tone, so that is connected and 'working'

Sometimes I get a slow single short beep over and over.

Voltages from supply look good. I was going to do water cooling, but it isnt working well either (the gigabyte kit), so for now, i plugged the stock fan in. Not actually on the chip but running, so the mb thinks it is connected. I still have the watercool block in place, filled, so it should keep the chip cool longer than 5 seconds

The mb is the P35-DQ6. The chip is the Intel Core 2 Extreme QX6700.

Nothing ever appears on the display, but the sync light on the kvm does come on, so the video card is doing something.

I did unplug all disk drives, cd drives, etc.

Anyone have something to try?
 
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Did you look in the book to see what the beep codes are? Also what kind of power supply did you buy and how big is it?
 
Hmmm, it does sound like the board is at issue but when you removed the memory you got what you were supposed to so have you checked the memory slots to make sure nothing is down in there preventing all the contacts from completing? If the memory isnt making full contact then you would get all sorts of warnings and blue screens.

What about the jumper settings, have you checked to make sure they are in the right positions?
 
Hmmm, it does sound like the board is at issue but when you removed the memory you got what you were supposed to so have you checked the memory slots to make sure nothing is down in there preventing all the contacts from completing? If the memory isnt making full contact then you would get all sorts of warnings and blue screens.

What about the jumper settings, have you checked to make sure they are in the right positions?

It is an antec 650w 3-rail ps.....Brand new

I checked the slots, even tried using 2,4 instead of slots 1,3. I do not get blue screens, I get nothing :)

Beep codes.....It is an award bios. I can't find the codes for this board. And usually, I get no beeps at all.

The thing really scaring me is the poweroff it does after about 5 seconds, then comes back on and repeats this over and over. What can cause that?
I have a fan monitor plugged in (no fans actually connected), and it shows the voltages from the ps are right.
 
Both my quad boards have 8pin CPU power connectors, not the 4 pin. So have the big atx one and the 8pin one, then the graphics card has its own. Take the small black plug off the 8pin connector (that is making it a 4) and plug in the 8.
 
Both my quad boards have 8pin CPU power connectors, not the 4 pin. So have the big atx one and the 8pin one, then the graphics card has its own. Take the small black plug off the 8pin connector (that is making it a 4) and plug in the 8.

I have the 8-pin plugged in to. And yes, I had to take off the plastic cover from 4 of the ports.

The 8800 card does have a 4 ping power port. It has an adapter to connect it to 2 regular rectangular 4 pin power connectors. Should I instead plug it into the pci-e 4 port square ps connector?

Also, the water cooling uses a power switch override. You plug the power switch into it, and it into the mb. In that config, the power switch seems dead, the system just comes on when the back on/off is turned on. It still shuts off after 5 seconds though.

Anyone ever see a regular male rectangular power connector on a mb? This board has one
 
I have the 8-pin plugged in to. And yes, I had to take off the plastic cover from 4 of the ports.

The 8800 card does have a 4 ping power port. It has an adapter to connect it to 2 regular rectangular 4 pin power connectors. Should I instead plug it into the pci-e 4 port square ps connector?

Also, the water cooling uses a power switch override. You plug the power switch into it, and it into the mb. In that config, the power switch seems dead, the system just comes on when the back on/off is turned on. It still shuts off after 5 seconds though.

Anyone ever see a regular male rectangular power connector on a mb? This board has one

PCI Express power connectors are 6 pin & there should be a dedicated rail on PSU for PCI Express connections (video card). Check the connections

Also once you have checked the connections from the PSU, check the case connections to the MB & also try resetting the the CMOS (usually done via a jumper)
 
The following Award BIOS beep code descriptions may help you identify possible computer problems.

1 short: System boots successfully
2 short: CMOS setting error
1 long, 1 short: Memory or motherboard error
1 long, 2 short: Monitor or graphics card error
1 long, 3 short: Keyboard error
1 long, 9 short: BIOS ROM error
Continuous long beeps: Graphics card not inserted properly
Continuous short beeps: Power error
 
When a flash failed of my ASUS P5k Deluxe board happened, it would turn on 5 seconds beep then turn off. It did it over and over. Perhaps there is a jumper to go back to default BIOS settings. I had to send the board back to be flashed, the flash program had wiped the backup bios too...
 
Thank you all...

I did pull all other devices, and have just the mb,ps and video card connected to the ps. I did connect the video card to a 6-pin pci-e connector on the antec supply

I have the water cooler runnig on an old ps, not in the box, and it is circulating, so it cannot be overheating.

So, at this point, 6 seconds on, then off, sometimes a continuous short beep, mostly not (single short beep is power error). If I take out memory,I get 2 short beeps (memory error). I have tried taking out the 2x4 connector or the peripheral power connector the mb uses, nothing changes.

So, all thats left is bad ps, not likely, or bad mb, but why would it beep with no memory?

I will try the cmos clearing. See what that does

Phil
 
I was going to do water cooling, but it isnt working well either (the gigabyte kit), so for now, i plugged the stock fan in. Not actually on the chip but running, so the mb thinks it is connected. I still have the watercool block in place, filled, so it should keep the chip cool longer than 5 seconds
Try it without the watercooling and WITH the fan on the chip. Make sure to use the paste between the heatsink and the chip. Sounds to me like the chip is over-heating. It only takes a few seconds and the mobo will shut itself down.
 
The watercooling block is not designed to pull heat off the cpu fast enough without waterflow. The newer generations of cpu's will overheat very very quickly unless properly heatsinked and fanned. The thermal paste is an important part of that too. It is possible to use too much so be sure it is on thinly but evenly.


Watercooling really has not demonstrated to be worthwhile for the typical user.
 
Watercooling really has not demonstrated to be worthwhile for the typical user.

I have to agree on that, the main problem is that it is an awkward add on component. It would be much easier if someone were to come out with a case with integrated water cooling. Imagine something like the Antec P190 case with a radiator on the top and a quite push pull fan arrangement where the current fans push air through a radiator and a second set of fans pull the air out the top. A closed loop of coolent just for the CPU so it would always be easy to take in and out the MB.
 
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