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Why won't my new girlfriend function?


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#1
Wheeeee

Wheeeee

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Ok, so it's not actually my girlfriend per se, it's actually a computer I'm building. It's the first one that I've done, actually, and I'm having problems.

It won't boot. I'm fairly certain power is somehow getting to the MoBo, but it's not being used correctly. Here's my evidence:

If my PSU isn't plugged into my mobo or any of my peripherals, it does nothing when I plug it in. However, if I plug it into my mobo, it repeatedly makes a periodic faint clicking noise, and is clearly using power, as my lights flicker when I do so. Which probably isn't a wonderful sign.

When I hit the power switch on the front panel, nothing happens. The power LED does not go on at all. The PSU fan, CPU fan, and system fan all stay dormant and do not turn on at all. Nothing happens if I "jump" the mobo by closing the circuit between the two leads to the power switch on the front panel with a screwdriver, either.

This is with the PSU I bought. I also tried to put in an older atx psu that i know functions, and got a faint high-pitched ringing noise (which "sirened" downwards after I turned power off) when I plugged into the AC outlet.

This IS my first system, so there's probably some blatant compatibility issue I'm missing here. Does anyone know where the problem could lie? I'd be eternally thankful. Here's what I'm using:


PSU: ATX12V, 400W, Output +3.3V@25A, +5V@32A, +12V@19A, [email protected], [email protected] :

CPU:Athlon XP 2600+, FSB 333MHz, Voltage 1.65V

MoBo: GIGABYTE GA-7VT600P-RZ, CPU Type Athlon XP, FSB 400/333MHz, Form Factor ATX


I'm guessing the problem is with the interface between two of these three things. Any guesses?
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#2
tazz1964

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Hi
Is there a 4 pin square power plug on your MB any where most times its in the left hand upper side of the MB.
:tazz:
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#3
Wheeeee

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As a matter of fact, there is not. And this perturbed me slightly. Because the PSU certainly supplies the analogous male plug, however, there is nowhere to plug it into the motherboard.

Coincidentally, the other PSU I tried did not have this plug.
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#4
tazz1964

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Hi
when you plug the leads from your power and reset switch you need to make sure that you have them on the right pins for + and - if you do not the system will not power up. the same with your lights leads for your hard drive and power led
:tazz:

Edited by tazz1964, 11 July 2005 - 11:15 AM.

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#5
Wheeeee

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I double checked the various LED leads; they're OK.

While the soft pwr switch leads on my motherboard indicate polarity (one of them is marked +, the other -), the actual plugs which go to the front panel do not. It is simply a single plug capable of taking two leads. Consequently, I have actually tried to boot my computer with this plug facing both directions (in case the switch actually is polarized), and have had the exact same luck both ways.

I looked closely at the ATX plug coming from my PSU, and noticed that one of the "compartments" on the plug seems empty, that is, there are twenty little "compartments" and only 19 connecting "leads" within the plug. I think the mobo manual said the missing one corresponded to a -5V plug. I'm hoping this is normal?

Thanks for your assistance, by the way.
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#6
Samm

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Hi there

Firstly, don't worry about the orientation of the connectors for the soft power & reset switch. They are switches, they do not have a polarity despite the fact that they may be marked with a + and -.

The missing wire in the atx connector (-5V) suggests that you may have an SFX psu. Where did the psu come from - is it from a HP machine or similar or does it have SFX written on it?

Theoretically, your mobo shouldn't require the -5V rail as this is only really used in older systems but nevertheless, this is theoretical.

Did you apply a small blob of good quality thermal paste to the cpu before attaching the heatsink? Remember, if you remove the hsf at any point, you need to clean the old thermal compound off using a special anti-static cleanser, then reaplly freah paste.

Also, try removing the mobo from the case & placing it on a sheet of cardboard or pile of paper, making sure the back of the board is fully insulated. Leave the cpu, hsf, ram, video, keyboard, monitor, system speaker & psu connected, then try booting it again. (ie disconnect any internal usb fly leads, drive cabling etc)
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#7
Wheeeee

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So I tried that - just an isolated MoBo with cpu, hs/f, ram, video card, and power, and I still have the exact same symptoms - the psu clicks faintly when the mobo is connected and the on/off switch on the psu switch is on, and is silent when either there is nothing connected to it or it is turned off.

Neither the fan on the psu nor that on the processor start to run. Ever.

I did apply thermal paste to the cpu, but had a [bleep] of a time getting the heatsink and fan actually attached, so I fear I may have spread said thermal paste out a little much. But that shouldn't cause immediate serious problems, right?

Ugh. These are all new parts made to operate with the same standard interface, right? So do you think these are actually compatibility issues between the hardware?

Also, a bad video card wouldn't do this, right? I mean, if the video card didn't work, something else hypothetically should, no?
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