Serious problem with Asus A7V133

[Guest]

Hi there,

I've just bought a new mobo Asus A7V133 with an Athlon 1G.
When I first mounted them in my tower, I pushed the button, and the thing started to run fine...until I had to switch off.
After that, when I pushed the power button, sometimes the PC would turn on, sometimes not !! And most often, it wouldn't.
I checked every connection, all is correct. Then, I unmounted all parts from the mobo and remount them one by one. The pb even happened when the mobo was only connected to the ATX power supply !!
I don't think it's my PS (300W), as it works perfectly with my ancient (!!) Asus P3BF.

Of course, I brought the whole thing back to my retailer, but he couldn't reproduce the thing, though I don't think he worked enough on it (10minutes is a max !)

Could the mobo be faulty ? Has anyone had such a trouble ?
Thanks for ur helps guys

zentrad

 

[tartarhus]

I would be more doubtful of your power supply. Faster AMD processors are known to have problems with some power supplies. Check to make sure your power supply is approved before you fuss with your mobo setup.

 

[Guest]

The trouble also happened when there was nothing on the mobo, that is no SDRAM, no CPU, no daughter board : the mobo was only connected to the 300W PS.

Does the mobo alone need a PS more powerful than 300W ?!

 

[kal326]

I dont think the board will operate without ram or cpu. I would leave the ram and cpu in and try.

"You're just a heartless computer" <font color=red>"That is correct. What is the problem?" Z.O.E.</font color=red>

 

[Guest]

Although the board wouldn't do anything but swith on, this can be done perfectly without cpu nor ram (i've done it many times)

 

[stable]

What are the Power Supply specifics? Brand & Model? Does it have an ATX power switch on it? Our experience is that some (like the Antec PP303X which is approved for AMD by the way) can be a real problem with the AMD platform. We've seen this problem, and my favorite (not) when the thing WON'T shut down but rather continuously reboot the system. With some of these, you have to pull the power cord to get it to startup/shutdown correctly. And then, the whole problem just repeats the next time you cycle the power via the case switch. Keep in mind that while your PS might work fine on the Intel platform, that doesn't necessarily mean that it will perform the same with the AMD's. If it turns out to be your power supply, spring the extra money for something like an Enermax EG-365P-VE that will work with ANYTHING. That way you never have to worry again.

Steve Benoit

Stable Technologies
'The way IT should be!'

 

[Guest]

Thanks for ur reply, I now better understand the first reply I had on this matter.

The brand of my PS is Arroawa (if I remember well). It has a power switch just over the plug.

However, what I don't understand is in what way the PS and the mobo (alone) could be incompatible ? I mean, all that is done when the power button is pushed is short-circuit 2 pins, so a current loop is closed on the mobo, then it is detected by the PS so it can start powering the mobo. Am I right ?
Can you give me more explanations (if possible) ?
U know, this pb really is driving me nuts for almost 2 weeks, so u may understand.

Thanks a lot

zentrad

 

[stable]

Actually, there is a tad more to it than that. The relationship between the MB and PS can have several things being monitored and controlled in either 1-way (managed by ONLY the PS OR the MB) and 2-way relationships (managed by the PS OR MB OR BOTH). As an example, fan controls (2-way) and circuit detections for "If/Then" scenarios (i.e. Over Voltage and short circuit protection which are 1-way).

In the case of the AMD based motherboards the big factors are fan controls (in which case motherboard/bios settings need to be set for proper operation) and for both the AMD/NEW Intel platforms +5vSB capabilities. If your PS can't produce AT LEAST 2.0+ Amps on the +5vSB you are likely to have problems with USB function/devices and Wake-On XXX functions. Additionally, automated power down/power up modes may not function properly.

The ATX Connector does interface switched power control; however, the motherboard may have ideas of its own regarding how to control power and function. (IE. how your MB manages reset and power switch connections, not to mention power supply thermal sensors, standby power modes, etc...)

This is why we generally recommend only top of the line power supplies like the Enermax described in my previous message. That particular unit not only comes with the standard drive connections (8 regular & 2 floppy), but also a 6-pin AUX connector (Pentium 4), a 4-pin +12V power connector (Pentium 4) and a 3-pin Fan Monitor Connector. We also love the fact that they wrap the ATX power wires into a harness and the cords are a whopping 27" long. To top everything off, it has the AMD Thermal Protection with properly mounted dual fans that are extremely quiet as well as a 2.2Amp +5vSB.

While some people say the cords are too long, we like them that way because in mid-towers we can re-route (and thus HIDE) the power wires, and in full-towers, no cables have to be "stretched" to reach anything as they are still neatly tucked around the case. In our minds, longer is always better. Our techs also really love the wrapped ATX power wires as it makes the harness much easier to work with, never mind neat.

Steve Benoit


Stable Technologies
'The way IT should be!'

 

[phsstpok]

Stable, more good information as, always.

I am a little disturbed about one thing you mentioned. Can you describe the kind issues, USB or other, one might have regarding an under supplied +5Vsb line. I ask because I just purchased an Enermax EG351P-VE and the rating on that line is only 1.8 amps. I loved this power supply (until now).

At this time the only USB device I have is a Web camera which I never use so I have no immediate problems. I do wish to know what may lie ahead.

Thanks.

<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by phsstpok on 04/12/01 02:08 PM.</EM></FONT></P>

 

[NickM]

Quote:
Originally posted by stable : <b>…PS can't produce AT LEAST 2.0+ Amps on the +5vSB….</b>

Can anybody explain me this 2.0+Amps on +5vSB?
I can read following data from various ATX Power Supplies Output rating:
---------------------------------------------------------
Specified Output Wattage ... 235W / 275W / 300W / 400W
Output Current (Amps):
+5V................................. 22.0 / 30.0 / 30.0 / 30.0
--------------------------------------------------------
In case of the 300W model maximum combined output for the
+3V and +5V signals comes out of 150W.

We know, simple Watts=Volts x Amps.

In most cases a minimum <b>load</b> of 2.0 to 4.0 Amp is considered acceptable. But Power Supply Output is significantly higher.
?

 

[Guest]

Check your VIA chip. Is it a KT133A or KT133. KT133A supports 266 FSB and the KT133 only supports 200 FSB. Since your chip is a 266, that could be your problem.

Al F.

 

[Guest]

My chipset is a KT133A, thus supporting 266MHz FSB.

Thanks

 

[NickM]

OK, zentrad, you think that your PS (300W) is OK, “as it works perfectly with my ancient (!!) Asus P3BF.�
It looks like you don’t want to think about power supply quality in general, and pay attention to power output rating only, asking, “Does the mobo alone need a PS more powerful than 300W ?!�
The answer is NO. The quality of your power supply is more important.
Then you said, “I brought the whole thing back to my retailer, but he couldn't reproduce the thing…�
“Could the mobo be faulty ? Has anyone had such a trouble ?�, you ask.
The answer is not likely. Your retailer showed you that the motherboard is working on another power supply.

I agree with stable’s concern about the power supply and that it might be the problem (but I still don’t understand that “…produce AT LEAST 2.0+ Amps on the +5vSB..�, no answer so far…, but never mind).
I’ve already answered previously to: amcc, that
It's very common when a poorly designed power supply (improper Power_Good signal on 5V) can kill a BIOS
after a new, more advanced motherboard or CPU has been installed. From my computer depot experience it is possible when a batch of hundreds power supplies delivered, and no one from that shipment and that supplier is good for a new motherboard.
Again, I'm talking not about only old, but also new power supplies, that work just fine with some motherboards/processors and fail to power others. Some power supplies do not have proper Power_Good circuitry (0.1-0.5 sec timing). Some motherboards are more sensitive to an improperly designed or improperly functioning Power_Good signal than others. Startup problems are often the result of improper Power_Good signal timing. This happens sometimes when a motherboard replaced in a system and the system intermittently failed to start properly after the power turned on.
This could be very difficult to diagnose, because the problem appeared to be caused by the new motherboard. In this case<b> replacing the power supply with a high-qualityone (what Steve Benoit recommends), is the proper solution. </b>

 

[Guest]

OK guys, here's what happened this week-end.

Brought back my mobo to my retailer, and have it replaced.
I thought, during the whole day, that it was ok and that the first mobo was indeed faulty. The thing worked fine until 15min before I go to bed...That is when it decided to show me that I was wrong : when the system shut down, I couldn't switch the PC on, just like before.
After that, a friend lent me anoter PS...with which I had no problem (got it on and off about 30 times, no pb at all).

Today, I will go and buy an Enermax (if can find any).

Thanks guys
zentrad