After building and checking for fan operation, no signal to monitor

[BlitzJG]

Hey Guys!

I just finished putting together my computer today, it seemed to go smoothly, took me longer than expected, but when I turned it on and plugged in my monitor, there was no signal detected by my monitor...

What steps should I take to figure out what is wrong or what should I double check before worrying that the MB is busted?

 

[BlitzJG]

I double-checked a lot of things... is it possible that the motherboard I'm using doesn't support monitors through the VGA cable? I don't have a DVI cable atm...

Also could the SATA cables from the SSD HDD or DVD drives interfere with this if they are in the wrong SATA port?

I am not sure what else I should try at this point... and its frustrating to say the least

 

[Buckshot420]

I am assuming that you had power to everything else, fans, mobo lights etc.... If you did, disconnect your gpu before you go into BIOS. All that should be plugged in is CPU, PSU, RAM, and power switch (or jump the posts with a screwdriver). Setup bios, unplug, install gpu, sata hdd, etc.. install win (do not connect to the internet), install antivirus, connect to internet and grab your updates and your off to the races.

 

[BlitzJG]

Sorry for the question, but when you say GPU are you referring to the graphics card I installed?

I was able to get the BIOS going, before I read your post with the graphics card taken out, and I installed Windows and did all updates and such, but it still refuses to send the monitor a signal with my graphics card plugged in... It will transmit a signal when only one PCIe 6 pin power cable is in, but it has space for two of those, and I'm assuming it won't work without both, since my computer doesn't detect it with just the one, and there is a red light on the circuit board of the card...

Also the graphics card is a lot louder when only one 6 Pin is plugged in rather than both...

Its so confusing

 

[mike1959]

PCI or integrated graphics?

A couple of simple things to check, don't shoot me down!
You did connect the graphic card to the monitor after installing the card? (by that I mean not using the 'integrated graphics' motherboard connection? (I've done that!)
Also check again in the BIOS about if the graphics card is or isn't detected when you plug it in. You may have PCI AUTO detect option, or other options, have a good look to see if the card is just not being detected, and you really are still using the 'integrated graphics'.

 

[Buckshot420]

yes, GPU = Graphics card....I found this info. Here's the link.

"the motherboard I am using claims that you need to use the VGA switch card in one of the PCI express slots when you are not running in SLI. Apparently, when you are using certain Nvidia cards, having the VGA card in will cause the "no video signal issue. So I removed the card and one of the PCI express slots are now empty and it works."

1 connector will be enough to power the graphics card, it just won't render 3d. read the above link.

 

[BlitzJG]

Thanks for the link! It sounds like I am having that same issue, but my card is a AMD Radeon HD 6950 and I don't have a VGA switch card, don't think one came with any of the components...

From what I gathered from that link, is that he had a VGA switch card in and it worked after removing it? Do you think mine might work if I have one? My motherboard's manual made no mention of a switch card...

and Mike1959, I did, it has two DVI slots so I have two from the gfx card and one from the MB, during these initial problems I made sure to try all three, and each one resulted in the monitor going to sleep from no signal. I will try to get into BIOS, but again, when I have two x 6 pin power cables I have no signal...

Thanks for the help guys,

P.S. My start-up is so quick its hard to catch BIOS...

 

[mike1959]

You obviously have tried more tests than I assumed, difficult to judge other's situations on these 'boards'.
* If the 'window' for accessing the BIOS is very short, just 'tap' away at the key, about 3 per second, before and all during that time, one keypress will hit the mark.
Can you test that the monitor does work using the DVI connection on another PC? ( i.e. have you seen an image on screen using the DVI input ?)
I have built up a PC using a DVI output, and I took the pessimistic view that nothing worked until I proved otherwise. (!)

 

[BlitzJG]

I finally determined that in BIOS I needed to set my PCIe3 slot to X1 instead of auto... according to the manual Auto and X4 for this PCI slot mean that PCIe1 and 2 are disabled. The manual recommends though for a VGA card of x16 to be placed in the PCIe1 slot... but from what I can tell this means I am not getting full speed since there seems to be a discrepancy in the manual regarding the slot to use for optimal performance.

And Ironically the Black slot that would solve this problem is too close to the bottom of my motherboard so my graphics card cannot fit in that slot... Is there a way to tell if I am getting reduced performance from the slot its in?

 

[mike1959]

Good that you sorted it, and it sounds as if your set-up is far more modern than mine, so my info will be limited.
There is a program I know of that will give you a lot of data about your graphic card,
it's at;
http://download.cnet.com/GPU-Z/3000-2094_4-10788513.html

But you have the problem with the edge connector you would want to use is right next to the edge of the board and case, only way out of that is to search for a bigger case of course, but it might be more trouble than it's worth.

 

[BlitzJG]

I will check that out... I also was interested in overclocking both my CPU and GPU... but my settings are having no problem running TOR on high accross the board as it stands... should I even bother?

 

[mike1959]

For me, reliability is the most important quality, speed comes from the choice of parts.
I think overclocking can become a slippery slope, then expensive when the parts start to fail. I tried some 'tuning' on my previous pc, but all I did was make it hotter!