Giabyte X58A-UD3R - Won't post. Constant beep/buzz

[kgooding]

Hello,

I have had a setup for about a year now. I have had a lot of issues with this motherboard, where often it wouldn't post after a shutdown or hardware change. It generally behaves like there's a short somewhere. After wiggling it a little it will boot. I know that sounds a little dodgy, but I've been too lazy to RMA it.

Anyway, I recently took out my video card to switch with another. Doing so caused it to fail again. It wouldn't post, after breadboarding it with just the CPU I still couldn't get any sufficient POST info. I just get a constant beep/buzz from the speaker.

I have blown all ram slots until I nearly fainted.

I am curious what this constant beep usually means. It happens as soon as I hit the power button.

I have tried two power supplies; the original PS doesn't do this - I think this one has died. The second PS gives me this constant beep.

You're help and input is greatly appreciated.

 

[almartin]

You should not be able to wiggle the board. It sounds like the board has a short in it. you may have to get a new board.

 

[Onus]

Is it a thermal alarm or fan failure warning? Check the BIOS and make sure the CPU fan settings start high enough. A RAM error usually has a repeating series of beeps, but a continuous tone is more likely an alarm condition. Another possible cause is out-of-spec voltage.
What is the brand and model (not just wattage) of the PSU? You say if you use a different PSU, the board does does not beep? Does it POST?

 

[jsc]

Try breadboarding the system and testing it in stages.

I have tested the following beep patterns on Gigabyte, eVGA, and ECS motherboards. Other BIOS' may be different, but they all use a single short beep for a successful POST.

Breadboard - that will help isolate any kind of case problem you might have.
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/262730-31-breadboarding

Breadboard with just motherboard, CPU & HSF, case speaker, and PSU.

Make sure you plug the CPU power cable in. The system will not boot without it.

I always breadboard a new build. It takes only a few minutes, and you know you are putting good parts in the case once you are finished.

You can turn on the PC by momentarily shorting the two pins that the case power switch goes to. You should hear a series of long, single beeps indicating memory problems. Silence indicates a problem with (in most likely order) the PSU, motherboard, or CPU. Remember, at this time, you do not have a graphics card installed so the load on your PSU will be reduced.

If no beeps:
Running fans and drives and motherboard LED's do not necessarily indicate a good PSU. In the absence of a single short beep, they also do not indicate that the system is booting.

At this point, you can sort of check the PSU. Try to borrow a known good PSU of around 550 - 600 watts. That will power just about any system with a single GPU. If you cannot do that, use a DMM to measure the voltages. Measure between the colored wires and either chassis ground or the black wires. Yellow wires should be 12 volts. Red wires: +5 volts, orange wires: +3.3 volts, blue wire : -12 volts, violet wire: 5 volts always on. Tolerances are +/- 5% except for the -12 volts which is +/- 10%.

The gray wire is really important. It should go from 0 to +5 volts when you turn the PSU on with the case switch. CPU needs this signal to boot.

You can turn on the PSU by completely disconnecting the PSU and using a paperclip or jumper wire to short the green wire to one of the neighboring black wires.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5FWXgQSokF4&feature=youtube_gdata

A way that might be easier is to use the main power plug. Working from the back of the plug where the wires come out, use a bare paperclip to short between the green wire and one of the neighboring black wires. That will do the same thing with an installed PSU. It is also an easy way to bypass a questionable case power switch.

This checks the PSU under no load conditions, so it is not completely reliable. But if it can not pass this, it is dead. Then repeat the checks with the PSU plugged into the computer to put a load on the PSU.

If the system beeps:
If it looks like the PSU is good, install a memory stick. Boot. Beep pattern should change to one long and several short beeps indicating a missing graphics card.

Silence, long single beeps, or series of short beeps indicate a problem with the memory. If you get short beeps verify that the memory is in the appropriate motherboard slots.

Insert the video card and connect any necessary PCIe power connectors. Boot. At this point, the system should POST successfully (a single short beep). Notice that you do not need keyboard, mouse, monitor, or drives to successfully POST.
At this point, if the system doesn't work, it's either the video card or an inadequate PSU. Or rarely - the motherboard's PCIe interface.

Now start connecting the rest of the devices starting with the monitor, then keyboard and mouse, then the rest of the devices, testing after each step. It's possible that you can pass the POST with a defective video card. The POST routines can only check the video interface. It cannot check the internal parts of the video card.

 

[Unolocogringo]

Did you plug in the PCIE 6/8pin power connector to the video card?

Most scream if you don't and it needs one.

 

[kgooding]

Thanks everyone for your response.

I have breadboarded this with just the CPU and HSF. I do not get beeps for memory issues.

The original PS - which I believe is defective, is an Antec BP500U (500W). This is the one that just causes the fans to spin and lights to flash on the board - for about 1 second.

The PS which is working in another PC, causes this instant buzzing from the speaker. I have left it for a minute or two, in case it would post, but no luck. The model of this PS is Raidmax RX 450K (450W).

Also, a note on the wiggling I used to do - it really wouldn't wiggle that much - in fact it was really hard to get it to move. I would basically pull pressure from underneath and near the chipset - thinking it was shorting on the case along the side.

I have heard heat alarms, fan alarms, input alarms etc - and it does sound similar. However, I have never heard this in particular - especially so soon.

I am thinking of just RMA'ing the board. I wanted to get some thoughts of the experts before I do so, on what this alarm could be. I am working on getting a video upload.

 

[Onus]

That chokemax PSU may not be able to supply what your system needs, so it could be a voltage alarm. I wouldn't use it; I believe that's the one that starred in this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JP8nFQYQW34

 

[kgooding]

Nice vid!

I have never heard a voltage alarm so that could be true. Although 430w should be enough. I simply get this alarm/buzz/beep with a CPU and HSF.

Here is a video of the sound, it is kind of hard to hear - so apologies. You will see in the video I do have a Video card and single RAM installed. It does the same thing without these. I promise. I have tried two speakers - thinking it could be the speaker - and they have been inserted correctly.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VC-xOhg8n3o

 

[Onus]

I heard it. It didn't sound like a thermal alarm, and I don't think it was the shriek of a GPU. Anyway, since you say it does it with no GPU installed, it can't be the GPU.

 

[kgooding]

Just want to say thanks for all your input. it really is greatly appreciated.

But three thousand swear words later; I ended up RMA'ing the board. I shall see what they have to say.

 

[Onus]

Oh well. Hopefully you'll get a good one back quickly.