Intermittent motherboard/psu issue options?

Gamefreak501 · 11 Sep 2012 at 11:24

Hey everyone,

I have an intermittent problem which based on my research, I think is with my motherboard, possibly a dry joint.

I've posted here so that people can give me an idea of what the best way forward is.

Every so often; and more than before, my video card fan would spin on full pelt along with my CPU fan and there would be no POST. So no beeps, no video, nothing. Sometimes power cycling helps, but thats become less successful.

Quick spec of my system is as follows: 600w Stealthstream PSU, circa 5 years old, AM2+ motherboard, 8gb DDR2 memory, (2x Corsair xms2, 2x Geil sticks), VTX 5870 1gb, Phenom II x4.

Aside from the PSU, the other components can't be more than 1-3 years old.

I suppose I have two options - I could use an AM3 motherboard with the Phenom II and go DDR3 or I could build a completely new system from scratch, which is the more expensive option, yet by the same token, my video card is good, so I would want to keep that.

What are everyones thoughts on this?

Thanks,

David

Saul · 11 Sep 2012 at 11:47

I had a StealthXStream PSU that refused to boot about 1 week after the warranty (1 year) expired. The fact that a PSU has lasted 5 years anyway shows it's lived a good life. I expect it is most likely the PSU, do you not know anyone whose power supply you could borrow to check if the PC boots?

CinderzFTW · 11 Sep 2012 at 15:33

i would clear the CMOS first to make sure its not the bios messing around

I would upgrade tbh, your running the old am2+ socket and ddr2 memory

go for an i5, keep the GPU, its still good and get a new psu with mobo etc... be good then dude

Gamefreak501 · 12 Sep 2012 at 14:27

Many thanks for your replies,

I can leave the thing running indefinitely and it's okay until I switch it off then it's time to cross my fingers. I have an old Pentium 4 system, which was to become my file server, but it's only got something like a 200w PSU in it, so it may have trouble firing up my stuff.

I might be able to borrow a PSU from a friend at some point, but was faced with some very bad news concerning them yesterday, so other things need to be prioritised for the moment

.

I did reset the CMOS by taking the battery out and it seemed to still have the same problem.

I think testing an alternative PSU is the best way forward, to see where that takes me from a troubleshooting perspective.

Thanks again,

David

Gamefreak501 · 14 Sep 2012 at 08:28

Just found out something strange last night. The problem still occurs, but sometimes it boots up for me, however, as soon as I put it all back in my Lian-li PC 60 case, I get a beep error - 1 long 1 short, which is indicative of a 'motherboard or memory error'. However, as soon as I remove it and lay it out on my tv stand, it booted up and I was able to go into windows.

Could this give a clue as to what the problem might be?

I am tempted to go down the route of i5 or i7/mobo/ddr3/psu so that I can stop scratching my head and start afresh!

Thanks,

David

CinderzFTW · 14 Sep 2012 at 13:08

erm so it sounds as though something could be shorting the board out inside the lian-li case... is the board on raised screwed when you put it in the case at all?

Gamefreak501 · 14 Sep 2012 at 20:39

The ma770-ud3 is usually mounted on spacers on the motherboard draw, with screws - I put one of those red paper washers between the screw head and the motherboard.

If that makes sense!

Thanks,

David