CPU or PSU problem?

[turbo22]

Hi everyone-- I seem to have got myself into a terrible mess!

On start-up, the system beeps once, then reboots, beeps once, then reboots... etc. Without ram, I do not get the appropriate beep code for not having any in. I just RMA'd a DOA motherboard, only to get stuck with this after getting a replacement.

It won't POST. It beeps once, my video card spins up fully-- then slows down for a split second. Then it re-spins to full speed before the single, short beep indicating a successful boot comes up again. This happens ad infinitum. I never get a display.

I am unsure of what to do at this point. My best, relatively uneducated guess is that it could either be the PSU providing shaky power (due to watching the video card fan), or the CPU itself. My tech level isn't super duper high and so I don't have the tools necessary to check the PSU or the CPU (aka another AM3 compatible computer). Is there a chance that I am feeding my computer too much power? I'm a little technologically inept when it comes to PSUs...

Any help would be greatly appreciated! ;_;
(even if it's just telling me WHAT to replace... These parts are under warranty for another 12 days.)

I am using:
Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-MA790X-UD4P
CPU: AMD Phenom II X2 550 3.1GHz AM3 80W
RAM: G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500)Dual Channel
PSU: RAIDMAX RX-700SS 700W ATX12V V2.2/ EPS12V
GFX Card: Radeon HD 4770

 

[o1die]

Too much power is never a problem. I would remove the board from the case, and do a bare post on a non conductive surface, such as a phonebook. Start with just the cpu/heatsink, one stick of memory, video, and keyboard only. If you get a stable posting, get into the bios and check the memory voltage and timings, and decide if they need changing. You can bump up the memory voltage by .1 volts and not hurt anything. Then save and exit, and start installing devices one by one starting with the hardrive(s) until the problem re-occurs.

 

[alyoshka]

Firstly, get rid of the Battery on the Mobo and clear the CMOS.
After that try a fresh boot and what O1die said follows....

 

[jonpaul37]

Had a similar issue with a setup of mine, but i was getting no beeps at all, turned out to be a motherboard problem.

My guess here would be the power supply is faulty as the motherboard is actually responding and producing a beep.

One thing to check is for a possible bent pin on the CPU, if there's a bent pin, that could cause an issue, but if not, then the CPU being faulty is highly unlikely...

In my experience(s), here's what i find to usually die first to last...

PSU -this is why it's important to get a good quality PSU
Motherboard - so many ways to mess up a mother board
RAM - Usually find RAM failing alot in laptops or compatibility issues
Video Card - only had one die on me and it was OLD
Hard Drive - never had one die on me
CPU - never had one die on me

 

[turbo22]

I breadboarded with the bare minimum. CPU, HSF, PSU and it still responded by single beep identifying a successful boot, then a short pause (7-8 seconds) and another single beep, identifying a successful boot. So then I tried with a stick of ram and my video card, to no avail, getting only the same response. I put another stick of ram in the second channel, same response as if the ram and video card were not there. This is why I believe it to be the CPU or the PSU.

I think my next course of action is to RMA the PSU for a refund and I'll buy a well known brand instead.

Is this overreacting?

 

[jonpaul37]

I don't think it's over-reacting, i would go for either a Corsair or a PC Power & Cooling PSU, 600w +, those are 2 solid brands.

 

[turbo22]

Well, I'm RMA'ing the PSU for a refund. I ordered another in advance. Regardless, I'll be sure to update this thread to help anyone having similar problems.

I just don't fully understand though, why would it continuously reboot? Perhaps the PSU is faulty and can't handle the load at start-up? It runs consistently for 7-8s before it reboots. That's why I thought it might be a processor problem, since that seems to be about the length of time before it checks the processor speed etc. in boot. If it ends up being a CPU problem, that would be a first for me as well. Again, I'll be sure to keep you all posted.

 

[turbo22]

Just an update:

Got a new PSU. Turned out to not be the problem. Went with a Corsair 620w. It's no big deal as I'd rather be working with a reputable company anyway. Someone else said that perhaps the bios just doesn't recognize the cpu, which was another concern of mine. In which case I needed to flash the bios (which I tried). The oldest downloadable bios on their site is the same version that the mobo is claimed to work with my PC at...

I don't know if that's the default bios or what. I thought since I'd done all my research, etc. that this was going to be an easy thing... So much for that!

I guess I'll be heading to my local PC shop and ask the tech to update it for me... Seriously though, kinda mad.

 

[jonpaul37]

you happen to have an older athlon X 2 5000 or 6000+ that you could try out? those things fit into those motherboards, right?

 

[turbo22]

No, I wish I did! I just made the jump to AMD so I don't have anything for the socket... :\

I'll prolly just ask someone to look at it real quick, it shouldn't take more than an hour + service charge to fix in all honesty. I just wish I could have avoided it. If it turns out to be a bad processor, I'll be a little irked.

 

[jonpaul37]

i would be too, like i said, the CPU is usually the last piece of hardware that'll go. might be bad luck or a bent pin...

 

[turbo22]

After 65$, I found that the ram was at a bad speed for the bus. I didn't think this would be an issue since the manufacturer's website claimed compatibility.

Well, I'm still glad I went with the corsair PSU, it seems sturdy, the packaging was nice and they gave me a velcro bag to hold the excess cables in.

The repair dude gave me some compatible ram for a decent price. He turned some profit on them, but I'm just glad to have my pc working after a two week stint without one of my own...

Thanks for the help Jonpaul and others. I appreciate it! I hope this thread helps other people who might be confused as to their problems. Again, much appreciated!

 

[jonpaul37]

Glad it didn't cost you too much to find out the cause. Also, that Corsair will last you a very long time and serve you well.