Power Problem

[kopec]

Hello everyone,

I require your assistance!

I just recently built my first desktop computer but have been having some power issues with it. First off I will list the parts I used:


AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition Deneb 3.4GHz

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103727


ASUS M4A88T-V Mobo

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131668


Thermaltake Armor A60 Gaming Mid-Tower

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811133181


SAPPHIRE 100312-3SR Radeon HD 6950 Dirt3 Edition 2GB

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102945


LITE-ON DVD Burner

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106289


CORSAIR Enthusiast Series TX650 V2 650W

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139020


G.SKILL Value Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231424


Seagate Barracuda ST31000524AS 1TB 7200 RPM

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148697


Now some of the back-story.

When I got all of these parts I put it all together and hooked it all up. When I pressed the power button the system would power up for less than a second then shut down instantly even though the power LED would stay lit when the power was on. I tested my power supply with another computer and it was working just fine. I assumed the mobo was the problem and so I had RMA'd it.

Newegg then notified me that my mobo was no longer in stock so I wouldn't be able to find the same replacement. I had ordered a different mobo.


GIGABYTE GA-880GA

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128444


I had received it yesterday and went about hooking up the computer again. This time when I powered up everything worked. I unplugged everything and moved the tower to a spot nearby my desk. I plugged everything in again and was able to successfully install Windows. I installed the graphics card and installed mobo/graphics drivers and everything was working great.

I then proceed to disconnect the tower and move my desktop to the "final" position and hook it all up again and BAM! Same problem as before. Computer will power up for half a second then instantly turn off.

Edit: It was plugged into the same outlet.

Can someone help me diagnose my problem? Is it possibly the motherboard again? I will be happy to help any way I can.

 

[beenthere]

Quality mobos are tested before they ship so it's unlikely to get a new one that is DOA. It's extremely unlikely that you got TWO bad mobos.

I would suspect either a poor power connection or the PSU before suspecting the mobo. Make sure all supplemental 12v cables are attached to the mobo and Vid card.

You might want to check all of the cable connections carefully and reseat the RAM and VId card. If it still fails swap in a good PSU from the other PC you have and see if it works.

 

[kopec]

Hey beenthere,

I wanted to thank you for the quick response. It's good to know that it is unlikely that I had received two bad mobos. I just had a few questions.

By power connection, do you mean the cable hooked up to the PSU? I tried two different cables with the same results.

Would the entire computer not power up if the graphics card is not hooked up to the power?

Is it possible that the PSU would work with my older PC and not with the new one? (Assuming the PSU is responsible)

I will try to reseat the RAM and graphics card when I get home today. Unfortunately, my other PC is old and I don't think that the CPU from that computer will be compatible with this new computer.

I guess it is possible that the CPU is the problem. It was the ONE part I bought from ebay as opposed to newegg. It was new and in a sealed box.

 

[4745454b]

If you took it somewhere else and assembled it and it worked there, its not the CPU. Certainly sounds like a power issue. What's different between where you were and where you are now? Are you sure the wall plug works? Are you trying to use some ancient battery backup?

 

[casualbuilder]

This sounds like either the wall outlet you are plugging into is bad, or the breaker in your basement that the outlet is running to. Same rig, same PSU, and it works in one outlet but not the other. doesnt seem right. You have plenty of juice for your system, so its not an overage issue, and quite frankly, i agree with beenthere as 2 bad mobos is highly unlikely, but not out of the question. My suggestion, move it back to the other outlet, and check it out. If it powers up, you know its not your computer, its your outlet/breaker.

 

[kopec]

Hey 4745454b,

Perhaps I worded my initial information incorrectly. I assembled it in one place, turned it on to test and it worked. I moved it to a place nearby my desk and tested it again and installed windows etc. Then when I finally put the desktop into its "final" position and hooked it up it wouldn't power on. It WORKED and then STOPPED WORKING while in the same outlet.

 

[FinneousPJ]

Do you have your system speaker connected? Or diagnostic LEDs on the mobo?

 

[kopec]

There are no diagnostic LEDs on this mobo. At least I didn't notice any.

As for the system speaker, I am unsure of this. If the system speaker is a type of mobo speaker I did not connect anything for this.

 

[4745454b]

Either way its not the CPU then. Double check your connections, make sure they are tight.

 

[FinneousPJ]

Yes, it's the mobo speaker. It's a helpful diagnostic tool

 

[kopec]

When I get home from work today I will double check all of my connections and try different wall outlets. I will also reseat the RAM and vid card. Will leave an update as soon as I can.

If the PC still doesn't power on I will go buy a new PSU from BestBuy and see if the problem still persists. BestBuy will let me return the PSU if that isn't the problem so I will be able to get a refund.

Thanks for everyone's help thus far. I really appreciate it. If anyone else has any ideas or comments I would love to hear them.

 

[casualbuilder]

note on that, buy the psu from Best Buy, and order one off of newegg...it will be cheaper. return when you get your online psu.

 

[kopec]

Hey everyone,

I went to Best Buy and bought a new 600W Corsair PSU. I tried rechecking all of my connections and reseating the RAM and video card. Still the same problem persisted. No power for more than half a second. I tried using the new PSU which I bought, still no power. This rules out the PSU being faulty. I returned the 600W PSU to Best Buy.

Tried different outlets along with different power cables as well. No luck.

Any idea on how to proceed from here? I was considering going to my local compusa and purchasing a new CPU and see if the computer will stay powered on.

 

[casualbuilder]

did you switch out all the cables to the psu? or did you just switch out the physical unit? If this is the case, it could be another bad mobo...as unlikely that is.

 

[4745454b]

Shorted motherboard is more likely. Extra stand off? When its fine once and not fine when you touch it or move it, it was moved into a shorted position? Not sure how to properly describe what I'm thinking.

 

[kopec]

What do you mean by extra stand off?

Edit: Looked this up, nevermind.

Is there anything specific which could cause a short?

I guess my next step would be to test another mobo. I will try to do this at some point today.

Edit 2: I believe the shorted mobo is the problem. Most likely a fault on my behalf when installing the motherboard. I will purchase a new mobo and update again after attempting to install it.

 

[4745454b]

Standoffs are those things between the motherboard and the case. It's possible that you have an extra one that shouldn't be there. This would explain why it worked for a bit, then when you moved it you flexed the case and the board is now resting on that standoff that shouldn't be there. Its now being shorted to the case which would prevent it from turning on. You might want to stop and make sure there are no extra standoffs, that the motherboard is aligned correctly with those that are there, and that it is screwed down tightly.