Finish it all up, push power and... nothing.

[zeboim]

I'm having a bit of a problem with the system I just built, and I'm honestly stumped. I haven't built a computer in years, and I've forgotten quite a bit of it, but I tried anyways.

My Mobo is an EVGA 680i A1, and the CPU is an E6600. The case is an Antec 900.

I assembled the whole computer as well as I could, connected every power cable I could find, and done everything I could think of (which honestly wasn't a whole lot) then closed it up, plugged it in, flipped on the power. Nothing happened whatsoever, much to my dismay. When the PSU's on, a blue LED on the Mobo (labeled Standby) lights up, so I don't think it's a problem with the PSU being connected to the Mobo. And when I push the power button on the case, an LED near the blue one lights up as well, so I figure that the case is properly connected. But nothing else happens. None of the fans turn on at all, be they on the PSU, case, or CPU. So please, can anybody tell me what's wrong with my computer?

 

[qwertycopter]

Make sure the 4-pin CPU power is plugged in from the PSU to the mobo.

 

[notherdude]

Make sure the 4-pin CPU power is plugged in from the PSU to the mobo.

(sorry, misread the OP)

Yes, agreed, that 4 pin plug is often overlooked

If there is any question about that power switch simply short the switch directly on the mobo with a screwdriver.

 

[zeboim]

The 8-pin CPU power is plugged in (Don't think there's a 4 pin. The 8 pin one was right by the CPU mounting, so I'm assuming we're talking about the same thing) and other ones all seem plugged in as well. And yes, the power switch is plugged into the motherboard, otherwise that orange LED wouldn't turn on when I push it. If it wasn't, it stands to reason that nothing would happen. Really, I can't figure out what the hell is wrong with this thing.

 

[yipsl]

You might have just a simple short because something else isn't hooked up correctly. That has happened to me in the past. If you had a short in the motherboard due to improper installation, then you wouldn't have the ready light, so we can eliminate that.

If you have the light on the motherboard, the CPU fan and the PSU fans are working, then check the connections to your hard drives and optical drives as well as the memory, one stick at a time. If you have onboard graphics, then try that without a discreet card.

It does help to have the case speaker hooked up so you can hear beeps that give you an error code. The whole thing about troubleshooting is one step at a time.

 

[zeboim]

Thanks for the help so far guys. Hopefully I'm getting closer to figuring this out, but so far still no dice.

I have the lights on the motherboard, but the CPU fan and PSU fan are not working. I've connected all the wiring that is coming out from the case that I could find (I seem to have misplaced the manual for the case) but I think all that amounted to was the USB ports for the top, the audio in/out, the power button, reset button, and HDAudio.

 

[yipsl]

Thanks for the help so far guys. Hopefully I'm getting closer to figuring this out, but so far still no dice.

I have the lights on the motherboard, but the CPU fan and PSU fan are not working. I've connected all the wiring that is coming out from the case that I could find (I seem to have misplaced the manual for the case) but I think all that amounted to was the USB ports for the top, the audio in/out, the power button, reset button, and HDAudio.

Edited because I checked that board and there is an 8 pin connector. Here's the picture at Newegg:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ShowImage.aspx?Image=13-188-013-01.jpg%2c13-188-013-02.jpg%2c13-188-013-03.jpg%2c13-188-013-04.jpg%2c13-188-013-05.jpg%2c13-188-013-06.jpg%2c13-188-013-07.jpg%2c13-188-013-08.jpg%2c13-188-013-09.jpg%2c13-188-013-10.jpg&CurImage=13-188-013-03.jpg&Depa=0&Description=EVGA+122-CK-NF68-A1+LGA+775+NVIDIA+nForce+680i+SLI+ATX+Intel+Motherboard+-+Retail

So, just make sure it's connected correctly.

A caveat on the drives. I've not seen shorts with SATA but with IDE, if the ribbon cable isn't attached perfectly, or is upside down and not making a connection because it's twisted wrong (red outside strip on the same side is the right way), then that can lead to a short where no power is provided.

Luckily, there's no way to attach a molex power cable to an IDE drive upside down, that would be disastrous. Also, many new graphics cards need a power connector, but if it's not set in the slot right, you won't even get power to see a message on the monitor.

Check to see that your power supply is set right for your country. In the U.S., if it's set to the other standard, nothing happens, no power. If it's set wrong in Europe, it fries. Most new ones aren't set manually, but who knows about all the OEM stuff out there.

I hated telephone tech support years ago, I usually need to see the board to get an idea what's going on. I've been building PCs with modest success since 1992, but I've made my share of flubs, and have seen worse when friends tried it the first time.

If it was a bad PSU, you wouldn't get a light on the drive, but if it's a DOA motherboard, then you might get the light. I'm not sure about that. Just check your graphics card and any IDE cable connections. Also, make sure the CPU fan power is connected to the usually 3 prong connector on the motherboard.

 

[eric54]

Yo man you need to use the other cpu 8-pin connector. You use the 8-pin to molex and plug it into the auxilary pci express power.

Had the same problem with mine. I have the same mobo as you. If you happent to have an enermax galaxy like i do this will solve your problem.

 

[shoota]

Assuming that you're trying to turn on your pc with the case's power button then make sure the wiring is connected to the motherboard correctly. Usually the ground wire is marked on both the connector and the motherboard. HTH

 

[zeboim]

Well, a friend of mine came over today and we looked it over together. Pulled everything out from the mobo and tried it again, still the PSU fan didn't spin. Nothing else did, as well, including the case fans which pull power direct from the PSU. So, we pretty much concluded that the PSU is indeed fried, despite it giving some power to the mobo. I'm going to take it into a local computer place and have them test it to see if it's bad or not, then probably have to RMA it. Luckily, there's a 3 year warranty on the PSU.

 

[eric54]

WHAT PSU DO YOU HAVE? Enermax galaxy require a minimum load to start up, you will have to use the included 8-pin to molex connector in the auxilary power located next to the 24-pin header.

 

[zeboim]

http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16817341002

 

[eric54]

Okay, well it that case it probably is the PSU. Are you sure you put the power headers on the right pins? The psu wont do a thing until it detects a draw for power, until then it will just sit in standby. Can you show us a picture of your power/reset/hdled headers?

I'll dig through my stuff for the quick connect guide, i'm more certain this is the problem than the psu, since you already mentioned losing the manual.

 

[notherdude]

Luckily, there's no way to attach a molex power cable to an IDE drive upside down

Actually, if you have strong fingers and a powerfull stupidity, you can plug it in upside down and destroy your $200, 200 meg Connor hard rive in the process.

 

[nastymat]

Try disconnecting all the fans from the case from the power supply. Disconnect the HDD and dvd/cd drive. At the very least the machine should fire up like that.. you not boot up but at least you'll get an idea.

I just got an Antec 900 and had one of the fans plugged into the same power line as the HDD and it didn't like it.