K7S5A Arrived yesterday....and *EDIT - I'm a Dork!*

gtd2000

Platinum Member
Oct 22, 1999
2,731
0
76
Well it had to happen - I pick up the bargain motherboard of the year and when I install it it's dead - not a peep nor a beep nor a fan turning anywhere to be seen

Tried all of the FAQ suggestions and nothing....

Well I have my RMA number for Newegg anyway
 

bozo1

Diamond Member
May 21, 2001
6,364
0
0
Standard FAQ's or K7S5A FAQ's? Most people having trouble with that board find that it's either a powersupply issue or AGP card not seating firmly.
 

Boonesmi

Lifer
Feb 19, 2001
14,448
1
81
make sure the cmos jumper isnt set to "clear"

ive seen several ecs boards come from the factory set that way, and the boards dont do squat till its set to "normal"
 

Duvie

Elite Member
Feb 5, 2001
16,215
0
71
Like mentioned above majority of ecs problems have been user error....too many newbies picking up bargain board of the year and not knowing what they are doing...

make sure case wires are correctly...and I mean correctly...check and then double check...

make sure agp card is pushed all the way in to the point you think you may be pushing too hard

make sure ram is fully seated...

try another stck of ram

check jumper on board as menitoned above

make sure you are not shorting the board with some contact to metal case...



I built 6, one for myself and I had no problems with boards ranging from rev 3 to 4 with 1.2 to 1.4ghz chips....



try power supply if available or try that ps in another board...
 

MrGrim256

Junior Member
Apr 9, 2002
2
0
0
yup, one of my friends had the same problem with the same board. We thought it was dead, but it turned out that it came from the factory with the cmos jumper set to clear, just as Boonesmi said. Also, one of the IDE connectors that sits right behind the AGP slot wouldnt let his TI200 sit properly, although it wasnt obvious at first. Even after fixing this problem, it turned out that the board just didnt like the card, as it had lots of stability issues. Anyways, put the board back in and try Boonesmi's suggestion, as I'll bet thats your problem
 

gtd2000

Platinum Member
Oct 22, 1999
2,731
0
76
Well I've built about 20 systems overall so I guess I'm not really a "newbie" as such. (successfully I may add....)

So far I've tried different RAM, CPU.

Removing and re-installing the AGP card and the RAM.

Clearing, re-clearing the CMOS.

Re-doing the wiring.



<< make sure agp card is pushed all the way in to the point you think you may be pushing too hard >>


So... if the AGP card is not fully located (although it appears to be?) you do not get the beep codes?
This seems like a very bad setup?

I still have everything in the case and have received the RMA authorisation from Newegg.
I'll have another look tomorrow then when I feel more "positive" about it - as well as trying this PSU from my Andara Barebones system.

Thanks for all the responses
 

Buz2b

Diamond Member
Jun 2, 2001
4,619
0
0


<< as well as trying this PSU from my Andara Barebones system. >>

Uhh, correct me if I'm wrong but wasn't the Power supply issue mentioned here?? Check out your PS on the AMD Recommended Power Supply page. And don't say, "It worked just fine on my other system," as that don't mean squat when dealing with this board. You MUST have a proper power supply; it is very unforgiving.
 

AA0

Golden Member
Sep 5, 2001
1,422
0
0
AMDs recommended list is a joke, if a board won't work with a generic psu, return the board, shows how poorly its been designed.
 

Buz2b

Diamond Member
Jun 2, 2001
4,619
0
0


<< AMDs recommended list is a joke, if a board won't work with a generic psu, return the board, shows how poorly its been designed >>

That displays a total lack of knowledge about this board and motherboards in general. Yes, for the most part the majority of AMD's lists are a joke, but you had better take this one seriously when dealing with this board. I have built several; starting from the very first version. I know from which I speak, contrary to some. Expecting a board to work with a "generic" PS, no matter what, is intentional tech suicide as far as I am concerned. Why would you want to use a generic, low quality part for what is the heart of your system? Answer; you DON'T!! Particularly with this board.
Do yourself a favor and pay attention to the PS quality. Unless of course you have a desire to fail. The K7S5A has been notorious from the very beginning about PS's. Of course, if you want to fail..................................................................
 

Duvie

Elite Member
Feb 5, 2001
16,215
0
71
You really should learn to list all the components when looking for help on this issue....


Ie..size of cpu????number of devices???vid card???case fans???etc.

I ran all my ecs mobos with 300-350 watt sparkle power supplies...they are all strong on the 3.3/5v rail, just like amd cpu like them to be...

Many have found out the ecs while budget board was really picky for quality ram and power supply and often rejected generics of both...

While I agree that really shouldn't be, that is the way it is...
 

AA0

Golden Member
Sep 5, 2001
1,422
0
0
yes, it is picky about PSUs because it is a poorly designed board. It is cheap, and that price cut makes you pay.

Only two motherboard manufacturers design boards that are picky about PSUs, ECS and Epox. ECS boards are nothing special, they are just designed badly, epox at least overclocks further than anything else.

There is nothing wrong with a generic psu, I've seen countless systems with them, a couple of shops nearby use them exclusively. They never have used epox though, and they hate ECS because of all the problems.
If you really want to do yourself a favour, buy a decent quality board, you don't want a pos as the heart of your system, the PSU isn't the heart of the system, the board is. The power supply only matters if your internal house wiring is screwed up, but I use a UPS anyways.
My motherboard article has been slashdotted, and quoted by many companies. Its been transferred into pdfs and for use on a pda because people liked it, I know motherboards.
 

Duvie

Elite Member
Feb 5, 2001
16,215
0
71
< There is nothing wrong with a generic psu, I've seen countless systems with them, a couple of shops nearby use them exclusively. >

This is true...Often what you have to watch is the amps on the volt rails, and the max combined wattage....I have seen generics with numbers like antecs and enermax's while I have seen many with a lot lower...Try not to make it sound like power supplies are apples to apples...cause they are not...I have seen 2 350 watt power supplies side by side on system run different default voltages and some fluctuate more then others. My house is 3 years old and I don't think it is my wiring....

< There is nothing wrong with a generic psu, I've seen countless systems with them, a couple of shops nearby use them exclusively. They never have used epox though, and they hate ECS because of all the problems.
If you really want to do yourself a favour, buy a decent quality board, you don't want a pos as the heart of your system, the PSU isn't the heart of the system, the board is. The power supply only matters if your internal house wiring is screwed up, but I use a UPS anyways.
My motherboard article has been slashdotted, and quoted by many companies. Its been transferred into pdfs and for use on a pda because people liked it, I know motherboards. >


Well the rest of this is just spewing FUD and bias towards a board....I have had many boards and I had zero problems with ecs...I have had problems with MSI, Asus, etc boards yet you don't see me bashing them....Many in this forum you will find had no problem with the board and found it or find it to be a great board that is stable...We all knew this was not an ocing board by the lack of those features. many respected Aters have had these boards and praised the performance along with the cost....



< The power supply only matters if your internal house wiring is screwed up >

What a bunch of crap...LOL


< I know motherboards. >

well sir along with your power supply statements I find that hard to believe...





 

CoolTechie

Senior member
Jul 20, 2000
635
0
0
i got my combo today.. took out the old formatted installed xp and im off without a hithc.. easy setup ive done in 5 years
 

gtd2000

Platinum Member
Oct 22, 1999
2,731
0
76
System is basically as per the "My Toy" below substituting the K7S5A for the KT7A.

The power supply is a 300W. And was supposedly AMD and P4 approved or suchlike. Of course we know that the wattage rating often means nothing at all!

If this budget board cannot run with my current PSU then I might as well just spend the extra on a more expensive board really...

I'm not 100% sure about the "brand name" PSU thing - I've often seen "re-labled" no name PSU's as brand names etc in the past.
The last PSU that I bought in Hong Kong cost US$6 (300W) - it was the very same PSU that my friend was recommended for use with his Fong Kai aluminium case - although it cost him significantly more...

I can understand a PSU not being stable with a given motherboard but not showing ANY sign of life whatsoever seems very unusual indeed.

I'll have another go tomorrow and report back.
 

CraigRT

Lifer
Jun 16, 2000
31,440
5
0


<< if a board won't work with a generic psu, return the board, shows how poorly its been designed. >>



I agree in this case.. if you spend $50 on a mobo that needs a $50 PSU, you're still gonna end up with a crappy mobo. when normally you could get away with a good mobo and a regular PSU.. Sounds like a GREAT plan to me..
 

Peter

Elite Member
Oct 15, 1999
9,640
1
0
I don't agree ... there's a difference between a poorly designed board that wouldn't run on anything but the most excellent power supplies, and a board like the K7S5A that just requires your PSU to be adequate.

Sure, you can pile up capacitors and use a 40 percent overkill in the onboard voltage regulators, but the cost of that quickly exceeds the price difference between a poor and an adequate power supply unit (which is about $5 where I live).

regards, Peter
 

Buz2b

Diamond Member
Jun 2, 2001
4,619
0
0


<< My motherboard article has been slashdotted, and quoted by many companies. Its been transferred into pdfs and for use on a pda because people liked it, I know motherboards. >>

Slashdotted and quoted means that it was self serving to them, not that it was anything special. However, let's say that you do know what you are talking about. Then, instead of just being dead wrong and short sighted you are just being irresponsible with your advice. I am not sure where the "chip" on your shoulder about ECS boards stems from, but obviously you haven't worked with them long enough to be able to objectively offer opinions and advice about them. I have used and built systems with a wide variety of boards, including several ECS K7S5A's. If you choose to ignore the reality of poor power and what it can do to your data and your system overall, then you sir should not be offering advice. If a "non-ECS" board can use a generic POS power supply and you do not worry about your data and other components being trashed, then go ahead and use it. I've rolled a few dice and done some gambling in my life also. I do not choose to do so with computers though. And I do not take that chance with other folks systems that I build for them; whether it is an ECS board or not. In addition, with all your knowledge you fail to take into consideration the fact that, in it's class and time genure of MB's, the K7S5A is/was the highest performer out there. It remained that way until the KT266A's and NForce's came along. The "single chip" chipset architecture is/was also much different than what was being offered at the time. Those two items alone should make you more open to the suggestion that the board has different power requirements. However, you choose to ignore that also. And how do you account for the fact that many, many noted reviewers such as Tom's Hardware Guide, had no reported problem with the setup and testing of this board? Answer, they usually do not use POS power supplies and crapola RAM for their test systems and they are knowledgable when it comes to building them. Gee, do I see a pattern here? If gtd 2000 isn't comfortable using this board or spending more $$ getting a better power supply then he should take it back. No problem at all. However, that doesn't mean that the MB itself is at fault. Get your issues straight. BTW, I use an Enermax Power Supply with my ASUS board. It ran better than when I had a Skyhawk PS hooked up to it. Skyhawk, although certainly not a "generic", is not "Enermax quality". Does that mean that all ASUS boards are a POS too? We'll wait for your next "article" to find out I guess.
 

gtd2000

Platinum Member
Oct 22, 1999
2,731
0
76
Well I must have been sniffing glue or something yesterday - I woke up this morning after an evening of drinking Bud Light in Applebees.

First step was to swap the PSU's between my systems!

No change - dead as a nail.

Scanned the manual for about the 10th time...this is the embarassing bit......the power/ACPI LED and the Power Button connectors....well they were the wrong way around ...oops!

Changed the connectors around - unit fires up took me literally 15mins to be up and running with only changing the motherboard rather than formatting and re-installing.

So here were are posting on anandtech with a DOA... K7S5A
 

gtd2000

Platinum Member
Oct 22, 1999
2,731
0
76
Actually I should have said - the board is a breeze to set up (being a dork aside that is!).

I'll go in to safe mode later and delete all my VIA drivers etc etc.

On boards sound appears to be OK as well, but will install my SB 5.1 later on today
 

Duvie

Elite Member
Feb 5, 2001
16,215
0
71
Don't feel bad...I have done that twice....once with my first athlon board, and the last cause the quick guide that came with the asus p4s333 has the diagram reversed. It is opposite of the manuals and it took me a day to figure it out....
 

bowie71

Member
Jan 31, 2002
111
0
0
Yuhuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu...... Congrats bro,... glad to find the mistake, don't feel about doing some mistakes, everybody does.
 

Buz2b

Diamond Member
Jun 2, 2001
4,619
0
0
Extra credit points for you for "fessing up" to the snafu. I've seen others pass the blame by claiming "it just started up, I don't know why!" Enjoy your "a poorly designed board. It is cheap, and that price cut makes you pay." Works pretty good for a cheap POS (according to some) board, doesn't it?!
 

Iron Woode

Elite Member
Super Moderator
Oct 10, 1999
30,935
12,438
136
Is anyone else sick and tired of AA0's thread crapping in many MB threads involving ECS K7S5A, MSI Turbo, etc?

I wish this moron would just go away.
 
sale-70-410-exam    | Exam-200-125-pdf    | we-sale-70-410-exam    | hot-sale-70-410-exam    | Latest-exam-700-603-Dumps    | Dumps-98-363-exams-date    | Certs-200-125-date    | Dumps-300-075-exams-date    | hot-sale-book-C8010-726-book    | Hot-Sale-200-310-Exam    | Exam-Description-200-310-dumps?    | hot-sale-book-200-125-book    | Latest-Updated-300-209-Exam    | Dumps-210-260-exams-date    | Download-200-125-Exam-PDF    | Exam-Description-300-101-dumps    | Certs-300-101-date    | Hot-Sale-300-075-Exam    | Latest-exam-200-125-Dumps    | Exam-Description-200-125-dumps    | Latest-Updated-300-075-Exam    | hot-sale-book-210-260-book    | Dumps-200-901-exams-date    | Certs-200-901-date    | Latest-exam-1Z0-062-Dumps    | Hot-Sale-1Z0-062-Exam    | Certs-CSSLP-date    | 100%-Pass-70-383-Exams    | Latest-JN0-360-real-exam-questions    | 100%-Pass-4A0-100-Real-Exam-Questions    | Dumps-300-135-exams-date    | Passed-200-105-Tech-Exams    | Latest-Updated-200-310-Exam    | Download-300-070-Exam-PDF    | Hot-Sale-JN0-360-Exam    | 100%-Pass-JN0-360-Exams    | 100%-Pass-JN0-360-Real-Exam-Questions    | Dumps-JN0-360-exams-date    | Exam-Description-1Z0-876-dumps    | Latest-exam-1Z0-876-Dumps    | Dumps-HPE0-Y53-exams-date    | 2017-Latest-HPE0-Y53-Exam    | 100%-Pass-HPE0-Y53-Real-Exam-Questions    | Pass-4A0-100-Exam    | Latest-4A0-100-Questions    | Dumps-98-365-exams-date    | 2017-Latest-98-365-Exam    | 100%-Pass-VCS-254-Exams    | 2017-Latest-VCS-273-Exam    | Dumps-200-355-exams-date    | 2017-Latest-300-320-Exam    | Pass-300-101-Exam    | 100%-Pass-300-115-Exams    |
http://www.portvapes.co.uk/    | http://www.portvapes.co.uk/    |