Oh pls help! New build - how do I get video??

[network23]

Built a system today using ECS NFORCE4-A939 motherboard (no onboard video ports) and an XFX GeForce 7600GT that has 2 DVI and 1 HD ports.

I am assuming that I am getting no video because the MB is expecting VGA? Regardless, I turn it on and it appears to want to start (fans spin, HD spins up) but no video of any kind.

So now I am stuck because I cannot see BIOS or make any changes to switch to DVI or disable the onboard video.

Any help please?

thank you so much!

 

[DragonDoc]

Built a system today using ECS NFORCE4-A939 motherboard (no onboard video ports) and an XFX GeForce 7600GT that has 2 DVI and 1 HD ports.

I am assuming that I am getting no video because the MB is expecting VGA? Regardless, I turn it on and it appears to want to start (fans spin, HD spins up) but no video of any kind.

So now I am stuck because I cannot see BIOS or make any changes to switch to DVI or disable the onboard video.

Any help please?

thank you so much!

Does the hard drive light stay on?

Does your video card need power from the PSU?

Do you have the 4-pin power connector installed on the motherboard?

 

[michaelahess]

uhm....

(no onboard video ports)

and then

to switch to DVI or disable the onboard video

I'm too lazy to double check, does it have video on board or not? If it does have integrated video, see if there is a jumper that needs to be moved to disable it. Also if the machine is going to boot fine anyway, you should get the usual post post beep, do you hear that? If not it's something else like the 4pin power that was mentioned.

 

[network23]

DragonDoc,

HD light:
I've since taken this rig to the minimal level. MB outside the case, proc and fan, 1 stick of RAM, and the videocard. The HD light cable is currently too far away to connect to the MB right now.

No, the 7600GT does not need power from PSU.

Which 4-pin power connector are you referring to?

Michaelahess,

Sorry if I wasn't clear. The MB has NO video ports whatsoever. I had thought, since it was an NFORCE board, that it had integrated video, but I guess it does not. I could not find any mention of the MB having integrated video, nor is there any mention of a jumper to disable it. Also, my case does not have an internal speaker, so I can't say about the POST beep.

And again, not sure what the reference to the 4-pin power is.

=========================

I did see in a review that the BIOS defaults to sending video to a PCI slot, rather than the PCI-E slot, though someone in a later review discounted that.

 

[DragonDoc]

Which 4-pin power connector are you referring to?

You should have a 4-pin connector from the PSU and that goes to a 4-port connector around your CPU on the motherboard. That little 4-pin power connector provides power to the CPU from the PSU. If thats not pluged in then you have everything working except for the CPU (even the CPU fan will work).

Does you power supply have the 4-pin connector?

Look at the image below - only the 4-pin
http://www.xpcgear.com/p412volt.html

 

[Covered_in_bees]

Another thing to check if you have a dual core cpu is the BIOS revision on your motherboard. Some motherboards require a BIOS update to support dual core cpu's (1.1f and 1.1g seem to support dual core according to the ECS website, so check if it's one of these).

Could you provide details on the other components used.

 

[network23]

No, I don't think there is a 4-pin connector. The previous motherboard I had did not have one, and this MB did not come with a cable looking like the pic.

All that connects the PSU to the MB is the main 20-pin power supply connector cable.

===============

I did some more testing...I had previously thought I wasn't hearing POST signals because my case had no internal speaker. Turns out it does, and this MB even has a speaker built-in, yet I was not getting any POST, even when I started it up with no RAM. So I am guessing the MB is bad and it is being shipped back for replacement...

...unless someone can tell me with absolute certainty that this MB needs that 4-pin cable, which was not included in the MB box, nor mentioned in the "included accessories" part of the manual, nor mentioned anywhere in the installation manual that I could see.

 

[network23]

Re: lack of 4-pin...

Maybe this is why? I looked at the box my PSU came in and it has the 4-pin cable you described and calls it a "4-pin Intel Pentium 4 Motherboard Power Cable". Both my old and this new MB are AMD.

Would that be why I haven't/don't need it? Is that needed only by Intel motherboards?

 

[Covered_in_bees]

I've had a look at the layout of your motherboard, and it does require the square 4-pin connector (12V).

The connector is located right in the corner next to the back panel connectors.

The link shown previously was to show you what the connector looked like - the actual cable shown just converts the standard 4-pin molex to the square 4-pin connector.

Your PSU should have the square 4-pin connector. If not (and that would be very unusual), then you will need to buy one of those cables.

The motherboard will not boot without that connector - it supplies additional 12V to the cpu

 

[network23]

Heh. Looked at the manual online. Found the 4-pin connector up near the PS/2 port. Gonna go grab it from the shipper and try again...

thanks!!!

 

[DragonDoc]

Heh. Looked at the manual online. Found the 4-pin connector up near the PS/2 port. Gonna go grab it from the shipper and try again...

thanks!!!

You should use a PSU with the 4-pin connector. You might want to get a new PSU that has the 4-pin connector.

 

[network23]

My PSU does have a 4-pin. I just never used it with my old MB, kept it in the box with the other cables, and so did not think of it.

Plus, this is only the 3rd computer I've built.

Anyway, its running now, quite nicely. Windows installed and upgrading everything now.

Thanks so much for your help! You really saved the day!

 

[DragonDoc]

No problem - I'm glad to here that worked. I have built over 400 systems and little things like that still come up even now. I just went through a simular issue the last couple of days myself. That's what these forums are for; to seek answers, learn and share. Take care and good luck on the next one!