New PC Built but video's a no show =-\

Hey Everyone,

Just finished building a PC. I used some rather lower end parts including the motherboard. Just cause I wanted to learn how to build one.

1. PCChips motherboard A13G+ Socket AM2 uATX

2. AMD Athlon 64 X2 4000+ Brisbane 2.1GHz 2 x 512KB L2 Cache Socket AM2 65W Dual-Core Processor

3. Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD3200AAKS 320GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive

4. A-DATA 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory

5. MSI NX8400GS-TD256E GeForce 8400GS 256MB 64-bit GDDR2 PCI Express x16 Video Card

Now I believe i've connected everything correctly. When I turn it on all the fans are running. The ram does work because i tried it on my work machine and it's perfect. My boss said try reseating the processor, I did that matching the triangle on it' s corner with the one on the board. Harddrive connected ready to go. But for some reason i get no picture from my monitor. The video card was bought the other day hoping that maybe my onboard video was bad but i installed the video card and STILL got no picture. I did however touch my harddrive and it's not even warm so i'm wondering if it's even getting power. Any ideas? :confused

 

I recently built one myself....and I say good for you ! The next time it will go smoother....its a real confidence builder , isnt it ?. You say you dont think your Hard drive is getting power....do you have two connections hooked to the rear of the unit ? Also , do you have a 4 led panel on the back of your case ? Its usually under the space you have your video card installed. You may not so dont be alarmed if you dont. There is usually a way to see what exactly is running ...as in one red and three green leds. Anyway you should have a SATA cable and a 4 prong 12v connector on the rear of your hdd. If not recheck your wiring job. There are some connections that are easy to miss. A photo of you m/b would help .....Im sorry I cant be of more help. Have you even got it to post yet ? I assume not.... please come back with more info and maybe someone else can help.
jwill58
PS....Your CPU should drop in with gravity....there are 4 little squares that are offset so it will fit ONLY ONE WAY ! Make sure the little arm is UP...then set your CPU very gently onto the m/b. It should fall eaisly into its place. Then snap the arm down(if this is the way your m/b locks it in) Dont mess with this any more than necessary. Did you use some artic silver (a drop the size of a BB is all you need)between you chip and the fan/heatsink ? This is also very important.

 

In addition to the tips above, try removing all the cards (like video card, modem, etc) and unplug all the drives from the power supply and the motherboard; both CD/DVD and hard drives and the floppy drive if you have one. Remove all but one stick of memory. Try powering on with this configuration. If you have another power supply, try it in place of the current power supply. Make sure you have all the power connections to the mother board plugged in completely. In addition to the large 20 or 24 pin connector, most modern boards also have a 4pin (sometimes a 6pin) power connector also that must be plugged in. If it's not, the fans will spin but not much else will happen. When you assembled the PC, did you remember to use standoffs between the case and the motherboard? Many first time builders are not aware that standoff even exist and there fore the mothrboards gets bolted directly to the case base plate. In effect, this is like wrapping a piece of aluminum foil around the back side of the motherboard and it shorts out everything and all you get is spinning fans. Also, an extra standoff in the wrong place can cause a short also. Luckily, this usually doesn't permanently damage anything which is somewhat mircaulous if you think about it.... so- check all these things and let us know how it goes.

Good luck! I hope this helps!

:major
[dlb]

 

Thanks for the replies guys. I will try to have a pic of the mobo as soon as I can. I did as suggested and took everything out unplugged everything. I inserted everything where it goes and still no go. Luckily when I helped upgrade a machine a few months ago I remembered to place the standoffs and THEN the screws so the board's not touching the Mobo tray...so I did that with my machine as well. What will removing the HD and CD drive and leaving one stick of RAM do just out of curiosity? Should the board beep?

 

It limits the number of devics that could possibly be causing the problem, helping pinpoint what exactly is causing the no video issue.

Yes. One quick beep means the board is healthy and the POST is going as usual. Any other beeps (or no beeps) signify a problem. If you get no beeps, it could be that a speaker needs to be attached to a motherboard header. Not all boards have built-in system 'beepers'.
As you stated in your first post, you are using one of the most low-end boards available. There's a chance that it's DOA from the factory. In my experience with PCChips motherboards, about 1 in 6 is DOA. They have terrible quality control. On the plus side, I have seen PCChips motherboards from the mid 1990's still running strong. Their new boards do have a warranty and the place you bought the board should help with a warranty replacement.

 

I sure dont mean this as an insult....but you are sure you have your monitor hooked up to your graphics card....just had to mention this.
jwill58

 

...and another question- when you power up, do the LEDs on the keyboard light up or flash? If you press CapsLock or NumLock do the indicator LEDs light up?