[Kaijin]

:upset: I am at the end of my proverbial rope here. I have done everything I know how to do but nothing seems to work. Let me start off by saying that I have been building computers for myself and others for on 6 years now. I am by no means an amateur, and am something of a troubleshooter, but I can't fix this one.

Here is the basic story. For about a year now I have been trying to build a new desktop computer (I have been called out of the country and come back, gone and come back, etc., so there are sporadic delays). No matter what I do I still get the same problem, no video response on boot. Monitor shows no response, no signal. The system "spins up" but otherwise nothing.
What follows is an overview of the system specifications:

---System---
Motherboard: Gigabyte 965P DS3 rev. 3.3
CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E6400
RAM: OCZ PC2 6400 (2x512)
PSU: MSI Turbostream MS 4500-020 500W 12V
Video: XFX GeForce 6800XT

I don't think I need to get any more specific because this is as far as I can get.

I am pretty sure I have spent over $100 on shipping just to test all these components. I have had the processor tested by Intel and returned, the MB by the manufacturer, the RAM has been tested, and the PCIE video card works. (Obviously, the monitor I have been testing works fine). I tested the PCIE port with another video card, but nothing changed. I also used an old PCI VGA card to test if it was a bridge issue, but no response from even the PCI video cards on the monitor.

So, basically, everything has been tested and works, but when I assemble the system and power on, no video response. The MB has onboard sound but the system is not returning system beeps, so I cannot diagnose the specific issue.

I know that there are issues with Gigabyte main boards BIOS revisions, namely that the 965P shipped Core 2 Duo compatible, but not Core 2 Duo "ready" (this made me incredibly angry). I got the board back from the company on Monday with a note that they put it to the most recent BIOS, but if this was the problem I can't tell, because it didn't appear to have fixed anything.

I really appreciate any and all advice y'all can come up with. At this point, I will entertain any suggestions.

 

[Ericwaycotx]

Do you have a different power supply you can try?

 

[Kaijin]

Unfortunately not. I realized this could be an issue but the PCIE Video card has a 4-pin power connector, and when the system spins up the card does so as well. I thought, maybe incorrectly, that if the PSU was providing enough power to spin up the card's fans than it probably provided enough power to spin up the bare essentials of the system's POST requirements.

I also forgot to mention in my main post that, before anyone asks, yes, I always connect the 4-pin CPU power cables. (I noticed that seems to be a recurring theme :smile

 

[dai]

the power supply is not quality and pcie requires 26 amps on the 12v+ line
your combined lines add up to 31 which means the actual available is probably slightly below what you need as it is usually 17-20% below the combined figure
if everything appears to be running normally but no screen i would suspect this is the problem
the easiest way to check is to borrow a quality 550 and try in it

 

[Kaijin]

I don't have one to borrow but I will check that out immediately, I guess I will hit a store with a good return policy and see what I can come up with. Thanks for the suggestion, let's hope it works.

 

[dai]

let us know how you go

 

[themisiek1]

Yes I completely agree, powersupplies are annoying things to deal with and cause much pain, lol. Good luck.

 

[Kaijin]

I bought an Antec 650W PSU and hooked it up, bare bones, and tried it. No change, same outcome. No video.

 

[dai]

reset the cmos
set it up out of the case with
cpu
video
ram
speaker
and see if you get post

 

[Kaijin]

That was one of the first things I tried, resetting the CMOS that is. I also tried a bare bones setup outside the case. Trust me, I wouldn't be here if I could figure this out using the basic troubleshooting techniques.
At this point, all that is left is someone along the path of official testing did a less than adequate job. The only testing I did not personally do, or see, were the CPU test and the Motherboard update. One of those two things MUST be the problem.
I need to test the CPU and the mainboard.

 

[dai]

rma the m/b

 

[Kaijin]

That's the interesting part, and what makes this so frustrating, is that I have RMA'd the M/B three times now. Before they sent me this last one they updated the BIOS for me and checked it out.
If it wasn't such a commitment (and a write-off) I would demand a refund for the m/b and start over, but I have to be sure it isn't the CPU (RMA'd that, too). Both have been tested by their manufacturers, and both are supposed to work. Somewhere in between something has gone terribly wrong.

 

[dai]

there have been a few posts with problems with earlier revisions of the m/b where they have ended up getting it replaced
when i was going to rebuild a few weeks ago i ordered the same board rev1 and was told it had been withdrawn and was unavailable
the latestest one here is rev2
i ended up using an asus p5k deluxe for the build

 

[sivart7555]

I am no amateur in computers either but just found this forum and like it...but this is probably a stupid question, Have you seen any cases of where that RAM actually works with that board? Because I have had that happen before. The RAM wasn't compatible with the board.

 

[1 g0t 0wn3d]

That ocz should be compaable with the board (i don't think it is high density)