Recommendations for Core2Duo motherboard

[susano]

Recently purchased a bunch of new parts, after assembling them all, the system wouln't post. Here's what I was using:

Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 Conroe 2.4GHz LGA 775

ASUS P5N-E SLI LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 650i SLI

EVGA 640-P2-N821-AR GeForce 8800GTS 640MB 320-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16

CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400)

With just these parts I could not get the board to post at all. I've tried different ram, a different pci-e card, a new psu, and it still refuses to post. Don't have access to a new processor to try, so it could be that as well.

I've RMA'd both the board and the processor, but I'm looking for suggestions on a new board that would less picky about ram and such since in doing some research I've seen people complain about that.

Please give me some recommendations, got a 24" widescreen on the way and it's gonna be sad to not have a new pc to plug into it when it arrives

 

[brencat]

What PSU exactly do you have?

Next, once you get your replacement parts back, assemble it outside the case on a nonconductive surface. Makes it easier to troubleshoot until you're sure everything works. Use 1 stick RAM only for first boot. But...before you fire it up for first time, unplug PSU from wall and clear CMOS. Then start.

 

[susano]

Originally was using the PSU that came in this case:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16811156062

but then to test if the PSU was causing the issue, I went out and got this one:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16817702004 (actually picked this up from a BestBuy B&M so I could test and then just return it)

With the stock one that shipped with the case, the fans would spin up and stay on (cpu and video card fan) but system would not post. With the BFG one, the fans would spin up for a moment then spin down. This lead me to believe it wasn't a PSU issue.

 

[susano]

Anyone else have any suggestions?

 

[JustaGeek]

Try booting with only 1 RAM stick, if that doesn't work, try another stick.

As soon as you can post, enter the BIOS and enter all the frequencies and voltages manually, especially the memory, and set the memory timings manually, too.

Will be back in 6 hrs to see how you're doing.

Good luck!

UPDATE: Just read that you don't have the board anymore. Oh well, good luck with any board that you may choose then!

 

[JustaGeek]

And I would suggest this PSU - I've had it for about a year, and it is a great deal this week for $69.99 AR at CompUSA.

http://www.compusa.com/product...sp?product_code=342053

 

[mervin338]

Don't get near antec. Of all the so called "high quality" brands on the market antec are the most trouble prone and suspect of the lot. They make good computer cases, but in terms of their psu's, they're living off of their reputation from 4-5 years ago. Besides that, you're not even at a point where you should be thinking about replacing your power supply, especially considering you already replaced it once. And you're getting way too far ahead of yourself to be RMAing all your parts without troubleshooting more. But since we're talking about power supplies, let me give you a little tip. It's a very simple rule of thumb: if it's not OCZ, FSP, Tagan, Corsair, PC Power & Cooling, Seasonic, Silverstone, Thermaltake or Enermax then don't buy it. I can't speak poorly of BFG because I'm not familiar with them, but I'm fairly confident you're not having power supply issues, so don't worry about that right now.

Here is a simple question for you that you still have not answered: Define what you mean when you say it won't post? Do the lights on the motherboard turn on? Are you getting any power at all?

If you are not getting any signs of power (I.E no motherboard lights, nothing happens when you hit the power button) then you need to listen to what brencat said. He was giving you good advice. My guess is that you've got something that's grounding your board to the case. It happens all the time when people put systems together. It's happened to me plenty of times too.

 

[SerpentRoyal]

Number one problem is the use of non-JEDEC RAMs. You should look for quality 1.8V DDR2 667 or 800 RAMs from leading vendors like Crucial or Kingston.

1. Put the MB on a non-conductive surface (top of shipping box). Assemble ONLY CPU/CPU cooler, GPU, mouse, keyboard, and one stick of RAM. This is a bare boot setup. DO NOT attach any other devices to the MB! For best compatibility, use JEDEC compliance 1.8V DDR2 667 or 800 RAMs.

2. Disconnect power from PSU and hit power switch on motherboard to discharge caps. Reset CMOS.

3. Boot into BIOS by shorting the two POWER pins on the MB's header and manually adjust RAM voltage and timing per the mfr's specs. If you cannot POST, then turn off power at PSU. Move RAM to another slot. Clear CMOS and attempt to boot. Try all four slots and also with the other RAM module.

Antec Earthwatts 500 is a very good unit that's compatible will all the boards that have crossed my test bench. You can find this PSU at Staples. This is a Seasonic-built single rail capable of 34A continuous at +12V/50C ambient (label shows two rails). The main primary filter cap is Nippon-Chemicon. You should also make sure that you have 1.8V DDR2 667 or 800 RAM. 2.0-2.2V RAM may not be able to POST with the 1.8V default setting in the BIOS.

 

[susano]

Originally posted by: mervin338
Here is a simple question for you that you still have not answered: Define what you mean when you say it won't post? Do the lights on the motherboard turn on? Are you getting any power at all?

If you are not getting any signs of power (I.E no motherboard lights, nothing happens when you hit the power button) then you need to listen to what brencat said. He was giving you good advice. My guess is that you've got something that's grounding your board to the case. It happens all the time when people put systems together. It's happened to me plenty of times too.

The motherboard has a little green light on it to show if it is getting power, this was lighting up. Additionally the cpu fan was spinning up. Since the CPU fan connects to the MB for power, I would think the light and the fan spinning up would indicate that power was flowing properly to the MB.

By not posting I meant that I received no error beeps or any video output.

Have an Abit board coming in that I hope will remedy the issue.

Not really sure what the poster referring to the "non-JEDEC" ram means. I always thought Corsair was a decent brand of memory.

Here's what I have:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...&Tpk=TWIN2X2048-6400C4

 

[mervin338]

Originally posted by: susano

Originally posted by: mervin338
Here is a simple question for you that you still have not answered: Define what you mean when you say it won't post? Do the lights on the motherboard turn on? Are you getting any power at all?

If you are not getting any signs of power (I.E no motherboard lights, nothing happens when you hit the power button) then you need to listen to what brencat said. He was giving you good advice. My guess is that you've got something that's grounding your board to the case. It happens all the time when people put systems together. It's happened to me plenty of times too.

The motherboard has a little green light on it to show if it is getting power, this was lighting up. Additionally the cpu fan was spinning up. Since the CPU fan connects to the MB for power, I would think the light and the fan spinning up would indicate that power was flowing properly to the MB.

By not posting I meant that I received no error beeps or any video output.

Have an Abit board coming in that I hope will remedy the issue.

Not really sure what the poster referring to the "non-JEDEC" ram means. I always thought Corsair was a decent brand of memory.

Here's what I have:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...&Tpk=TWIN2X2048-6400C4

So you're getting power, the computer turns on, but you're not getting any video? In other words, the monitor is not turning on? I'm still trying to figure out exactly what's going on.

Ok, even though I'm still not positive as to what your problems are I am going to give you a suggestion based on my experiences. If your monitor isn't getting a signal you're going to want to make sure you've got your VGA cable attached, and not your DVI cable.

Also, check the comptuer monitor and look to see if there is a switch that says "digital" and "analog." Analog is VGA and digital is DVI. The default setting on most monitors is VGA, so my guess is that you've got DVI cables connected, but the monitor is set for VGA. Just making a guess based on the information you've given me. Sorry if I'm out in left field talking about something that is totally different than the problems you're experiencing.

 

[JustaGeek]

mervin338...

She doesn't have this board anymore...

I do not think she needs any more tips... At least for the P5N-E SLI...

 

[Pahonix]

I had pretty much the exact same symptoms on my machine last week. Motherboard LED lights up, case fans and heatsink fan spin up, but nothing else happens. I narrowed it down to one of the ram sticks (I have the exact same RAM, Corsair TwinX2048-6400C4). I have an RMA with Corsair and they're shipping me a new pair of sticks while I run on just one for now.

 

[mervin338]

Originally posted by: JustaGeek
mervin338...

She doesn't have this board anymore...

I do not think she needs any more tips... At least for the P5N-E SLI...

I saw that, but that doesn't mean those same problems won't arise on the new motherboard.

 

[susano]

Update:

So the new MB came in, Abit IP35 Pro( http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16813127030 ), slapped the cpu in just to make sure before I RMA'd and it posted like a champ.

After a little fiddling with the bios to get it to boot from my IDE DVD drive (it was looking for SATA drives and had the IDE stuff named strangely) I installed the OS and now have everything going great.

So in the end it was the Motherboard So RMA'd just that and am happy that all the trouble only came down to a grand total of $30 lost. $17 lost to the restocking fee and $13 to ship the board back to Newegg.

Thanks for all the tips and helpful advice.