Troubleshooting a home build computer

Tcheldor

Hey all,

Here's my problem.

I'm building a new comp with the following parts:

Motherboard: ASRock X58 Extreme LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail

Western Digital Caviar Black WD7501AALS 750GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Hard Drive - OEM
Item #: N82E16822136283

SUPER TALENT MasterDrive OX FTM16GL25H 2.5" 16GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid state disk (SSD) - Retail
Item #: N82E16820609330

SAMSUNG Black 22X DVD Burner Black SATA Model SH-S223B - OEM
Item #: N82E16827151187

Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 64-bit for System Builders w/ Tech Guarantee - OEM
Item #: N82E16832116677

ZALMAN ZM750-HP 750W Continuous @ 45°C (Maximum Continuous Peak: 850W) ATX12V V2.2 / EPS12V V2.91 SLI Certified CrossFire ... - Retail
Item #: N82E16817379006


EVGA 896-P3-1170-AR GeForce GTX 275 896MB 448-bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail
Item #: N82E16814130475


CORSAIR XMS3 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TR3X6G1600C9 - Retail

Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem 2.66GHz LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80601920 - Retail
Item #: N82E16819115202



We have tried to set this thing up, but when we turn on the computer, the LED on the power supply flashes, and the fans turn on for about a second, and then everything goes dead. I've checked all of the connections, but I have no idea what's the problem. I've returned the motherboard and replaced it, but the problem persists. Any ideas?

Bionic Monkey

Sounds like maybe your power supply. Do you have another one you can swap out?

Jubal77

Do you get beeps? You can look up the beep codes via the motherboard's website if you get any.

Thegreatcow

I had this happen to me a few times and in both circumstances they were for two very different reasons. I don't know if it's what's causing your issue, but it's worth a look.

1st time - Power couplings: This mainly had to do with our CPU fan not being properly plugged into the CPU_FAN connector on the mobo. This particular mobo had something like 3 CPU_FAN connectors labeled 1,2,3 respectively, but apparently, the mobo would freak out if the CPU cooler fan was not plugged into CPU_FAN 1. It would do the exact same thing, it would turn on for about a second, and then turn off immediately. Re-positioning the plug fixed it that time. We also once forgot to plug in the 4-pin connector for the motherboard power (this is mainly if you're using a PCIE mobo, they usually require a 4 or 6 pin additional power coupling in addition to the main power plug due to the massive power requirements that the new processors and GFX cards have. ), this also resulted in the same behavior.


2nd time - A short - This was a lot harder to figure out. Apparently during the mobo installation, I dropped one of the mounting screws and it fell under the mobo. The screw ended up getting stuck between the board itself and the metal interior of the case. This resulted in the power shorting itself out every time I tried to turn it on. I only came across this solution by browsing some tech sites and hearing them mention that doing that can cause a short, may be worth a look. You should also ensure that the screws and the mounting screws have that red spacer between them to ensure proper grounding.

Overall, it's definitely sounding like a power issue. Something is physically interrupting power flowing to your devices and mobo, particularly since it's auto shutting off like that. That usually signifies some safety trip mechanism, a short, or something is physically wrong with the power supply itself. I'd reckon trying to get the power supply tested somewhere or try swapping in another one like others have mentioned.

Good luck mate! It's annoying as hell with these setups sometimes, but another pair of eyes always helps.

Tcheldor

I don't have a power supply I can test with, but I was suspicious of that as well. I'm going to ship it back and get a new one, and see if that solves the problem.

Satsumomo

Remember, sometimes the simplest errors are what are causing it. Did you happen to mistake the PCI-E connector with the 4pin ATX connector? I've seen that happen a lot, even with the most experienced people.