Gigabyte UD3P based system won't POST.

Status
Not open for further replies.

vortex2450

Baseband Member
Messages
38
Hello everyone,

After going 2 months since I've had my water cooling system installed I finally found the time today to installed the loop with upgrades.

Upon completion I found it just will not POST. This isn't my first rodeo but I'm stumped atm.

MY specs are
Gigabyte UD3P EP45
Intel E8400
OCZ "SLI" edition PC 6400 RAM
Crossfire Xfx HD 5770 1gb gfx
Seagate 250 GB HDD
EK Supreme HF
Swiftech MCP220
Swiftech 355



The problem is the computer powers on , all 6 phase leds light up and stay lit, no beeps, and the video card fans run 100% relentlessly.


So far I've done all the usual checks, I've tested my 12v cpu supply and without load all four rails hold @ 12.09v.

I've checked all the other obvious connections and checked connections hidden away behind the motherboard tray.

I've tried each stick of ram individually in all 4 slots.

I checked the amount of thermal paste and for safe being I cleaned it off and reapplied 2 thin lines in a cross with the vertical lines being slightly thicker.

I tore down the system and checked behind the motherboard for a short, nothing unusual. I reinstalled the waterblock retention plate while i had the motherboard out as well. I also reseated my cpu multiple times .

The motherboard manual states check cpu fan connection in the 3rd outlined troubleshooting step. So I connected the stock intel fan on a hunch and after switching on and off several times the fan won't spin which should help with a diagnosis.

It seems I can hardly get my mobo to cooperate with me after any system of hardware changes and after spending my entire sunday ion this i'm pooped and done, I'm hoping some one will have the right advice for me.

thanks,
 
Have you tried removing the motherboard BIOS battery for a few minutes? Might need resetting after major hardware changes.

What hardware did you change?
 
Yes, I'm tried removing BIOS batt, clearing cmos on hard start, clearing cmos with power on, removing power for 5,10, and 15 minutes.

The thing is nothing hardware wise has changed, I removed the Intel heatsink and installed the water cooling loop. I did add a second 5770 only a few days earlier but I had the system running flawlessly with that addition up until now.

I found out I get the same symptoms with and without the 12v cpu power connected so the issue is before the cpu even needs power.

I wouldn't think hardware damage would be an issue because i worked standing on a tile floor, wearing a static strap, with the system on paper towels on a wooden table.

I will take compressed air to all my connections in a bit but it wouldn't seem likely that anything major could've fallen in a plug in the 6 hours I had been working on it.
 
Go back to basics here.

Barebones your system.

One stick of ram and GPU at a time, No optical drives Just Ram CPU.

If it works, add more peices of hardware one by one, thus you should be able to find out the problem by the process of elimination. (If it Doesn't work, Try another stick of Ram, if that doesn't work, then you may be faced with the possibility it could be your PSU Board, or processor, Try your PSU in a diff system if possible, or another in yours too.) You've tried most of this but try the PSU bit.

No one can pinpoint the exact problem, if we could then we'd be gods. Keep letting us know and we can chuck ideas at you though mate. ;)

And hardware can just randomly die unfortunately no matter what you do. I once changed a video card, with all the precautions etc. and It killed a processor. Unfortunately That's I.T for ya. But that's why there's people like us in this world =D
 
Did you use the backplate with your water block? I'm asking because you can't with some motherboards and if you didn't use it the motherboard can warp (at the socket) if you over-tighten the water block. And the motherboard can warp even if you do use the backplate, but it's usually minimal.

Regardless, I would loosen the block up until you can easily spin it from side to side, but it must still be tight enough to remain in direct contact with the cpu. If the PC boots properly you can then slowly increase the tightness of the block, while powered off. I would monitor the cpu core temperatures and tighten the block until the temperatures stabilize.

If the ^^above^^ doesn't help I would check the socket for bent or damaged pins, dust, lint, hair, paste, etc... You'd be surprised at how easy it is for a little thermal paste to works it's way into the socket.
 
Tried the PSU bit, mine works on another system and when I tried a seperate psu
same game.

I ran the system w/o CPU, ram, or peripherals in and have same issue which tells me I have 1 of 2 daunting issues at hand.

Either my CPU took a dump on me or the motherboard's cpu socket is done for.

As I have no other LGA775 platform handy to test the cpu or motherboard I'm at a loss. Intel told me that something like 75% of POST failures are motherboard related and while although believable they are also trying to prevent a rma.

I could RMA both without knowing which is faulty and be w/o a system for who knows how long.

I spent all day searching around town for a shop that would test my CPU but all of the shops had no hardware on site and wanted to charge me a minimum service charge plus charge me to reinstall the cpu into my system which is faulty either way?

what good is it in having a shop if that's how you run things.
I could make a killing if I open a shop here, everyone else is incompetent.

Now I'm stuck with the choice of ordering a cheap mobo or cpu and ordering the a part to replace a part that is or isn't faulty. Or going without anything for weeks and weeks. .......

Once again, I disconnect 12v cpu power, same issue.
I remove all peripherals, same issue.
I swap psu, same issue.
I remove cpu, SAME ISSUE!

Opinions? CPU or motherboard at fault here?

Anyone got an old 775 mobo/cpu combo laying around they'd wanna either let go off or loan to me? I'm dieing after just spending so much time, money, and effort and all I have to show is a very expensive nightlight. :hrmph:

EDIT :

Did you use the backplate with your water block? I'm asking because you can't with some motherboards and if you didn't use it the motherboard can warp (at the socket) if you over-tighten the water block. And the motherboard can warp even if you do use the backplate, but it's usually minimal.

Regardless, I would loosen the block up until you can easily spin it from side to side, but it must still be tight enough to remain in direct contact with the cpu. If the PC boots properly you can then slowly increase the tightness of the block, while powered off. I would monitor the cpu core temperatures and tighten the block until the temperatures stabilize.

If the ^^above^^ doesn't help I would check the socket for bent or damaged pins, dust, lint, hair, paste, etc... You'd be surprised at how easy it is for a little thermal paste to works it's way into the socket.

I did use the back plate, I have reinstalled it twice although I didn't try loosely. Looks like that's my next step.

The plate semed like I would be good at distributing pressure but as I said i'll give it a go, and I did use a tab too much thermal paste first round but I went in and cleaned up a bit, I'll get a magnifying glass and give it a thorough investigation.

EDIT EDIT:
Tried water block as loose as possible, no avail, took block off and removed cpu. looked over CPU surface and it appears some pins are close to the outer edge of the copper contact surfaces but since this has been installed multiple times I can't tell whether one pin is missing or not.

Inspected the socket with magnifying glass for 5 minutes and I can't seem to find anything (although I was hoping I would). I cleaned off the previos thermal paste with a q tip lightly dipped in alcohol followed by a paper towel, is it logical the alcohol would've made it's way into the die and killed my proc?
 
I've given in, I order a cheap 775 motherboard from NewEgg in a shotgun move.

It's one or the other, I'll find out either way then.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top Bottom