[Ben_uk]

Hello, I'm having a little difficulty with my first build. The installed components are as follows:

GeForce6100SM-m motherboard with inbuilt graphics
AMD Spempron 3200
Kingston DDR2 667 512MB ram
400W power supply

After installing the MB in case and connecting case control cables, then the CPU and ram, I plugged the monitor in and went for a first boot to bios. The screen didn't turn on and the speaker emitted a series of short beeps (about a second long with equally long gaps) until I switched it off.
I went back and checked the monitor connection and ram seating (and changed it to the other slot). Still the same outcome.
The monitor works fine with the PC I'm on so that isn't the problem. I was going to check to see that the CPU was seated correctly but the sticky pad had already stuck it to the heatsink so I didn't really want to force it off and re-do it. I am sure it was seated correctly when I put it in so I don't think this is the problem.
I also removed the ATX 12V square 4 pin molex to see what would happen. PC powered up in the same way but without the beeps...don't know if that means anything to anyone (but it was nice not to be beeped at).
I checked to see that the ram was the correct ram for the MB. The MB does support this type of ram but it is not the model listed in the qualified vendor list. It lists a different model number for kingston ram of the same type (DDR2 667) and size (512Mb).

The options I have considered are these:
1) buy another stick of ram from the list in the book.
2) buy a PCI-E graphics card and see if it is just the on-board graphics to blame.
3) Send the motherboard (and processor: they were bundled) back to the seller as faulty.

or perhaps, 4) follow someones advice for a quick, free fix. lol

Any help would be very much appreciated as I'm completely new to this.

Thanks

Ben

P.S. I havn't installed any other components yet such as the hard-drive or CD-Rom-I thought the MB, PSU, CPU and ram would be enough to get me a screen but maybe I should install the rest of the components?

Edited by Ben_uk, 28 November 2007 - 10:24 AM.

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What you have is enough to POST and enter the BIOS. Start by very carefully checking all your connections. Reseat your RAM once more. Try it in the other slot as well.

Continuous short beeps usually point to a RAM error. What is the make/model # of your board? What are the model #s of the RAM that you bought and the RAM on the vendor list?

Don't buy new RAM if you think what you have does not work. Kingston RAM comes with a lifetime warrenty, use it if it becomes nescessary.

It would be good if you could borrow a stick of RAM from a friend to test in the system.

Also just a side note, most barebones PSUs will likely give you trouble down the road.

Edited by Titan8990, 28 November 2007 - 12:31 PM.

[Titan8990]

What you have is enough to POST and enter the BIOS. Start by very carefully checking all your connections. Reseat your RAM once more. Try it in the other slot as well.

Continuous short beeps usually point to a RAM error. What is the make/model # of your board? What are the model #s of the RAM that you bought and the RAM on the vendor list?

Don't buy new RAM if you think what you have does not work. Kingston RAM comes with a lifetime warrenty, use it if it becomes nescessary.

It would be good if you could borrow a stick of RAM from a friend to test in the system.

Also just a side note, most barebones PSUs will likely give you trouble down the road.

Edited by Titan8990, 28 November 2007 - 12:31 PM.

[Ben_uk]

Thanks for your quick reply. I've gone back through everything again but it is still the same. The ram has been tried in both slots. I'm afraid I don't know anyone with a computer that I can test the ram in. (Everyone seems to have opted for laptops for some reason)
The board is made by 'Elite group' and the model is 'GeForce6100SM-M'
The ram I have is Kingston DDR2 667 - KVR667D2N5/512 and the ram on the vendor list is Kingston DDR2 667 D6408TE8EWL3.
I couldn't find any of the ram that is in the vendor list online, I'm not sure if perhaps the MB is slightly outdated and the models it refers to have been discontinued.
If it is the ram then how can I tell if it is that that is faulty or something else? Would it be a good idea to order a different brand of ram and if it works, then I send the faulty ram back to Kingston? That way if it is the ram that is faulty then it will solve the problem and if it isn't then I wont have to spend time waiting for Kingston to replace it only to find that it was something else which was the problem.
Sorry if I'm a little slow here it's all quite difficult to get my head round but, in your opinion, do you think it could be something else that is faulty or is it more likely to be the ram. The thing I don't really understand is if it is just the ram that is the problem then why can't I see anything on the screen? (again, sorry if this is an obvious question).
Just a last quick question, I'm not really sure what you mean by barebones PSU could you clarify please?
Thank you so much for your time, it is really appreciated.

Ben

Edited by Ben_uk, 28 November 2007 - 02:06 PM.

[Troy]

Hi Ben. Welcome

If you cannot see anything on the screen, it may very well be the onboard graphics is faulty. Also, ECS are known for being picky with the types of RAM they work with, but surely it should still give something on the screen.

ECS (Elite Group) motherboards have given me more headaches then I would have liked. I personally never recommend them any more.