Mobo/CPU upgrade for virtualization

Ready to pull the trigger and looking for last opinions on the motherboard choice.
 
I'd go for the Intel mobo since Intel mobos do have a rep for being pretty reliable.
 
Ordered the Q9400, Intel DG45ID, and 2x2GB OCZ DDR2 800 (voltage & timings are same as my existing ram and meet the motherboards requirements).

Thanks for all the help! Time to tear open the little Antec NSK4480B!
 
It's amazing how much some of us love hardware. We've all seen a million pictures of a motherboard, or all items in their boxes online, but yet, we still need moAr!
 
Yea well, you can come here and kick UPS' ass. I saw them down the road as I came back from lunch. Patiently waiting.
 
It's really cool when the people don't do their jobs and answer the back door when the buzzer goes off. AWESOME!
 
Anyone hear anything about Intel desktop motherboards not supporting Server 2003 & 2008? A friend just sent me a link with the information. It's news to me
 
Well shit. I got around to installing things last night/this evening, and it won't power on. It didn't appear that any power was coming to the board. I used the paperclip trick and found that I am getting power from the PSU, and my 2 fans powered on, my hdd powered on, except my CPU fan did NOT power on. I plugged it back in and re-checked my front panel connections on the board which everything is OK. When I flip the switch on, there is a little green light on the mobo flashing on/off really quickly. That light is the 'stand by' light apparently. I was initially trying with all 4 sticks of RAM in, then I tried just 1, in the first 2 slots. I tried 3 different sticks in the first 2 slots with no luck.

Is my PSU not feeding the quad enough? I only have 1 HDD, 2 fans (120mm rear, 80mm front), 1 optical drive, and that's it. There's no way I'm overdoing it on that psu.

Also, the CPU power connector is only a 4 pin, but they advertise it supporting quad's.

Or is the board just dead?
 
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4-pin should suffice. do you get error beeps without the ram? how about without the vidcard? there's a barebones bench test procedure in the basic troubleshooting guide sticky... follow it and report results.
 
NOTHiNG powers on. There is a tiny little flashing light on the board for power. Other than that, no power is being sent. I've checked and rechecked the connectors for the power switch.

I used the paperclip test to verify the PSU works, and it does. It kicked my hard drive and 2 fans on. The CPU fan never did power on...

After work, the only things I can think of doing is taking it out of the case and trying again. If that doesn't work, then I'll swap that celeron e1200 in and see if it powers on.
 
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Also, I did check out the troubleshooting sticky, but I know most of those things already, but I don't get any power to anything so I can't try any of those.
 
tgabe213 said:
Also, I did check out the troubleshooting sticky, but I know most of those things already, but I don't get any power to anything so I can't try any of those.
Click to expand...

You can't try any of those?
Why can't you pull it out of its case?
Did you re-seat the CPU?
If the mobo isn't getting power (standby LED goes out) then either the board is dead/faulty, there's something shorting out the board, or you forgot to connect something.
If the mobo IS getting power (LED stays on), when you switch it on, how long do you keep it on? My CPU HSF doesn't start spinning until about 6 seconds after I power on.
Is the CPU HSF plugged into the correct fan header? If so, then try another fan in that header, and also try that CPU fan plugged into another header.
Again, you've already tried powering it out without any RAM and vidcard, or anything else except CPU and HSF plugged in, right?
By the way, that board does have an onboard speaker, so you should be hearing some error beeps without the RAM and Vidcard... if not, then re-seat the CPU. If that doesn't yield any beeps, then RMA the board (again, make sure you try this out of the case because it could be a short).

Sticky: Basic Troubleshooting Guide (Please read before seeking help) ...

enginurd said:
... If your system doesn't POST...

This is basic troubleshooting if your system has never POSTed (as in, you just put it together); Though, it may be helpful to others whose system no longer POSTs...

If you have both the 20/24 pin main ATX connector plugged in, AND the 4-Pin (or 8-pin) ATX12V P4 CPU connector plugged in, then the board should boot fine (unless it requires more power connectors from the PSU). First, try clearing the CMOS w/ the proper jumper or button.

The next thing you could do is test the PSU. Jump start it (on the main atx connector, short the green wire with any black wire, using a paperclip), and see if it stays on. If not, then its probably a faulty PSU. If it works then you can proceed with the suggestions below. ***NOTE: The paperclip trick is a simple test for those that do not have PSU testers, multimeters, nor a spare PSU to test with. It is not a 100% conclusive test of the PSU.
Click to expand...

:confused: It looks like you made it this far... but yet you can't do the rest? What's stopping you? :confused:

enginurd said:
How to test with a multimeter @ BFG

Setup everything outside of the case, with the mobo on top of its cardboard box. Plug in only the essentials: (this is also known as a barebone bench test)
- PSU (namely: main 20/24-pin ATX connector and 4-pin ATX12V P4 CPU Connector; The 4-pin should work in the 8-pin EPS12v plugs, too)
- CPU w/ HSF
- Single stick of ram
- Videocard if there is no onboard video (along with its molex or PCI-E power connector, if it has one)
- System speaker/buzzer (your board may have an on-board buzzer/speaker)
- Monitor & Keyboard

Reset/Clear the CMOS by following the instructions in your mobo manual. If you can, check to see that you have the latest BIOS udpate from the mobo manufacturer.

* Use a screwdriver if your board doesn't have an onboard power switch. Jump the two power switch leads to turn the power on (connect both pins for 1-2 seconds with something conductive).

If it won't POST, try different RAM slots. If it still won't post, pull out the ram (so no ram in the system) and listen for error beeps. If none, pull the vidcard and listen for error beeps. If none, re-seat the CPU and HSF, then try again. Report back with results if you're still having issues.
Click to expand...

tgabe213 said:
Also, I did check out the troubleshooting sticky, but I know most of those things already, but I don't get any power to anything so I can't try any of those.
Click to expand...

Nope, haven't heard that one before. How about you share the link? :p
 
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Bear with me. I'm an idiot and I'm on 4 hours of sleep.

Why can't you pull it out of its case? Will do tonight
Did you re-seat the CPU? Yes. I also tried without HSF incase that was forcing uneven pressure on the cpu
If the mobo isn't getting power (standby LED goes out) then either the board is dead/faulty, there's something shorting out the board, or you forgot to connect something.
If the mobo IS getting power (LED stays on), when you switch it on, how long do you keep it on? My CPU HSF doesn't start spinning until about 6 seconds after I power on. I'm not sure of the correct operation for this board. This light blinks when the PSU is flipped on. It does not stay on/off
Is the CPU HSF plugged into the correct fan header? If so, then try another fan in that header, and also try that CPU fan plugged into another header. Plugged into the correct header. I think the CPU fan is 4 pin and my fans are 3 pin. I will verify.
Again, you've already tried powering it out without any RAM and vidcard, or anything else except CPU and HSF plugged in, right? I need to try it with just the CPU/HSF. I had 1 hard drive and DVD drive plugged in.
By the way, that board does have an onboard speaker, so you should be hearing some error beeps without the RAM and Vidcard... if not, then re-seat the CPU. If that doesn't yield any beeps, then RMA the board (again, make sure you try this out of the case because it could be a short). No beeps. Fans don't even move. Nothing happens when hitting the power switch. That light continues to blink and nothing gets a jolt of power.

It looks like you made it this far... but yet you can't do the rest? What's stopping you?
Click to expand...

Reading comprehension.

Thanks..
 
tgabe213 said:
... I'm not sure of the correct operation for this board. This light blinks when the PSU is flipped on. It does not stay on/off...
Click to expand...

I believe that LED should stay on if the PSU's rear switch is turned on (but with the system off). See if you can email Intel support and find out if its not in the mobo manual. ... and if it is supposed to stay on, it may be something is shorting out the mobo or psu; other possibilities are faulty mobo or psu.
 
About to take everything out of the case now. Just one question. What am I supposed to use as the power switch? Since it won't be in the case
 
Found the culprit.

Back when I got this case, and prior to installing the Dell motherboard (mATX), I went and put in all of the motherboard mounts into the mobo tray. Popped the board in, and screwed it down.

Put in this board, and it wouldn't boot. Apparently there was an extra mount that somehow wasn't touching the old mobo, but it was shorting this one out. Motherboard is in the case and powered on.

Thanks for the help!

...Now that I feel I have some patience I'll take my time with the small amount of cabling.
 
Glad you got it worked out. The answer to your power switch question is in those procedures above. ;)
 
Figured out why I was constantly getting BSOD's and multiple issues. 1 of my sticks of ram fails up the wazoo on memtest. RMA!
 
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