Not sure where to continue troubleshooting

[rwhipple08]

Hello all,

My desktop is having some troubles and I don't know what to troubleshoot next. The problems are:

1. Occaisionally will not POST. Lights/Fans come on, peripherals do not power up, there is no beep. Sometimes I have to turn it off, leave it off for 10-15 mins, and then it will power on properly.

2. Often the screen glitches while playing games and less often when browsing the internet. At first it is a brief glitch but after a few of these the screen blanks out to some oddball pattern (usually two-tone lines across the screen) and I have to restart.

3. Rarely, the screen will go straight to black both while playing and while browsing.

I have tried:

1. Updating Windows and video drivers
2. Ensuring hardware is snugly connected
3. Ensuring nothing was overheating.

System specs are:
MB: Gigabyte 890GPA-UD3H
CPU: AMD Phenom II 955
RAM: 4 GB in 2 DIMM
OS: Windows 7 64 bit
All BIOS settings are stock: no overclocking in effect.

I've got good help here before and have my fingers crossed I'll get some good direction again. Thanks!

-Ryan

 

[xxsk8er101xx]

The problem is is you have no video card.

Hello all,

My desktop is having some troubles and I don't know what to troubleshoot next. The problems are:

1. Occaisionally will not POST. Lights/Fans come on, peripherals do not power up, there is no beep. Sometimes I have to turn it off, leave it off for 10-15 mins, and then it will power on properly.

2. Often the screen glitches while playing games and less often when browsing the internet. At first it is a brief glitch but after a few of these the screen blanks out to some oddball pattern (usually two-tone lines across the screen) and I have to restart.

3. Rarely, the screen will go straight to black both while playing and while browsing.

I have tried:

1. Updating Windows and video drivers
2. Ensuring hardware is snugly connected
3. Ensuring nothing was overheating.

System specs are:
MB: Gigabyte 890GPA-UD3H
CPU: AMD Phenom II 955
RAM: 4 GB in 2 DIMM
OS: Windows 7 64 bit
All BIOS settings are stock: no overclocking in effect.

I've got good help here before and have my fingers crossed I'll get some good direction again. Thanks!

-Ryan

 

[Wolfshadw]

If the glitches/blackouts occur even during general web browsing it sounds like a faulty motherboard. First thing I'd try is installing a discrete graphics card and seeing if you experience the same problems.

-Wolf sends

 

[rwhipple08]

Sorry...got ahead of myself and mised the obvious. The machine crashed while I was writing the original post and in my frustration I missed some stuff.

Video Card is a Radeon HD 5850

 

[Wolfshadw]

And power supply?

-Wolf sends

 

[rwhipple08]

Sorry for the delay: had to find some time to take most of the case apart to find a label on the power supply. It just says Switech ATX-CB800W. I tried to google information on this but I could barely even find an electronics company called Switech, let alone find info on this particular item. I don't know what CB means but I think it's a safe bet that I have an 800W power supply meant for an ATX board, which means I have enough power and for the right board. Beyond that, I can't figure anything helpful.

Let me know what you think or what additional info would be helpful. Thanks!

 

[rwhipple08]

Two things:

1. I'm dumb. The power supply is made by SwiFtech, not Switech.

2. I pulled up a program (Speedfan) that monitors fan speed and CPU/HDD/Video temps, and I noticed that on the voltage panel some of the voltages look wrong:

+3.3V: 3.38 - Seems close
+5v: 5.13V - Seems close
+12V: 12.16V - Seems close
-12V: -4.05V - Not close at all
-5V: 4.05V - Not close, not even the correct polarity!
+5V: 3.60V - Way off
Vbat: 3.34 - Not sure what this is

I know almost nothing about voltages on the MB or in the power supply but as my uneducated eye looks at this I see some pretty serious mis-matches. Is this something worth investigating further?

 

[Wolfshadw]

While I'm no expert on power supplies, those readings would give me pause. If possible, I'd try a different power supply in the system. If you don't have a spare PSU, then I'd probably drop the bucks on a new one from Seasonic, Corsair, Antec, or PC Power and Cooling; somewhere in the 550 watt range (750-850 if you're planning on going Crossfire).

-Wolf sends

 

[rwhipple08]

I think the machine is pretty well dead. During repeated attempts to get it to boot to day, the farthest I got was a few seconds of the Windows 7 loading screen before it all went dark. I'll be taking my power supply, motherboard, or maybe both to a place to get tested this week.