I think i fried my motherboard...

Hello all... Im new here

So i just recently bought a new PCI express video card along with 4GB package of PC6400 ram. Being pretty inexperienced with adding new hardware into computers, i decided to do it myself for the experience.

Alas, i think i made a very big newbie mistake... So i plugged my new PCI express video card into my mobo's only PCI express socket (didn't plug it to the power supply as i didn't read the instruction manual correctly) and inserted my new RAM.
I booted up the computer to hear a loud and continuous beeping noise. I immediately shut it down and figured i had done something wrong. So upon reading the manual, i realized i needed to plug power into the new card. So i plugged one end of the power cable (included in box) into the corresponding input on the video card, then plugged the other 2 ends into the power supply inputs.

This may be where i made the biggest mistake of all... Being a newbie, i saw the red switch at the back of my power supply (it was set to 115v, and i switched it to 320v). I've since been told this is very bad... Once i turned on the computer everything seemed fine, until i began to smell burning... I quickly turned it off and switched it back to 115v. Now when i boot up the computer, everything seems to be getting an electrical signal (PS fan is running, hard drive runs, cpu fan runs) but i get no video going into my monitor... I even tried removing the new RAM and Video card and running it as it was before the upgrades and still no signal going to my monitor...

Did i fry my motherboard? Or much worse, did i fry my motherboard along with the new video card and cpu??

Any help would be greatly appreciated... Thanks

 

Ouch. That's a tough one as the PSU could have damaged anything or even more than one component or nothing at all. Do you get any POST error codes (beeping at power on)? I would also suggest trying another PSU.

 

Thanks for the quick reply.

I dont get any "POST error" beeps at all when i power on... I was planning on getting a new mobo this weekend anyways, so im REALLY hopeful that its just my mobo that got fried... Someone else suggested a new PS, so i will be picking up a nice high end one with the new mobo. So is there no way of telling if its just my mobo thats fried or my mobo and everything else? It would be very unfortunate if it fried my hard drive, and or cpu and or new video card...

Anyone know if setting your PS to 320v can fry all the components or not? I thought maybe that the hard drive and CPU fan running when i power on was a good sign, but i could be wrong...

 

Use a known good PSU to test you mobo. Try this:

1) Disconnect everything from your motherboard (hard drives, optical drives, PCI expansion cards, keyboard/mouse USB...) except one stick of RAM and your video. (Note - If you have integrated video use that if not use your video card)

2) Plug in the known good PSU and attempt to power on.

3) If you get video go to step 5. If you don't get video go to the next step.

4) Try swapping out the memory module with another one. If you get video more than likely the memory module you just removed is damaged, go to the next step. If not more than likely your board is damaged.

5) Turn off your machine and connect another device and turn it on. Repeat connecting one device at a time. If you ever stop getting video remove the most recent device you connected and try powering on. If you get video then that device is damaged.

I know those instructions are kinda crude but they should do the trick.

 

Thanks so much R0FLCOPTER! Im going to grab a brand new PSU after work today and do these tests. One more quick questions... What about if it fried my CPU? How would i be able to tell?

Thanks again for all your help.

 

Good question.

Generally speaking if your CPU isn't functional you will get a POST message. However some BIOS do not have POST errors for CPU failure and if your CPU is really messed up you won't get anything at all.

Check this link out for POST code info

http://www.computerhope.com/beep.htm

 

Hi All,

Just a thought: Switching the PSU input voltage switch from 120V to 240V should do no harm. The PSU may not come on. If on 240 V from the wall outlet switching to 120 would do damage. Never replace two or more new devices at the same time. Do it one at the time. Much less likely to have problems.

Good Luck, Jim

 

From what i've heard most PSU's have settings of 115v and like you say 240v. Mine only had 115v and then 320v... Will switching from 115v to 320v still not cause any harm? Thanks for the advice of not switching more than one new piece of hardware at a time... I'll definitely follow that rule for next time. You live and you learn!

 

Jim,

Yes sir you are completely correct. However if done while the PSU is still on you run the risk of damaging any number of things.

*Edit* I just reread your post and saw that you put the same thing already

 

Just a note, i did not switch the PSU input voltage while the PSU was running, i switched it while it was off, and back to 115v again once it was off.

 

Hi All,

Pardon the slip. I forgot that there are folks in foreign countrys where the choices are other than 120 (115) and 240. Same thing applies to 320. No damage should be done. Makes no difference whether the power is on or off. Switching to 120 from 320/240 to 115 with the higher line voltage applied would definitely maybe cause damage. Our engineers tried to develop a switching PSU that that could run on the range from 90 V to about 300V without a switch many yrs ago, but were unsucessful. I have heard of PSUs in the last few yrs that could do it.

Jim