problems with a 2-yr old build

[jedi5384]

Hi everyone, this isn't a new build but this seemed like the best place to ask this. I'm really hoping someone can help me with some problems I'm having with a PC I built about 2 years ago. This will be kind of long (I want to make sure I provide all the necessary info) so please bear with me.

Anyway, like I said a couple of years ago (summer 2006) I decided to try my hand at building a PC:

Ultra Micro Fly MATX w/ Clear Side Blue
GIGABYTE GA-8I945GMH-RH LGA 775 Intel 945G Micro ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
Intel Pentium D 930 Presler 3.0GHz LGA 775 95W Dual-Core Processor Model BX80553930 - Retail
Antec SmartPower 2.0 SP-500 500W ATX12V SLI Ready Modular Power Supply - Retail
CORSAIR ValueSelect 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 533 (PC2 4200) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model VS2GBKIT533D2 - Retail
EVGA 256-P2-N550 -T2 GeForce 7600GT 256MB 128-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 SLI Supported Video Card - Retail
LITE-ON Black ATAPI/E-IDE DVD-ROM Drive Model SHD-16P1S - Retail
LITE-ON 20X DVD±R DVD Burner included extra White bezel, with 12X DVD-RAM Write Black IDE Model LH-20A1P-186 - Retail
MITSUMI Black 1.44MB 3.5" Internal USB 2.0 Internal USB 2.0 digital card reader with Floppy Drive - OEM
2x Western Digital Caviar RE WD2500YD 250GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM

Despite the fact that this was my first build and I was convinced I would fry something, everything went perfectly and I was very pleased with the results. After about a year, I decided it was too loud so I replaced the case and power supply:

Antec Solo Black/Silver Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
Antec Neo Power 500 500W ATX12V SLI Certified CrossFire Ready Modular Active PFC Power Supply - Retail

I want to emphasize that as far as I could tell, the old PSU worked just fine, it just made this high pitched whine that I couldn't stand. I figured I'd keep it as a spare or something. The new case also helped buffer the noise a bit, so I was happy. I also made a couple additions to the system:

Western Digital Raptor WD740ADFD 74GB 10000 RPM SATA 1.5Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
An additional 2GB of the exact same memory I listed above

After a few months I decided that I had gone a bit overboard with the 2x250GB drives (way too much for my purposes) and the 4GB of RAM, especially since I found out that 32-bit Windows XP can't utilize all 4GB. So I removed one of the 250GB drives and 2GB of RAM to save them for a build I'm planning for my parents. All the while the system continued to work fine.

Now we get to about a month ago, when the problems started. I was playing Spore and the system crashed, i.e. it powered off without warning. At first I thought it was related to the game and that I had overheated something. But then the thing wouldn't power back on. I pushed the switch and nothing happened. Sometimes the power light would flash for a second, then nothing. I unplugged the PSU and let it sit overnight. Then I plugged it back in and it powered on! So I thought it was just a random thing. I continued using it normally for a couple more weeks. I also started turning up my CPU fan speed since playing Spore was heating my CPU up to around 50 C. I was planning to get a better CPU fan.

Then it crashed again and wouldn't power back on. After a couple days it still wouldn't power back on. I tried assembling the system outside the case, with nothing connected but the PSU and the case power switch, and still nothing. I tried my old power supply that I had swapped out a year ago, still nothing. Sometimes it seemed to power on for a second and the CPU fan would spin for a second, but then nothing. The only conclusion I could come to was that the newer PSU was faulty and surged or something and fried the board. So I bought a new board, RAM, and CPU fan:

GIGABYTE GA-EP35-DS3L LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-8500CL5D-2GBPK - Retail
ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro 92mm CPU Cooler - Retail

I also bought a power supply tester, which showed that both PSUs were good. Nevertheless I sent the newer one back to Antec for RMA just in case, as it is still under warranty. Now, just this morning, I assembled the new board and RAM with the old CPU, video card, and PSU outside the case. I also connected a PC speaker that I realized I had never connected to the old board. I powered it up, and the CPU fan started up, and the speaker beeped! As in, that one short beep that means it started up OK. I waited a few seconds, then hit the power and it powered down. I thought everything was fine, so I unhooked the power and went to do something else. Then I decided to hook the power back up and try one more time before I tried putting stuff back into the case. I hit the switch and nothing. I tried several more times and could not get it to power up again. Everything is the same. I am at a loss to explain this since it powered up the first time.

Finally, I should note that the first time it crashed and wouldn't power back on, I remembered a couple of times over the past couple of years when it powered off randomly like that. But those times, it started right back up, so I thought nothing of it. I am starting to wonder if that is related somehow.

Anyway, I'm really stuck now. If you read through all this I really appreciate it. Thanks in advance.

[minsonngo]

Did you double check and confirm that the appropriate power cables are STILL connected to the motherboard properly?

How are you powering on the system outside of the case? Are you shorting the power pins on the motherboard with a screw driver?

It very well still could remain a power supply issue.

[jedi5384]

Thanks for the reply. Just tried it again. The board is sitting on top of the box it came in. The cpu/fan and ram are installed. The PC speaker is connected. Nothing else. The fan is plugged into the board. I connect the 24-pin main power and the 4-pin connection. I tried powering it on 2 ways. I actually set the case next to the board and connected the power switch to the board. This is how I got it to power on the first time. This time, again nothing. I also tried touching both pins with a screwdriver, still nothing.

I know it could be a power supply issue. The worst case scenario as I see it is that *both* my first power supply and the newer one I just sent back for RMA could be faulty, and the power supplies could have fried both my old board and the new one I just bought. Is that even reasonable? Is there some sign I could look for that the board has been damaged?

One last thing, when I plug in my old PSU and switch it on before I even try to power on the board, it makes a buzzing noise. I have been attributing this to whatever used to make that high-pitched noise I hated, but could this be an indication of something?

[minsonngo]

A high-pitched noise coming from the power supply could very well mean that it is a faulty power supply.

[jedi5384]

Hmmm... OK, so if my first PSU was making that noise because it was faulty, I did a good thing by replacing it. If the second was also faulty, then it may or may not have damaged my board. I guess the real test will be once I get back the PSU I sent back for RMA, to see if that works. If so, then my old board might still be good and I could use it for something else, so at least

I'm still worried that one or both of my boards could be damaged. Any possible way I could tell?

[jedi5384]

"so at least it won't be a total loss"

is what I meant to say there.

[minsonngo]

Hopefully the other components such as the motherboard are okay. For now... it looks like the all you can really do is visually check the motherboard for any foreign defects not originally present before the incident.

Hopefully the new PSU will get everything back up and running.