In need of help with my first-built desktop

MorsAit · Aug 9, 2014

Hi all.

I recently built a computer with a following specs
Mobo: ASUS Z97-A
CPU: i5-4690K
Cooler: stock CPU cooler
RAM: 2x Corsair Vengeance 4GB (8GB total)
Storage: Samsung EVO 250GB
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 3TB
GPU: Sapphire Radeon R9 290X 4GB GDDR5
PSU: Corsair RM 850
Case: CM Storm Stryker

After I assembled all the components, it would show 'no signal' on my monitor. So I tried a different monitor, same deal. Tried linking it through HDMI to my TV, still no signal. I've first connected everything to my GPU (monitor to GPU, tv to GPU, other monitor to GPU) then I also tried connecting everything to the motherboard (monitor to mobo, tv to mobo, other monitor to mobo).
All these settings gave 'no signal'.
Then I started reading all these posts on this forum and countless of other forums and nothing has helped me so far. I have tried the jumpers, pulling out the battery and waiting 15sec before putting it back in, making sure the mobo is in no contact with the case and all.
This has been going on for two days now so I decided to ask if my case is any different.

So I have stripped it down to the bare mobo, including only: CPU + stock cooler, 2x Corsair RAM sticks, 24-pin ATX for mobo, 8-pin ATX for CPU.

When I start the system like this, the CPU fan will spin briefly (as if just starting up), then its led will turn red, then GPU led will turn red(no graphics card so I assume this is normal), and then DRAM_led will turn red(with the 2 ram sticks in positions 1 and 3 starting from the right side). This will take about 2 seconds, then the fan will stop spinning (as if the system is shut down) and then it will automatically turn itself back on, repeating the cycle of on and off. During this, my Corsair RM850 PSU will make a single 'click' each time the CPU_led turns red, so basically every time it shuts itself down and turns itself on, the PSU will make a single click.

Then I unplugged the 8-pin ATX for the CPU (I didn't know at the time I was randomly doing something) and turned out that all leds were green, and the CPU fan kept spinning as if it was booting like a regular system. But this would still show as 'no signal'.

I personally think the mobo and/or graphics card is malfunctioning, but I had just purchased these a couple days ago and they were freshly delivered to me so I'm not entirely too sure on that.

Does anyone have any kind of idea or anything? I'm truly clueless.

Thanks in advance.

bambiboom · Aug 9, 2014

MorsAit,

I'm not fully clued either but you might consider a process of elimination.

1. Verify that the RAM is approved for use with the ASUS Z97-A . Go to the ASUS "approved vendors" list on their site.

2. It reads as though you may have done this, but try starting without the GPU installed- I think - not sure- that BIOS will detect the card and try to use it as primary- and connect the monitor so as to use integrated graphics (HD4600). If this will get the display running, being able to access error codes and BIOS could allow everything to be solved.

3. Try the R9 290X in another system

4. Try a different GPU in the new system

5. Check all electrical connections. If the CPU fan stops running continuously, the shutdowns may be thermal. Of course, the fan shutdown may not be electrical connection.

6. Check all mechanical settings / configurations

7. There is of course a chance of MB problems, and I think getting the display working to be able to see error codes may be a good approach to answering that question. Have a look at the Reviews tab on the ASUS board on Newegg:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813132118

> as it seems some of the complaints are similar to yours- notice comments concerning: GPU slots and DIMM slots not working, will not power up, red LED's. The CPU fan running continuously with the CPU not powered but with green LEDs may suggest MB troubles.

Good luck! Let us know what happens.

Cheers,

BambiBoom

HP z420 (2014) > Xeon E5-1620 quad core @ 3.6 / 3.8GHz > 24GB ECC 1600 RAM > Quadro 4000 (2GB)> Samsung 840 SSD 250GB /Western Digital Black WD1003FZEX 1TB> M-Audio 192 sound card > AE3000 USB WiFi > HP 2711X, 27" 1920 X 1080 > Windows 7 Ultimate 64 >[Passmark system rating = 3923, 2D= 839 / 3D=2048]

Dell Precision T5400 (2008) > 2X Xeon X5460 quad core @3.16GHz > 16GB ECC 667> Quadro FX 4800 (1.5GB) > WD RE4 500GB / Seagate Barracuda 500GB > M-Audio 2496 Sound Card / Linksys 600N WiFi > Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit >[Passmark system rating = 1859, CPU = 8528 / 2D= 512 / 3D=1097]

2D, 3D CAD, Image Processing, Rendering, Text > Architecture, industrial design, graphic design, written projects

MorsAit · Aug 10, 2014

First of all, thanks for the reply and sorry of my delay.

1. RAM is approved according to the manual. I did, however, buy 2 single cards at the same store so not exactly a kit.

2. Yeah I've done that multiple times, linking both the monitors as the tv(through hdmi) and nothing worked. It keeps saying 'no signal' regardless, and depending on whether or not I plug in the 8-pin CPU power connector, I get red lights all over. (If I don't it in, I only have a red light sayign I don't have a GPU, if I do lug it in I get red lights on my CPU, DRAM, and GPU)

3. Sadly I don't have another system(well I do, but it's an old motherboard with an ancient CPU so didn't really want to risk damaging anything)

4. Different GPU(Nvidia GeForce Q9500) GS in older system seems to work just fine.

5. The thing is, the CPU fan 'jolts' into action. When I press on, it's like, it moves for a milisecond, then stops, then starts spinning. Not sure about the thermal shut down because when it starts spinning, depending on my 8pin CPU cable it'll either keep spinning or reboot itself every 2 sec orso (if I plug in the cable it will reboot, without the cable it keeps spinning.)

6. I tried the 'jumper' thing, but I set it back to default position. I also pulled out the battery for 15seconds, placed it back in. I checked the onboard switches as well, everything was in 'disabled' (default mode per manual).

7. Yeah I'm leaning towards either MB or GPU problems. But I'm not 100% sure about the MB because it kinda works, the lights turn on, the fan spins, even if I plug in my GPU its fan will spin too.

I've been reading another set of posts and threads on various places on the internet, they all talk about bent pins being the cause of their problem, but mine are all intact. No one ever told me building one would be such a strain, I always imagined it'd be much like Lego

bambiboom · Aug 10, 2014

MorsAit,

Sorry you're still having the troubles.

I'm not sure I understand the comment about the Geforce 9500- are you saying that the 9500 worked in the new system? If so, that seems to further point to the motherboard.

Also, does Integrated Graphics make a peep?

It seems to me that you've made good component choices and have been methodical in checking each subsystem. If/ since the display has never been working in order to check error codes and/ or fuss with BIOS, the best alternative probably would be to return the MB to ASUS for testing.

Yea, PC's should be easy by now, but as the hardware becomes higher performance and more specialized there are more settings and places to go wrong. I never wanted to learn about computers, except how to get work done, but almost constant problems with the 8 systems since 1993 (and curse you Windows 95!) forced me to get under the hood and fix it- it's like owning a British sports car of the 50's- every owner became a mechanic. On the other side- but just as frustrating, a lot of problems I encountered were a few simple settings.

Let me know how you get on.

Cheers,

BambiBoom

MorsAit · Aug 11, 2014

Sorry I wasn't as clear.

I meant I tried the Nvidia card in my newly bought system, and it showed a display.

But I have 2 updates from yesterday:

Update1: All of the sudden, yesterday morning, the display did pop up and the pc started like any other. I got BIOS, got to install windows, and just be happy about it.
The only thing I changed was instead of 1 and 3 slots(starting from right), I used the ram cards in slots 3 and 4. Basically a gray slot and black slot. While this still showed a red CPU led, everything else worked. The fan still 'jolted' into action, but for once there was no red DRAM led. The Radeon graphics card would work through HDMI on my TV (a friend lend me a monitor, but it turns that it was broken so I couldn't test it on a monitor). The onboard graphics card connected through VGA worked on an older monitor. So all in all it was doing its job.

Update2: Towards the evening, I went to install my HDD(hadn't actually plugged it in before due to lacking a set of brackets, which I used to hold my SSD in place). It used to be in the following order: optical drive, SSD, now it was: optical drive, HDD, SSD.
So being thrilled about this, I started the system again aaaand...nothing would work. No display on tv, no display on my monitor, red leds popped all over again, CPU fan would shut down and turn back on.
For the sake of it, I tried the rams back in same-colored slots, but yeah that didn't work.
So all in all, it had been working in the morning, it suddenly failed to in the evening.

And back when I did have a display, it didn't show any error codes. I did get beeps, was a short and abrupt 'beep' each time the pc would start up (this was with the onboard graphics card and the radeon card).

I'm going to give things another go (don't know which other combinations I can set things in tbh) and see where it takes me.
This will be my first and only build, it's a shame because I heard such great things about the ASUS Z97-A MB.

Thanks for your time still, if nothing works, am returning it tomorrow.

MorsAit · Aug 11, 2014

Oh and update 3:
At times, when I start the system, I'll hear a 'click', the fan will move about 1mm, shut down. This about 3 times before it 'powers up' to start spinning normally. Then without a reason, when I shut down and turn it back on, the fan will shut down once, and then spin normally. It changes every time. This includes that at times DRAM led is red, other times it's not. Sigh.

There are just so many variations of what's going on that it's almost impossible to say if I'm making progress or not.

MorsAit · Aug 11, 2014

Update 4: I finally started hearing more than 1 beep.
It start with a regular 'beep' then followed by a screeching/high-pitched/longer by a milisecond beep.

I couldn't find anywhere what this could mean. Any suggestions?

bambiboom · Aug 11, 2014

MorsAit,

I think that at this point a priest should check for demons!

Just to check, did you populate the RAM according to the diagram/ instructions? In my HP z420- and from comments, modern systems seems to be very particular about the order of RAM placement. There is even a diagram on the inside of the case access door on which slots to use first and where the larger capacity modules should go and so on.

Still, the more I think about it, given the type of intermittent problems- that also change, the more I believe that the motherboard is defective. It very interesting that the system worked briefly but without error messages even when there were red LED's. Possibly defective RAM slots? A slightly broken trace?

In any event, ASUS can thoroughly test the motherboard to rule it out.

As Alice in Wonderland said, "Curioser and curiouser"

Cheers,

BambiBoom

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