[SOLVED] No signal to monitor in two identical PC's

ChivalryUK · 10-26-2008, 05:38 AM

My friend and I needed new Pc's for our university course, and so ordered exactly the same components off the internet and started to build. We were almost completely new to PC building but followed the instructions in all the manuals, and had a good idea of the basics.

First we built my friends PC, and at first it booted up fine. We were about to change the BIOS device when it just turned off. This kept happening, so he reseated his RAM and started the machine up again. This time, however, the monitor wasn't receiving any signal.

We couldn't work out what was causing this, so we built my PC, exactly the same, and turned that one on. This PC didn't even start up initially as his had done, it just sent nothing to the monitor. All the fans are firing up except the cpu cooler fan, which I am told will only start when it is needed.

There are no beeps coming from the motherboard in either PC. The manual says it will beep if it doesn't discover a keyboard, but even with a keyboard connected, there is no sound.

Here are the specs:

Geforce 9600 graphics card

4 x 1GB Kingston HyperX Ram

420W Psu

Intel Quad Core Q6600

Asus P5B Se Motherboard

We have tried setting the motherboard up on a non conductive surface and firing up with the bare minimum, resetting the CMOS, etc. The monitors work fine hooked up to our laptops. It is strange that both setups aren't working, and even stranger that my friend's did indeed work at first, until he fiddled with his RAM.

I suspect it could be one of two things. Firstly, the graphics card uses DDR3 RAM, but the motherboard only uses DDR2. I've been told this isn't a problem at all, but I'm not so sure. Secondly, as this was our first time building, we didn't initially put the motherboard on risers, we just screwed it straight to the case. The motherboards are now on risers, but could they have been damaged due to shortcircuiting?

Sorry about the long post, thanks in advance for your help

Tumbleweed36 · 10-26-2008, 06:04 AM

The DDR2 and DDR3 thing is of no consequence or doesn't make any difference. My concern as I read this is that you have too small of a power supply for the video card you have. What brand name is the power supply?

My last concern, is that "YES," you could have very well damaged the boards by putting them in the case without risers. That is a very real concern, so bench testing might help you find out and I know you said some of this was done, but follow this link exactly and you will know more about your issue:

Bench Test Your System

ChivalryUK · 10-26-2008, 06:11 AM

It's a Trust 420w, and you're right I have read that my graphics card needs 400w, but then I've also read it only needs 80 or 90. The graphics card fan does fire up, but I don't know whether that means it's getting enough power or not.

I hope I haven't fried my motherboard, as the only way I can bench test it is to buy a new one, as we have no spare parts at all. I'll check out that link though, thanks for the reply

**BCCOMP** · 10-26-2008, 06:12 AM

Hi,
My first concern is the PSU.
The GT9600 minimal requirements is a PSU that is 400Watts and on the +12V rail pushes out 26A.
I am not sure of your 420W complete specs (Make, Model, watts and amps). This PSU may only push out 18A on the 12V rail.

As far as the Mobo shorting out it is possible.
Have you gone through these steps to see if it will post:
How to Bench Test Your System

As a side note the CPU fan should run almost constanly (maybe at various speeds) as it is needed for cooling the CPU

ChivalryUK · 10-26-2008, 06:30 AM

I did take the motherboard out and bench test it, to no avail.

My PSU only gives 16A on the 12V rail, could this be the problem?

I'm concerned about the CPU fan now though...I haven't seen it spin at all, although the PC's have never been on longer than 5 minutes.

Tumbleweed36 · 10-26-2008, 09:26 AM

You must have a BARE MINIMUM of 26 amps on the +12 rail for even the least power hungry video card that is pci-e. Yours is rather power hungry so go figure what might be the problem.

You should be looking at a 650 to 700 watt power supply of a brand name for this video card. Here are some good PSU units and brand names are important in this area of the computer:

Seasonic – Any Model
Corsair – Any Model
PC Power & Cooling – Any Model
Thermaltake – “Toughpower” Series Only
Coolermaster – “Real Power Pro” Series Only
Silverstone – Any Model

ChivalryUK · 10-26-2008, 11:45 AM

Ah I see. When the graphics card manufacturers say their card needs 400 watts and 26 amps on the 12 v rail, is that just for the graphics card, or for the card plus the rest of the PC?

Thanks for your help, I'll pick up one of those PSU's and test it out

ChivalryUK · 10-26-2008, 11:48 AM

Also, which of those PSU's are ATX 12v 2.0 compatible? If that question doesn't make any sense is because I'm pretty much shooting in the dark here, I've never known anything about PSU's and I'm having to cobble information together

Tumbleweed36 · 10-26-2008, 12:06 PM

You need to read this information and that should help your understanding of the PSU issue:

Power Supply Information and Selection

ChivalryUK · 10-26-2008, 12:49 PM

Thanks very much for the help, I've ordered a Corsair TX750 watt for each PC. After reading that guide through, I can see that this crappy Trust PSU actually gives out more power on the 3.3v rail, which is absolutely pointless for all my components.

I will mark this forum as solved if the new PSU's allow my rig to boot up, but now I have an additional concern:

should the CPU fan be running from when the power is switched on? Is it possible it didn't styart spinning because the computer isn't booting? I don't want to fix my problem only to burn out my CPU lol

**magnethead** · 10-26-2008, 05:53 PM

technically, yes, the CPU fan should engage when the system starts.

**BCCOMP** · 10-26-2008, 07:25 PM

Hi,
This is not to say the MoBo are still good. Remember they may have been shorted out when you installed the with no risers.
What I do know and as everyone else has stated is the PSU is very under powered. Replacing the PSU with the Cosair 750Watt is a good first step, but (and I hope not) the Mobo may still have a problem.
Bill

ChivalryUK · 10-28-2008, 06:07 AM

Still no joy. My motherboard manual says it should beep once if no keyboard is detected, and this never happens.

What are the chances of a shorted mobo being damaged? Seems quite likely if you can damage it with a bit of static electricity :(

Is there anything else I can try before having to get a new motherboarD?

**BCCOMP** · 10-28-2008, 07:20 AM

This is assuming you are still bench testing and the board is still out of the case.
When you benched tested the Mobo did you install just 1 stick of memory in slot 1?
This is important as some ASUS boards running 1066 FBS do not post if dual channel memeory is installed (without a BIOS update).
Double check that the CPU is installed properly (it only goes in one way, but I have seen where it was not installed properly on new builds).
Double check your connections.
Bill

ChivalryUK · 10-28-2008, 11:38 AM

That's interesting, because I've benchtested my motherboard but didn't bother to take the extra RAM out, and I've tried it with only one stick of RAM but still attached to the chassis. I will have to try that option.

I noticed that around the screw holes on the motherboard there are little dots of solder in a ring...is this anything at all? Because the screws holding the mobo in place have a stepped base, i.e. they would not be making full contact with those dots. I have no idea if they have a function or not.

**BCCOMP** · 10-28-2008, 01:04 PM

Take the board out of the case and do the bench test as listed inthe previous post with only 1 stick of ram.
Bill

PS- I can only assist you if you do what is reccomended. If you do not follow the reccomendations I do not know what you are doing. I AM NOT THERE.

ChivalryUK · 10-29-2008, 05:55 AM

Point taken. What are the steps to follow if the bench test with one stick of RAM works? How can I ensure that the motherboard isn't shorting anywhere?

ChivalryUK · 10-29-2008, 05:56 AM

Plus, I'd like to reiterate that my mate's pc, identical to mine, did work at first, but was shutting down regularly, until he reseated the ram, at which point it wouldn't boot. Mine just would never boot

**BCCOMP** · 10-29-2008, 06:57 AM

Hi,
If the board will bench test out of the case (POST) then this will tell us if the board is good. Remember to try just 1 stick of ram.
If you have a successful post with the board out of the case, but do not when you install it into the case then you have to look to see if the risers you installed are in the proper location for this board. Only install the risers where the MoBo screws into them (usually 6)
I have seen where there were to many risers have been installed causing the board to short out.
Also be sure you have connected the PSU properly to the board and double check your connections from the switch to the MoBo. (Ft Panel connections)
Do you have the install manual for this board?
Bill

ChivalryUK · 10-29-2008, 07:06 AM

Just did a bench test with only one stick of RAM, no post. Swapped the RAM, still no luck. Tried with and without the video card. Had an experienced friend over to check everything over.

He doesn't know a lot about Quad Core processors, however, so he couldn't tell us whether that was fitted properly. I was concerned because the CPU only sits in its slot, and doesn't click in, but is then held very securely by the clip with the lever. I assume this is right?

I do have the install manual for the motherboard and we followed that very closely when building. I've read what the beep codes mean, but we don't get any beep codes at all. Plus the CPU fan still doesn't fire up.

Are our motherboards just fried?

10-26-2008, 05:38 AM	#1 (permalink)
ChivalryUK Registered User Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 19 OS: Vista 64bit Business SP1	[SOLVED] No signal to monitor in two identical PC's My friend and I needed new Pc's for our university course, and so ordered exactly the same components off the internet and started to build. We were almost completely new to PC building but followed the instructions in all the manuals, and had a good idea of the basics. First we built my friends PC, and at first it booted up fine. We were about to change the BIOS device when it just turned off. This kept happening, so he reseated his RAM and started the machine up again. This time, however, the monitor wasn't receiving any signal. We couldn't work out what was causing this, so we built my PC, exactly the same, and turned that one on. This PC didn't even start up initially as his had done, it just sent nothing to the monitor. All the fans are firing up except the cpu cooler fan, which I am told will only start when it is needed. There are no beeps coming from the motherboard in either PC. The manual says it will beep if it doesn't discover a keyboard, but even with a keyboard connected, there is no sound. Here are the specs: Geforce 9600 graphics card 4 x 1GB Kingston HyperX Ram 420W Psu Intel Quad Core Q6600 Asus P5B Se Motherboard We have tried setting the motherboard up on a non conductive surface and firing up with the bare minimum, resetting the CMOS, etc. The monitors work fine hooked up to our laptops. It is strange that both setups aren't working, and even stranger that my friend's did indeed work at first, until he fiddled with his RAM. I suspect it could be one of two things. Firstly, the graphics card uses DDR3 RAM, but the motherboard only uses DDR2. I've been told this isn't a problem at all, but I'm not so sure. Secondly, as this was our first time building, we didn't initially put the motherboard on risers, we just screwed it straight to the case. The motherboards are now on risers, but could they have been damaged due to shortcircuiting? Sorry about the long post, thanks in advance for your help

10-26-2008, 06:04 AM	#2 (permalink)
Tumbleweed36 Asst Manager Hardware Join Date: May 2005 Location: USA Posts: 19,658 OS: XP Professional	Re: No signal to monitor in two identical PC's The DDR2 and DDR3 thing is of no consequence or doesn't make any difference. My concern as I read this is that you have too small of a power supply for the video card you have. What brand name is the power supply? My last concern, is that "YES," you could have very well damaged the boards by putting them in the case without risers. That is a very real concern, so bench testing might help you find out and I know you said some of this was done, but follow this link exactly and you will know more about your issue: Bench Test Your System __________________ ---------- I don't receive email notifications of replies to subscribed threads. (Internet provider policy) Therefore, if I don't respond to your post within 24 hours, please send me a reminder PM and include the link to your thread. Last edited by Tumbleweed36; 10-26-2008 at 06:06 AM.

10-26-2008, 06:11 AM	#3 (permalink)
ChivalryUK Registered User Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 19 OS: Vista 64bit Business SP1	Re: No signal to monitor in two identical PC's It's a Trust 420w, and you're right I have read that my graphics card needs 400w, but then I've also read it only needs 80 or 90. The graphics card fan does fire up, but I don't know whether that means it's getting enough power or not. I hope I haven't fried my motherboard, as the only way I can bench test it is to buy a new one, as we have no spare parts at all. I'll check out that link though, thanks for the reply

10-26-2008, 06:12 AM	#4 (permalink)
BCCOMP Mod Hardware Team Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: New York Posts: 7,049 OS: Win XP SP3 / Windows 7 Beta / Open Suse My System	Re: No signal to monitor in two identical PC's Hi, My first concern is the PSU. The GT9600 minimal requirements is a PSU that is 400Watts and on the +12V rail pushes out 26A. I am not sure of your 420W complete specs (Make, Model, watts and amps). This PSU may only push out 18A on the 12V rail. As far as the Mobo shorting out it is possible. Have you gone through these steps to see if it will post: How to Bench Test Your System As a side note the CPU fan should run almost constanly (maybe at various speeds) as it is needed for cooling the CPU __________________ PC Wizard \| Everest \| Power supply info \| Memtest86+ PC Running Slow Speedfan

10-26-2008, 06:30 AM	#5 (permalink)
ChivalryUK Registered User Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 19 OS: Vista 64bit Business SP1	Re: No signal to monitor in two identical PC's I did take the motherboard out and bench test it, to no avail. My PSU only gives 16A on the 12V rail, could this be the problem? I'm concerned about the CPU fan now though...I haven't seen it spin at all, although the PC's have never been on longer than 5 minutes.

10-26-2008, 09:26 AM	#6 (permalink)
Tumbleweed36 Asst Manager Hardware Join Date: May 2005 Location: USA Posts: 19,658 OS: XP Professional	Re: No signal to monitor in two identical PC's You must have a BARE MINIMUM of 26 amps on the +12 rail for even the least power hungry video card that is pci-e. Yours is rather power hungry so go figure what might be the problem. You should be looking at a 650 to 700 watt power supply of a brand name for this video card. Here are some good PSU units and brand names are important in this area of the computer: Seasonic – Any Model Corsair – Any Model PC Power & Cooling – Any Model Thermaltake – “Toughpower” Series Only Coolermaster – “Real Power Pro” Series Only Silverstone – Any Model __________________ ---------- I don't receive email notifications of replies to subscribed threads. (Internet provider policy) Therefore, if I don't respond to your post within 24 hours, please send me a reminder PM and include the link to your thread. Last edited by Tumbleweed36; 10-26-2008 at 09:27 AM.

10-26-2008, 11:45 AM	#7 (permalink)
ChivalryUK Registered User Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 19 OS: Vista 64bit Business SP1	Re: No signal to monitor in two identical PC's Ah I see. When the graphics card manufacturers say their card needs 400 watts and 26 amps on the 12 v rail, is that just for the graphics card, or for the card plus the rest of the PC? Thanks for your help, I'll pick up one of those PSU's and test it out

10-26-2008, 11:48 AM	#8 (permalink)
ChivalryUK Registered User Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 19 OS: Vista 64bit Business SP1	Re: No signal to monitor in two identical PC's Also, which of those PSU's are ATX 12v 2.0 compatible? If that question doesn't make any sense is because I'm pretty much shooting in the dark here, I've never known anything about PSU's and I'm having to cobble information together

10-26-2008, 12:06 PM	#9 (permalink)
Tumbleweed36 Asst Manager Hardware Join Date: May 2005 Location: USA Posts: 19,658 OS: XP Professional	Re: No signal to monitor in two identical PC's You need to read this information and that should help your understanding of the PSU issue: Power Supply Information and Selection __________________ ---------- I don't receive email notifications of replies to subscribed threads. (Internet provider policy) Therefore, if I don't respond to your post within 24 hours, please send me a reminder PM and include the link to your thread.

10-26-2008, 12:49 PM	#10 (permalink)
ChivalryUK Registered User Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 19 OS: Vista 64bit Business SP1	Re: No signal to monitor in two identical PC's Thanks very much for the help, I've ordered a Corsair TX750 watt for each PC. After reading that guide through, I can see that this crappy Trust PSU actually gives out more power on the 3.3v rail, which is absolutely pointless for all my components. I will mark this forum as solved if the new PSU's allow my rig to boot up, but now I have an additional concern: should the CPU fan be running from when the power is switched on? Is it possible it didn't styart spinning because the computer isn't booting? I don't want to fix my problem only to burn out my CPU lol

10-26-2008, 05:53 PM	#11 (permalink)
magnethead Registered User Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Texas, USA Posts: 3,570 OS: Vista ultimate 32bit My System Blog Entries: 3	Re: No signal to monitor in two identical PC's technically, yes, the CPU fan should engage when the system starts. __________________ For proper support: what are you running? graphics, cpu, m/board, ram, PSU brand wattage PCI-E requires 26 amps at 12 volts. That's a 650W PSU. Power Supply Info and Selection . Info on thermal compounds & application . TEST PSU USING MULTI-METER . Bench Testing Your System

10-26-2008, 07:25 PM	#12 (permalink)
BCCOMP Mod Hardware Team Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: New York Posts: 7,049 OS: Win XP SP3 / Windows 7 Beta / Open Suse My System	Re: No signal to monitor in two identical PC's Hi, This is not to say the MoBo are still good. Remember they may have been shorted out when you installed the with no risers. What I do know and as everyone else has stated is the PSU is very under powered. Replacing the PSU with the Cosair 750Watt is a good first step, but (and I hope not) the Mobo may still have a problem. Bill __________________ PC Wizard \| Everest \| Power supply info \| Memtest86+ PC Running Slow Speedfan

10-28-2008, 06:07 AM	#13 (permalink)
ChivalryUK Registered User Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 19 OS: Vista 64bit Business SP1	Re: No signal to monitor in two identical PC's Still no joy. My motherboard manual says it should beep once if no keyboard is detected, and this never happens. What are the chances of a shorted mobo being damaged? Seems quite likely if you can damage it with a bit of static electricity :( Is there anything else I can try before having to get a new motherboarD?

10-28-2008, 07:20 AM	#14 (permalink)
BCCOMP Mod Hardware Team Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: New York Posts: 7,049 OS: Win XP SP3 / Windows 7 Beta / Open Suse My System	Re: No signal to monitor in two identical PC's This is assuming you are still bench testing and the board is still out of the case. When you benched tested the Mobo did you install just 1 stick of memory in slot 1? This is important as some ASUS boards running 1066 FBS do not post if dual channel memeory is installed (without a BIOS update). Double check that the CPU is installed properly (it only goes in one way, but I have seen where it was not installed properly on new builds). Double check your connections. Bill __________________ PC Wizard \| Everest \| Power supply info \| Memtest86+ PC Running Slow Speedfan

10-28-2008, 11:38 AM	#15 (permalink)
ChivalryUK Registered User Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 19 OS: Vista 64bit Business SP1	Re: No signal to monitor in two identical PC's That's interesting, because I've benchtested my motherboard but didn't bother to take the extra RAM out, and I've tried it with only one stick of RAM but still attached to the chassis. I will have to try that option. I noticed that around the screw holes on the motherboard there are little dots of solder in a ring...is this anything at all? Because the screws holding the mobo in place have a stepped base, i.e. they would not be making full contact with those dots. I have no idea if they have a function or not.

10-28-2008, 01:04 PM	#16 (permalink)
BCCOMP Mod Hardware Team Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: New York Posts: 7,049 OS: Win XP SP3 / Windows 7 Beta / Open Suse My System	Re: No signal to monitor in two identical PC's Take the board out of the case and do the bench test as listed inthe previous post with only 1 stick of ram. Bill PS- I can only assist you if you do what is reccomended. If you do not follow the reccomendations I do not know what you are doing. I AM NOT THERE. __________________ PC Wizard \| Everest \| Power supply info \| Memtest86+ PC Running Slow Speedfan

10-29-2008, 05:55 AM	#17 (permalink)
ChivalryUK Registered User Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 19 OS: Vista 64bit Business SP1	Re: No signal to monitor in two identical PC's Point taken. What are the steps to follow if the bench test with one stick of RAM works? How can I ensure that the motherboard isn't shorting anywhere?

10-29-2008, 05:56 AM	#18 (permalink)
ChivalryUK Registered User Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 19 OS: Vista 64bit Business SP1	Re: No signal to monitor in two identical PC's Plus, I'd like to reiterate that my mate's pc, identical to mine, did work at first, but was shutting down regularly, until he reseated the ram, at which point it wouldn't boot. Mine just would never boot

10-29-2008, 06:57 AM	#19 (permalink)
BCCOMP Mod Hardware Team Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: New York Posts: 7,049 OS: Win XP SP3 / Windows 7 Beta / Open Suse My System	Re: No signal to monitor in two identical PC's Hi, If the board will bench test out of the case (POST) then this will tell us if the board is good. Remember to try just 1 stick of ram. If you have a successful post with the board out of the case, but do not when you install it into the case then you have to look to see if the risers you installed are in the proper location for this board. Only install the risers where the MoBo screws into them (usually 6) I have seen where there were to many risers have been installed causing the board to short out. Also be sure you have connected the PSU properly to the board and double check your connections from the switch to the MoBo. (Ft Panel connections) Do you have the install manual for this board? Bill __________________ PC Wizard \| Everest \| Power supply info \| Memtest86+ PC Running Slow Speedfan Last edited by BCCOMP; 10-29-2008 at 06:59 AM.

10-29-2008, 07:06 AM	#20 (permalink)
ChivalryUK Registered User Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 19 OS: Vista 64bit Business SP1	Re: No signal to monitor in two identical PC's Just did a bench test with only one stick of RAM, no post. Swapped the RAM, still no luck. Tried with and without the video card. Had an experienced friend over to check everything over. He doesn't know a lot about Quad Core processors, however, so he couldn't tell us whether that was fitted properly. I was concerned because the CPU only sits in its slot, and doesn't click in, but is then held very securely by the clip with the lever. I assume this is right? I do have the install manual for the motherboard and we followed that very closely when building. I've read what the beep codes mean, but we don't get any beep codes at all. Plus the CPU fan still doesn't fire up. Are our motherboards just fried?