Gigabyte board/ No display/ new build

[drum254]

Im new to this but am experiencing quite a problem with my new setup. My build list goes as follows-

Gigabyte MA785GM-US2H Motherboard ( AM2+, AM3 support)
AMD Phenom II x4 965 3.4ghz processor AM3
OCZ Vista Gold PC6400 DDR2 RAM, 4GB
Ultra 500 Watt Power supply
140GB harddrive, DVD/RW, DVDRom drive- all out of my old dell Dimension desktop

First off, I connected everything, including the 2x24 as well as the 2x4 power connector. I also connected the power and IDE cables to the cdrom drives and SATA2 connector/ power to the HD.

When i push the power button, all of the fans turn on, however I have no display. I tried using my working video card out of my dell (ATI X1900GT), as well as trying to use the onboard DVI and VGA with no luck. The screen I am trying this on is brand new and I have been using it for a few weeks on my computer that I am replacing. It never leaves standby mode.


Also neither CD drive works with the IDE cables plugged in. When i disconnect the cable from the drives, they both open and close. I tried with the stock settings of the jumpers on the drives the way dell had them (cable select), also I tried changing them to master/slave with no luck.

With both of these problems, I have tried various combinations of removing the RAM and moving RAM to different slots (knowing that the dual channel needs to be in the same color slots on the MOBO), disconnecting the HD, disconnecting CD drives, etc.. At one point all I had hooked up was the Monitor, the 2x12 and 2x4 connector to the MOBO and still had nothing on the display.

The only thing that I think this seems to be pointing to other than bad MOBO or processor would be possibly the Bios. I do have another AMD processor laying around that may work with the MOBO to get it to to a setup screen. If by some stroke of luck this processor works, my bios end up needing updating, and I can get into the Bios, would it be possible to update the Bios, then take the old processor and put my new one in?

Well this thing is driving me nuts, and I hope somebody can shed some light on this before I have to hire somebody to look at it. Thanks in advance!

 

[shortstuff_mt]

The READ before posting about boot problems! sticky at the top of the forum was created to troubleshoot this type of problem. You have to actually perform EVERY step in the checklist. It's much better than randomly guessing at stuff. The checklist gives you a way to methodically troubleshoot the problem if used correctly.

 

[JDFan]

Also - does your case have a system speaker and is it connected ?? - If not you should get one and connect it as the Bios will usually give you some sort of Beep code so you can know what part is causing the problem and without a speaker on the case you will not be able to hear it ! (not sure why so many cases are failing to come with one these days.)

 

[drum254]

Actually after reading through that list I didn't realize that the speaker was so important. It's actually about the only thing I haven't tried on that list before reading it. The case did have one in it as it was already used for a previous build and I think i may have tossed it somewhere in a pile of parts (oops!). I will try hooking it up and hopefully this thing can tell me whats wrong with it as I am just about out of things to connect and disconnect. Thanks

 

[drum254]

Plugged in a speaker out of an old case I had hanging around. I got 4 long beeps....silence.....4 long beeps.... and it kept going, so as the guide said, I switched the new OCZ RAM around with no success. I ended up taking 1Gb of DDR2 400 RAM out of my old P4 and I was finally able to get a screen on the new build. After installing Windows7 it looks like the RAM is used at 78% capacity at idle, time for some new stuff. Last question- Is it pretty straightforward when RAM doesnt work with a MOBO? is there anything I can try to make it work before I return this stuff?

 

[shortstuff_mt]

You should manually set the RAM speed/timings/voltage to the rated specs of your OCZ RAM and try it again. Many motherboards don't supply enough voltage to the RAM using "Auto" settings. I wouldn't be surprised if the RAM works just fine once you manually change the settings in the BIOS. The motherboard owners manual should explain how to change the settings. All Gigabyte motherboards I've used require you to press Ctrl + F1 when you enter the BIOS to unlock all the options. It's not in the owners manual, but pretty common knowledge among Gigabyte users.

 

[Houndsteeth]

Some boards are extremely finicky about memory. With some memory, you may be able to get them to work by adjusting the voltage or pushing the timing settings. In your case, the machine wouldn't even allow you to POST, so I suspect that the mainboard either couldn't read the SPD settings on the memory or the SPD setting were incompatible with the chipset. From looking at the setting on your mainboard, it specifically states that you need 1.8v DDR2 memory. If the SPD settings on your memory require 1.9v in order to run at the optimal timings, then the memory will cause your computer to not boot. If you have to order new memory, look specifically for memory that is rated at 1.8v.

 

[shortstuff_mt]

I looked up the specs on your RAM and I'm surprised it doesn't work. It is rated at 1.8v if this is your RAM.

http://www.ocztechnology.com/products/memory/ocz_ddr2_pc2_6400_vista_performance_gold_4gb_dual_channel

I've had great luck with G.Skill RAM on Gigabyte motherboards. Here's a very nice set:

G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-6400CL5D-4GBPQ - Retail $85.99

 

[Houndsteeth]

Looking at what shortstuff_mt posted...

Since you are unable to boot with the OCZ memory installed, you could try changing the memory voltage settings to 1.9v with the current memory, shut the machine down and switch the memory and see if the machine will POST. If you still can't get it to POST, then switch back, rinse and repeat with a slightly higher voltage.

 

[drum254]

Yup, thats definately the OCZ ram i have. So it is safe to bump up the voltage a little bit with the stock ram without damaging it, then trying the OCZ? Is there a voltage at which I should avoid with stock ram to keep from damaging it? I just want to exhaust all my options before i start the return process.

Thanks for the advice on the other ram too, that G.skill definately looks like my next buy if the OCZ ends up not working after changing the voltage. I keep hearing good things about it.

 

[Houndsteeth]

The new voltage setting will not be applied until the machine powers off an reboots. If you shut the machine down (or save and exit BIOS) before it reboots, you can then exchange the RAM for the OCZ. The OCZ RAM looks like it's designed to be tolerant all the way up to 2.1v.

I have bought all kinds of memory, and G.Skill is good stuff. Same with Crucial and Kingston though YMMV. Not had much experience with OCZ for memory, though I have had one of their power supplies die on me, which they replaced under warranty.

 

[drum254]

Well I tried increasing the voltage on the RAM with no luck. I ended up calling Gigabyte and they were just as surprised that the mobo was running DDR2 400 as they were that the OCZ wasn't getting recognized. I guess your supposed to use a minimum of 600 memory or something. Long story short- I ended up updating the Bios and got one stick to read. After changing that stick out for the other, the other will not read. Also putting them in as dual channel does not work either. I just get the same long beeps that I got when it didn't recognize the RAM in the first place. So I am assuming I have a dead stick. Time for some new G.Skill!