Weird behaviour from my new computer.

I'm just putting together a new computer and am having a quite weird problem.

After a couple of minutes of running just the BIOS screen (new computer, cannot get further with this problem) I get this chirping noise from computer. It's not any of the fans but some component making the noise. A few seconds later, the screen goes black. The longer the computer has been shut off, the longer it takes but it always ends the same.

I initially thought it was the graphics card but I put in an old PCI graphics card and get the same behaviour.

Components include:

Abit NF7-S
XP2500+ Barton
2x256 TwinMOS PC3200with Winbond
Seagate 7200.1 80GB runnin SATA through PATA/SATA adaptor.
Sapphire 9500np/old PIC graphics card.

I had a second network card installed and the LED on it would blink in sync with the chirping noise. Took all PCI cards out.

CPU temp seems fine but I only have what the BIOS is reporting. CPU heatsink is warm but not hot to the tough.

Help me....

Regards

/Ola

I checked my voltages and some seem quite out of spec. Again, this is all from what's reported in the BIOS.

CPU core = 1.66 - 1.69V
VCC (+2.5V) = 2.92V
I/O voltage (+3.3V) = 3.1 - 3.35
+5V = 4.97V (meassured at 4 pin plug = 5.11V)
+12V = 11.73 - 11.80V (meassured at 4 pin plug = 11.92)
-12V = -11.60 - -11.70V
-5V = -4.88 - -4.94V
3.3V Dual voltage = 3.37V
Standby voltage = 4.96V

Is my power supply this bad? It's a Fortron FSP300-60PN 300W.

Try booting up with only a video card, cpu, one stick of ram, and floppy. Disconnect everything else and see if it runs. If it does, then one of the components not connected is bad. If it doesn't, try the other stick of ram. Also, double check to see if your HSF is properly seated.

My initial thought was that the computer was overheating and therfore shutting down. Yet it is different than that. Does the chirping sound sound like it comes from the motherboard? You may have hardware that is fine but your cables maybe broken. If I were you I would check all the motherboard switch settings, completely take off everything and inspect it and then reinstall it very carefully to see if there is a small thing you are missing.

Thank You,
Daniel

Your power supply is fine. It really sounds like it is overheating. Did you peel the plastic off the bottom of the heatsink? Did you use thermal grease or at least just use the little thermal pad that was originally on the heatsink? What kind of temperatures does the bios report for the cpu?

Yep, peeled the plastic off, cleaned with alcohol and applied artic silver III. I took it off to see if it was seated OK and it seems like it was - evenly spread thermal grease. So I cleaned again and re-seated it. The BIOS shows 50 centigrades, after that the chirping begins.

The chirping sounds like it comes from the motherboard, somewhere around the CPU.

I'll take the computer to pieces and start over again tonight. Starting with one stick of RAM and just the floppy and HDD.

The VCC is what worries me though, it's *really* out of spec, isn't it?

Forget the floppy and hard drive, those aren't needed for the comptuer to start up. Use ONE stick of ram, and a video card only (preferably an AGP one).

50C sounds hot. Make sure you haven't installed the heastink backwards. There is a part of the socket that is higher than the rest, and this should line up with the part of the heatsink that is indented.

50C reported in the BIOS is high? Oh dear. I thought it was OK as the temperature warnings and CPU throttling doesn't even start for another 30C or so.

I guess I should just forget about the BIOS temperatura and install a temp sensor next to the CPU core and see what I get from there. Thanks for the heads-up.

It would be truly embarrasing if it turned out that I have installed the heatsink backwards, but again, I'll check that too. Always room for human errors. At this point, I'm prepared to check whether I have installed the CPU upside down...

OK, that's it. This board is going for RMA tomorrow.

I re-seated the CPU and put a thermal sensor next to the CPU core. Temp steady at 44C in BIOS and 48C on the sensor. Still overheats and crashes. So I try an XP1800+ TB instead to see if I have any luck with a slower CPU. Same thing, (almost) same temps, same crash.

So... I taped another temp sensor at the back of the mobo, just under the hot coils and capacitors. Temp goes steadily up to 65-70C, then the screen goes black and the temp rushes to 80C before I can cut the power.

I'm getting rid of this mobo before it sets my house on fire.

Thanks for your help and tips.

/Ola

Yep, mobo was toast

I got a reply from the shop. Mobo is toast and they're sending a new one. This is the actual error description from their tester:

"Southbridge gets too hot, causes some weird errors. Graphic card goes wild etc."

So, I wasn't too off then

Thanks again for your replies.

/Ola