No beep - PSU? Mobo? CPU?

[expatCanuck]

Greetings -

My son's been using a homegrown gaming system for 2-4 years.
Allendale 2200 & Gigabyte board. Separate video card.

Earlier this week, it stopped booting. No beep, no video.
Fans & hard drive spin.

I note that he installed a new game last weekend (Mass Effect 2),
so the system load may have been more than previous.

Any thoughts as to whether it's more likely to be a bad PSU, Mobo or CPU?
Or, for that matter, video card?

Thanks,

- Richard

 

[nekulturny]

Could be all of those things. I'm kinda not feeling the PSU being at fault tho, but this is easily testable with a power supply tester. I have one like this:

I got it for 14 bucks, lets you plug all the connectors in it, doesn't give you specific voltage readings like some of the fancy ones, but it lets you know the thing is working.

What are the more detailed specs of this system? Like Motherboard model number, video card, op system, RAM, etc.

Now, if the Power supply did die, to imitate Tom Jones, its not unusual for the power supply to commit murder/suicide on the motherboard.

The game install and the computer dying is probably a coincidence..

 

[expatCanuck]

Swapped out the PSU. No change.

Turns out that the CPU fan won't spin up.
It 'tried' to, but it wouldn't 'catch' (sort of like a car engine not turning over).
No noticeable heat from the CPU.
No lights (Caps/Num Lock) on the keyboard.

Mobo is a Gigabyte P35-DS3.
Hitting the Reset button generates 3 equal beeps (no discernable long-short pattern).

Would no CPU prevent the graphics card from feeding the monitor?

 

[nekulturny]

Swapped out the PSU. No change.


Would no CPU prevent the graphics card from feeding the monitor?

Yes.

I think you have a dead motherboard and/or CPU if changing out the Power supply/motherboard had no result. Do you have a spare CPU to put in that socket to rule out CPU failure? Problem with motherboard and CPU failures, is they both quack like a duck.

Random thought: Boy this is a bad week for Gigabyte motherboards, I had mine die on me yesterday, and theres another thread on the Homebuilt forums about another dead Gigabyte mobo.

 

[expatCanuck]

Problem with motherboard and CPU failures, is they both quack like a duck.

Eloquently stated. And too true.

Sadly, no spare socket 775 CPU about.

Given the age of the parts & the time & effort required to diagnose & remedy,
I'm inclined just to drop $150 at the egg for a 775 mobo, an e5700 CPU,
and a 4GB memory stick (it's an XP machine). Done.

Other thoughts/suggestions welcome.

 

[nekulturny]

Personally, I'd consider parts for a whole new system rather than putting another $150 into it. Does the boy got a birthday comin up? She gave you some good mileage, but the way this stuff keeps advancing, shes an old girl.

BTW, my phone makes this horrid vibration noise everything a thread I wrote in is replied to, hence the quick replies.

 

[expatCanuck]

Best answer selected by expatCanuck.
nI'd be inclined to agree if this wasn't a backup/recreation machine.
n
nIn this case, better may be the enemy of good enough.
n
nTo get appreciably better, I think I'd have to go i3 ($115), and then find a board with integrated graphics or a graphics card. And memory.

 

[1tym]

Swapped out the PSU. No change.

Turns out that the CPU fan won't spin up.
It 'tried' to, but it wouldn't 'catch' (sort of like a car engine not turning over).
No noticeable heat from the CPU.
No lights (Caps/Num Lock) on the keyboard.

Mobo is a Gigabyte P35-DS3.
Hitting the Reset button generates 3 equal beeps (no discernable long-short pattern).

Would no CPU prevent the graphics card from feeding the monitor?

So you actually got a BIOS beep code? Those 3 beeps are telling you something there. Were those 3 short beeps? You should read your motherboard manual for any information on beep codes. Could be a memory failure try booting with 1 stick of RAM at a time and alternate which stick you boot with.

But anyways I do think it is best to upgrade then to spend money on outdated hardware

 

[nekulturny]

So you actually got a BIOS beep code? Those 3 beeps are telling you something there. Were those 3 short beeps? You should read your motherboard manual for any information on beep codes. Could be a memory failure try booting with 1 stick of RAM at a time and alternate which stick you boot with.

But anyways I do think it is best to upgrade then to spend money on outdated hardware

I consider the beep unreliable at best, considering the board cant even get juice to the CPU fan header. If its saying anything, its saying "I'm dead" LOL.

 

[1tym]

I consider the beep unreliable at best, considering the board cant even get juice to the CPU fan header. If its saying anything, its saying "I'm dead" LOL.

Try another fan header for fun lol

oh well maybe it's done but I always use this guide when I cant get a system to post http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/261145-31-perform-steps-posting-post-boot-video-problems

 

[expatCanuck]

The reset switch got me three short beeps -- which is not listed as a combination in the manual.

 

[nekulturny]

Try another fan header for fun lol

oh well maybe it's done but I always use this guide when I cant get a system to post http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/261145-31-perform-steps-posting-post-boot-video-problems

Probably only has one. I looked at the picture of it on Gigabyte website, too hard to see for sure but my 990FXA-UD5 (2011 board) only gave me one, and this one is the pinnacle of 2007 technology, I doubt Gigabyte was any more generous then.