Booting Issue

Hi all,

Hopefully someone can help with a issue I've got.

Firstly, computer specs:

Motherboard - ASUS A8R-MVP
Processor - AMD 3800+ Dual core
RAM - 2gb (unsure of brand)
GFX - ATI X800 256mb
HDD's - WD Raptor 32gb / Seagate 250gb
Sound card - Xfi XtremeGamer

Secondly, the issue.

The last time the PC was used was on Saturday just gone, everything was working fine with no problems. Come Sunday morning, it won't respond at all. There was nothing out of the ordinary during shutdown, nor during it's last time of use (no locks, no freezes, wasn't sluggish etc). All that happens now is the tower powers up with all fans working fully (i.e. cooling fans, CPU fan, GFX card fan etc), but there is no boot or post from the motherboard. Nothing else happens after this, it's just a constant feed of power.

I've tried the following:

Resetting CMOS.
Removing the RAM and trying each stick in each slot.
Removing GFX.
Removing HDD's.
Removing processor.
Trying to boot 'outside the box'.
Give each component a good clean, along with the case.

Each resulted in the same thing as before, no boot with no bios beeps etc.

Anyone got any ideas? Or is it time to get the wallet out?

Cheers,

Steve.

If it's the motherboard, I'll be upgrading rather soon!

How could the PSU cause the problem? Just out of interest..?

I would try resetting the CMOS first...just to see if anything happens. It could be the hard drive faliure too, but then again it would let you know something is wrong with your hard drive with an error code ^_^ (You already tried it, never mind)

Make sure everything is plugged in correctly...inside and outside the case. Sometimes, things do get unplugged unknowingly.

If none of these work...i would have to agree its the PSU.

Thanks Proximon.

I'll see if I can hold of another PSU from somewhere and try that.

I'm not really sure what path to go down if it is the PSU causing the problem - if it's worth just going for the upgrade anyway or replacing the PSU with a cheap one for the time being?

The PSU that is in there now is a Hiper 630w (what I believe to be a very reliable, quiet and stable PSU, though do tell me otherwise if that's not the case) which I purchased for somewhere between £65-80. It's not particularly old, 12 to 18 months tops. I will be quite disappointed if that is the cause of the problem to be honest, that's alot of money to blow on a well branded PSU for a generous 18 months worth of use =(

I think I should have a spare PSU somewhere (hopefully).. will see what happens on that front.

If it is the board, time for a rebuild! Anyone got any recommendations on parts? I'll salvage both the HDD's, XFI and all the cooling.. everything else will be new. Best way to describe it is a mid-range gaming rig really, I don't need super super speeds and the hole in the wallet to go with it.. waste of time for what I use it for!

Currently looking at:

Processor: Q6600 (EE Edition)/Q6700/Q8200
Motherboard: open to suggestions?
RAM: 4gb - again, open to suggestions?
GFX: GTX260 - seems to have a good money to performance ratio and be reasonably future proof for the games I'll eventually be playing, but others could be ATI 4850/4870 or 9800GTX+ as a cheaper option?

Budget is around £400-500, don't really want to go above that unless it's really worth it. Don't mind going less.. obviously!

Also open to suggestions on a new PSU (if needed) and new case. I haven't included these in the above budget but I wouldn't mind spending out (nothing crazy mind) on a decent case.

I'm not too clued up on the new Phenom II's. I take it they have a similar performance to the Intel quads?

I don't suppose you could recommend a build for both an Intel or AMD rig (CPU, GFX, Mobo and RAM)? Motherboards and memory are just minefields in my eyes, so many to look at!

Looking good!

Out of interest, would a Nvidia card work on that MB (in a singular setup that is, I'm not particularly interested in dual-gfx right now.. isn't really a need for me). On the review's I've seen, the GTX260 walks all over the 4870 for pretty much the same price.. some retailers are even doing it cheaper at the moment I think?

I can see what you mean about the AMD 940, excellent performance.

Regarding MB, what would you say to this for a singular gfx card setup:

http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Asu [...] ID-ATX-VGA

Agree. I'd think that is strictly CPU dependent.

sorry, they do come with a cpu

Yes I think so. Voltage regulation happens both in the PSU and MB, so I can see how improving the PSU might get you part-way without resolving it.

Great I think you'll be happy.