Big time help *computer died*

[Derekh]

Ok I've been running my setup for about 2 months:

P4 3.0GHZ C
9800 PRO
420W Power supply
Santa Cruz Sound card
Headphones, printer, cell phone connector, camera connector (all USB)
Liteon CDRW
Samsung floppy
4 coolermaster fans
1gb mushkin level one pc-3500 ram
Asus p4p800 deluxe mobo

It has been running PERFECTLY fine, all the tests I've done, mem tests, restarted it about once a week or a couple times a week, always checked for spyware, scanned for viruses.

Always ran at 32-35C mobo and cpu, never any problems with the PSU

Now here's what happen

I walked away from the computer with my stock monitor on like I always do, had AIM running, and I come back, it's completely frozen. I power it off with the power switch in the back, turn it back on, and my monitor is blinking, so I assume my video card went dead. Put it another spare video card I had, still nothing, blinking, unplug the harddrive, soundcard, cdrom, no bios. I'm using another tower now and my monitor is working fine so I know it's not that.

Any ideas at all?

Thanks [H]

 

[Wixard]

I would start with the psu.

 

[Derekh]

The computer still starts up, atleast from what I can hear, all the fans turn on and spin normally, I hear the computer doing the work, but no picture

 

[Wixard]

Like i said id start with the psu, could be ram, mobo, psu or proc.

Id go psu, ram, proc, then mobo.

 

[Derekh]

Thanks a lot, how should I test the psu?

 

[pbj75]

Have you tested the monitor itself?

Also, the 9800 has an 4 pin molex power connector. A bad PSU may not be giving juice to the video card.

 

[Wixard]

Originally posted by Derekh
Thanks a lot, how should I test the psu?

Hookup a new one to the board, plug it in and then youd know. Ive seen some cheap power supplies die after a month or two, still spin the fans but wont power up the motherboard.

Or you could remove the psu from the case, move it to a differant computer. At least that would be my advice. IF youve never done it before you could narrow out the simpler things first like ram.

 

[Derekh]

Originally posted by pbj75
Have you tested the monitor itself?

Also, the 9800 has an 4 pin molex power connector. A bad PSU may not be giving juice to the video card.

Yes I am using the monitor right now

 

[Derekh]

Originally posted by Wixard
Hookup a new one to the board, plug it in and then youd know. Ive seen some cheap power supplies die after a month or two, still spin the fans but wont power up the motherboard.

Or you could remove the psu from the case, move it to a differant computer. At least that would be my advice. IF youve never done it before you could narrow out the simpler things first like ram.

I will try the ram idea, I even put a really old video card in (GeForce2), no picture still, I really have a feeling its the mobo or the ram, the way the ram was packed when it was shipped to me was really crappy.

 

[Wixard]

Originally posted by Derekh
I will try the ram idea, I even put a really old video card in (GeForce2), no picture still, I really have a feeling its the mobo or the ram, the way the ram was packed when it was shipped to me was really crappy.

Could be either. The packing job wouldnt have much to do with it if it worked. If the ram checks out ok you only got 3 things left, proc/mobo/psu

Of those 3 id most often think the psu.

 

[titan151]

You could reset the bios on the mobo if you have a jumper for that. Mine does what yours does when I clock it too high. You may have tried that already. If you can hear fans spining it might not be the PSU. Hope you fix the problem.

 

[Derekh]

Thanks, I will try resetting the bios and then go from there

What a crappy time for this to happen

 

[fusionrs]

Also try plugging in a different molex connector into the 9800. Sometimes an individual connector will go bad or the wires will get dislodged.