# [SOLVED] Completely Revised Build with Questions



## Ihaorb (Aug 12, 2007)

Ok, I made a thread about a build I was considering a bit ago, but I have completely changed the build around and I am trying to make sure I have everything covered before I move any farther.

Case - Rosewill TU-155 Black 0.8mm SGCC Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 400W Power Supply - Retail 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16811147001

Motherboard - GIGABYTE GA-M61P-S3 Socket AM2 NVIDIA GeForce 6100 ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16813128034

Processor - AMD Athlon 64 X2 6000+ Windsor 3.0GHz Socket AM2 Processor Model ADX6000CZBOX - Retail  

http://www.newegg.com/product/Product.asp?item=N82E16819103773

RAM - Patriot eXtreme Performance 4GB(2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model PDC24G6400ELK - Retail 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16820220227

Hard Drives - (2 for a total of 1 TB) Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD5000AAKS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM 

http://www.newegg.com/product/Product.asp?item=N82E16822136073

PSU - OCZ GameXStream OCZ700GXSSLI ATX12V 700W Power Supply - Retail 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16817341002

Video Card - EVGA 768-P2-N831-AR GeForce 8800GTX 768MB 384-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16814130072 

Optical Drive - SAMSUNG 18X DVD±R DVD Burner With 12X DVD-RAM Write, LightScribe Technology Black SATA Model SH-S183L - OEM 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16827151141


I have a few questions:

1) Will the 8800GTX fit inside my case?
2) Will I have enough power for all my components?
3) Will I have enough cooling if I use what comes with the components?


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## TheMatt (May 9, 2006)

*Re: Completely Revised Build with Questions*

I have a couple tweaks/suggestions:

1. Motherboard: You probably don't want an mATX board since you will be using the 8800. Take a look at this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130123

2. Case: I would look at a full tower case. I use the Thermaltake Armor and will probably never go back to a mid tower.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811133154

3. Memory: You don't need to spend that much on memory and you certainly don't need 4 GB. Take a look at this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820146567


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## Tumbleweed36 (May 14, 2005)

*Re: Completely Revised Build with Questions*



> Case - Rosewill TU-155 Black 0.8mm SGCC Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 400W Power Supply - Retail


To go along with Matt's suggestions for a better case, you need to consider a Good Quality power supply. The Rosewill 400 watt does not fit that category IMHO.


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## TheMatt (May 9, 2006)

*Re: Completely Revised Build with Questions*

Tumble, he mentioned using the OCZ GameXtreme 700w for the system which is good.


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## Ihaorb (Aug 12, 2007)

*Re: Completely Revised Build with Questions*



TheMatt said:


> I have a couple tweaks/suggestions:
> 
> 1. Motherboard: You probably don't want an mATX board since you will be using the 8800. Take a look at this:
> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130123
> ...


1) Do I need to have a ATX board instead of mATX? A coworker/friend suggested the gigabyte mATX board, so if possible I would like to keep it.

2) The full tower costs an extra $100 dollars, which I am already slightly over budget at this point so that would make problems, plus I like the looks of the current rosewill better, and finally I do not need all of those external/internal slots. Do you think the 8800 gtx would work in the current case I have selected?

3) I want to have the ram so that I am set for a dual boot with 64 bit linux, so I am going to keep the ram that I have selected there.



Tumbleweed36 said:


> To go along with Matt's suggestions for a better case, you need to consider a Good Quality power supply. The Rosewill 400 watt does not fit that category IMHO.


I said I planned to replace it with a OCZ GameXStream OCZ700GXSSLI ATX12V 700W Power Supply - Retail. I assume that is a good choice?


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## Tumbleweed36 (May 14, 2005)

*Re: Completely Revised Build with Questions*

Thanks Matt, I didn't see that one...:4-dontkno...cleans glasses...adjusts them for bifocal viewing..... That OCZ is a great power supply. :grin:


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## TheMatt (May 9, 2006)

*Re: Completely Revised Build with Questions*

Yes. I see where you are going with the RAM - Linux will use every last drop even in 32-bit. However, you can save money by getting two of those pairs I posted.

The Graphics card will fit, but just barely. I would at least take a look at something like this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129021

As for the board, that one is much higher quality overall. Additionally it has a better chipset which does play an important role in performance. It is not so much that it is mATX.


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## Ihaorb (Aug 12, 2007)

*Re: Completely Revised Build with Questions*



TheMatt said:


> Yes. I see where you are going with the RAM - Linux will use every last drop even in 32-bit. However, you can save money by getting two of those pairs I posted.
> 
> The Graphics card will fit, but just barely. I would at least take a look at something like this:
> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129021
> ...


Hmm, I will consider the case/board changes for a bit before I decide either way. Thanks for the help, I have a couple more questions so I hope you will bear with me since this is my first time building a computer. :laugh:

1) If I were to use the mid tower case do you think I would have good cooling without having to buy extra fans/ect?

2) When I am making this do you think using http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16899261002
and http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16899888207
will be enough tool wise to construct the whole thing? I do not need to buy more tools/extras like thermal paste?


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## TheMatt (May 9, 2006)

*Re: Completely Revised Build with Questions*

With the Antec Nine Hundred you would have sufficient cooling, but a single 80mm fan in the rear is no where near enough to cool an 8800 and an Athlon X2.


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## Ihaorb (Aug 12, 2007)

*Re: Completely Revised Build with Questions*

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811144128

What about this one? It looks like it would fit the bill for me since I need a full tower.


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## kodi (Jun 30, 2004)

*Re: Completely Revised Build with Questions*

Go with the Antec 900, it will fit the 8800gtx (even comes with a special bracket to support it) and the cooling is great you won't need a full tower with the 900 and a matx board


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## TheMatt (May 9, 2006)

*Re: Completely Revised Build with Questions*

That case (Aspire) is poorly designed because there are three intake fans and only one exhaust fan. This will slightly pressurize the case which itself will aid in heating the components rather than cooling them.


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## Ihaorb (Aug 12, 2007)

*Re: Completely Revised Build with Questions*

Alright I agree with you all on the Antec 900, so my case problems are over. 

Do I need to buy thermal paste for any part of the construction process?


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## pharoah (Aug 28, 2006)

*Re: Completely Revised Build with Questions*

it would be better to use arctic silver over the paste that comes on heatsinks.if you plan on using the stock cooler replace that paste.if you are getting an upgraded cpu cooler still get the silver.


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## TheMatt (May 9, 2006)

*Re: Completely Revised Build with Questions*

I always buy it and keep it around even though a lot of the heatsinks come with thermal paste already applied.


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## Ihaorb (Aug 12, 2007)

*Re: Completely Revised Build with Questions*

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835100007

This should do the trick right? There were several versions of arctic silver.


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## TheMatt (May 9, 2006)

*Re: Completely Revised Build with Questions*

Should work fine. I have always bough the Ceramique since it has no electrical conductivity in case some accidentally gets on the motherboard or something.


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## Ihaorb (Aug 12, 2007)

*Re: Completely Revised Build with Questions*

Alright, sounds good I will get the ceramique. 

Do you all have any suggestions for a cheap but effective sound card? It would be nice to have something that is like 20-30 bucks and can do surround sound. If that is not possible I guess I will just wait a while.


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## TheMatt (May 9, 2006)

*Re: Completely Revised Build with Questions*

For $20 you won't get anything better than the onboard sound on the motherboard. The only benefit I see from a dedicated sound card is digital audio out.


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## Ihaorb (Aug 12, 2007)

*Re: Completely Revised Build with Questions*

I guess what I am wondering is, how do I get one HDMI cable out of my cpu that carries audio/graphics to a 1080p LCD that I will be using as a monitor?


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## TheMatt (May 9, 2006)

*Re: Completely Revised Build with Questions*

You can't use HDMI to go from a computer - it just won't work. You need to use DVI, VGA, or component video and then use separate audio cable(s).


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## Ihaorb (Aug 12, 2007)

*Re: Completely Revised Build with Questions*

Alrighty then. I will post my final build and if you could please make sure it all looks perfect I am going to order it.

Case - Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail 

http://www.newegg.com/product/Product.asp?item=N82E16811129021

Motherboard - GIGABYTE GA-M61P-S3 Socket AM2 NVIDIA GeForce 6100 ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16813128034

PSU - OCZ GameXStream OCZ700GXSSLI ATX12V 700W Power Supply - Retail 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16817341002

Processor - AMD Athlon 64 X2 6000+ Windsor 3.0GHz Socket AM2 Processor Model ADX6000CZBOX - Retail 

http://www.newegg.com/product/Product.asp?item=N82E16819103773

RAM - Patriot eXtreme Performance 4GB(2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model PDC24G6400ELK - Retail 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16820220227

Hard Drive - (2x) Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD5000AAKS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM 

http://www.newegg.com/product/Product.asp?item=N82E16822136073

Video Card - EVGA 768-P2-N831-AR GeForce 8800GTX 768MB 384-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16814130072

Optical Drive - SAMSUNG 18X DVD±R DVD Burner With 12X DVD-RAM Write, LightScribe Technology Black SATA Model SH-S183L - OEM 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16827151141

Multi-Card Reader - Atech Flash Xm-4U 11-in-1 USB 2.0 Black & Silver Internal card reader - Retail 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16820176825

Arctic Silver Ceramique Thermal Compound - OEM 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16835100009

BELKIN F8E093 Anti-Static Wrist Strap - Retail 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16899888207

Rosewill RTK-015 15 Piece Standard Computer Tool Kit - Retail 

http://www.newegg.com/product/Product.asp?item=N82E16899261002

Microsoft Windows Vista 32-Bit Home Premium for System Builders Single Pack DVD - OEM 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16832116202


That is my full order, I am not getting anything else. If I need any more equipment or a part is wrong or I need anything else in general to be in this order please let me know ray:


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## TheMatt (May 9, 2006)

*Re: Completely Revised Build with Questions*

Looks good. I would still go with the MSI I posted for the higher quality capacitors.

Also, just a little tip - I have personally liked the Belkin toolkits better.


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## Ihaorb (Aug 12, 2007)

*Re: Completely Revised Build with Questions*



TheMatt said:


> Looks good. I would still go with the MSI I posted for the higher quality capacitors.
> 
> Also, just a little tip - I have personally liked the Belkin toolkits better.


Yeah, my friend keeps pressuring me to get the gigabyte board so I hope it won't be a big issue in quality.

I am sure you are right but I am getting the rosewill toolkit pretty much for free with the case in a combo deal so as long as it is not a huge issue I will stick with the rosewill.

Thanks a lot for all of your help, hopefully I will be getting the parts in a few days and I will have it up and running shortly after :grin:


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## TheMatt (May 9, 2006)

*Re: Completely Revised Build with Questions*

OK. It is not the board overall that is lower quality, just the caps. But remember, the capacitors are one of the most failure-prone components on the board.


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## Ihaorb (Aug 12, 2007)

*Re: Completely Revised Build with Questions*

After assembling the whole package listed above I booted up for the first time today. The lights came on, the hard drives started working, the video card fan spun, the heatsink fan spun, the optical drive was working and I thought everything was going well. 

It was then that I realized I could not get a display on any monitor I tried. I could not get a display using a dvi to dvi cord, a vga to dvi adapter, a vga to onboard graphics on the motherboard. Nothing, the monitors (i tried several) all remained in powersave mode. I tried removing the graphics card and trying the onboard graphics and still no display. I swapped around my ram to see if either stick was the problem and nothing changed. 

I never heard a beeping noise to alert me to a problem so I do not know what could of gone wrong. Any suggestions on how to fix this?


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## TheMatt (May 9, 2006)

*Re: Completely Revised Build with Questions*

Make sure your motherboard speaker is connected and facing the right way. The speaker is polarized, so if it is plugged in but you hear no beeps, turn the connector around and listen again.


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## Ihaorb (Aug 12, 2007)

*Re: Completely Revised Build with Questions*

Well at one point when I was messing with the graphics card trying to get a display I left out the extra power supply adapters that go into my 8800gtx and I heard a long beep that did not go away until I turned it off. I assume this means my speaker is working.


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## TheMatt (May 9, 2006)

*Re: Completely Revised Build with Questions*

Yep. Sounds like RAM. I would start by swapping out the RAM. First re-seat each stick. Then, try running with one stick, then the other.


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## Ihaorb (Aug 12, 2007)

*Re: Completely Revised Build with Questions*



TheMatt said:


> Yep. Sounds like RAM. I would start by swapping out the RAM. First re-seat each stick. Then, try running with one stick, then the other.


I tried using one stick at a time in the first slot and it still didn't help. Any more suggestions? I don't have any other compatible ram to try in it, and I don't have any other computers that are compatible with that type of ram.


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## TheMatt (May 9, 2006)

*Re: Completely Revised Build with Questions*

Try running with no RAM and see what happens.


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## Ihaorb (Aug 12, 2007)

*Re: Completely Revised Build with Questions*

Still no display, I tried it on the 8800gtx and onboard graphics...


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## TheMatt (May 9, 2006)

*Re: Completely Revised Build with Questions*

Same beep?

Take out the CPU and reinstall it. Make sure you don't touch the pins. Apply new thermal paste.


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## Ihaorb (Aug 12, 2007)

*Re: Completely Revised Build with Questions*

no beep, i only recieved the beep the one time when i forgot to add power adapters to the 8800gtx. 

Do i apply the compound on top of what is already there? Or do I need to clean it and then reapply?


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## TheMatt (May 9, 2006)

*Re: Completely Revised Build with Questions*

Clean it out. Instructions are found in the arctic silver PDF:
http://www.arcticsilver.com/arctic_silver_instructions.htm


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## Ihaorb (Aug 12, 2007)

*Re: Completely Revised Build with Questions*

Cleaned it, reapplied the ceramique.

Tried without ram, no luck.

Tried with ram, no luck.


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## TheMatt (May 9, 2006)

*Re: Completely Revised Build with Questions*

Take out the video card and re-install it. Do you have a multimeter to use to check the voltages?


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## Ihaorb (Aug 12, 2007)

*Re: Completely Revised Build with Questions*

By reinstall it you mean just take it out of the pcie slot and then put it back in? I don't have a multimeter.

If the issue is the graphics card then why can I not use the motherboards integrated graphics either?


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## TheMatt (May 9, 2006)

*Re: Completely Revised Build with Questions*

Go through these steps here:
http://www.techsupportforum.com/f255/how-to-bench-test-your-system-171424.html


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## Ihaorb (Aug 12, 2007)

*Re: Completely Revised Build with Questions*

1) If the 8800gtx's fan is spinning does it mean that the card is not faulty or does that not mean anything either way? 

2) If everything is getting power that means the powersupply is fine? 

3) If the heatsink fan is getting power through the motherboard does that mean that the motherboard is fine? 

4) When I start my system I receive a short beep every time I start it up. Doesn't that mean all systems passed?

5) Would hard drives/optical drives not working cause my display to not show up?


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## TheMatt (May 9, 2006)

*Re: Completely Revised Build with Questions*

Try a different monitor and cable. Is now sounds like the computer is fine. That short beep indicates the POST went OK.


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## Ihaorb (Aug 12, 2007)

*Re: Completely Revised Build with Questions*

I have been using the monitor that I am working on right now with my old pc. So I would expect it to work on the new PC since it works on the old one right now. I will try and do an analog to dvi from my monitor instead of dvi to dvi. 

I should be using the graphics card for display right now shouldn't I? I should not use the onboard graphics?


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## Ihaorb (Aug 12, 2007)

*Re: Completely Revised Build with Questions*

VGA with a DVI adapter plugged into the graphics card results in the computer remaining in powersave mode (yellow) and not changing at all.

DVI to DVI plugged into the graphics card results in the computer remaining in powersave mode (yellow) and not changing at all.

VGA to VGA plugged into the onboard graphics results in the screen lighting up to tell me that it is going into analog powersave mode.

Could there be a switch I need to hit in order for the display to come out of my graphics card and not the onboard?


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## TheMatt (May 9, 2006)

*Re: Completely Revised Build with Questions*

See if you have another PSU you can test. Also, see if you can borrow some other RAM to test.


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## Ihaorb (Aug 12, 2007)

*Re: Completely Revised Build with Questions*

Here are some photos and a recording of it booting up. Maybe I am mishearing the beep or there is something obviously wrong with my wiring...


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## TheMatt (May 9, 2006)

*Re: Completely Revised Build with Questions*

Can you post in the Zip format? I can't open the .rar files.


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## Ihaorb (Aug 12, 2007)

*Re: Completely Revised Build with Questions*

Here you go.


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## TheMatt (May 9, 2006)

*Re: Completely Revised Build with Questions*

I didn't hear any beep there. If it is just one beep, that means the computer successfully POSTed.

So at this point, we have ruled out the RAM. It is likely not the processor either. The fans spinning up indicates the motherboard is likely good and probably also the power supply.

I dunno, I am really leaning towards the monitor as the problem. See if you can borrow another one.

During all this troubleshooting, did you disconnect any PCI cards and all the hard disk/optical disk drives?


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## Ihaorb (Aug 12, 2007)

*Re: Completely Revised Build with Questions*

I disconnected the graphics card at times which is my only pci card. It is in the pcie slot obviously. I do not have any other pci slots filled. I have not tried to disconnect my drives, I will try that now.


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## Ihaorb (Aug 12, 2007)

*Re: Completely Revised Build with Questions*

No change. I unplugged all of the SATA cables from the drives. Should I remove the SATA cables from the motherboard too, even if the drives are disconnected? Does it matter that they still had power? There is a short beep coming 100% from the motherboard every time I turn the PC on. 

I tried another monitor, I tried it with DVI to DVI, VGA to DVI, VGA to VGA (onboard graphics). I did not take out the video card when I tried VGA to VGA however. Still no display. For the DVI to DVI on the new monitor it said it could not find a signal. It did not go into powersave mode for DVI to DVI.


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## Ihaorb (Aug 12, 2007)

*Re: Completely Revised Build with Questions*

I wonder if the problem lies in the cord. The DVI cord does not have all the same amount of pins as the video cards DVI output. The adapter has the full amount of pins but still does not work when I use it to connect my VGA from the monitor to the DVI on the graphics card.

Here are some photos of the cord, adapter, and outputs.


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## TheMatt (May 9, 2006)

*Re: Completely Revised Build with Questions*

Thats because it is a DVI-D single link cable instead of a dual link. This means it just doesn't support very high resolutions.

This has stumped me. I am going to consult the rest of the Hardware team.


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## dai (Jul 2, 2004)

*Re: Completely Revised Build with Questions*

try setting it up with the onboard first,remove the card


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## Ihaorb (Aug 12, 2007)

*Re: Completely Revised Build with Questions*

I have tried removing the graphics card and using the onboard before. It did not help, is there a switch I need to hit in order to make it use onboard graphics as opposed to my graphics card?


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## kodi (Jun 30, 2004)

*Re: Completely Revised Build with Questions*

Take the card out and then reset the CMOS (Unplug the computer then Remove the battery for 5 minutes or use the jumpers on the board) then reboot.


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## Ihaorb (Aug 12, 2007)

*Re: Completely Revised Build with Questions*

Ok, the battery is out and I am waiting for the 5 minutes to be up. Should I put my graphics card back in when I put the battery back in? Or should I try and use the onboard graphics?


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## Ihaorb (Aug 12, 2007)

*Re: Completely Revised Build with Questions*

I took the battery out and then put it back in after 5-6 minutes and then tried the on board graphics card without the graphics card inside. I got no display. 

Next I put in the graphics card and tried the dvi to dvi again. No display. I then tried onboard again with the graphics card inside and that did not work. Next I tried the vga to dvi on the graphics card and still no display...

This is very frustrating. It is beeping once every time I turn it on, I am sure about that now. So I would assume everything is working. It seems impossible to get a display despite that...


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## Ralck (Dec 10, 2004)

*Re: Completely Revised Build with Questions*

Hi,

Sorry to jump into the thread late like this.

Check your CMOS jumpers (The manual will tell you where they are on your board, which is usually near the CMOS battery). A lot of manufacturers ship the boards with the jumper in the 'reset' position instead of the 'boot' position (Although I didn't think you would hear the POST beep if it was resetting).

Also, how long are you waiting after you turn it on and hear the POST beep to turn it off again? I've seen some computers almost fully booted into Windows before video is displayed.


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## dai (Jul 2, 2004)

*Re: Completely Revised Build with Questions*

check the onboard is enabled in the bios and not set to the card


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## Ihaorb (Aug 12, 2007)

*Re: Completely Revised Build with Questions*

The more help the better in this case...the solution is eluding me to the point I might need to get professional help 

I tried leaving my computer running for 5 minutes without a display and it still did not work despite my best efforts. 

I don't think I have a jumper. The manual says:

17) CLR_CMOS (Clear CMOS)
You may clear the CMOS data to its default values by this header. To clear CMOS, temporarily short the two pins. Default doesn't include the jumper to avoid improper use of this header. 

It has a picture of the motherboard and the part right under the battery is circled. It also has to the right of the picture two diagrams. Both are two boxes side by side with dots in the middle. One is not shaded and that says open normal, and the other is shaded and this says short clear CMOS.

I retried taking out my battery. I left it out for 2 hours to make sure it was completely drained. It did not affect anything...

@dai I cannot access my bios due to the fact I have no display, so there is no way for me to do that.


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## kodi (Jun 30, 2004)

*Re: Completely Revised Build with Questions*

I know it is not working with the onboard but at this stage I would be checking out the card in another computer so as we can eliminate that from the equation.


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## Ihaorb (Aug 12, 2007)

*Re: Completely Revised Build with Questions*

I feel incredibly stupid, I am sorry for wasting everyones time :shy:.

I did not connect the atx_12v connection on my motherboard to my powersupply....Thanks for everything guys, Windows is installing as we speak ray:


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## dai (Jul 2, 2004)

your not on your own we have all been there


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