GA-MA780G-UD3H BOOT/POST issues?

[xhorror]

First off: setup.
My working set up right now is as follows,
Asus M2A-MVP
Patriot Extreme Low Latency RAM (2 x 2GB)
AMD Athlon 64 X2 6400+ 3.2GHz
CD Drive
120GB WD (i think) IDE HDD
640GB WD SATA2 HDD
650W PSU
Asus EAH4870 DK TOP 815MHz 512MB GDDR5

^ the above set up works perfectly fine.

my needs: i wanted a new motherboard so i picked up a GA-MA780G-UD3H from GIGABYTE and some OCZ Reaper HPC 2x1GB DDR2 PC2-9200 RAM that is on the motherboard's QVL for memory.

The new testing setup is as follows,
GIGABYTE GA-MA780G-UD3H
OCZ Reaper HPC 2x1GB DDR2 PC2-9200
AMD Athlon 64 X2 6400+ 3.2GHz
CD Drive
120GB WD (i think) IDE HDD
640GB WD SATA2 HDD
650W PSU

^ this setup will not boot at all, although i think it may be hanging on the POST stage. the cpu fans will startup, but nothing happens. there are no visuals. i have tried this setup with Asus EAH4870 DK TOP in and the message LEDs light up in the same configuration as they should during the card's own POST, but they hang there.

Please help. If there is no solution, it'll be a bit frustrating .

 

[TheDraac]

Try booting it with just CPU and heatsink, one stick of ram and I'm assuming your using the onboard video.

Try one stick at a time, if still nothing, try resetting the CMOS and retest.

And make sure you have both power connectors plugged in, 24 pin and 4 pin.

Post back with results.

 

[jitpublisher]

You can also try to boot with a stick of your old RAM, go into the BIOS, and manually set the timings, and especially the voltage for the new RAM, save, exit, install new memory, see if it will boot. If the new memory requires more than 1.8 volts, this is likely your problem, and I believe the OCZ needs 2.1 volts.

 

[xhorror]

thank you both, i will post back with results later.

update: i thinkmy video card might be a problem now though. after a bit of google searching i found a few forums with members complaining about the same card that i have crashing when they install new parts (cooling system for example). i'm gonna make sure my card isn't dead. that becomes awhole new problem.

 

[TheDraac]

You didn't mention a video card.... try booting without it, ie, use the onboard video.

 

[xhorror]

You didn't mention a video card.... try booting without it, ie, use the onboard video.

gonna get warranty on the video card anyways.

i will try your suggestions tonight on the new motherboard. (my older motherboard has a male vga out, and i have no female to male vga cables i gotta try with something else some how).

 

[xhorror]

testing results:
ga-ma780g-ud3h
no ram
cpu + heatsink
on board video
main hdd (160gig one, has my vista os)
= no visuals, no boot, no bios

add 1 stick of the ocz ram:
= same results
add the other stick:
= same results
add 1 stick of the old patriot ram:
= same results
add the other patriot ram:
= same results

now, i think my main HDD is toast or my CPU is toast.

 

[xhorror]

Try booting it with just CPU and heatsink, one stick of ram and I'm assuming your using the onboard video.

Try one stick at a time, if still nothing, try resetting the CMOS and retest.

And make sure you have both power connectors plugged in, 24 pin and 4 pin.

Post back with results.

how do i reset the CMOS?

@jitpublisher, dude i cant get that far.

 

[TheDraac]

The bare minimum you need to get a system to boot are...

1. CPU and heatsink.
2. I stick of RAM.
3. Video card... or no card if MB has onboard video.

If things are working ok up to that point, you should get a boot screen on your monitor.

ALSO, do you have a system speaker connected and are you getting ANY post BEEP CODES??? You don't mention hearing any beeps.

As for the CMOS...

Resetting the CMOS at minimum, would be setting the CMOS jumper to the clear position. On the ga-ma780g-ud3h, it is located right next to the CMOS Button Cell battery and is marked CLR_CMOS. You need one of those little jumper blocks, you can prob borrow one off your old board. The CMOS jumper header is usually 3 pin with the block on 2 of the pins, and you remove the jumper block from those 2 and move it to the other 2. On your Gigabyte board it's only a 2 pin and the picture I see doesn't show a jumper block attached to even one of the pins.

A more through method of clearing the CMOS, and what I recommend,
is

first unplug the power supply from the wall,
second, remove the CMOS button cell battery and
third, jumper the CMOS clear jumper.

Then reverse that... remove jumper (MAKE SURE)
reinstall battery and plug computer back in.

Let us know about ANY beep codes.

 

[xhorror]

Alright, thank you very.

as for beep codes, i'm not getting any. the system speaker is always plugged in.

 

[TheDraac]

Can you just verify for me that the "system" speaker I'm talking about is the one that is mounted in the case and plugs into the header located by the SATA ports. The correct header pins are marked in orange in the picture I'm looking at.

The following is a list of beep codes found in the manual...

1 Short: System boots successfully

2 Short: CMOS setting error
1 Long, 1 Short: Memory or motherboard error
1 Long, 2 Short: Monitor or graphics card error
1 Long, 3 Short: Keyboard error
1 Long, 9 Short: BIOS ROM error
Continuous long beeps: Graphics card not installed properly
Continuous short beeps: Power error

If your CPU was working in your OLD MB, it should be fine in the New board. Even without memory installed you should get some beeps.

One stick of memory should work, (even the old memory), but I think 2 sticks should be installed in the first Yellow slot next to the CPU and the second stick in the first Red slot. This is for Dual Channel mode.

If your not getting any beeps and the speaker is properly connected and the CPU and Memory works in the OLD MB... I think your NEW board might be dead.

 

[xhorror]

alright, so i tried the CMOS reset and nothing happened as usual.

i took of the small black block and the battery off and powered on. i turned it off, put the battery back in and powered on again. then i did the same thing with the blue plastic jumper in. nothing happened.

i am talking about the same system speaker you are talking about. its plugged in properly as well.

i've tried booting with 2 sticks in dual channel mode and got nothing. i tried booting with 1 in the yellow or one in the red and got nothing still. my old MOBO doesnt have on board video. i tried this with both sets of memory. i am not getting any visuals.

the only thing i can hear is the hard drive starting up and the cd drive starting up. i have my vista cd in the disk drive and it is spinning. no visuals.

i never should of bought that motherboard LOL.

 

[TheDraac]

Well... If the CPU was working properly on the OLD board, and your not getting ANY sounds with it out of the New MB... I think your new Gigabyte board is DOA.

I'd go ahead and RMA the sucker.

 

[xhorror]

i went to my local professionals and they tested both of my boards and my cpu.

the old board works and the new board was defective. the new board fried my cpu and now i have to get warranty on the cpu.

 

[TheDraac]

Well it's good to hear you got that sorted out.... for now....

Seemed like the board was bad, but I am surprised that it took the CPU out. I hear alot of good things about the Gigabyte boards. I've got my eye on the GA-MA790GP-UD4H myself.

Anyway, at least you can RMA both the board AND the CPU.

Good luck with your new parts when you get them.

 

[xhorror]

thank you man, you helped a lot. so, the professionals (i.e. the guys at the store where i buy all my parts) are changing out my new board for a non-defective one. i'm glad that is sorted out. tomorrow i get on the phone with AMD and get this CPU replaced. hopefully the RMA goes smoothly.

 

[peterzui]

Hi,

I had probably the same problem with this mobo at starting up. Nothing happened, only the fans were running, no beep, no monitor display, no lightened keyboard, (monitor connected to the mobi DVI port).

Then I installed a dedicated videocard and connected the monitor to the DVI of the videocard and voila;
monitor is displaying the bios menu and able to install the drivers.
In the BIOS I changed the first display to the onboard video.
After starting up again there was display out of the DVI onboard connector and everithing working as it should except......

Output of the onboard DVI is onstable, so switched back to the videocard-output.

Anyone else with this same problem; an unstable video-output from the onboard DVI port
and found a solution ?
please help.