Noob needs help

[Parcae]

First of all, apologies if this is a double post. I made a similar thread but it does not appear to have posted correctly. If it is a double post, could a mod delete it? In any case, I have the following wish list (operating system already accounted for):


ASUS P5K-E/WIFI-AP LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail

ASUS EN8800GT/HTDP/256M GeForce 8800GT 256MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail

Intel Core 2 Duo E6750 Conroe 2.66GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor Model BX80557E6750 - Retail

CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TWIN2X2048-6400C4 - Retail

Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3250310AS 250GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM

SAMSUNG 226BW Black 22" 2 ms (GTG) DVI Widescreen LCD Monitor - Retail

LITE-ON 20X DVD±R DVD Burner With 12X DVD-RAM Write Black SATA Model LH-20A1S - Retail

Going for an Asus GPU because virtually all the other 8800gt cards were sold out. Discuss.

[Parcae]

A quick afterthought: is the extra $50 for this monitor worth it?

SCEPTRE X24WG-1080P Black 24" 2ms DVI Widescreen LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 4000:1 Built in Speakers - Retail

[Alaron]

Welcome to PCM.
Looks like a winning list to me. Do you have a power supply/case in mind?

[Parcae]

I was thinking of this:

Antec Sonata III Black 0.8mm cold rolled steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 500W Power Supply - Retail

(It was in the original post, but I apparently missed it in the second). Are the PSU/fans adequate?

[Alaron]

That is an excellent choice.

[flanzig1]

Would change the C4 Corsair ram to the C5. Intel systems work better with C5(CAS 5/CL 5)

[Parcae]

I am extremely clueless about RAM. Would this work/ be good value?

Patriot Extreme Performance 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model PDC22G6400ELK - Retail

[Parcae]

Oh, and two minor but significant afterthoughts:

LITE-ON SK-1788/BS 2-Tone PS/2 Wired Standard Keyboard - Retail

Rosewill RTK-002 Anti-Static Wrist Strap - Retail

You clip it onto the case, right? Any advice advice on ESD prevention would be appreciated, by the way. I'm in a dorm room with a wooden floor. Please don't advocate any methods that are "perfectly safe if you know what you're doing," because I don't know what I'm doing.

[flanzig1]

Yes, the wrist strap to the case. An added precaution: touch the metal case before entering.
The Patriot ram will work and reasonable price at Newegg.

[jdrobinson]

I'm going with the same Sonata III case and I agree that it's a great case with a good quality power supply.

[pctime1]

I think that build is good, all the parts are quite nice.

[Parcae]

Help.

I built this PC, but it won't boot. First I got a single beep ... checked and that indicated keyboard missing. Sure enough I hadn't plugged it in ... so I did so, and got the same error. I replaced the keyboard to no avail, and tried moving the CMOS jumper in case it was that. I moved it back and tried again. Now I don't even get the beep. CPU and case fans spin up, then stop.

[Alaron]

Was it a PS2 or USB Keyboard? If you plugged in a PS2 keyboard while the system was on, that can short out the board. If not, try the ol' standby procedure:
http://forum.pcmech.com/showthread.php?t=132409 and let us know what happens.

[Parcae]

Couldn't do the out of case build properly because shorting the prongs produced no result. I used the Q-connector from the case and got exactly the same result. First keyboard was PS2, second USB, but the system was off both times. Help.

[Parcae]

Edit: I mean that using the qconnector produced the same result outside the case as in: no beeps, fans spin briefly then stop.

Also, please don't tell me to replace with known good components. I'm not running a computer business here and my only other comp is this laptop.

[m4gery]

So the system gets power for a little while, and then it power off? Have you made sure your HSF is on nice and tight?

[Parcae]

Yup (I tightened it and compared the bottom to pictures on an online how-to). It may not have been tight enough initially, but it certainly is now.

By the way, when I say the fans go on and then off, they're on for maybe 1-2 seconds. Not really long enough to overheat.

[Alaron]

Are all of the power connections in place on the motherboard? There should be two.

[Parcae]

Yes.

By the way, I just tried without the GFX card ... it spun for a couple of second longer (I thought), but no beeps, nothing ... I've got a dead motherboard I fear ...

[Alaron]

Try with each stick of RAM individually.

If you can get a hold of another power supply from a friend, try that as well.

Otherwise, the motherboard is likely a lemon.

[Parcae]

I've even tried it with no RAM. No beeps, same issue. As I mentioned, I have no access to "known good" supplies. I'm RMAing the mobo.

What are the odds that I fried it myself somehow during installation, as opposed to the odds that it was DOA? I worry because, if it's the former, there's no guarantee I won't do it again. I worry about spending hundreds of dollars on shipping etc, as well as time I can't afford, and then winding up with a machine that stubbornly refuses to post.

[Masaki 7-11]

It's pretty hard to fry a motherboard if you follow normal build instructions like touching the metal case before handling the motherboard.

[Parcae]

I've started the mobo RMA process, but am troubled by the diagnosis problem. Am I doing the right thing in assuming it's the motherboard? So far as I can tell, the PSU would give exactly the same symptoms, and there's no way I can substitute known good parts.

The only thing I have to go on - which seems a lot more important now that I'm second-guessing myself - is that it seemed to last a couple of seconds longer (3-4 instead of 1-2) when the GFX card was removed for testing.

No way for you to give me definitive answers, obviously, but am I making the right guess?

Edit: Oh, and also, I bought the ATA instead of Sata hard drive by mistake. I know that's not recommended, but could it lead to a boot failure of this kind?

[Parcae]

HELP

I got the new mobo, and now all the fans spin, but I get the beep code for "no vga detected." Could I have a bad GFX card? Could I have it or the monitor plugged in incorrectly? (I did plug in the power cable to the GFX card.) Could I have damaged the GFX card while trying to get the build to work earlier? I know the monitor works. Help, I'm like Tantalus, so near and yet so far ...

[amdalex]

It sounds like the video card is bad or damaged.

[Parcae]

Is that the only possibility? Is there anything else I should try to test it?

[amdalex]

Well since you said the Motherboard beeped the bad VGA code the first thing I would replace would be the graphics card. The PSU might be bad but I'd try the video card first.

[Parcae]

I see. This is kind of urgent for me because the motherboard RMA took so long that the RMA period is nearly up ... if anyone else could weigh in, that would be great ... could it be something to do with which monitor-to-GFX cables I plugged in and where?

[Cricket]

Is the motherboard in or out of the case right now?

If you don't have spare parts you could take a suspect part to a local computer shop and ask them to test it. Or ask a friend to help you out...swap compatible parts from his computer. Playing the guessing game is not a recommended way to fix a computer.

Cricket

[Parcae]

My friends all use laptops. The only close computer store is Staples; I have no idea if they do repairs but I doubt it. I can check with them, I suppose ... I really don't want to have to go through the RMA process yet again but I may have no choice ... Isn't there something I could be doing wrong (unrelated to the PCI-E power cable, which is inserted?) Any help would be great

The mobo is in the case. I doubt it's a short - surely there would be other problems? I get the boot beep a few seconds after the "no VGA detected" code (which takes a really long time to occur, by the way - maybe thirty seconds.)