Building new FAH/main PC

[ddrueding]

If I had to choose, it would be the Zalman stuff that comes in a "nail polish" glass jar with brush. Mainly because it is much easier to apply properly.

 

[Fushigi]

Thanks. So far the motherboard & CPU are installed in the case. Waiting for my big NewEgg box before I can finish up.

I was disappointed that one of the pins that holds down the 965's heat sink was not attached; it was loose along with it's sprint in the anti-static bag. The heat sink itself was free to pivot around the remaining pin. Not a good sign for Gigabyte QC but I couldn't detect any mobo damage from a quick visual inspection. Anyway, the thermal gunk for that looked to be OK so I reseated the heat sink and pinned it in place. If I have any issues
getting the PC up & running I'll look at this first.

 

[Fushigi]

Gripe time.

The case could have used another SATA power connector or two. Only 2 is insufficient in a case that holds 5 internal + 4 front-facing drives. There are a few molex connectors but SATA has been the preferred HD interface for what, 2 years now? This caused me to have to make an extra trip to TigerDirect for an overpriced molex-to-SATA power adapter.

Moving on..

I'm getting the silent treatment from the motherboard. Not a single beep. The fans & drives spin up fine, including the fan on the video card and the mobo-powered CPU fan. But beyond seeing the CPU fan spin up there's not the slightest hint that the motherboard is close to alive. I tried several RAM configs (slots 1/2/3/4, 1/3, 2/4, different pairs of sticks) and unplugged everything except the video card to no avail. I'm strongly suspecting the mobo is DOA; dunno if it's due to the partially mounted northbridge heatsink or something else.

Gigabyte has almost nothing online that's useful from a support standpoint. All the docs I can find have to do with already installed machines. Overall I can't say I'm impressed so far. Good thing I picked up the board localy; if it does prove bad it shouldn't be too tough to replace.

I'll likely try the ECS motherboard (that came with the CPU bundle) in the morning. It's not the way I wanted to go but if it proves the Gigabyte was DOA it'll be worth the effort.

 

[ddrueding]

What support documentation would you like to see from a motherboard manufacturer in this case?

 

[CougTek]

Stupid questions :

• Did you forget to plug the 4pin 12V power cable on the motherboard?
  
  Have you plug the 6pin power cable on the graphic card?

 

[Fushigi]

What support documentation would you like to see from a motherboard manufacturer in this case?

Something that addresses my problem: What to do if you get no response (beeps) when powering up. A checklist of things that have to be plugged in would be the minimum. Beyond that maybe say to reset the CMOS and anything else to provide a little guidance before the end user has to punt.

 

[Fushigi]

Stupid questions :

• Did you forget to plug the 4pin 12V power cable on the motherboard?
  
  Have you plug the 6pin power cable on the graphic card?

No and yes. Everything was plugged in fine.


The ECS board came right up. It's way too limited (2 RAM slots, only 2 SATA ports, etc.) and has a questionable component layout but the fact that it worked first time proves the Gigabyte was at fault. Luckily I got it local (Microcenter) so I can get it replaced easily enough.

 

[Bozo]

Try a different power supply.

Bozo :joker:

 

[P5-133XL]

Do you actualy have a beep speaker installed?

The first thing one does upon total failure is to take apart everything specificly making sure that there was no unintended short like a loose screw or an unused, misplaced stay. Reinstall the MB, PS, CPU/Fan, and beep speaker. Nothing else should be attached to the machine: No RAM, no video, no USB, no IDE, ...

Power it up and listen for the beep-speaker code. If still nothing, Check to make sure the beep speaker is properly installed and if so, start replacing, one at a time, from the cheapest to the most expensive.

If there is a beep then look up the code. If it is related to something already installed, then you have the answer. If it is an uninstalled item, then install that item only (RAM only gets one stick) and power it up again. Repeat till the machine machine works ...

Once you get it up and running then you can install all the stuff that the beep-speaker won't beep at.

 

[Mercutio]

It's been my experience that C2D boards are fussy about RAM.
I'd fully expect an ECS board to be less fussy in that one respect; ECS hardware is often paired with hardware that's marginal in other ways.

 

[Fushigi]

Do you actualy have a beep speaker installed?

Yep. Checked & double-checked.

The first thing one does upon total failure is to take apart everything specificly making sure that there was no unintended short like a loose screw or an unused, misplaced stay. Reinstall the MB, PS, CPU/Fan, and beep speaker. Nothing else should be attached to the machine: No RAM, no video, no USB, no IDE, ...

No unused stays; I installed stays specifically where the mobo had mounting holes (5 + one case-mounted pin). No loose screws (the only screws were for the stays). I didn't try it without RAM or video. I did try it without any drives attached.

The CPU was installed fine; no issues with alignment or anything. The HSF was on tight and the fan would spin up.

Power it up and listen for the beep-speaker code. If still nothing, Check to make sure the beep speaker is properly installed and if so, start replacing, one at a time, from the cheapest to the most expensive.

The RAM, CPU, HSF, PSU, DVD, and HD all work fine (verified on the other mobo). The only component I didn't test was the graphics card as I used the embedded VGA on the ECS. Whether or not it works shouldn't impact my ability to get a beep code.

BTW, as much as I don't care for the design of the ECS it at least includes a speaker on-board, making the beep-code process easier. Not that I needed it since it worked.

 

[Fushigi]

It's been my experience that C2D boards are fussy about RAM.
I'd fully expect an ECS board to be less fussy in that one respect; ECS hardware is often paired with hardware that's marginal in other ways.

I'm using RAM from Gigabyte's approved list.

 

[Fushigi]

Try a different power supply.

I don't have one to try.


Since everything works on the ECS and I had a problem with the mobo upon unpacking (see my post @ 05-29-2007 07:07 PM) I don't see any reason to suspect any other component.

 

[Bozo]

The reason I sugested a power supply was that I had a motherboard that would not boot with an Antec Neo power supply. It works fine with anything else.

Bozo :joker:

 

[P5-133XL]

Yep. Checked & double-checked.



No unused stays; I installed stays specifically where the mobo had mounting holes (5 + one case-mounted pin). No loose screws (the only screws were for the stays). I didn't try it without RAM or video. I did try it without any drives attached.

The CPU was installed fine; no issues with alignment or anything. The HSF was on tight and the fan would spin up.



The RAM, CPU, HSF, PSU, DVD, and HD all work fine (verified on the other mobo). The only component I didn't test was the graphics card as I used the embedded VGA on the ECS. Whether or not it works shouldn't impact my ability to get a beep code.

BTW, as much as I don't care for the design of the ECS it at least includes a speaker on-board, making the beep-code process easier. Not that I needed it since it worked.

Part of the purpose of removing the Video and the RAM is to verify not only those parts but also their sockets from the potential problem. The beep speaker should actually complain if they are not installed. Then when you install the item the Beep speaker complains about, it will move on to the next item and complain about a totally different item. It also verifys the beep speaker.

Just because something works on another MB, does not necessarily mean the item will work on this MB: There are always potential compatibility issues.

Unfortuantely, you can't pin it down further. The MB, The CPU, the PS, and the CPU Fan are all basicly required to work for even the beep speaker to beep. Did you test your components on another machine before or after installing them on this motherboard? If before, then theres always the possibility of failure inbetween testing and reinstallation

Without further info, I would guess MB failure.

 

[Fushigi]

This is my first socket 775 machine, my first PCI-E machine, my first DDR2 machine, and my first SATA machine. So besides a PSU I don't have leftovers or machines to cannibalize to get test parts.

Anyway, after work I stopped by Microcenter and got the replacement 956PDS3. No fuss at all. Buying locally can pay off sometimes.

The replacement mobo is installing Vista as I type this.

 

[Fushigi]

My wife's PC has been mildly unstable ever since it got a static shock. I've no immediate plans on replacing it but might in the next few months (my annual bonus will be paid shortly & I just got a decent raise). For Folding performance, how does the Phenom compare to the C2Q?

 

[P5-133XL]

The C2Q folds better: Both are good.

 

[Fushigi]

She mainly surfs & does light-duty Office docs & prints photos so any modest PC is adequate for her needs. But as we leave them on 24x7 to Fold I would like to build the machine that will produce the most 1. points per week followed by 2. points per watt. And I'll leave her on XP Pro.

The C2Q has been a nice CPU for me so far so unless AMD improves between now & the time I buy I'll stick with it. Sure is a departure for me; prior to last May I had been building non-Intel machines since before 1990. I have even replaced the 8088 in my original PC with a NEC V20.

 

[P5-133XL]

I too replaced the CPU in my original Compaq Deskpro from and Intel 8086 to a Nec V30 ...

You might want to wait till the .45nm Pendryn quads come out. They should be slightly faster, lower in wattage and OC even better ...

 

[Fushigi]

Micro Center has the Q6600 for $199 in-store. As I drive by their store on my daily commute I am sorely tempted. Any word on a ship date & potential price for non-Extreme C2Q Penryn? Some casual browsing so far hasn't revealed anything.