# First-time builder facing endless motherboard reboot cycle - Which part is broken?



## mjhart (Apr 7, 2013)

Hello, I am a first-time builder trying to put together a gaming rig. Here's what I've bought:

SYSTEM SPECS
Motherboard: Gigabyte LGA1155 Z77-HD3
Graphics card: msi GeForce GTX 660 Twin FrozrIII (OC Edition)
PSU: Corsair cx500m (500w)
CPU: Intel Core i5-3570k 3400mhz
HardDrive: SCI 7200rpm
RAM: Team Elite Dual Channel 1333Mhz DDR3 4GBx2 

However when I assemble the motherboard, CPU, and power source outside of the case for a test boot-up, the system goes into am endless boot-off-reboot-repeat cycle where the fans on the mobo and power source start up and stop but with no beeps and no output to the monitor. All I have connected are the two power cables from the power source for the motherboard, and I have tried this with one RAM, two RAM, and no RAM in all possible position combinations. 

My CPU is not damaged (though I did remove then replace the fan several times to check the CPU for damage), and no pins on my motherboard are bent. I have literally spent at least 15 hours in the past two days very meticulously going through EVERY SINGLE step on troubleshooting pages, so I doubt there is a quick fix to this.

It seems safe to say that either the motherboard, power source, or PCU are broken. I bought the parts from a big chain electronics store - does that increase the likelihood that a part will be DOA? Or could it possibly be that the coin-sized motherboard battery is dead, causing endless clr_mos reboots?

Unfortunately since I am a new builder I have no extra parts lying around to swap in or out to check, and right now my budget limits me to only replacing once of these parts (seriously, if I buy more than one I won't have money to eat for the rest of the month).
Is there any way to figure out which part is broken in the absence of other systems or spare parts?

Any help would be greatly appreciated (but again, I've already gone through the troubleshooting lists so I don't need people to repeat those...), I've been working all day and night on this over the weekend and have never felt more frustrated, stupid, and helpless in my entire life.:banghead: But I've put a lot of money in this system and can't give up.


----------



## JMPC (Jan 15, 2011)

If you purchased the parts locally I would suggest replacing the power supply first and then the motherboard. 

There have been issues with reboot cycles on some Gigabyte motherboards so this may be something worth investigating.


----------



## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

Do you have a Mobo speaker to hear beep codes?
No RAM installed and no beep codes indicates a Mobo problem but the powering on and off sounds more like a PSU problem and the PSU you have wold be suspect.
That PSU should be replaced with a better quality unit with some more power anyway to use with the GTX 660 GPU.
SeaSonic & XFX are top quality PSU's and you want to be at 520W to 550W.


----------



## mjhart (Apr 7, 2013)

Thank you for your replies. I really appreciate it!



> Do you have a Mobo speaker to hear beep codes?


I have no separate MOBO speaker, I just assumed that the noise would come from a built-in speaker on my Gigabyte one. I tried attaching my case (Three Hundred)'s speaker but had no beeps from that either. Does that mean that the MOBO is busted?

Or should I buy a separate speaker to check before I make any big purchases?



> That PSU should be replaced with a better quality unit with some more power anyway to use with the GTX 660 GPU.
> SeaSonic & XFX are top quality PSU's and you want to be at 620W.


Okay I'll try to get a replacement PSU following your suggested models.

But how can you tell that the 500w Corsair not enough? I followed a guide for building this PC, and was told on other forums and at the store (by the PC area specialists, they seemed to know what they were doing) that 500w would be enough for my setup.


----------



## mjhart (Apr 7, 2013)

Oh one more quick question... Could this possibly be a thermal paste issue? Do I need to replace the thermal paste on the CPU if I have removed the CPU fan to check the CPU socket pins?


----------



## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

The thermal paste/pad needs to be thoroughly cleaned and new paste applied when the heatsink is removed from the CPU but it shouldn't prevent the PC from booting. so it's not a concern at the moment.

If you have a "built-in" Mobo speaker that's fine. If not, I would suggest purchasing one. Any reliable PC shop will have one and "possibly" the store you purchased the parts from.

450W is the bare minimum for a GTX 660 and you want a good quality PSU with a little more than 50W headroom for extended use. Corsair are not recommended since they went to a lower quality supplier. 
I apologize for my misinformation earlier. 520W or 550W would be fine and my post has been changed.


----------



## mjhart (Apr 7, 2013)

I tried a bare-bones/"breadboard" set-up again with just the power source, mother board, CPU, and one RAM hooked in, and had the same result as ever. No beeps, even when I attached the case's audio wire. And nothing appears on my monitor. Just blank.

Last question before I go buy a new power supply:
If there is a problem with the PSU, would that prevent any beeps from happening on the motherboard? Or does no beeps always mean that the motherboard is at fault?

Thanks again in advance.


----------



## greenbrucelee (Apr 24, 2007)

your motherboard would only beep if you had a speaker attached. The psu would not stop a beep unless you were getting no power at all.

Did you plug in the 20+4 connector? you can get an endless reboot if the cpu power cable is not plugged in.


----------



## mjhart (Apr 7, 2013)

> The psu would not stop a beep unless you were getting no power at all.


Thank you. So I guess that means I need to get the peripheral mobo speaker to find out which is the real problem? Or is there a way to use the case speaker to test this as well? (sorry if these questions are super elementary, I was a complete newb two days ago).

And yes my 24-pin connector is in. First time I put it in I had to push really hard though (but it wasn't in the wrong way or anything), and I was kind of afraid I may have broken a pin but I pulled it out and checked and everything looks alright.


----------



## greenbrucelee (Apr 24, 2007)

a speaker can help but I never have one as I always choose boards that don't have them.

Is the cpu power cable (the one that goes near the cpu) in?

Usually an endless reboot is either cpu error, mobo or power.

Is your motherboard on standoffs or did you just out the motherboard in the case?


----------



## mjhart (Apr 7, 2013)

Here is a pic of my PSU's insides. Is that red/melty area indicative of something being busted? Or is it supposed to look like that?

Yeah I used the motherboard standoffs properly, and am testing it now on the cardboard box it came in.


----------



## greenbrucelee (Apr 24, 2007)

cant really tell but it will probably be ok.


----------



## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

Installing a Mobo speaker would be a cheap and effective purchase. It will allow you to check the Mobo by booting with no RAM. 
I never use them either but I have plenty of spare parts lying around to substitute test.


----------



## mjhart (Apr 7, 2013)

Tyree said:


> Installing a Mobo speaker would be a cheap and effective purchase. It will allow you to check the Mobo by booting with no RAM.


Okay thanks I'm gonna buy a speaker today and report back on how it works.


----------



## mjhart (Apr 7, 2013)

UPDATE

I ran a test on my power supply, using a paperclip to short the 24-pin plug and connecting just the case fans, and it seems my power supply is fine. So I guess my motherboard is damaged?


----------



## mjhart (Apr 7, 2013)

I bought a motherboard speaker attachment. Now when I start up the motherboard (with ONLY the PSU and PCU+fan attached), I get about thirty fast beeps while the reboot cycle goes on. Same thing happens with or without RAM installed (doesn't matter which slots, or one or two sticks of RAM).

Does anyone know what to make of this?


----------



## mjhart (Apr 7, 2013)

Problem solved... It ended up just being DOA RAM, thankfully.

I really appreciate all the help and advice I got here! I'll probably be back in the near future with other hardware problems, haha.


----------



## greenbrucelee (Apr 24, 2007)

the paper clip test means absolutley nothing.

you need a multimeter and put the probes in the appropriate part of your 20 pin connection to test a psu.


----------



## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

Glad you got the immediate problem resolved and, as you have discovered, Team Elite RAM is not a good brand choice. Replacing that PSU with a better quality unit, with sufficient power, would be a win/wind deal.


----------

