Home Build Freezes Before POST or Shortly Afterwards

1. Did you carefully read the motherboard owners manual?

Mostly.

2. Did you plug in the 4/8-pin CPU power connector located near the CPU socket? If the motherboard has 8 pins and your PSU only has 4 pins, you can use the 4-pin connector. The 4-pin connector USUALLY goes on the 4 pins located closest to the CPU. If the motherboard has an 8-pin connector with a cover over 4 pins, you can remove the cover and use an 8-pin plug if your power supply has one. This power connector provides power to the CPU. Your system has no chance of posting without this connector plugged in! Check your motherboard owners manual for more information about the CPU power connector. The CPU power connector is usually referred to as the "12v ATX" connector in the owners manual. This is easily the most common new-builder mistake.

Yes.

3. Did you install the standoffs under the motherboard? Did you place them so they all align with the screw holes in the motherboard, with no extra standoffs touching the board in the wrong place? A standoff installed in the wrong place can cause a short and prevent the system from booting.

Yes, before. But now it's Breadboarded.

4. Did you verify that the video card is fully seated? (may require more force than a new builder expects.)

Yes.

5. Did you attach all the required power connector(s) to the video card? (some need two, some need none, many need one.)

Yes.

6. Have you tried booting with just one stick of RAM installed? (Try each stick of RAM individually in each RAM slot.) If you can get the system to boot with a single stick of RAM, you should manually set the RAM speed, timings, and voltage to the manufacturers specs in the BIOS before attempting to boot with all sticks of RAM installed. Nearly all motherboards default to the standard RAM voltage (1.8v for DDR2 & 1.5v for DDR3). If your RAM is rated to run at a voltage other than the standard voltage, the motherboard will underclock the RAM for compatibility reasons. If you want the system to be stable and to run the RAM at its rated specs, you should manually set those values in the BIOS. Many boards don't supply the RAM with enough voltage when using "auto" settings causing stability issues.

I only have 1 stick of DDR3 RAM.

7. Did you verify that all memory modules are fully inserted? (may require more force than a new builder expects.) It's a good idea to install the RAM on the motherboard before it's in the case.

Yes.

8. Did you verify in the owners manual that you're using the correct RAM slots? Many i7 motherboards require RAM to be installed in the slots starting with the one further away from the CPU which is the opposite of many dual channel motherboards.

There was nothing about this in the documentation, though I have tried multiple RAM slots.

9. Did you remove the plastic guard over the CPU socket? (this actually comes up occasionally.)

Yes.

10. Did you install the CPU correctly? There will be an arrow on the CPU that needs to line up with an arrow on the motherboard CPU socket. Be sure to pay special attention to that section of the manual!

http://www.intel.com/cd/channel/reseller/asmo-na/eng/29...

Yes. I have removed, inspected, and reseated the CPU as well.

11. Are there any bent pins on the motherboard/CPU? This especially applies if you tried to install the CPU with the plastic cover on or with the CPU facing the wrong direction.

No.

12. If using an after market CPU cooler, did you get any thermal paste on the motherboard, CPU socket, or CPU pins? Did you use the smallest amount you could? Here's a few links that may help:

I don't believe so, though I used slightly excess thermal paste, it may have gotten somewhere it shouldn't have? Can a tiny amount of thermal paste in the wrong place cause such a problem? I can try to clean the CPU pins and socket.

13. Is the CPU fan plugged in? Some motherboards will not boot without detecting that the CPU fan is plugged in to prevent burning up the CPU.

Tried with and without, seems to make no difference.

15. Are any loose screws laying on the motherboard, or jammed against it? Are there any wires run directly under the motherboard? You should not run wires under the motherboard since the soldered wires on the underside of the motherboard can cut into the insulation on the wires and cause a short. Some cases have space to run wires on the back side of the motherboard tray.

No, currently breadboarded.

16. Did you ensure you discharged all static electricity before touching any of your components? Computer components are very sensitive to static electricity. It takes much less voltage than you can see or feel to damage components. You should implement some best practices to reduce the probability of damaging components. These practices should include either wearing an anti-static wrist strap or always touching a metal part of the case with the power supply installed and plugged in, but NOT turned on. You should avoid building or working on a computer on carpet. Working on a smooth surface is the best if at all possible. You should also keep fluffy the cat, children, and fido away from computer components.

Computer was assembled on linoleum floor with anti-static bracelet.

17. Did you install the system speaker (if provided) so you can check beep-codes in the manual? A system speaker is NOT the same as normal speakers that plug into the back of the motherboard. A system speaker plugs into a header on the motherboard that's usually located near the front panel connectors. The system speaker is a critical component when trying to troubleshoot system problems. You are flying blind without a system speaker. If your case or motherboard didn't come with a system speaker you can buy one for cheap here: http://www.cwc-group.com/casp.html

Yes.

18. Did you read the instructions in the manual on how to properly connect the front panel plugs? (Power switch, power led, reset switch, HD activity led) Polarity does not matter with the power and reset switches. If power or drive activity LED's do not come on, reverse the connections. For troubleshooting purposes, disconnect the reset switch. If it's shorted, the machine either will not POST at all, or it will endlessly reboot.

Yes.

19. Did you turn on the power supply switch located on the back of the PSU? Is the power plug on a switch? If it is, is the switch turned on? Is there a GFI circuit on the plug-in? If there is, make sure it isn't tripped. You should also make sure the power cord isn't causing the problem. Try swapping it for a known good cord if you have one available.

Yes. I've swapped cords.

20. Is your CPU supported by the BIOS revision installed on your motherboard? Most motherboards will post a CPU compatibility list on their website.

Most likely?

21. Have you tried resetting the CMOS? The motherboard manual will have instructions for your particular board.

http://www.spotht.com/2010/02/reset-bios-clear-cmos.htm...

Haven't tried this, but I will if it might help.

22. If you have integrated video and a video card, try the integrated video port. Resetting the bios, can make it default back to the onboard video.

None.

23. Make certain all cables and components including RAM and expansion cards are tight within their sockets. Here's a thread where that was the cause of the problem.

Everything seems correctly attached.

So according to that list I could try resetting the CMOS and inspecting the CPU pins and socket with a magnifying glass or something to see if there is any foreign material.

Removed and re-inserted MOBO battery, symptoms seem to be the same. It looks like I can get into the BIOS configuration about 10% of the time. Once I'm in though it takes a while to freeze.

So you're telling me it is 100% for sure the power supply? I have $100 dollars to my name, so I'd really like to be sure the one part I can afford is the right one.

I see. Really I don't trust any of the parts. And no I wish I had another system with which to test. But if both of you think it's probably the PSU not the mobo I guess Ill just buy another PSU? I would just think there was something more to do or test without resorting to that, especially with the BIOS at our disposal. And I know a PSU tester is by no means a foolproof method of proving the PSU is working or not, but all tests on all pins are giving a favorable result.

So that's it then? No other ideas? I suppose if there is nothing else Ill buy a new PSU on payday.