What's wrong with my computer?

G

giaviv

New Member
Hey folks,

I recently moved and had to relocated my desktop. I basically took it apart, wrapped all the components (other than the case) in bubble wrap and rebuilt it @ my destination after buying a new case. I either did something wrong / I have a hardware problem because I get no display!
Specs:
CPU = Q6600 (with a decent cooling device)
Motherboard = Gigabyte P35-DS3L rev 2.0
RAM = 2*2GB G-Skill sticks
Power Supply = I don't remember which one it is but its a very decent 550W pure $100 power supply
Video card = Sapphire HD 4870 1GB Toxic Vapor-X
Some hard drives too

I hooked everything up together (all the wires are plugged in properly and correctly, including the PCI-E dedicated power supply, the motherboard inputs and so forth).
When you turn on the computer, all the fans start turning for about 5 seconds but then the computer shuts off on its own. If you then start it again, it doesn't shut down. I hear no POST sound but to be honest I'm not sure I ever had one.
The computer stays on, all the lights and fans seem fine, but there is no display. I bought a new PCI-E video card (HD 5670 I think) just to test it out, and same result.
When I unpacked my motherboard I noticed that some of the pins that the CPU rests on are a little bent. I tried to bend them back into position but not sure how successful I was. This makes me suspect that there's a motherboard problem, but when the computer is on, you can turn the NUM LOCK on and off and the light on the keyboard works accordingly. Does this mean that everything is okay with the CPU or is it not related because the keyboard has its on controller?
What would be my next step at figuring this one out? Getting another motherboard?

Thanks folks!
 
First of all, make sure all the pins on the cpu are straight again and none have broken off.

Second, did you use the brass standoffs between the case and motherboard?

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If you didn't use the standoffs then most likely the motherboard is shorting out against the case.

Are all power connectors plugged in? 4/8 pin cpu power cable? Does your video card require a 6pin pci express power cable?
 
thanks for the reply!
i definitely used the spacers for the motherboard. i will try to bend the pins back to order..

yeah all the power cables are plugged in - one goes near the CPU (4 pin), one goes to the motherboard (big connector) and 2*PCI-E ones go to the video card..
 
Do you have the motherboard speaker installed,it is the speaker which makes a beep when the computer has posted,so it will be on the bottom right corner of your motherboard and it will make a beep when your computer posts.
Check if it is installed or not and if it isin't install one makes it a lot easier to diagnose.
 
i do have one - when the computer was setup before it made a long beep when there was a problem. now, nothing - no sound at all..
 
Last edited:
giaviv said:
thanks for the reply!
i definitely used the spacers for the motherboard. i will try to bend the pins back to order..

yeah all the power cables are plugged in - one goes near the CPU (4 pin), one goes to the motherboard (big connector) and 2*PCI-E ones go to the video card..
Click to expand...

So they got bent then?

Try building the system outside of the case with just the basics. Board, CPU, RAM, Integrated graphics and nothing else to see if it boots.
 
okay i've confirmed that the problem is with the motherboard. i bought a new one just to test it out and everything boots up properly.

the question is, what do i do, and what will give me the best results for the money?

option a - $55 sticking with the mobo i bought (GIGABYTE G41M-ES2L which I think is a downgrade from my P35 DS3L right?) and keeping my current config
option b - $160 getting the ASRock P43DE3 mobo and DDR3 ram and sticking with the Q6600
option c - $100 (assuming i can sell my Q6600 for a $100) getting the MSI 785GT-E63 mobo, AMD Phenom II X4 955 CPU and sticking with my DDR 2 RAM
option d - $140 getting an Asus M5A87 mobo, AMD Phenom II X4 955 CPU and DDR3 RAM and selling my CPU and RAM.

I am leaning toward either a) or d), but any suggestions are welcome (including other hardware that I should look at) - thanks so much!
 
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