Azalia, Gigabyte DS3, and Thermaltake Tsunami Problem

[kirb3]

EDIT: Sorry about the "DS#" in the thread title - that was supposed to be "DS3"

I just finished assembling my brand new computer yesterday and it wouldn't turn on. Of course, I disconnected everything but the CPU, a stick of RAM, the video card, and the PSU, and I was rather pleased when it turned on. I then connected the other parts one by one until I had a problem: when I plugged the Azalia case audio connector to the motherboard, the computer would not boot. When the PSU was turned on, a quiet and very high-pitched buzz would emanate from it that disappeared as soon as the audio connector was disconnected from the motherboard. As soon as the connector was removed, the system would boot fine. I connected all of the other components and again the system booted fine unless the case audio was connected.

I am sure that the audio connector was properly aligned on the motherboard because a plugged pin socket and a missing pin prevent it from being connected in any other way. This connector has sockets for both Azalia (HD Audio - the motherboard standard) and AC'97 (which must be configured for the motherboard with Gigabyte software, but nonetheless is still supported) and merely leads to microphone and headphone jacks on the top of the case. Therefore, I do not understand why the system will not even turn on if the cable is so much as connected to the motherboard.

Has anyone else had problems with this sort of thing? Any suggestions?

For your reference, my system is:

Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 CPU
Gigabyte 965P-DS3 MB
Thermaltake Tsunami Dream Case
2GB OCZ Special Ops Edition PC6400 RAM
320GB Seagate Barracuda HD
Connect3D Radeon X1300 256MB Graphics Card
Ultra X-Connect 500W PSU
Lite-On Super Allwrite DVD Multi Drive
Lite-On DVD-ROM Drive
Ultra 7-in-1 Floppy and Memory Card Reader

Along with associated cooling fans, cold cathodes, speed controllers, USB etc.

Any help, suggestions, references, etc. would be much appreciated.

Thanks!

[glc]

Most likely problem is a defective audio connector circuit in the case as long as you are positive it's connected properly. It is possible the motherboard is faulty.

[newbuilder14]

In the BIOS, if you are using Azalia, you must enable that in the BIOS I believe, or at least double check that it is enabled. I wasn't aware this could be done through software.

[glc]

NB, what would that have to do with the exact symptoms?

[flanzig1]

From what I read in the Gigabyte manual; to use the case front audio connectors you need to set the audio header to AC'97 and to use the HD mode you need the extra HD audio jack module. See page 26 of the manual.

[newbuilder14]

NB, what would that have to do with the exact symptoms?

I've actually had some similar troubles with my front audio connections to the point where I can't even use them. Only the onboard microphone port works for me, and I use HD Audio as recommended by Asus.

Anyway, since he is having trouble booting up I suspected that perhaps his motherboard BIOS has an incorrect setting for the front audio headers - so I would check that in the BIOS with the cable unplugged of course, and make sure it is set to AC'97.

My case has different Front Audio connection cables, one for AC'97 and one for Azalia so they are probably different - make sure your motherboard setting corresponds with the connector you're using.

[kirb3]

First, I tried enabling Azalia in the BIOS, turning off the computer, and plugging in the cable. As soon as I did so, the power supply commenced the same barely-audible high-pitched buzz. Pressing the power button did nothing. I immediately disconnected and hit the power button again, went into BIOS, and disabled Azalia. I then powered down, plugged in the AC'97 cable, and was greated with the same subtle buzzing. Again, pressing the power button did nothing. I am beginning to suspect that either the case audio connector is defective or the motherboard is faulty. The fact that the PSU buzzing commences as soon as the connector is plugging in is rather unnerving, as it seems to indicate a hardware problem (since the computer isn't even on).

Also, I forgot to mention, I have revision 2 of the motherboard. Page 26 of my manual contains information pertaining to S/PDIF connections and the front USB conenctors. However, what was meant by setting the audio header to AC'97 and needing an extra HD audio jack module? My manual doesn't mention this at all, and the only option I have in BIOS pertaining to audio is "Azalia:" for which the options are [Auto] which enables it if it is detected and [Disabled] which disables it. flanzig1, is it possible to copy what your manual says on page 26 about AC'97 and HD Audio? Mine doesn't have that information and only says (exact quote from the Gigabyte 965P-DS3 rev. 2 manual, page 24):

"This connector supports either HD (High Definition) or AC97 front panel audio module [sic]. If you wish to use the front audio function, connect the front panel audio module to this conenctor. Check the pin alignments carefully while you connect the front panel audio module. Incorrect connection between the module and connector [sic] will make the audio device unable to work or even damage it. For optional front panel audio module, please contact your chassis manufacturer [sic]. By default, the audio driver is configured to support HD Audio. To connect an AC97 front panel audio module to this connector, please refer to the instructions on Page 82 about the software settings."

As a side note, that's what I meant by using Gigabyte software to set the audio driver to handle HD Audio. However, drivers are clearly not the issue here because my hard drive is empty and no drivers are installed.

As you can see, the grammar in the manual isn't the best, but it is obvious what it refers to, and it does not mention audio headers or extra HD audio jack modules at all. I would like very much to see what the manual flanzig1 referred to said on page 26, since it seems to reference different information that could be very useful. Any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

[flanzig1]

Basicly, if you want to use the case audio connectors which means using AC'97, you leave the front audio case connectors unconnected until you have XP loaded up and the mother board drivers and stuff installed. Then in the audio software you select AC'97 THEN you can connect the front connectors.

[kirb3]

Oh - that makes sense. I'm not sure if it explains the weird buzzing or lack of booting ability, but I'll give it a try once I get my OS installed (which would have been done by now if it weren't for the bad stick of RAM in my OCZ kit). If the other manual says not to connect the cable at all until AC'97 is set up, then that could very well be the problem. Thanks flanzig1.

[kirb3]

Based on my Google searches for information pertaining to this problem, I have found a few more possible causes. A faulty PSU was suggested. Apparently an improperly grounded power supply can cause this sort of error.

Also, supposedly the standoffs and screws that attach the motherboard to the case are used as grounds. Can anyone confirm or deny this? There are some metal contacts surrounding the holes. I am using large thumbscrews to attach my motherboard at the moment and they do not seem to make contact with the top or bottom surface of the board. Is this a problem? Supposedly a lack of contact between the motherboard and the screws attaching it to the case can cause grounding problems.

Finally, someone suggested disconnecting the ground wire from the Azalia or AC'97 plug, suggesting that it can result in a short. They claimed that the computer business they run often has this issue with the extra grounding wires on USB headers and that their solution is to snip the ground wire. Clearly this would be a last resort in my case since it would require some soldering to fix if it didn't help.

In terms of checking for this sort of thing, how can one tell if one has a properly grounded PSU? In my case, I am going to first reattach the motherboard to the case using screws that contact the area around the holes, and then configure the drivers for AC'97 (still don't have my OS installed at the moment), then I suppose I'll test PSU grounding if I can figure out how, and as a last resort I could try clipping the ground wire and resoldering it if it doesn't help.

Are there any other ideas or comments on the above? All I need now is someone who can tell me if the motherboard standoffs are used as grounds, how to test a PSU for proper grounding ability, and what would happen if that grounding wire was clipped (that is, whether it would result in some sort of catastrophic failure). Thanks for all your help!

[breadcrumb]

I actually saw a problem similar to this once, where the culprit was the USB plug, not audio. Both of them were housed together at the front panel (in the tsunami I believe it's actually on top) and the USB internal connector wasn't a solid piece, but rather 2 flat 4 pin connectors, 1 for each USB plug. The guy had one of the flat connectors plugged in backwards, so that pin 4 was where pin 1 was supposed to be and computer would not POST at all if the front panel audio was plugged in until I reconnected the USB properly.

As far as removing the extra 9th pin ground wire from the connector, I've only noticed that causing a problem with MSI boards, never with a Gigabyte. But it's worth a shot anyway, and you don't have to cut it. The metal pins are held in the plastic piece and can be removed by lifting a small plastic tab with a knife edge and pulling the wire out. This way you can always re-insert the pin and it will simply clip back into place.