new build, nothing on screen

F

fujimoh

New Member
Components:
mobo: MSI P965 Neo-F P965 775
CPU: Intel Core 2 E6400 2.13G
MEM: 2x1Gb G.Sk F2-6400CL5D
Harddrive: HD 250G WD SATA
Video Card: VGA 3D Fuzion 7600GS

When i got all the parts I built the computer and it would start up but nothing came on screen. Tried everything and made a post on here where the consensus was that it was a bad motherboard. Sent the motherboard back to Newegg and they confirmed it was bad and sent a replacement. Reinstalled everything and the computer started up just fine and i got Windows and all my software installed.

Went to restart the computer and when i did everything started up but the light on the monitor just flashed orange and no picture came up at all. If i shut down the computer and turn it back on like 5-10 times the picture will come up on the monitor and everything works perfect. I also noticed that when the monitor doesn't come on everything hooked up USB doesn't light up.

Disconnected everything but the essentials and the problem still persisted. Tried a different harddrive from a computer that works and tried a PCI graphics card from same working computer. Neither of these allowed fixed the problem. The last time i got it to start my MSI Core program started beeping and the Fan Speed was flashing at 950rpm.

This is my first build and is starting to frustrate me to no extent. If anybody knows what the issue could possibly be I would appreciate any feedback. Thanks.
 
Check if the cpu fan is placed correctly,check the temps also.
Remove the 2nd ram module to check if it's a memory problem.
 
The beeping there sounds like the cpu fan alarm. When the cpu fan itself drops down below a certain minimum speed the threshold alarm goes off. That's a simple trip into the bios to disable that. But check to make sure the fan isn't binding up. Are you running the stock heat sink/fan combo or a 3rd party cpu cooler there?
 
Well i think i narrowed it down to a memory issue, but I don't know what exactly the issue is. The motherboard has two orange slots for memory that are right next to each other and then two green slots that are right next to each other. The manual said you put one module in an orange slot then skip one and put one in a green slot, simple.

I took out one of the modules and the computer started up and went a picture came on and it went through the bios screen, reads 1gb of ram, and said hit F1 to continue. When i hit F1 nothing happens but if i hit DEL it goes to the bios setup. I turned the computer on and off a couple times and it started up every time. Then i tried the other ram module and the same problem occured as before, no video.

I would imagine that the one stick of ram is bad, if that is true it is the SECOND bad part i will have to ship back to Newegg. On the motherboard they only reimbursed me $10 for shipping, which from PA to CA covers the 7-10 shipping method (sorry for the frustrated rant). Could someone just verify and let me know if that is indeed the problem. Should I go with a different brand of Ram? I saw on MSI's website that G.Skill is not even listed as one of the compatible brands.

On a side note I am using the stock Intel fan that came with the CPU. Is it worth the $30-$50 to buy a new fan so i dont' have to worry about any heat problems.

Thanks
 
I haven't heard good things on G.Skill or Geil memory while I have heard and seen favorable reviews on Corsair, Kingston, Crucial, Mushkin, and a few others. A bad dimm will definitely cause problems. Memtest is one free memory tester to try there to see if the other dimm also has flaws.

As far as going with a $30-$50 cpu cooler like an Artic Cooling or Zalman 3rd party model that will be a necessity if you plan on any serious gaming or OCing for sure. If you run Window Media Player or other multimedia players, oe even large applications that put a big load on cpu time you will be glad to have the extra cooling those provide.

The two color dimm slots are easily explained in the board's manual for the two memory channels available. Dimm slots A #1+#2 are for the primary memory channel while the other pair are for the secondary once the dual channel mode is enabled. With two of the same brand, size, and type dimms(recommended) you enable the dual channel by installing a single dimm in the first slot for each pair. The manual will indicate which ones those are.
 
Thanks for the info PCeye, i appreciate the response. I am going to contact Newegg and send back the G.Skill and pay the extra money for the Crucial memory. I hadn't really planned on doing any OC'ing, but that is only because i don't know how. I am sure I will eventually want to read about it and see how to do it and then try it myself, so I'll most likely look into a new CPU fan.

I will say when this computer worked it was freaking faster then any computer i've worked with (granted I've never worked with anything faster then a P3). One last question. I haven't done anything with the BIOS settings yet. Once I get the new memory and get the computer FINALLY up and running, is there anything I need to do with the bios settings?
 
For the most part there would be only a few settings that may need to be changed. The first one right off after setting the time and date as usual is the type of video used for display. You will have to make sure that the PCI/PCI-E setting is set to PCI-E or AGP/PCI-E to PCI-E. Assigning the boot order for first partitioning, formatting, and installing Windows which you will have to do anyways.

Make sure you have SATA assigned and enabled as the primary method of booting however. Unlike ide drives where you select HDa1 or HD0 there you will also have to get the SATA drivers loaded and make sure this is enabled when you go to install Windows. First the drivers have to be loaded and the XP installer has to be able to detect the drive.

As far as the new memory that will be autodetected by the board after installing it. Here I simply disable the logo screen in the advanced chipset section there to see the full post test screens even if only temporarily. Those will show the total amount of memory there along with the drives installed.
 
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