First Build SOS

Taffy54

Taffy54

Taffy54

Associate
Joined
2 Jan 2015
Posts
19
Ok, so this is a problem that dates back a few years now. I've tried seeking help in the past but either hit dead ends or life got in the way.

Background: I told my parents I could build their new PC for them rather than them buying a Dell or something. Have installed various components (GPU, RAM, storage drives, etc.) in the past so felt I could take this step up. So I got the components, put them in (the first case was awful and I think let to my problems, see below), powered it up and... no (video) output. I tried a couple times to trouble shoot the problem but as I say either hit dead ends or life got in my way. Really, this is my last roll of the dice to get it working before I'll give up and (using a chunk of the money I was saving to replace my gaming PC) buy them a pre-built PC.

So enough waffle. The problem: When I power up everything sounds like it whirls into life (fans, etc.) however there's no video output at all. When the RAM is removed and it's booted up it beeps 3 times (which I believe indicates missing RAM?) but when the keyboard or mouse are unplugged, there are no beeps (which isn't good right?).

From what I can remember; I have tried: Removing everything from the PCIe ports. Removing the mobo battery, waiting a period of time and reinstalling it. I have even tried an old GPU instead of the inbuilt mobo graphics output. Nothing works.

I think the problem is: that the mobo is broken (probably from trying to get it into the original case which was extremely tight and poorly laid out) but I can't confirm this.

What I'd ideally like help on:
  1. Any other things I can try to get the thing to output something
  2. Confirmation (or as close to confirmation as can be gotten via a forum) that it's the mobo that's dead
  3. The components are pretty old (I started this build about 2.5 years ago...) so I expect it's near impossible to buy a replacement mobo? Doesn't have to be the same one, just so long as the CPU fit, etc. If it is a dead mobo and anyone could help find a suitable replacement (in the UK) that would be amazing, otherwise it'll have to be a full new (pre-built) PC :(
  4. If it is a dead mobo and I can get a replacement of some description, advise on how best to get the CPU back out (the hint sink and fan have been installed and not sure how to remove them) would be very appreciated

I know that is a lot of things and that I'm probably out of luck, but I'd genuinely appreciate any and all help that anyone can offer. Whilst real life stuff has gotten in the way of trying to finish this build, in truth it's sat in the corner of my room for the last couple months with me unable to bring myself to try and finish it as if I can't I don't think I'll be able to bring myself to trying to build my own PC in the future. So, bit cheesy perhaps, but for me this isn't just about finishing (albeit very late!) the PC for my parents, but also about not having to go back to buying pre-built PCs. So yeah, any and all help will be massively appreciated. Specs are below, but if anyone needs any more details, etc. please just ask and I'd be more than happy to provide them as best I can.

Specs:
  • Motherboard: Asrock FM2A75M-DGS A75 Socket FM2 VGA DVI 5.1 Channel Audio mATX Motherboard
  • CPU: AMD A10 5800K Black Edition 3.8GHz Socket FM2 4MB L2 Cache
  • RAM: 2x Corsair Vengeance 4GB DDR3 1600Mhz CL9 1.5V Non-ECC Unbuffered
  • Storage 1: Crucial 64GB M4 SSD2.5" SATA-III
  • (Not currently connected) Storage 2: Seagate 1TB Barracuda 3.5" SATA-III Hard Drive 7200RPM
  • Power Supply Unit: Powercool 450W
  • Optical Drive 1: LiteOn IHOS104 4x BD-ROM SATA Blue-Ray Drive - OEM Black
  • Optical Drive 2: Samsung 24x Sata Internal DVDrw Bare Black
  • Wireless Card: TP-Link Wireless-N150 PCIe card

Again, thanks in advance for any/all help.
 
Hi and welcome :)

Ok, first things first. Chuck the power supply away and get a good one. A good PSU won't kill components if it lets go. That one might as it's very cheaply made. Never, ever scrimp on power supply quality. That awful PSU may well be the root of your issues too - do you have another to test with the pc?

Have you checked the CPU pins to see if any are bent? It does sound like either a CPU or motherboard issue, assuming the PSU isn't the cause.

Other than that you can buy an FM2+ motherboard and the CPU will fit work fine. These can still be bough quite cheaply new.
 
ExRayTed said:
Hi and welcome :)

Ok, first things first. Chuck the power supply away and get a good one. A good PSU won't kill components if it lets go. That one might as it's very cheaply made. Never, ever scrimp on power supply quality. That awful PSU may well be the root of your issues too - do you have another to test with the pc?

Have you checked the CPU pins to see if any are bent? It does sound like either a CPU or motherboard issue, assuming the PSU isn't the cause.

Other than that you can buy an FM2+ motherboard and the CPU will fit work fine. These can still be bough quite cheaply new.
Click to expand...

Oh, ok. All the components were recommended to me via a tech forum when I first ordered them; had no idea that PSU was so bad! I'll look into getting a new one shipped (sadly the only other one I have is tucked up in my personal PC!). Do you have any suggestions (to avoid me falling into the same trap!)

I haven't checked the pins, no. Happy to do so and report back... but can you advise on the best way to get the heat sink back off (I'm fairly sure I used the included thermal paste when I installed it, and don't want to go just yanking at it and making even more problems for myself). Sorry if this is a very newbie/basic question!

Thank you very much for the help thus far by the way :)
 
Anything made by Superflower or Seasonic will be excellent. No need to go above 500w really - you could go lower and still have enough power for that. This is made by Seasonic, would power those components easily and comes with a very good 5 year warranty.

My basket at Overclockers UK:

Total: £41.45
(includes shipping: £10.50)
​


​




Heatsink removal should be easy, plenty of guides online. Best not to re-use the thermal paste but new stuff can be bought cheaply.
 
ExRayTed said:
Anything made by Superflower or Seasonic will be excellent. No need to go above 500w really - you could go lower and still have enough power for that. This is made by Seasonic, would power those components easily and comes with a very good 5 year warranty.

My basket at Overclockers UK:

Total: £41.45
(includes shipping: £10.50)
​


​




Heatsink removal should be easy, plenty of guides online. Best not to re-use the thermal paste but new stuff can be bought cheaply.
Click to expand...

Okie dokie, I'll go and order a new PSU and some thermal paste. Tomorrow I'll remove the heat sink to take a look at the CPU and report back with how it looks.

Thanks again for the ongoing help :)
 
Have you tried a single stick of ram in each slot?

I would try this and reseating the CPU / heatsink and checking pins before spending any money.

Then I would go motherboard as it’s the most likely cause (they do normally have 3 year warranty so it might well still be under warranty!)

Sure PSU is not great but it’s a basic PC so I would try motherboard myself first before replacing something that is most likely ok just of poor quality.
 
gamesaregood said:
Have you tried a single stick of ram in each slot?

I would try this and reseating the CPU / heatsink and checking pins before spending any money.

Then I would go motherboard as it’s the most likely cause (they do normally have 3 year warranty so it might well still be under warranty!)

Sure PSU is not great but it’s a basic PC so I would try motherboard myself first before replacing something that is most likely ok just of poor quality.
Click to expand...

Ok, tomorrow I'll do the one stick at a time (trying both sticks in both slots) idea and see what happens. Then I'll pull the CPU out, check the pins and try reseating it (if it doesn't look broken that is!) and see what happens. Failing that I guess I'll be ordering a new mobo! I'll probably buy a new PSU at the same time if I do need to order a mobo just to cover my back a little.

Thanks for the help :)
 
Last edited:
One thing that you may have overlooked (I did in my early PC building days) are the risers between the motherboard and the case. Check that either the case is built so that it has the risers built in or that you have put some in, otherwise the motherboard may be shorting on the case.
 
as said above it looks like the motherboard doesnt support the CPU Ive had this in the past and what youre describing is exactly what was going on with me.

Personally I would go for the Gigabyte GA-F2A88XM-D3H
https://www.overclockers.co.uk/giga...fm2-ddr3-micro-atx-motherboard-mb-464-gi.html

this will support youre cpu and also if you have any problems Gigabyte have a UK RMA department


youre current board
Capture_zpsgy365t0m.jpg


gigabyte ga-f2a88xm-d3h CPU support list
http://www.gigabyte.com/support-downloads/cpu-support-popup.aspx?pid=4716
 
Last edited:
Wow, thanks guys. As I mentioned earlier, all the components were recommended to me (at once) when I first looked to build this rig so I'd have never thought that the mobo and CPU weren't compatable! I was sure I had fried/broke the mobo by accident when installing it and am kind of relieved to hear this as it means the reason it wasn't working might not have been (purely) my fault aha! Little surprise that this is the first time it's been picked up, so a huge thank you to you all for spotting this or else I may have ended up going round in circles for ever!

I'll order a new mobo soon and will report back when I've installed it.

@linktoinsanity if you read this. I think the current mobo came with some, but if I wanted to order some extra ones just in case, can you advice on anything I need to pay attention to? (Like do they come in different sizes, etc.)

Once again, a HUGE thank you to everyone for all your help. It means a heck of a lot and is giving me hope that after this I may be brave enough to think about building the replacement to my current gaming PC.
 
I've just placed an order for the new motherboard and some new thermal paste. Should get to me tomorrow so fingers crossed I might get this hunk-a-junk running soon! Will keep you all posted!
 
Taffy54 said:
@linktoinsanity if you read this. I think the current mobo came with some, but if I wanted to order some extra ones just in case, can you advice on anything I need to pay attention to? (Like do they come in different sizes, etc.)
Click to expand...

It's a while since I bought some, but if you search for "motherboard risers" on Ebay for example, you should find them there. They should cost next to nothing. I looked on the OcUK website (so I could link them to you) but unfortunately it appears that they do not seem to stock them.
 
Taffy54 said:
I've just placed an order for the new motherboard and some new thermal paste. Should get to me tomorrow so fingers crossed I might get this hunk-a-junk running soon! Will keep you all posted!
Click to expand...
should hopefully be all good but please keep us up to date.

what board did you go for?

Taffy54 said:
Wow, thanks guys. As I mentioned earlier, all the components were recommended to me (at once) when I first looked to build this rig so I'd have never thought that the mobo and CPU weren't compatable!
Click to expand...
Im surprised that someone that recommended parts for you never checked the cpu support list.. its a shame that they never as it has given you a bit of grief


Taffy54 said:
Once again, a HUGE thank you to everyone for all your help. It means a heck of a lot and is giving me hope that after this I may be brave enough to think about building the replacement to my current gaming PC.
Click to expand...
what spec are you hoping to go for?
 
Last edited:
The board arrived, I'm currently trying to connect everything and wire it up. Will update when it either works or I hit a dead end :P

@linktoinsanity Thanks :) In the end I had 6 from the old mobo instillation so I used those :)

@jbh110tdi I went for the one you recommended :) Aye, I guess it slipped through the cracks some how, but yeah, if it had been spotted before I first ordered the parts I think it might have been working for the last couple of years aha. Probably high end (not super high end mind!) with a view to make it as easy to do rolling updates on as possible. My current PC is an Alienware and whilst I do like it, I know it was vastly over priced for what it was. I've upgraded the storage and GPU on it over the years, but it's now over 5 years old and really it's starting to need replacing. I will miss the case but it's held it back as it uses a mother-daughter board so it looks like it would be hard to install a new mobo in it. Easier just to go for a fresh slate imo (salvaging the storage drives though). My budget will probably be around £1,300-£1,600, but I might do it in a kind of 2 stage upgrade with reusing my current graphics card for a year before doing that next year.... not sure, will look into what the best options are nearer the time :)
 
fingers crossed for you bud. looking forward to the update.

there is plenty of nice cases out there you should have a look through the cases for sale in the shop I'm sure you'll find something you like.
 
All wired up... but nothing is powering up. The light for the PSU on/off switch (like the one actually on the PSU itself) is on, but I can't seem to get it to power up (let alone output anything). I can't work out what I've missed or done wrong.

From what I can see I've plugged the ATX-12V and ATX in, the power switch, etc. all seem to be correctly placed. Confused why nothing is happening! I could at least get power flowing on the old (wrong) motherboard aha
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom