PC does not boot, blank screen. Athlon xP2700 ASUS A7N8X-E Deluxe

[hydrocynus]

This is my first post, but I surely will visit that board more often.
OK, I had an old PC with only a PII 500+ Mghz. It was time to upgrade. So the idea was to keep the case, the PSU and to build a new system. Here is what are the parts I used to build my new system:

MOBO: ASUS A7N8X-E Deluxe (no idea of the Bios since I cannot boot)
CPU: Athlon XP 2700+ thoroughbred with fan coolermaster dream III
Graphic card: Leadtek Geforce 440MX AGP 8X 64
RAM: a pair of GEIL 256 mb DDR PC3200
I will not mention the rest. I just need to at least see something else than a blank screen.
I will mention that the case I own is not pretty and the PSU is ATX 2.0 (CODEGEN) 300W 115V/8A/60Hz. It powers with no problem the PC I am using to write this post (Pentium II 550mgHz, ABIT BX6 with 512 MB RAM, AGP graphic card, modem, two fans and other stuff).

here is what I have done: EACH TIME I DID SOME MODIFICATIONS (see below), I CLEARED THE CMOS (battery removal, wait with jumpers set to clear the BIOS)

1-I removed everything. Placed the mobo on the table on top of the antistatic plastic. I only had the power ATX plugged and the speaker (the loud beeper one) and my sound system, since that card comes with an integrated audio.
When I power up the PC, I have a blank screen, the monitor in stand by (it works since I am using it right now), I can hear that horrendous voice: "no CPU". But no beep (seems my speaker is dead, as when I think of it, I do not hear it anymore, even with my old system). Was happy to hear that voice though

2- I added the CPU, the thermal grease (not too much, I know), the cooler fan on it that was then plugged onto the board. I powered the PC, no beep, not horrendous voice. I tried the reset button. Nothing.

3- I tried all above with a PCI video card (ATI) that works (I tested it) so i am pretty sure I do not have a video card problem.I added the RAM too... nothing. No voice. The thing is like stuck to this point.

One thing I need to mention. Before i had the ASUS, I received a Soltek SL-75FRN L (loved that board), and I used the components above. I bought a P4 ATX 12V as it was requiered. I had a normal boot up with the hardware, I used with the ASUS. I was able to boot up 3 times, then, I had the blank screen. I thought i fried the board (the board has a COP system to shut down the system when the CPU gets too hot). I returned the board to get that ASUS... but still a blank screen.

I suspect my PSU is not good, and i will buy a new case tomorrow with at least 400Watts of clean power. That might do the trick... though, by looking over the internet it did not fix the problem for most. Does my minimal system with only a fan and a CPU needs that much power. I seriously doubt of it.
I wish I had another CPU to test. I think it is faulty, and I maybe fried it with the Soltek board (all jumpers were set correcty though). The CPU has not bend pins, no physical damage of any kind... at least nothing i can see under a magnifying lens. But it might....

Any other ideas? I (and especially my wife) am getting tired of this. In the past I built maybe 25 systems and was doing some PC maintenance for friends and colleagues. I stopped doing it. I thought that it was easier to build a system nowaday. Seems I am wrong: especially with AMD systems.

You tell me.
Serge in Miami

[glc]

First off, do not set the board on antistatic material to power it up - it's conductive.

When you try on the table with PSU, CPU, ram, and video card, does the heatsink get warm? If so, the CPU is starting. If not, either the CPU or the motherboard is bad. This assumes the PSU tests okay on a working system and you have the 4 pin connector plugged into the board if it has one.

If you have a voltmeter, you can probe the back of the ATX connector for proper voltages. Black is ground and the other colors are all different voltages. The Codegen is not known as a quality unit, but if it worked in the old box, it should be good enough to get a new one going with minimum load anyway. With those specs for the new build, a 300 watt unit is sufficient as long as it's not an unstable piece of junk. If you get a replacement, just get a decent brand between 300 and 400 watts, FSP/Sparkle, Enlight, Antec are all decent.

The Asus CPU compatibility chart says that processor is good to go with any board rev level and any bios rev.

[hydrocynus]

Hello GLC.
I bought a new case, the board is not sitting on the plastic anymore. I then got a new power supply with 400 w of power and the 12+ is 18A much enough for the CPU. My board does not requiers a P4 12V.

Nothing happened... I still have the blank screen, no beeps (and this time I know the speaker works), no vocal post when the CPU is installed with the heat sink on top (but still the vocal post when no CPU is installed: "no CPU installed!")
So, the problem is not linked to the power supply. Now I know it.

So, it is either the board or the CPU. The heat sink warms up moderately, so I think the CPU is working and the board is faulty?

Both will return to Newegg tomorrow or the warranty will be void. If you have some ideas before tomorrow, they are much welcome. I keep the case (bought at Tiger direct this AM) since my old one was less than suitable for an Athlon XP. Boy, these new machines suck a lot of power!

[piasabird]

Try using the clear CMOS routine in the manual. For that board I think you have to actually remove the battery, And move the CMOS jumper to the reset position. This might get it going. My A7N8X Ultra 400 did about the same thing. However, once I got it going, it worked fine. This is worth at least one try. Another option is to try a different video card if you have an old PCI video card laying around. That is not a very up to date video card you have there, but I have run that board with a Sapphire Radeon 7000 and got it to work pretty good.

Just do not break the battery holder.

Make sure the fan power plug is plugged in.

[hydrocynus]

You did not read what I wrote in my first post.
Read what i wrote in all caps.
I used 2 pCI cards that work. That is not the problem.
Serge

[Panama Red]

Just a little something to double check. The memory configuration on that mobo is kinda picky. Double check your mobo manual (page 2-8 in mine for the same board) and make sure you have the memory in the right slots. Better yet, try starting with just one stick installed.

[glc]

Originally Posted by hydrocynus You did not read what I wrote in my first post. Read what i wrote in all caps. I used 2 pCI cards that work. That is not the problem. Serge

Please do not jump down other members' throats who are trying to help. Not everyone can read and comprehend a long post thoroughly. A simple "Thank you, but I've already tried that" would have been a lot more appropriate.

- Moderator -

[piasabird]

Sorry about that.

I should have read it a bit more.

I have burned up an AthlonXP processor on a motherboard. It can be hard to tell if a processor is bad. If you have an older XP processor you might try that to test the motherboard. Asus is a pretty good brand as motherboards go, so my initial feeling is that it is a bad processor. If you have a buddy with an older processor, you might try that first.

On my Asus A7N8X Motherboard, I use an AMD Athlon 2800XP. I have never had any problem with it. I use the Retail CPU Cooler. My son had an AMD 2400XP processor on his A7N8X Deluxe and we burned up that processor and we replaced it with an older 1.2Gig Athlon. So I think it might be a bum processor.

As far as Power supplies go, I recommend an Antec Power supply.

I concur that you should not ever set a motherboard on one of those anti-static bags for testing. Using a piece of cardboard is better. Then reseat the Memory and the video card. I normally just use the AUTO Settings on the motherboard jumpers and do not try to set it manually. However, that board may have a jumper for 400Mhz processors. Make sure it is not set to 400Mhz FSB.

[hydrocynus]

First, sorry if I have been too direct.
I just spent some time to write the first post: it is well described as asked so that one willing to help would have everything needed. True, I should have answered differently. If you look at what I do over the internet in the flyfishing area, you will see that I am very polite and spend a great deal of time helping others.

The FSB can either be set at 200 mHz or higher (1 jumper, 2 settings).
The Ram is at the right place. I did try to switch the ram around. I also tried w/o ram. The rest is jumperless. That card is easy to set, while the Soltek was a bit more technical... But I read the manual in whole and I triple check before I power the unit on.

I tried w/o the cpu and I got the vocal post "no CPU installed"
Then, I installed the CPU and heat sink and nothing. I am stuck there.
Normally, I should have gotten another vocal post such as:

System failed CPU test
system failed memory test
system failed VGA test
System failed due to CPU overclocking.

The only thing I know is that the CPU is warming up as the heat sink gets moderately warm.
I will get a new CPU on Thursday, I will keep you guys posted.

Also, I am a bit puzzled about the antistatic plastic bag... I do not know what is the conductivity, but it is not very high. true, a piece of wood is better. But I doubt that the plastic could cause some problems.

A BIG THANK FOR YOUR HELP. It is much appreciated.
Serge

[glc]

Pink bags are okay to put the board on, gray or black ones are not as they have a metallic mesh in them.

If I'm not mistaken, the 2700+ is a 166/333 bus processor, if there are jumpers, that's where you want them.

[hydrocynus]

Hello all. Got the new CPU in the mail today.
Everything work. So it was the CPU.
This means that even though a CPU looks intact, even warms up the heat sink, it doesn't mean that it is working.
Now the board recognize the new cpu as a 1500 mhz, but I am sure I will deal with that.
Thanks for your help!
Serge

[glc]

That's easy - you have the FSB set too low. Set it at 166/333.

[hydrocynus]

Yep,it was set at 100 MHz by default.
Serge