No display on monitor (new system build)

gkgilmour · 12-01-2005, 06:30 AM

Hello all.

I am in the process of building my first system and have hit my first snag. So far I've installed an Asus P5GPL PCI Express Motherboard with Pentium 4 processor, 1GB RAM and (believe) I've connected all cables correctly. I've also installed a PCI-E 256MB Geforce 6600v graphics card. I've connected my Samtron CRT monitor (about 4 years old) but when I power up, there is no display on the monitor. All I get is the monitor power LED blinking. The monitor is in perfect working order and I know the graphics card is installed correctly as there is power running to it.

Any ideas why I can't get a display?

***EDIT***

I should say, my PSU is 350W so I imagine there's enough power. Also there's no onboard graphics so it's not that I need to disable that (I couldn't anyway as I can't see a frickin thing anyway

)

dai · 12-01-2005, 08:48 AM

the recommended p/s is a quality 550w,see if you can borrow a larger supply to try

**please** · 12-01-2005, 08:50 AM

@ gkgilmour
Welcome

The 350W PSU you have is most likely not enough for your modern system.
My new favorite PSU to recommend is the Antec SmartPower 2.0 SP-500 500W. It is the least-expensive high-powered quality PSU I've seen. It is also very quiet and has a modular cable system.

Keep us posted with your progress.

EDIT...dai makes an excellent suggestion...if you can borrow a PSU to test, that would be great.

gkgilmour · 12-01-2005, 08:57 AM

Thanks guys. Makes sense.

I'll be buying a 550w PSU tonight so will keep you updated on the outcome.

gkgilmour · 12-01-2005, 12:28 PM

Tried a 550W PSU with no success. Could it be that the Graphics Card is incompatible with the Motherboard?

ebackhus · 12-01-2005, 12:30 PM

Not likely. Did you get the Antec PSU or a generic brand? A system like that requires lots of juice and some 500w+ PSUs simply don't fit the bill. Check the sticker on the side and report back the amperes.

gkgilmour · 12-01-2005, 02:43 PM

It's not an Antec, just a generic.

The ratings on the side read

Output. . . . . +3.3v . . . +5v . . . +12v . . . -5V . . . -12V . . . +5vsb
Max Current. . 34A . . . . 36A . . . . 38A . . . 0.3A . . . 0.8A . . . 2.0A

ebackhus · 12-01-2005, 04:25 PM

Hmm, according to the sticker it pumps out great on the vital 12v line.

Does the board have integrated video at all? If that's what's going on then you'd have to disable that to use an AGP or PCI-E card.

gkgilmour · 12-01-2005, 04:32 PM

There's no integrated video at all.

Here's the spec of the motherboard...

http://uk.asus.com/products4.aspx?mo...3&l2=11&l3=170

**please** · 12-01-2005, 08:19 PM

@ gkgilmour
When you say 'generic' does this PSU have a name and model number? Sometimes these ratings are produced under ideal conditions and have nothing to do with the real world, particularly for generic units.

Does the video card have a separate power connector? I don't think it does, but thought I would ask.

Can you get into BIOS?

Can you try removing the mobo and rest it on something non-conductive like a cardboard box, and try to start up your system? Remove all unneeded items for startup. Use one stick of RAM, no ROM drives.

dai · 12-01-2005, 08:54 PM

recheck you have the extra power plug into the m/b
reseat the video card
reset the cmos
if still no go,then set it up out of the case with
cpu
video
ram

gkgilmour · 12-02-2005, 01:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by please

@ gkgilmour
When you say 'generic' does this PSU have a name and model number? Sometimes these ratings are produced under ideal conditions and have nothing to do with the real world, particularly for generic units.

It isn't a known brand. It's just labelled 'Advance' 550W PSU. Can't find anyhting on the net, so possibly not of a high standard.

Quote:

Originally Posted by please

Does the video card have a separate power connector? I don't think it does, but thought I would ask.

There's no seperate power connector on this particular card.

Quote:

Originally Posted by please

Can you get into BIOS?

I can't get into BIOS at all.

Quote:

Originally Posted by please

Can you try removing the mobo and rest it on something non-conductive like a cardboard box, and try to start up your system? Remove all unneeded items for startup. Use one stick of RAM, no ROM drives.

I tried dismantling the system and built outside the chassis on cardboard. The temporary build consisted of motherboard, CPU (and fan), PSU, RAM (1 stick) and video card. Unfortunately it made no difference.

The new PSU has lasted all of 1 day. before I disassembled again it would power the system for about 20 seconds before shutting down. Gives me an excuse to take it back and try another make. Incidentally, the 550W PSU had 20 pin and 4 pin connectors, whereas my 350W has a 24pin connector. Does this have any relevance to performance?

dai · 12-02-2005, 01:54 PM

the extra power plug about 1/2 square goes to the m/b not a card,if it is not plugged in you will not get enough power
if your m/b only has a 20 pin connector,then just put the extra lead out of the way

gkgilmour · 12-02-2005, 01:59 PM

Sorry, I wasn't clear on that last post.

I know the 20pin and 4 pin both go to the mobo - just unsure if a 20 and 4 PSU will run my setup better / worse than a 24 and 4 PSU.

dai · 12-02-2005, 02:16 PM

not sure if there is any difference,i doubt there is the detachable 4 pin is for m/b that only have a 20 pin socket to save butchering the plug
have a read through here
http://forums.nvidia.com/lofiversion...php?t1029.html
try resetting the cmos

gkgilmour · 12-03-2005, 08:39 AM

I've now tried a 650W Q-Tec PSU with plenty of ampage and have tried resetting the CMOS as well. Same problem. I'm wondering now if the graphics card is damaged?

To make maters worse, I know think I've damaged my motherboard. With the 24 pin and 4 pin connectors in the system powers up for about 10 seconds before shutting down. If I take the 4 pin out the system runs okay. I think I've damaged the 4 pin connector on the motherboard.

This project is turning into a disaster and I'm starting to wish I'd never started.

dai · 12-03-2005, 09:55 AM

check to see if you have bent a pin,
look at it another way instead of a disaster look at the expierence you are gaining and the satisfaction when you are finally up and running
check the back of the m/b also where the 4 pin is to make sure it is not a manufacturing error that has not been soldered properly

ShinjiML · 12-03-2005, 02:51 PM

I know how you feel. I had the a smiliar problem when I was building my computer last week. For a long time, I couldn't figure out why nothing shows up on the monitor. The system turns on, but nothing shows up. At first I thought it might be a bad video card, then I thought it might be a bad RAM, and after about 1-2 hours of it not working, I was worried that the CPU might be bad. I think I pretty much felt how you're currently feeling.

But I decided to try what seemed like a trivial fix. I ended up disconnecting the Harddrive and DVD-writer and reconnected them, making sure that all of the cables and wires were connected tightly. After messing around with that for a good 20-30 minutes, the monitor finally turned on and the computer booted. In the end, it seems that the problem wasn't with the hardware, but with the connections. So, give it a try before you give up.

TakumiKai · 12-03-2005, 08:56 PM

I'm pretty sure it's a MOBO problem... I've had problems like these before and it's mostly (cruddy ASUS's...) fault (except for the time my dad punched the comp and my Abit VT7 died... So I'm guessing it's your MOBO. Well... Tell me how it goes!

gkgilmour · 12-09-2005, 06:22 AM

OK folks,

I don't think it's a motherboard problem as I've now got a replacement ASUS P5GPL (first one had a faulty 4 pin power connector).

It's not a graphics card problem as I've now replaced the GeForce 6600v with a Radeon X800GT.

STILL the same problem. No display on monitor, just the blinking monitor power LED.

My setup so far consists of...

ASUS P5GPL mobo
1GB RAM
650W PSU with both 24 pin and 4 pin connectors in.
3.2GHZ Prescott CPU
Radeon X800GT card

I must be missing something. Or could it be the monitor ????

12-01-2005, 06:30 AM	#1 (permalink)
gkgilmour Registered User Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 19 OS: XP	No display on monitor (new system build) Hello all. I am in the process of building my first system and have hit my first snag. So far I've installed an Asus P5GPL PCI Express Motherboard with Pentium 4 processor, 1GB RAM and (believe) I've connected all cables correctly. I've also installed a PCI-E 256MB Geforce 6600v graphics card. I've connected my Samtron CRT monitor (about 4 years old) but when I power up, there is no display on the monitor. All I get is the monitor power LED blinking. The monitor is in perfect working order and I know the graphics card is installed correctly as there is power running to it. Any ideas why I can't get a display? *EDIT* I should say, my PSU is 350W so I imagine there's enough power. Also there's no onboard graphics so it's not that I need to disable that (I couldn't anyway as I can't see a frickin thing anyway ) Last edited by gkgilmour; 12-01-2005 at 06:39 AM.

12-01-2005, 08:48 AM	#2 (permalink)
dai Manager, Hardware Forums Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: west australia Posts: 56,580 OS: win 7 32x 64x rtm	the recommended p/s is a quality 550w,see if you can borrow a larger supply to try __________________

12-01-2005, 08:50 AM	#3 (permalink)
please Tech Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 1,185 OS: WinXP SP2	@ gkgilmour Welcome The 350W PSU you have is most likely not enough for your modern system. My new favorite PSU to recommend is the Antec SmartPower 2.0 SP-500 500W. It is the least-expensive high-powered quality PSU I've seen. It is also very quiet and has a modular cable system. Keep us posted with your progress. EDIT...dai makes an excellent suggestion...if you can borrow a PSU to test, that would be great. __________________ P4P800E-D:~:P4 3.0C@3.75GHz:~:Zal7000AlCu:~:OCZ4001024ELDCPER2-K@250MHz 2.5-3-3-7 WinXP SP2>2X160GB Samsung SATA ICH5R RAID1:~:2x80GB Samsung SATA Promise RAID0 ATI A-I-W X800XT~SB Audigy2 ZS~2X BenQ1620~Antec SLK3700AMB~Antec SmartPower2.0 500W Last edited by please; 12-01-2005 at 08:51 AM.

12-01-2005, 12:30 PM	#6 (permalink)
ebackhus Manager, Design Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: SATX Posts: 14,254 OS: WinXP Pro SP3/Windows 7 RTM My System Blog Entries: 28	Not likely. Did you get the Antec PSU or a generic brand? A system like that requires lots of juice and some 500w+ PSUs simply don't fit the bill. Check the sticker on the side and report back the amperes. __________________ ----------------------------- There are no dumb questions, unless a customer is asking them. Help in the fight against cancer and other serious illnesses.

12-01-2005, 04:25 PM	#8 (permalink)
ebackhus Manager, Design Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: SATX Posts: 14,254 OS: WinXP Pro SP3/Windows 7 RTM My System Blog Entries: 28	Hmm, according to the sticker it pumps out great on the vital 12v line. Does the board have integrated video at all? If that's what's going on then you'd have to disable that to use an AGP or PCI-E card. __________________ ----------------------------- There are no dumb questions, unless a customer is asking them. Help in the fight against cancer and other serious illnesses.

12-01-2005, 08:57 AM	#4 (permalink)
gkgilmour Registered User Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 19 OS: XP	Thanks guys. Makes sense. I'll be buying a 550w PSU tonight so will keep you updated on the outcome.

12-01-2005, 12:28 PM	#5 (permalink)
gkgilmour Registered User Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 19 OS: XP	Tried a 550W PSU with no success. Could it be that the Graphics Card is incompatible with the Motherboard?

12-01-2005, 02:43 PM	#7 (permalink)
gkgilmour Registered User Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 19 OS: XP	It's not an Antec, just a generic. The ratings on the side read Output. . . . . +3.3v . . . +5v . . . +12v . . . -5V . . . -12V . . . +5vsb Max Current. . 34A . . . . 36A . . . . 38A . . . 0.3A . . . 0.8A . . . 2.0A

12-01-2005, 04:32 PM	#9 (permalink)
gkgilmour Registered User Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 19 OS: XP	There's no integrated video at all. Here's the spec of the motherboard... http://uk.asus.com/products4.aspx?mo...3&l2=11&l3=170

12-01-2005, 08:19 PM	#10 (permalink)
please Tech Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 1,185 OS: WinXP SP2	@ gkgilmour When you say 'generic' does this PSU have a name and model number? Sometimes these ratings are produced under ideal conditions and have nothing to do with the real world, particularly for generic units. Does the video card have a separate power connector? I don't think it does, but thought I would ask. Can you get into BIOS? Can you try removing the mobo and rest it on something non-conductive like a cardboard box, and try to start up your system? Remove all unneeded items for startup. Use one stick of RAM, no ROM drives. __________________ P4P800E-D:~:P4 3.0C@3.75GHz:~:Zal7000AlCu:~:OCZ4001024ELDCPER2-K@250MHz 2.5-3-3-7 WinXP SP2>2X160GB Samsung SATA ICH5R RAID1:~:2x80GB Samsung SATA Promise RAID0 ATI A-I-W X800XT~SB Audigy2 ZS~2X BenQ1620~Antec SLK3700AMB~Antec SmartPower2.0 500W

12-01-2005, 08:54 PM	#11 (permalink)
dai Manager, Hardware Forums Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: west australia Posts: 56,580 OS: win 7 32x 64x rtm	recheck you have the extra power plug into the m/b reseat the video card reset the cmos if still no go,then set it up out of the case with cpu video ram __________________

12-02-2005, 01:54 PM	#13 (permalink)
dai Manager, Hardware Forums Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: west australia Posts: 56,580 OS: win 7 32x 64x rtm	the extra power plug about 1/2 square goes to the m/b not a card,if it is not plugged in you will not get enough power if your m/b only has a 20 pin connector,then just put the extra lead out of the way __________________

12-02-2005, 01:59 PM	#14 (permalink)
gkgilmour Registered User Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 19 OS: XP	Sorry, I wasn't clear on that last post. I know the 20pin and 4 pin both go to the mobo - just unsure if a 20 and 4 PSU will run my setup better / worse than a 24 and 4 PSU. Last edited by gkgilmour; 12-02-2005 at 02:00 PM.

12-02-2005, 02:16 PM	#15 (permalink)
dai Manager, Hardware Forums Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: west australia Posts: 56,580 OS: win 7 32x 64x rtm	not sure if there is any difference,i doubt there is the detachable 4 pin is for m/b that only have a 20 pin socket to save butchering the plug have a read through here http://forums.nvidia.com/lofiversion...php?t1029.html try resetting the cmos __________________ Last edited by dai; 12-02-2005 at 02:17 PM.

12-03-2005, 08:39 AM	#16 (permalink)
gkgilmour Registered User Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 19 OS: XP	I've now tried a 650W Q-Tec PSU with plenty of ampage and have tried resetting the CMOS as well. Same problem. I'm wondering now if the graphics card is damaged? To make maters worse, I know think I've damaged my motherboard. With the 24 pin and 4 pin connectors in the system powers up for about 10 seconds before shutting down. If I take the 4 pin out the system runs okay. I think I've damaged the 4 pin connector on the motherboard. This project is turning into a disaster and I'm starting to wish I'd never started.

12-03-2005, 09:55 AM	#17 (permalink)
dai Manager, Hardware Forums Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: west australia Posts: 56,580 OS: win 7 32x 64x rtm	check to see if you have bent a pin, look at it another way instead of a disaster look at the expierence you are gaining and the satisfaction when you are finally up and running check the back of the m/b also where the 4 pin is to make sure it is not a manufacturing error that has not been soldered properly __________________

12-03-2005, 02:51 PM	#18 (permalink)
ShinjiML Registered User Join Date: Nov 2005 Posts: 19 OS: XP	I know how you feel. I had the a smiliar problem when I was building my computer last week. For a long time, I couldn't figure out why nothing shows up on the monitor. The system turns on, but nothing shows up. At first I thought it might be a bad video card, then I thought it might be a bad RAM, and after about 1-2 hours of it not working, I was worried that the CPU might be bad. I think I pretty much felt how you're currently feeling. But I decided to try what seemed like a trivial fix. I ended up disconnecting the Harddrive and DVD-writer and reconnected them, making sure that all of the cables and wires were connected tightly. After messing around with that for a good 20-30 minutes, the monitor finally turned on and the computer booted. In the end, it seems that the problem wasn't with the hardware, but with the connections. So, give it a try before you give up.

12-03-2005, 08:56 PM	#19 (permalink)
TakumiKai Registered User Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Honolulu, HI Posts: 90 OS: Windows XP Professional w/ SP2	I'm pretty sure it's a MOBO problem... I've had problems like these before and it's mostly (cruddy ASUS's...) fault (except for the time my dad punched the comp and my Abit VT7 died... So I'm guessing it's your MOBO. Well... Tell me how it goes! __________________ For I know the plans that I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11

12-09-2005, 06:22 AM	#20 (permalink)
gkgilmour Registered User Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 19 OS: XP	OK folks, I don't think it's a motherboard problem as I've now got a replacement ASUS P5GPL (first one had a faulty 4 pin power connector). It's not a graphics card problem as I've now replaced the GeForce 6600v with a Radeon X800GT. STILL the same problem. No display on monitor, just the blinking monitor power LED. My setup so far consists of... ASUS P5GPL mobo 1GB RAM 650W PSU with both 24 pin and 4 pin connectors in. 3.2GHZ Prescott CPU Radeon X800GT card I must be missing something. Or could it be the monitor ????