AM3 issues

[Clock_Work]

So I posted this here because I think my motherboard is causing me my issues. Let me explain:

Last night i built a gaming rig for a friend. Everything went well at first. The computer turned on, I went to the bios and then formated and installed windows on the hard drive. Then I unplugged the computer to change its position. I moved it to the other side of the desk and plugged it back in, but when I turned it on, "No signal" appeared on the monitor. I never had this issue before, where the computer would spontaneously fail after 10 minutes of use.

The GPU seems to start (fan spins and everything seems to be going well). Anyway, I used the old videocard (8600 GTS) and still "No signal". It worked in the previous PC. The gpu fan would spin erratically for the 8600 GTS. I didn't notice that issue with the new GPU (although that could be because its quiet.) I tested with different HDMI cables so I don't think that's the issue. Also, I tested the PSU with a power supply tester and all the voltages are dead on the spot (how they should be on a brand new corsair PSU)

I tested the monitor with an Xbox and it works well. I also reseated the CPU and RAM and everything seemed to be going well. The only thing that's left is the mobo failing.

I also tried to reset the mobo by unplugging the computer and taking the CMOS battery out.

The specs of the new rig are:

CPU: AMD FX 4100 Quad core Black Edition 3.6ghz
GPU: EVGA GeForce GTX550 Ti 2gb GDDR5
PSU: Corsair CX600 Builder Series 600W
MoBo: MSI 970A-G46
RAM: Corsair Vengeance 8gb DDR3

Please help me out with this. State the obvious if you think I might've missed it (yes I did plug in the hdmi cord on both ends). What do you think the issue is? Everything but the MoBo seems to check out. Could the MoBo cause a "No signal" issue?

 

[Suppressor1137]

That is strange..

Have you contacted MSI about the board?

MSI usually ships boards with VT testers on the board itself, usually in the top right coner, about 3 inches from the top. If you know how to use them it could tell you if there is something wrong with the board. from what you said, it spins the fan up, so it IS pushing power, then again, it could also be the direct PSU power. Any Motherboard based fans like cpu fan? Is that one spinning up?

The reason why that matters, is to see if it is pushing power. That narrows it down a bit.

 

[Clock_Work]

Yes it seems to be pushing power. The CPU fan is spinning, so are all the other fans. There are 3 green LED's on the top of the MoBo and they all light up.

I tested the power supply with a tester and it passed on all fronts, so I don't think it's the PSU.

 

[Suppressor1137]

Yes it seems to be pushing power. The CPU fan is spinning, so are all the other fans. There are 3 green LED's on the top of the MoBo and they all light up.

I tested the power supply with a tester and it passed on all fronts, so I don't think it's the PSU.

Wasn't saying it was psu, was saying if there was any issues with the internal wiring of the mobo. Quickest check is for power. Since that isn't it, Have you tried re-seating the processor? It is a shot in the dark, but might work. check for bent pins,
and test a diff HDD with the system...could be a bad OS install.

 

[Hicksimus]

Have you tried just using one stick of R.A.M. and if that does not work have you tried removing it and using the other? Also are you sure you have the processor heatsink tight?(I know you reseated)

I'm not sure of your skill level so some other ideas....Did you use too many standoffs? I know it ran but sometimes moving things can make the little shift that shorts. Is there anything loose behind the mobo?

 

[Clock_Work]

Nothing loose behind the motherboard. One of the fan connectors was loose but not behind the mobo. Processor heatsink is as tight as it could be.

I tried without a HDD at all. Something like "insert boot disk" should still show up on screen.

I'm going to try with only 1 RAM stick.

Edit: ok so I found the problem. One of the DIMM slots is causing this. I moved the ram to different DIMM's and it works now.

 

[Hicksimus]

Also, have you checked to make sure the monitor is set to the right input...had a tough fight to get a customer to bring a monitor in once and it was all because a grandchild had stuck a metallic sticker to the input button and long story short their random no signal issue was the touch sensitive input button acting as if it was being pressed.

 

[Clock_Work]

Haha yes I'm sure it's on the right input. I found the issue. Is one of the DIMM slots. It died somehow. I'll ask my friend if he wants to return it and get another or just live with it.