CPU/Mobo Problem with new gigabyte 970chipset mobo

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6pack

ex-Mod
I recently upgraded my old system to a new one. Specs are:
Motherboard- Gigabyte 970A Ds3p
CPU - And Fx8320 black edition.
Ram - 4GB x 2 Crucial Ballistic sport.
Gpu - Amd radeon HD 6670.
Psu - corsair vx 450.
Hdd - 1 each of 500GB and 1TB.
And an Aoc full HD monitor.

Problem I'm facing is the mobo does not boot into the bios setup. I don't get any display on monitor either with HDMI or VGA cable. The monitor only shows no signal.

After switching on the comp, there is no all OK beep ( one single beep).

Steps I did to troubleshoot:
Removed rams and tried to boot. Ram beep error.
Changed ram slots. No error beeps, but no display either in monitor.
I thought pcie x16 slot might be bad, so I changed to pcie x4 slot. Same no signal.
Then I removed gfx card and tried to boot hoping it will throw some error sound, but it didn't do so. I know gfx card is working properly, since I just used it few days back in my old rig which has been dismantled now for sale.

So does this mean the mobo is faulty? It should give dome long beep code to dhow gfx card is not present on it but it didn't. :(
 
I can't edit my thread above through tapatalk for some reason.

I shorted cmos jumpers, tried booting without cmos battery and even changed the battery to a new one. No change.

I have removed everything from mobo and kept only cpu , single ram stick and aux power and system fans connected. No kbd or mouse attached.
No error or any beep at all. It just beeps if ram is not present.

I noticed that CPU fan spins slowly first and then speeds up. The heat sink becomes really hot after a minute. Is it problem with CPU not placed properly? I aligned the triangle on chip with triangle on socket. So is it a dead CPU maybe?
 
Shit...thats the problem with buying computer parts online...gets really hard to troubleshoot.

Since the only thing you haven't re-seated is the CPU, I'd say go ahead and do that.
Also, run the board outside the case, in case somethings shorting it out.

If you're in Pune, then you could come over to my place to troubleshoot. I bought the same board a few weeks back, and mines been running without a hitch. (though I am running an ancient Athlon II X3).

There are dozens of reviews on newegg with people running FX8350's on this board so I don't think it's a compatibility problem.


The fan on my CPU starts the same way on this board. The few times it didn't boot-up it did the same thing as yours did. Slow start, speedup, stop, restart. That was when I was trying unsuccessfully to unlock the 4th core.
 
I tried removing the CPU. Problem is the heat sink does not want to come out. I got fed up and am sitting far away from the comp now. :|
Feel like swearing at it when I see it.
 
Heat-sinks always do that. Twist gently, and then try and slide it off instead of using force.

And relax....I know you've waited a long time for all the parts, and it sucks not to be able to use your brand new machine, but you've bought a really good set-up and it'll be pretty awesome once you get it working.
It's gonna last you a long time, so don't get too upset if it takes a couple of more days to get the problem resolved.
 
Removed the heat sink after sometime. It was stuck to the processor like you mentioned. Took me about 15 minutes to remove all the thermal paste from the heatsink & processor. There was more thermal paste on them than you can find cream on a biscuit here. The copper is coarsely machined imo. I could feel the bumps in it with my finger while rubbing the paste away.

Is the ram faulty? Can both ram sticks be doa or not compatible? The board supports 1600 dimms @1.5v which the rams specs match.

I tried booting it off on top of a cardboard box so nothing can short it. Same thing. No single post beep. It beeps if ram is removed but no beep if gfx card is not there. So weird.
 
did you try booting with only a single ram module [ on all 4 slots ] ? Repeat the same for the other ram module. Anyway, the motherboard can detect the non presence of ram but it's not doing the same for the gpu. The IMC is on cpu so it's OK I guess but the pci-e controller is on the mobo chipset so most of the chances are the motherboard is faulty. Best way for you to take it to the service center along with the ram and cpu and tell'em to test the setup in front of you.
 
Yes I tried booting with single ram sticks (both) in all 4 slots.
I was thinking of asking some nearby computer shop for DDR3 ram temporarily for testing or if I could take the board to the shop. Just to make sure its not the ram.

If that doesn't work, then I guess going to the service center is the only option now.
Do they have cpu's there to test? I don't want to risk frying my new CPU in train travel.
Plus I think vyral had a bad experience with their service center in lamington road.
 
I'm sure there are people with AM3 boards, DDR3 RAM, and GPU's on this forum from Bombay.
Try contacting them so that you can narrow down the problem.
It's better than taking everything to the service centre. Start a help wanted thread, and I'm sure you'll get a few responses.

That said, I don't think there should be a problem travelling with the components in a train. Just remove the heatsink before you but the board in the box.
 
I think some mosfet? on the mobo might have gone bad. Its the one near the south bridge chip. Gives no reading when tested with dmm. All other similar ones on the mobo give around 300 ~ 2 meg ohm readings.
See image to know what I'm referring to.

1389765832136.jpg
 
Faulty memory is my bet, or a bent cpu pin. You cam't check transistors in circuit under any circumstances and it is dangerous if you do not take esd precautions.
 
I checked it without power to board & grounded myself before doing so. I put the dmm on continuity testing ( sound icon) and tested resistance between outer two pins.

Regarding bent CPU pins, that was the first thing I checked after removing the CPU. There are no bent pins on it. Attaching a pic here for confirmation.
1389784153602.jpg

Didn't test the rams in another machine yet so can't say anything about them. Its highly improbable that both sticks are bad at the same time.
 
There is a fair likelihood of memory problems, even incompatibility despite written specs. I would not discard that without verifying with known working components (not new in-box, but pulls from a working machine). The worrying sign is the rapid heating of the CPU. That does not seem normal and would point to an issue with the motherboard or CPU. As said, without known working components, difficult to tell but if the motherboard does not beep when memory is inserted and fails to provide further diagnostic, it is usually the memory.

And no matter what, once a transistor is in circuit you are no longer measuring the transistor but the lowest path of resistance around it as everything parallels up. It is not possible to verify using a meter. Also, DMMs operate at 9V and most of this voltage is available at the upper range of the meter. Many transistors in and around the motherboard may be designed to operate at much lower voltages, some down to 3V to save space and reduce component size.

It is a brave man who would stick a resistance probe into a motherboard without verifying that the component or signal path (some may include low voltage capacitors as well) can take it. For example, that capacitor you see in your previous post is rated to operate at 6.3V. Not possible to apply almost 9V to it without causing damage - may be low intensity, but still.

Good Luck with your troubleshooting!
 
Cranky sir, don't get mad please. I know I'm a bit of an idiot in these things. Please bear with me. :oops:
I tested both ram sticks in a family friends machine a few minutes back. Both work well. Took a pic of cpuz running. So I suppose we can stop doubting that the ram sticks are bad now, right? The mobo might be incompatible I suppose but I've read about people on crucial memory forums using these same ram sticks on the same motherboard without fail. Obviously batch number of memory will differ.

1389792951077.jpg

So what should I do (or not do) next? I won't touch any part of mobo with dmm again after the scolding I got in above post for sure.
About the CPU heating up, I think it was because the heat sink was not firmly seated on it. It could be tilted a bit from side to side. I realised this when I tried to remove the heat sink from the CPU. Hope the CPU is not fried cause I didn't let it run for more than a minute in those three four times I tested the machine. Fingers crossed. :oops:

Edit: forgot to mention. The friend had a gigabyte motherboard too. Don't remember the model number though.
 
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I'm not mad. Okay, maybe a bit crazy :D

Try the following sequences.

1. No memory, cpu or gpu.

2. Only cpu

3. Only gpu

4. Only memory

And combinations by leaving out one component.

In each case verify the beep codes are consistent with the missing component. The usual boot sequence is memory - video - cpu though in some bios programs cpu may come before video. You should get the bios codes off google. Note which combinations you do not get beeping. If your cpu heats abnormally you should think about rmaing the cpu and board. Not possible to check out those at your friend's place?
 
well in most of AMD 785, 880 and 970 board has lot of failure rate, due to memory and cpu issue not GPU that they all are seen fine

obvious i have board 3 board which i have face lot of boot issue due to fail memory, and cpu not detect the board that i test different ram and it show same issue and keep beep somewhat another beep

as i have RMA the 880 and 970 board which it has most failure rate due to cpu debug issue or ram not defect the board but i did test memory test it seen fine on another board

and the 785 board keep reboot Evey time and random fail to detect in bios due to ram and cpu issue even time i have to test and charge the component that the ram is working stable without any issue
 
@cranky, did all you asked me to. I post the list afterwards if required

Turned out to be the ram sticks. I have taken the 2gb ram for few minutes on loan from my friend and the mobo booted. Gave that all OK beep and went straight into bios.

Tried with his memory in slot 1 & my crucial memory in slot 2. It boots up but men timing is off. It takes lower of the two ram sticks timing of 1333MHz.

In slot 2 how do I manually change the timings so it takes 1066MHz speed or 1333 if it doesn't support 1066?

I'll ask him if I can keep his ram for one more day. Installed my ram in his pc for the moment. :D
 
congrats with troubleshooting .. nice to know you finally nailed the issue :D anyway, if you use two ram modules of different speed the memory modules run at the speed of the slower ram module for better compatibility. You can manually set memory speed from bios [ almost every motherboard has such options though location may vary a bit ] but it's better to stick with the low speed unless you are ready for extensive test .. ram modules from two different manufacturer don't always work well in pair let alone ram modules with different speed / timing.
 
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