Computer turns on, blank screen.

[tartio]

It's kind of a "why didn't I try to seek this problem out sooner," problem. This computer is about a $700 rig for gaming built (coming to) 3 years ago! I'm glad it stood up for such a while and worked perfectly.

But, recently, about a week ago, my computer started making odd clicking noises, and the monitor would go into power saving mode randomly (usually during intensive 3D gaming, graphics on high, etc.). Of course, by curiosity, I looked the clicking noises up in YouTube and found that the clicking noises are mostly related to a Hard Drive problem, but the clicking sounds didn't sound remotely the same as the ones on YouTube! Days went on, and the clicking started forming sounds somewhat like the ones on YouTube, but not quite. I never put my finger on which piece of hardware was making the clicking noises, as the pieces are so close together, it's hard to determine where it is coming from!

But, just yesterday, my computer blanked out like usual, and I went to restart it, but it wouldn't restart. Hardware would run for maybe about 1 second, and cool down. The monitor would never get a signal. Nothing would show in the screen, absolutely nothing. So, rather than try to buy new parts or troubleshoot it for hours on end without a path, I'd rather ask you guys, and see what you think.

 

[tartio]

Okay, well, I did some testing and I found out...

- I unplugged the HD and it still makes a startup beep and fans are still running as normal, but the monitor doesn't show anything.

- The monitor doesn't show anything, nothing is relayed to the monitor; I cleaned some of the pins in the graphics card and nothing shows up still.

- I used another monitor and hooked it up to both sockets. One of the sockets seemed to be the one that worked, as although it didn't show anything, it turned the monitor's power to green (indicating it had some kind of signal, I believe), but all the monitor did was flicker very slowly (3 seconds).

- I checked the graphics card (Nvidia 8800 GT), and the fans seemed to be running, and it was extremely hot even from the time turning it on.

Trying to figure out this problem. D:

 

[tecmo34]

Have you test your system with another GPU, to determine if it is what is died or not?

Do you have an internal speaker to check for error beep codes to help pin-point the issue?

 

[tartio]

Have you test your system with another GPU, to determine if it is what is died or not?

Do you have an internal speaker to check for error beep codes to help pin-point the issue?

No, I have not, sadly. The only other computer we have in our house is an integrated GPU. Internal speaker? Sorry, haven't touched my computer since I built it. I do get signals when I was testing it. Took out the RAM, got the beeping. Took out the HD. Still got the startup beep. But, I was taking parts out and testing it, but after I took out my GPU (which was EXTREMELY hot by the way) and put it back in, nothing will turn on anymore. Which is very weird.

 

[tecmo34]

1) You might not probably seated your GPU when you put it back in or it finally died..

2) Your PSU might be going out (or could've went out)

3) Motherboard has died!!

I know those a pretty much your logical choice for the fault. You can check the PSU with the other computer to rule that out. See if you can borrow a GPU to test the system and if all of those work, your motherboard is most likely the cause.

Or... You can say heck with it and just look to purcahse or build a new PC with current technology

 

[capt_taco]

Based on when this is occurring, it almost HAS to be a GPU or power supply issue. Graphically intense gaming makes the GPU draw a lot of power, and consequently generates a lot of heat. So, it sounds like at max power, either the GPU is overheating and turning itself off so it doesn't burn up ... or the PSU is crapping out and can't provide enough juice.

The clicking noise is another clue -- it points to something with a motor, which usually means a fan. Of course, both the GPU and power supply have fans, as well as the CPU heatsink. So it could be that the fan on your GPU is malfunctioning (or loose, or banging against something, like a loose cable) and that's causing the GPU to overheat. Or maybe the PSU is having a similar problem and overheating -- although that would probably shut the whole system down.

I really would test the system out with a different video card before anything else.

 

[jsc]

Well, first - you do not need drives, mouse, keyboard, or monitor to POST successfully (single short beep).

Second, you can POST successfully with a bad video card. The BIOS routines only test the interface to the video card. The system has no way to test the output of the card. That's what the monitor and the Mark I eyeball is for.

Third, one sign of an inadequate power supply is seemingly random reset/reboots during heavy 3D (gaming) loads. Of course, that's not the only thing that will cause those symptoms, but it is one thing that will.

It could also be a combination of problems. What are your system specs?

 

[tartio]

Sorry for the late response everyone, didn't expect so many helpful people! I have figured out why my computer wouldn't turn on is that I accidentally fumbled one of the connectors and it was the main connector to the mobo. Mobo works perfectly now. "Or... You can say heck with it and just look to purcahse or build a new PC with current technology." Haha, if I had the money at the moment. But, hopefully I can pinpoint this problem and get the certain part replaced.


"The clicking noise is another clue -- it points to something with a motor, which usually means a fan. Of course, both the GPU and power supply have fans, as well as the CPU heatsink. So it could be that the fan on your GPU is malfunctioning (or loose, or banging against something, like a loose cable) and that's causing the GPU to overheat. Or maybe the PSU is having a similar problem and overheating -- although that would probably shut the whole system down.

I really would test the system out with a different video card before anything else."

Very good suggestions. I have an Antec Earthwatts 500W and was told that it was a great PSU, and wouldn't have many problems with it. I might pinpoint it to the GPU. When I was testing it for maybe 5 seconds, the GPU would get extremely hot (if you touched it for another second, you might get burnt), but the fan was still running.

I wish I could test with another GPU, but all the other computers we have in the house are laptops, or Dell computers with integrated video cards.

"Third, one sign of an inadequate power supply is seemingly random reset/reboots during heavy 3D (gaming) loads. Of course, that's not the only thing that will cause those symptoms, but it is one thing that will.

It could also be a combination of problems. What are your system specs?"

They weren't exactly reboots, however. As from what I remember, the screen would just go into power save mode, and the computer would run fine. The sound would lag, though. Maybe.

Sorry, I lost my exact system specs somewhere, and I'll just list the important ones that we were wondering about right now.
Antec Earthwatts 500W
Nvidia GForce 8800GT
Gigabyte GA-EP35-DS3L/S3L