Rebuilt PC has no video, no beep after first "boot"

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xelestial

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Mar 14, 2013
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I've got such a long history with this build, I won't go into it. Suffice to say, over the past year I've replaced nearly every part. I had a working build for about a week, but somehow damaged the CPU when I added a new cooler. I've since gotten a new case, and the PSU, motherboard and CPU I have are all new and confirmed to have worked at least once.

I got the new case and the RMA'd CPU and breadboarded the parts. I got responsive beeps all the way so I installed the video card (had PSU, CPU, all RAM and video card installed) and connected it to a monitor...it booted! Well, it didn't make a beep, but it showed me the screen where it told me what CPU I had and the year and all that info that normally flashes by.

So I put all the parts in and connected all the plugs. All fans come on, the hard drive sounds like it's working, everything seems good except, again for the billionth time, no beep, no boot, just a black screen now. I've removed the graphics card and it's PCI cable, the 24 pin connector, the CPU cord and the RAM and with the CPU still plugged in, still not getting any beeps. I've now got the CMOS battery out and am just waiting for it to clear. I've researched a ton on this forum but I can't figure out if I've got a bad graphics card (or if the slot is bad :( ), or if the CPU (which was apparently working fine at some point if I'm not mistaken) or the hard drives or what doesn't work.

I've only got my husband's graphics card to test out with I think, beyond some very old graphics cards, but I'm not sure if that would do more harm than good since they're completely different. He has an Nvidia 550 I believe and runs on an Intel system. Here are my specs (btw, my motherboard has no onboard video)

AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition (new from RMA)
ATI Radeon 4850 (oldish)
ASRock 970 Extreme
Corsair HX750 Power Supply
One OCZ SSD, and one oldish hard drive

In the meantime, I'll be researching and trying to figure out what went wrong and will update if I manage to change anything. I appreciate any help you can give, I am totally clueless atm.
 
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xelestial

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Mar 14, 2013
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Ah, I was looking for this. It helped me identify my CPU problem last time..thanks, I'll be going through any of the the steps I haven't done yet now.
 
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xelestial

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Mar 14, 2013
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I'm almost 100% sure it's not the power supply...I've got more power than I probably need and I have confirmed that to be working fine for at least a week, also everything powers on consistently. As for shorting out the motherboard, how would I check that? I just removed the extra spacers but still no dice.

Currently I'm suspecting the CPU, as in, improper install or worst case scenario, damage. I removed the heatsink and the CPU was stuck on the back of it. I'm still working on getting it off, it's so tightly on. I'm not sure if any got anywhere else either, so I'm hoping to clean it off and reapply. This happened the last time and resulted in bent pins and after we straightened them, it still never worked and we RMA'd it.
 
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diellur

diellur

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Well, the CPU coming off when the locking mechanism is engaged is never a good thing! As for separating the CPU from the heatsink, get a hair-dryer and blast the heatsink for a few minutes. Then, holding the heatsink in one hand, start gently rotating the CPU on the heatsink. The TIM should become pliable enough to come apart.

Your PSU doesn't need to be providing insufficient power to be faulty. I had one that would power up my system every time, but something in it had gone bad. It smoked two motherboards and a CPU before I identified the fault, and the PSU manufacturer confirmed it was faulty when it was RMA'd. So don't rule it out just yet.
 
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xelestial

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I really wish I had thought to unlock it before I pulled it off :( I had no idea it was on so tight until it pulled off, I thought I had left a screw on. Certainly have learned my lesson though. I am still in the process of cleaning the thermal paste, which was pretty thick and messy, so I'm just hoping it was a contact problem, not damage.

Wow, that sucks about the PSU. How did you figure it out? I imagine a faulty PSU that actually kills components is kind of rare...
 
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diellur

diellur

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I guess that's how we learn! I would imagine that CPU will need an RMA, unless you're very lucky...which I hope you are! Just a side-note, but you shouldn't have a large amount of TIM on the CPU...it's not an issue for you yet until you get your system running, but once you do just bear in mind that two much can act as a heat insulator and end up being a cause of high temps. The rule-of-thumb is that a rice-grain size of TIM is sufficient.

I was lucky in that my PC and HTPC were both S1155-based systems. I was testing everything from my gaming PC on my HTPC, and when I tested the PSU it took out the HTPC motherboard and CPU. Process of elimination, quite literally, as it turned out.
 
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xelestial

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I'm beginning to wonder if that is my problem. This will be the second or third CPU that mysteriously died within a month :( The initial problem started when the old CPU of 2 years failed, I suspect due to inadequate power or overheating. So I bought the new power supply, RMA'd the motherboard, got another motherboard and finally got a new CPU. I used the stock cooler for a about a week but ended up reassembling it with my aftermarket cooler because it was too hot and noisy.

But then this is where the computer never booted again and made no beeps, before eventually made a beep that means "processor error". When we tried to take out the processor, it came with it and the pins bent. I RMA'd this CPU back to AMD and got a new case (the other one was pretty terrible in the air flow department, so I thought I'd better do it right). I also bought another cooler at this time since I had lost some parts to mine and our makeshift way to get it on there may have caused the problem.

So here I am yesterday with all new parts and it boots up fine with all the components outside the box, though I never got a beep. Then when I put all the components inside the box, it no longer has beeps and has a black screen, despite every step I've taken. I trust Corsair but I'm really at a loss for answers now.

I even swapped motherboards last time and no dice, so I don't think it's the motherboard preventing it from powering on. I think something is killing the CPU, whether permanently or temporary I don't know. I don't know if it's the motherboard or PSU. I tried switching out the power supply just now to my old Corsair 550w but still didn't work (though it could be the CPU is already shot). I'm not even sure if AMD will let me RMA again but I'm at wits end because I've been without a PC since December now and something isn't working although all parts appear to be working. I will RMA the new power supply but I feel like it's more on a hope and a prayer since all signs say it's working fine.
 
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diellur

diellur

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I can understand your frustration...there is no magic box that will identify a PC component fault with 100% accuracy. Interesting that you have a new PSU and still have issues. I'd look at keeping your PC plugged into a surge protector (if you don't already) and double-checking your case for potential shorts. But if you can, and it's got bad airflow, replacing it can't hurt.

My PSU still worked, even though it was a danger to anything it was plugged into. I'd definitely RMA that. I'd also try and RMA the CPU...you can only ask. Motherboard too, RAM...in fact, although it's a pain, RMA everything that might be an issue. Then once you have your bits back together, build your system. Use an anti-static strap, just in case! I'm assuming you know how to build a system, but perhaps check a couple of videos on Youtube just in case there's something you're missing in the process, too. :)
 
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xelestial

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One of these days, I bet you we will have that magic box. And parts that aren't so sensitive, for sure. But, until that day, yeah I guess I'm stuck RMA'ing parts. I'll be RMA'ing the PSU and at least asking AMD for an RMA asap. I think I'll wait on the motherboard though - 75% of the time I get a DOA mobo and I at least know this one was working for a week.

I WILL test my next CPU (which I have learned a lot about not screwing up haha) with my old mobo though, which was working fine - I just upgraded it. And possibly my old PSU since that was also working fine (possibly) but I upgraded, if the new one takes too long. So now it'll be the waiting game for the next two weeks, but I do want to thank you for all your guidance and suggestions. I'm going to leave this thread open and come back and update when I get my new parts so that if anyone ever goes through the same crap I have, they'll have an idea of what the symptoms are.
 
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xelestial

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Ended up being that the mobo was killing CPUs. No idea how but I tested my old mobo and a rma cpu and it's worked ever since.
 
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