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New PSU and POST ram error

1K views 3 replies 2 participants last post by  mattlock 
#1 ·
Hello all, I'm hoping you can help me out.

I purchased a new PSU and GPU for my IBM thinkcentre 8189 today, after installing the PSU (with old GPU still in the machine) I am getting a POST error.

I re-connected the old PSU and the machine booted right up. I then removed the two ram sticks (1 gig each) and got the same POST error as with the new PSU, which led me to believe I have a RAM voltage issue. I tried to find a ram voltage setting in the bios, but it appears that IBM Bios doesn't allow that adjustment...

old setup (which works)
IBM Thinkcentre 8189
2x 1 gig ddr (400ghz but clocked down to 266 which is mobo cap)
Hipro 230w power supply
P4 2.8 ghz cpu

new setup (which doesn't work)
replace above PSU with Antec earthwatts 500w power supply

With the new PSU the power light comes on, heatsink warms up on the mobo, fans turn, dvd drive lights up and hard drive undocks (although the hd light doesn't come on). I have double checked all connections (20 pin and 4 pin mobo, hard drive, optical drive, floppy drive etc) to no avail. any ideas? I need to get this PSU working in order to upgrade gpu to radeon 3450 hd (which seems like the best unit i can get for the AGP slot I've got available). Please help!

Thanks,

Arclight
 
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#2 ·
What is the POST code that you are getting?

Have you tested the PSU to verify that it's not faulty? The EA500 is a solid unit but it's possible that you got a lemon.

The voltage to the memory is determined by the motherboard and BIOS not the PSU. The PSU provides power to the system board, the board distributes the power. If the only thing you changed is the PSU then that is likely where your problem lies. It's probably not providing the proper voltage on one of the rails.

Test the PSU in another system if you can. If that's not possible, you can test the voltage of each rail with a digital multimeter. I can provide a link to How To Guide upon request.
 
#3 ·
Thanks for the response,

The post code I'm getting is one long beep followed by two sets of three short beeps and one final short beep. It's the same post code I got when I put in the old psu and removed all the ram from the machine.

I contacted the store where I purchased the PSU, they said they haven't seen this issue before, but they have heard of some intel boards that don't like Antec PSUs (or vica versa). I'm running an IBM Mobo model number IBM (as reported by Sandra) but I suspect that it was in reality built by Intel and rebranded. I'd like to take it back to the vendor and have them sort it out, but unfortunately they are out of town and I don't really have time to go deal with this between work and when I need to pick up my daughter. I might have to wait until Saturday for that.

I did see the guide on testing psu voltage, but I don't have a multimeter at this time (might be time to pick one up). My other option would be to buy a cheapy power supply to try it out (which was my plan before I was talked into this more cadillac like power supply). If that one works I would be returning this PSU (which is a shame since all the research I'm doing after the fact tells me this PSU is actually a very nice unit /sigh).

At the moment I'm running with my old psu and new GPU (which shouldn't be enough power to run it). So far so good, but I'm wondering if there is any risk to the hardware from doing this?

Thanks again.
 
#4 ·
Yes there is risk involved in running your system on a inadequate PSU. Ranging from random shutdowns to the PSU giving out under the load and taking some of you hardware with it on it's way to grave. (Motherboard, GPU, RAM)

I have heard of higher efficiency PSU not starting with certain motherboards due to the minimum voltage requirements, but that's usually a case of getting signs of of life at all. Have you tried the EA500 with the 3450 installed?

See if you can exchange the PSU. The odds of getting 2 bad ones would be pretty slim.
 
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