GA-EP43-UD3L cycling endlessly

[rootminusone]

Hello,

I have a P43 system that I built a few years ago and I'm worried that it has finally died.

E5200 // GA-EP43-UD3L

I can't figure out what's wrong with it. Maybe you can puzzle this out.

* With all peripherals components connected, everything spins up, the monitors come out of standby, but there is no image and the computer does not post. The system cycles about every 30 seconds (or less.)

* With everything but memory/cpu disconnected, there is still no post. The speaker beeps rapidly until the system cycles.

* With the memory removed, I get long beeps until the system cycles.

* I've tried installing the memory in different configurations. The system always cycles, but sometimes there is no sound out of the speaker at all.

---

The manual says that long beeps indicates an issue with the graphics card. That's silly, b/c I removed it and the missing memory should take priority in the self-diagnostic.

The manual says that short beeps indicates a power error. I tested every wire in the molex, ATX, and ATX 12V cables. Everything is within tolerances.

So I'm wondering what's wrong. Bad power supply? Bad memory? Bad memory controller? Bad diagnostic module? Bad board? Bad CPU?

Really lost. It's an aging system, and I'm willing to upgrade, but I need to know what's broken first.

Thanks in advance for your help.

 

[denis280]

clear CMOS remove the battery for 3 min.then put it back in.you will have to reset time hour and date in bios.

 

[Ketchup]

clear CMOS remove the battery for 3 min.then put it back in.you will have to reset time hour and date in bios.

You beat me to it Denis. Definitely try resetting the BIOS before doing anything else.

 

[rootminusone]

I disconnected the power, pulled the battery, shorted the CMOS jumper, and left it for 24 hours just to be safe. No improvement.

 

[Ketchup]

OK, can you tell us anything strange the computer was doing leading up to this? Had you added/changed anything before this occurred?

 

[rootminusone]

I removed the hard drives because I moved. When I put the hard drives back in and hit the power button, it simply cycled again and again.

I'm pretty confused by why the MB thinks there's a power issue. Since I can't detect one, does that indicate a problem with the MB?

 

[Bubbaleone]

Despite the tests you've done on the PSU that would indicate otherwise, section 5-2, page 84 of the GA-EP43-UD3L User Manua lists continuous short beeps as a power error. In typical Chinese fashion Gigabyte doesn't say "power supply error", but I think it might be a good idea to test your rig with a known good power supply before assuming the worst. It may be a bad power circuit in the mobo but this simple test will immediately tell you which one is bad.

There are numerous threads in this forum that describe the computer being in a boot loop, and a bad PSU usually being the culprit. From your description of events I'm assuming the computer was working normally before the move and I'd suspect that a PSU component that may have been ready to fail, did so after the move.

.

 

[rootminusone]

I agree with most of your assessment, Bubbalone. Thank you for your advice.

I will try to get my hands on another power supply.

However, I am surprised by the inconsistencies I get in the motherboard self-diagnostic. Why does the beeping pattern differ with my memory DIMM setup?

 

[Bubbaleone]

What's the beep pattern with CPU, memory. and graphics card installed; you only mentioned that "The system cycles about every 30 seconds (or less.)" in that configuration. In the past two months there have been three threads where Intel machines with the Award BIOS were giving the beep code for a graphics problem when in fact it was a power supply problem. Also keep in mind that the beep codes for your board assume that the CPU, memory, and graphics card are all installed as you don't have integrated graphics.

 

[rootminusone]

2 sticks of RAM + graphics card: Rapid beeps, cycling, monitor stays in standby
Sometimes the beep pattern will interrupt for a moment even if there is no power cycle

No RAM + graphics card: Long beeps, cycling,monitor in standby

Either stick of RAM (1) + graphics card: No beeps, cycling, monitor in standby