Is my motherboard dead? And upgrade advice needed ;)

Boomerang Rapido · 03-02-2006, 03:18 AM

First off I think my motherboard may be dead. Last night I went to turn on my PC and it didn't post. So I tried the following:

- Hooked it up to another monitor. That didn't help.
- Changed the video card. That didn't help.
- Unplugged anything that was not strictly neccesary so I only had the system disc and the video card connected.
- Then I switched power supply. That didn't help.
- THen I tried a stick of RAM i borrowed from a friend. That didn't help.
- I tried my own RAM in his machine and it worked fine.

So far I can conclude that it's not my monitor, video card, RAM, optical drives OR PSU causing this. All I can see left is either my processor or my motherboard, in which case it may be time for a general upgrade.

Does anyone see any flaws in my logic or do you all agree my motherboard is dead?

Which brings me to the next point. I haven't researched the hardware market in 2 years now, so I have no clue what to get.

I'd like to use whatever parts from the old system I can. Optical drives, Hard drives, PSU, RAM and video card if possible.

I take it the drives and PSU (360 watt Thermaltake, 2 years old) will not be an issue. But:

- Can I still use my 512 MB DDR RAM (PC2700)?
- IS my PSU still up to the job?
- My video card is obviously AGP. Can I still get a motherboard with an AGP port or is it time to switch to PCI-E ?
- I'm thinking of going for either a Sempron or Celeron processor to save cash (I wasn't really planning on this upgrade). I know they are fine for office applications. Will they perform ok for some casual gaming?

And last but not least.... recommendations of motherboards would be greatly appreciated... we're talking boards in the 100-150$ range.

Ow and IF I need new video as well which it looks like..... how will a GeForce 6600LE (256 MB) compare to my current Ti4200?

EDIT: Looking around it seems the socket 754 platform is on its last leg... is that correct? If soo then would a socket 939 be a better option?

zapionics<alt> · 03-02-2006, 08:25 AM

Have you tried clearing the cmos? You will have to remove the battery to do this and leave it out for about 20 minutes.

It wasnt clear to me from your post how you excluded the PSU as the culprit? Does the DPS light up when you turn on the power? (Assuming you're using it). (I'd also suggest you remove the disk while you're doing these tests.)

Boomerang Rapido · 03-02-2006, 08:40 AM

Nope I havent tried clearing the CMOS. I will try when I get home.

Do I just remove the battery, leave it for 20 minutes, put the battery back in and try to boot it?

As for the PSU. When I press the power on button, all the diodes light up (power, HD, diodes on the optical drives). Also all the case fans and the CPU fan spin, and it SOUNDS like it also spins up the hard drives.

This was the case with the PSU I have installed as well as the other power supply I tried (which I know for a fact is working).

I will try testing again with the disks as well.

Boomerang Rapido · 03-02-2006, 11:31 AM

Well I just tried resetting the CMOS, but still the same result. I had to remove the battery, since there's nu jumper to do the trick. I unplugged everything (disks, PCI cards, Video, optical drives) and the result was the same. All the LED's come on (including the RAM LED) and all the fans spin up but that's it.

Am I right to assume that I have exhausted all my options?

*Bofinn* · 03-02-2006, 11:52 AM

a completely dead battery can cause weird things to happen. Can you swap that out?

Are you getting any beep codes from the bios?

Monkey Hanger · 03-02-2006, 11:53 AM

Are you able to access the BIOS?

DeusExMachina · 03-02-2006, 01:25 PM

What processor are you using now? PC2700 memory is really on the low side even for a Celery. Try to avoid the halved processors at all costs if you want any game performance. Get a cheap P4 and OC it instead.

And what you're experiencing is what exactly what happened to my P4T533 (even after the RMA). Everything would power up, but no boot. It was a motherboard problem the first time (voltage regulator), and surely one now -- especially since the parts from it is working in this temp rig.

DXM

Boomerang Rapido · 03-02-2006, 01:59 PM

Bofinn:
I don't have a spare battery, so no can do. Seriously I thought the battery would only die if you left the machine unplugged for ages!? The BIOS doesn't give any beeps of any kind. It doesn't sound like it does much of anything really.

Monkey Hanger:
No I can't access the BIOS. I can't even get the machine to post. The screen gets no signal at all. I already tried a different monitor as well as two different video cards (1 AGP and 1 PCI, just to check if it was the AGP port that's dead).

DeusExMachina:
I'm running a P4 2.4 in a Gigabyte SINXP1394 mobo. Since my first post I scrapped the celeron/sempron idea. I mean if I DO upgrade there's not much sense in upgrading to a system marginally better than what I have. If I do upgrade (and it's looking more and more like it) I'll probably switch to an Athlon64 3500+ (or so..). As for the RAM, your point is well taken, but I think I will have to suffer with my 512 MB PC2700 till next payday, at which time I can throw a gig or 2 at it.

zapionics<alt> · 03-03-2006, 05:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Boomerang Rapido

...No I can't access the BIOS. I can't even get the machine to post. The screen gets no signal at all...

Here are the possibilities:

1. CMOS is corrupted
2. CPU is dead
3. mobo is dead

Try a brand new battery, they cost about a $1.
Do you have a spare CPU you can try? The old celery perhaps? Or can you test your CPU in another system?
Probably need to flash the BIOS but thats problematic in this situation.

Al Shades · 03-15-2006, 01:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DeusExMachina

And what you're experiencing is what exactly what happened to my P4T533 (even after the RMA). Everything would power up, but no boot. It was a motherboard problem the first time (voltage regulator), and surely one now -- especially since the parts from it is working in this temp rig.

DXM

Deus, is your board an Asus P4T533-C? I'm having the same problem.

DeusExMachina · 03-15-2006, 01:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Al Shades

Deus, is your board an Asus P4T533-C? I'm having the same problem.

P4T533-R 32bit version. Answered your post on your thread.

Loved that board, and in a way still want it, everything worked without a sweat -- no RAID problems, no LAN jinxes, just load it up, do minor BIOS tweaking, turn the memory on Turbo and get to work.

Just wish Asus designed the board better -- with a beefer voltage regulator.

DXM

03-02-2006, 03:18 AM	#1
Boomerang Rapido Registered User Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Denmark Posts: 516	Is my motherboard dead? And upgrade advice needed ;) First off I think my motherboard may be dead. Last night I went to turn on my PC and it didn't post. So I tried the following: - Hooked it up to another monitor. That didn't help. - Changed the video card. That didn't help. - Unplugged anything that was not strictly neccesary so I only had the system disc and the video card connected. - Then I switched power supply. That didn't help. - THen I tried a stick of RAM i borrowed from a friend. That didn't help. - I tried my own RAM in his machine and it worked fine. So far I can conclude that it's not my monitor, video card, RAM, optical drives OR PSU causing this. All I can see left is either my processor or my motherboard, in which case it may be time for a general upgrade. Does anyone see any flaws in my logic or do you all agree my motherboard is dead? Which brings me to the next point. I haven't researched the hardware market in 2 years now, so I have no clue what to get. I'd like to use whatever parts from the old system I can. Optical drives, Hard drives, PSU, RAM and video card if possible. I take it the drives and PSU (360 watt Thermaltake, 2 years old) will not be an issue. But: - Can I still use my 512 MB DDR RAM (PC2700)? - IS my PSU still up to the job? - My video card is obviously AGP. Can I still get a motherboard with an AGP port or is it time to switch to PCI-E ? - I'm thinking of going for either a Sempron or Celeron processor to save cash (I wasn't really planning on this upgrade). I know they are fine for office applications. Will they perform ok for some casual gaming? And last but not least.... recommendations of motherboards would be greatly appreciated... we're talking boards in the 100-150$ range. Ow and IF I need new video as well which it looks like..... how will a GeForce 6600LE (256 MB) compare to my current Ti4200? EDIT: Looking around it seems the socket 754 platform is on its last leg... is that correct? If soo then would a socket 939 be a better option? Last edited by Boomerang Rapido : 03-02-2006 at 03:46 AM.
(Offline)

03-02-2006, 08:25 AM	#2
zapionics<alt> <unknown level> Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: AUSTRALIA Posts: 2,937	Have you tried clearing the cmos? You will have to remove the battery to do this and leave it out for about 20 minutes. It wasnt clear to me from your post how you excluded the PSU as the culprit? Does the DPS light up when you turn on the power? (Assuming you're using it). (I'd also suggest you remove the disk while you're doing these tests.) __________________ "To Boldly Go..."
(Offline)

03-02-2006, 08:40 AM	#3
Boomerang Rapido Registered User Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Denmark Posts: 516	Nope I havent tried clearing the CMOS. I will try when I get home. Do I just remove the battery, leave it for 20 minutes, put the battery back in and try to boot it? As for the PSU. When I press the power on button, all the diodes light up (power, HD, diodes on the optical drives). Also all the case fans and the CPU fan spin, and it SOUNDS like it also spins up the hard drives. This was the case with the PSU I have installed as well as the other power supply I tried (which I know for a fact is working). I will try testing again with the disks as well.
(Offline)

03-02-2006, 11:31 AM	#4
Boomerang Rapido Registered User Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Denmark Posts: 516	Well I just tried resetting the CMOS, but still the same result. I had to remove the battery, since there's nu jumper to do the trick. I unplugged everything (disks, PCI cards, Video, optical drives) and the result was the same. All the LED's come on (including the RAM LED) and all the fans spin up but that's it. Am I right to assume that I have exhausted all my options?
(Offline)

03-02-2006, 11:52 AM	#5
Bofinn I'm gettin' dizzy! Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Chicagoland Posts: 11,035	a completely dead battery can cause weird things to happen. Can you swap that out? Are you getting any beep codes from the bios? __________________ ---------- JimBo ----------- When in doubt, smack it!
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03-02-2006, 11:53 AM	#6
Monkey Hanger Registered User Join Date: Mar 2001 Posts: 10,590	Are you able to access the BIOS?
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03-02-2006, 01:25 PM	#7
DeusExMachina ABX Folder Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: The Empire State Posts: 477	What processor are you using now? PC2700 memory is really on the low side even for a Celery. Try to avoid the halved processors at all costs if you want any game performance. Get a cheap P4 and OC it instead. And what you're experiencing is what exactly what happened to my P4T533 (even after the RMA). Everything would power up, but no boot. It was a motherboard problem the first time (voltage regulator), and surely one now -- especially since the parts from it is working in this temp rig. DXM
(Offline)

03-02-2006, 01:59 PM	#8
Boomerang Rapido Registered User Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Denmark Posts: 516	Bofinn: I don't have a spare battery, so no can do. Seriously I thought the battery would only die if you left the machine unplugged for ages!? The BIOS doesn't give any beeps of any kind. It doesn't sound like it does much of anything really. Monkey Hanger: No I can't access the BIOS. I can't even get the machine to post. The screen gets no signal at all. I already tried a different monitor as well as two different video cards (1 AGP and 1 PCI, just to check if it was the AGP port that's dead). DeusExMachina: I'm running a P4 2.4 in a Gigabyte SINXP1394 mobo. Since my first post I scrapped the celeron/sempron idea. I mean if I DO upgrade there's not much sense in upgrading to a system marginally better than what I have. If I do upgrade (and it's looking more and more like it) I'll probably switch to an Athlon64 3500+ (or so..). As for the RAM, your point is well taken, but I think I will have to suffer with my 512 MB PC2700 till next payday, at which time I can throw a gig or 2 at it.
(Offline)

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