Grrr PC Build Probs - MB or CPU?

secret_squirrel

Hi just building an XP2500 (barton) on a ABIT NF7 board. Problem is it wont post just sits there emiting long beep long pause long beep continously.

Have narrowed the problem down to MB or CPU (I think) and I am leaning towards the CPU does anyone have any suggestions. This is what I have ruled out :

Not GFX card - tried 2 different ones, one of which was working yesterday in my other pc.

Not Memory (Corsair 3200) which posts in my other pc.

Not a short - have tried the board out of the case.

Short of trying the cpu in my other pc which would be wayy to much hassle and scraping of thermal compound, Im tempted to send both the MB and CPU back.

(I tend to feel its the CPU since the internal MB leds work, soft power down works etc etc (not conclusive I know))

So any suggestions before I start getting the returns paperwork together?????

OfflerCrocGod

Just stick the CPU into another MB for a couple of seconds even without a HS, just a strong fan, turn it on check if it posts or not then switch it off. What's the prob??. What does the MB manual say the beep code stands for, have you checked?.

MadKevo

Have you a fan plugged into CPU fan header on the mobo ? It may be preventing CPU from running without a fan...
/MK

astrofool

amd's go on fire after about 10 seconds or something mad, so best use the heatsink if trying it in another board.

CombatCow

Originally posted by OfflerCrocGod
Just stick the CPU into another MB for a couple of seconds even without a HS, just a strong fan, turn it on check if it posts or not then switch it off. What's the prob??. What does the MB manual say the beep code stands for, have you checked?.

:eek: Holy shiat you HAVE TO USE A HEATSINK,Amd cpu's reach 300'C after a few seconds with no heatsink and will kill the chip and mobo.

secret_squirrel the mobo manual should have the bios beep codes in there to tell you what they mean,usually a long constant beep is ram prob iirc.Although the NF7 supports pc 3200 ram


CombatCow

MarkR

One beep - board is working fine

One long beep then machine shuts down - faulty, improperly installed or missing CPU

1 short(Beep) System booting is normally

2 short(Beep) CMOS setting error

1 long - 1 short(Beep) DRAM ERROR

1 long - 2 short(Beep) Display card or monitor connected error

1 long - 3 short(Beep) Keyboard Error

1 long - 9 short(Beep) ROM Error

Long(Beep) continuous DRAM isn't inserted correctly

Short(Beep) continuous POWER supply has a problem

A two-tone siren, generally caused by overheating or out of specification voltages

Four beeps then machine shuts down. This is because this version of the BIOS will shut down your machine if no fan tachometer signal is detected on the fan header. Make sure you attach a fan to the FAN1 or FAN4 header or clear CMOS to reset to default (no checking).

Hope it's accurate, got it from google. :-)

Mark

OfflerCrocGod

300C???? and one piece of aluminium and a crappy fan can bring that down to 50C? I have run my CPU with only a heat sink and no fan before for periods of up to 1 minute a little more and it reached 55C according to the bios so for ten seconds......300C seems a bit over the top.

CombatCow

Yeah thats what i thought until i saw this 9MB video:

http://www6.tomshardware.com/cpu/20010917/heatvideo-05.html#download_the_first_toms_hardware_test_lab_video

The AMD Athlon 1400 reached 370'C in a matter of seconds with no heatsink

The AMD palomino 1200 reached 298'C aswell with no heatsink

Both chips were destroyed as were the mobo's

I know that tom's is a bit crap but the vid does not lie.


CombatCow

RicardoSmith

Originally posted by Combatcow
Yeah thats what i thought until i saw this 9MB video:

http://www6.tomshardware.com/cpu/20010917/heatvideo-05.html#download_the_first_toms_hardware_test_lab_video

The AMD Athlon 1400 reached 370'C in a matter of seconds with no heatsink

The AMD palomino 1200 reached 298'C aswell with no heatsink

Both chips were destroyed as were the mobo's

I know that tom's is a bit crap but the vid does not lie.


CombatCow

Thats the older boards. Most newer AMD boards have thermal protection built in don't they?

OfflerCrocGod

Umm AMD surely have started working a long time ago to put in some termal protection, sure they are already designing and planning 40Watt!!! Athlon64s (me drools). They have been aware about this heat problem for a long time.

CombatCow

The Athlon 64's have the heat spreader like the p4's which dont burn up with no heatsink, in the same vid shows that the pentiums just throttled themselves back so they wouldent burn up. it shows them playing quake 3 while removing the heatsink on a pentium4 system and quake slows down to 5-10fps and the chip stays alive , the die temp is 29'C.Apparantly tom's got in deep $hit from AMD about the video but after that i dunno what happened.


CombatCow

OfflerCrocGod

Ummm yes the newer Athlons have something like that dont they???, I someone can correct me go ahead but I'm practically certain that they do.

Winters

Gaint back to topic....

I had very same [i think] problem with my box a month or so ago too. Just went dead. Didnt boot or anything. One look beep then a pause of equal length then the beep and so on. I had a Abit mobo and Athlon in it.

The problem [i finally discovered] was actually the PSU going arseways. Bought new mobo and cpu and ram. Tried the new ram in old mobo and cpu and it didnt work. Put in new mobo and tried old cpu and didnt work. put in new mobo and new cpu and all my ram, didnt work. Went out and bought a new PSU ..... worked.

My PSU was working to the degree that all the fans would spin and the cathoides inside lit up. Get yourself a PSU and see if it works then.

RicardoSmith

Hope you are all using surge protectors on your AC supply.

secret_squirrel

fortunately i solved the problem with 'Operation spend my way outa trouble' Have new board (asus this time) and chip (2500+ again) and it started first time (everything else is the same). Win XP is formating the hard drive downstairs as I type this will rma the other chip and board and let Komplett work it out.

btw I'd did try the no heat sink trick (after checking the orig board had thermal protection) And I also think the exploding athlons on Toms were the early ones (Tbred's?) built at a higher (170nm?) process. The bartons are built to a lower and (generally speaking cooler running process)

Many tks for all your suggestions guys (and/or gals). Anyone want a MB and Chip?? (slightly soiled)

MarkR

Once you have everything working, why don't you try and see if the old cpu works with the new board? Then you might be able to sell something that works. :-)

secret_squirrel

Im might do just that - or keep hold of it for upgrading my trusty celery 300a@450. Do ya reckon I could get money for it as a antique yet??

OfflerCrocGod

Big deal I still have a P1 at 120Mhz WHOO!!!.

MarkR

Originally posted by secret_squirrel
Im might do just that - or keep hold of it for upgrading my trusty celery 300a@450. Do ya reckon I could get money for it as a antique yet??

If you find the board is ok and are looking to sell it give me a shout. I have an elite board with a dodgy connection somewhere (loses settings in bios even with a new cmos battery)

Mark

secret_squirrel

the board is in toptastic condition - if a little dusty its the almost legendary Abit BH6.

MarkR

What happened to the NF7?

secret_squirrel

Well this is almost like cross posting but I've been waiting 3 days now for RMA numbers from komplett - (see my mini rant in the Komplett forum)