Help troubleshooting nForce 650i installation

[velox]

Okay, so I'm completely new to building computers. That being said, I've had some experience in the past updating video cards and RAM and such. So, I bought an entirely new set up (case, mobo, etc.). The motherboard is an NVIDIA nForce 650i SLI, in an Antec Sonata 3 case, with an intel dual core 2.66 gHz processor. I also got a hard drive (SATA 3 gb/s), CD/DVD burner, 2 x 1G DIMM2, nvidia graphics card, etc. I installed everything, plugged it in, and (not too surprisingly) it wouldn't boot. The fans spin, both on the heatsink and on the back panel of the case. Of the only two lights I've seen on the mobo, at the top of the mobo there is a green one, and on the left side is a yellow one (yellow means the board has successfully charged). There is one very long beep when it fails to start up. I've tried looking up troubleshooting info, but I haven't found any that relates to just one long beep.

So, any suggestions on what might be going wrong? It would really help if someone has had this problem before. And no, i didn't rub my feet on the carpet and then touch my processor in that special way. And yes, I used the paste stuff between the heatsink and the processor. And if you don't know what's wrong, what would you do?

 

[MasteR+PinE]

Gday, well done on building yourself, there's a great feeling of satisfaction once it's running.

Couple of things could be going on...

1) Graphics card isn't seated properly. Make sure it's fully pushed in, level and tightly screwed in. Also make sure secondary power is connected.
2) Additional motherboard power connector. Remember that motherboards require a second 4/6/8 pin power connector. Pretty easy to forget if your rushing/new to building PC's.
3) Motherboard is shorting on something. With some designs of the 650i SLI ( looking at you MSI), there is a capacitor placed behind the PCB ( Underneat the CPU). Make sure that's not coming into contact with the case or any mounting points.
4) RAM. Memory should be secure, with the white tabs completely locking the modules in place.

The Sonata III comes with a pretty adequate 500W power supply, so i dont think there will be any undervoltage issues. I've got various quad core systems running in them, they're fine.

Lets hope you havn't accidentally killed something in there.
Good luck.

 

[velox]

Okay, so actually, the problem with the beep was related to the graphics card. My graphics card has a power inlet that was well disguised. So I hooked up an appropriate power cord to it, and the computer turns on without any beeps. Unfortunately, with a monitor plugged in, the monitor doesnt receive a signal. The video card is definitely receiving power, though, cause it has it's own fan that comes on. So, now what do I do? All of the fans turn on, and I can feel the hard drive spin, but I can't get a signal on my monitor. Suggestions?

Also, the CD/DVD burner and keyboard which I have hooked up don't turn on. Is that normal for this step?

Oh, and you were right about the MSI being the motherboard manufacturer. But as far as I can tell, the processor is inserted properly.

 

[jsc]

Try this:

http://www.tomswiki.com/page/Troubleshooting+a+New+Build

 

[MasteR+PinE]

Right, good to know you've got the P6N SLI, it's a great budget motherboard. I've built a few PC's running it, and actually run one myself at the moment.

The only problem i've had with them is them shorting out on the chassis. Make sure you've only used the required amount of motherboard stand-offs and that the motherboard does not come into contact with the case in any way. Also, with the PC connected to mains, and not turned on, try hitting the CMOS reset switch incase, for whatever reason, the BIOS is scrambled. The switch is next to the orange light.

The capacitor that i am talking about on the P6N SLI Plat. is actually behind the motherboard, which is a pain in the arse when installing custom coolers. Try placing some electrical tape on the case where the capacitor would be, just incase it's shorting out.

The THG guide that jsc posted is a good read for anyone new to building PC's.

 

[MasteR+PinE]

Oh, quickly. Although there is a plastic tab covering 2 of the 8 headers on the motherboards secondary power supply, you sould be using the 8-pin power connector from the power supply if it has it. I'll check on my Sonata's tomorrow and see if the PSU does.