No video with PC.

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Z

Zuckerton

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Apr 28, 2013
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So this is the first PC I attempted to build. Here are my components:

Motherboard: Sabertooth X79 ($220)
CPU: Intel Core i7-3820 130w ($300)
GPU: EVGA NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660 2GB GDDR5 ($220)
PSU: 550W ATX ($15)
RAM: G.Skill Ripjaws 16gb kit [2x8gb] ($110)
CPU Cooler: CORSAIR Hydro Series H100 ($76)
Primary Hard Drive: Samsung 120gb SSD ($100)
Secondary HDD: Western Digital 2tb HDD ($70)
Optical Drive: LG Bluray Reader/DVD writer ($60)
Case: NZXT Gamma 001BK ($30)

$1200 is a little much to spend on a computer that doesn't even start up.

I'm having an issue which cannot be fixed by means that others have suggested. My issue is that I get no video when I power up my PC.

All the fans kick on, the LEDs come on, The light for the RAM isn't steady (which would indicate incompatible RAM), the Corsair powers on, the fan in the EVGA spins everything looks as it should...except no video.

I hear people constantly say to use the integrated video chip set, the issue? Sabertooth X79 DOESN'T HAVE ONE! It needs a GPU in order to display anything.

I thought maybe I needed to update the BIOS, but when I go to download the BIOS update, it asks me which Operating System I have. Well, I DON'T have an operating system because I can't see the screen to install an Operating System.

I have switched the socket the card was in, I have switched the Ram slots (even doing 1 at a time), I've had the board taken completely out of the case and put together one piece at a time, still nothing.

I don't know if I need to download the drivers for the card, but I wouldn't be able to do it anyway because I have no display.

The PSU I bought is a no name brand, I thought that maybe it doesn't have enough power. Though the PSU is 550W, I saw on the case of the EVGA that it needs at least 450W with a minimum of 24Amps on the +12 rail. The PSU I have says "Output voltage +3.3V 38A, +5V 34A, +12V 22A, -12V 0.8A, +5VSB 2A" is 22 how many amps is on the +12?

So, with all the other stuff it has to power on, is it possible that the PSU doesn't have enough power?

Just an FYI, the case sucks (but it was cheap and would likely be too much of a hassle to return), I had to put the H100 in crooked in order to get it stable, the PSU is on the bottom, but the way the motherboard goes in causes the 6-pin power socket to be at the top, I had to connect an extension. The power switch didn't work, I ended up having to cut the Power-On wire and ground it out so that the computer powers on when the PSU does. I don't believe this would be the cause of the video not appearing though.
 
Solution
D
A bad CPU is extremely unlikely. It looks like you have done all the other troubleshooting like testing the RAM 1 stick at a time in different slots. Try clearing CMOS either with the jumper on the board or by removing the battery for 5 minutes.

Here is our 'no boot' checklist. If clearing CMOS does not help try this step by step. It will rule out something small.

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/261145-31-perform-steps-posting-boot-video-problems
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D

Deleted member 217926

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Please tell me you didn't put a $15 power supply in an X79 build.........The power supply is the single most important part of your computer. Without stable, clean power you will not have a stable computer and you can even damage your motherboard and video card by using a cheap power supply with high ripple and noise. X79 is not a budget platform.

I hope you did not build that as a gaming PC either but that's another issue. And you are underperforming by not using 4 matched sticks of RAM required for quad channel to work.
 
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Z

Zuckerton

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Apr 28, 2013
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So are you saying that I'm not getting video because I don't have 2 more sticks of RAM? 16gb should be plenty, there have been those that have powered it on with 4gb.

I'm not worried about "under-preforming", I'm concerned with functionality. The price of the PSU isn't the concern, the concern is how well it preforms. It powers up everything, my question is:

Is it enough? If it's got enough power, then how much I paid for it shouldn't be a concern.

What's wrong with my set up as a gaming PC?
 
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Deleted member 217926

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No you are just taking a performance hit from not running 4 sticks of RAM. X79 does not have dual channel it has quad channel meaning 4 DIMMS have to be occupied to run in quad channel mode. This is crippling somewhere around 10% of your overall performance.

The price of the power supply is the concern since with computer parts like with anything you get what you pay for. Get a decent power supply and unless that one has damaged something you will have video.

X79 is for people wanting workstation power in a desktop or gamers wanting to run multi thousand dollar GPU setups. Like 4 x GTX Titans. The only advantage over LGA 1155 in gaming is the PCI-E lanes. It has support for 4 x PCI-E slots at full X16 speeds.

The 3820 is a Sandy Bridge architecture chip and actually slower clock for clock than an LGA 1155 3xxx series chip would be. I never understood why they released a quad for X79 as the other main benefit is the 6 core chips available for it. For much less money a Z77 with an i5 3750K would have bee a much better setup for gaming leaving you with extra money for a better GPU.

The rule of thumb for a gaming computer is to spend twice as much on the GPU as on the CPU.

Power supplies that are worth having. Corsair, Seasonic, PC Power and Cooling, XFX, Silverstone, Enermax, OCZ, Antec and the higher efficiency Rosewill units.
 
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Z

Zuckerton

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Apr 28, 2013
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I get what you're saying with that, but what I meant was that I didn't buy this from a company, per-say, I got it from my neighbor who used to own a computer shop. I bought it a while ago and it wasn't something I purchased specifically for this build, I just had it and thought I'd give it a shot.

But this still doesn't answer the question of whether or not this is the issue.
 
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M

mo

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Apr 7, 2004
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Its not easy to pinpoint the exact issue of why you are not getting video from your setup over a forum thread. It could be due to a number of things. The most likely are a faulty PSU or a faulty GPU. Seeing as you said your psu is a no brand psu, I would think thats your cause. Best to try and boot your computer with a different psu if the problem persists a different gpu and see if it works. As this is your first build, a word of advise is to never skimp on a psu. A cheap psu will in most cases not only not provide as much power as advertised but can also potentially fry other components in your computer.
 
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Deleted member 217926

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Very likely the power supply as I stated above. A modern computer pulls almost all the power it needs from the 12v rail. Any quality power supply will provide almost all of it's power there. Yours has a 22a 12v rail meaning it's making 264 watts. So if that power supply was labeled correctly it would be 300 watts at most. You only need a 450-500w power supply with that GTX 660. Get one of the brands I listed above.

Also get a case that will allow you to mount your H100 correctly. And don't ever use a $15 power supply for anything that does not run Windows 98! :vip:
 
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Z

Zuckerton

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Apr 28, 2013
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10,530


Well, I just bought a Corsair TX750W, just have to wait for it to arrive and see if that solves the issue

And I fully intend on getting a new case, once I find one that I like and that fits the H100. That'll, of course, be after I get the thing working.
 
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Z

Zuckerton

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Apr 28, 2013
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Yes, I do intend on upgrading to two GPUs in the future. Possibly the near future, once I get a few other things paid off.

Plus, the 750 I found was cheaper than the 500s I was finding.

Thanks for the help, will post back to update on if this fixed the issue.
 
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Z

Zuckerton

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Apr 28, 2013
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Just got the 750W in today and still have no video. I don't know what the issue could be unless there is something wrong with the Motherboard itself...or the CPU, but both are new, so I'm at a loss at the moment.
 
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D

Deleted member 217926

Guest
A bad CPU is extremely unlikely. It looks like you have done all the other troubleshooting like testing the RAM 1 stick at a time in different slots. Try clearing CMOS either with the jumper on the board or by removing the battery for 5 minutes.

Here is our 'no boot' checklist. If clearing CMOS does not help try this step by step. It will rule out something small.

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/261145-31-perform-steps-posting-boot-video-problems
 
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Solution
Z

Zuckerton

Honorable
Apr 28, 2013
37
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10,530


Thanks for the help, trying to figure this out has been a real pain and is causing me to lose sleep, which isn't good for an overnight job, haha.

I'm doing all of this out of the case, I don't want to put it back IN the case until I have it working. I'm working on a nonconducting surface as well.

I was turning this on using a jumper that I had placed in the Power-on and ground of the PSU. I connected the power switch from the Case and it doesn't power on using the button, but it'll power on when I place the jumper through the back of the 24-pin connector.

And I noticed the CLRTC pins next to the power pins. Does there have to be a connector put on those before it'll power on using the button or is that strictly for resetting the CMOS?

Also, I noticed the CPU light was red, but I'm not getting any blinking from the DRAM_LEDs. Is the CPU light SUPPOSED to stay red?

I'm not sure if any of these would have to do with me not getting video.
 
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Deleted member 217926

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Great. Glad you got it figured out. Ending up with a power supply that will not damage the system is not a bad thing either!
 
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Z

Zuckerton

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Apr 28, 2013
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10,530


Absolutely not! Thanks for the help, had you not mentioned resetting the BIOS, I never would've noticed the missing jumper. Now I just need to get a new case as the one I have now doesn't fit the cooler nor does it fit the graphics card.

When I put the card in, the bracket hits where I'm supposed to screw it in at, but the card isn't fully put in.

But the computer runs superbly.
 
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