New build won't post

[eharvey650]

Good evening,

Just finished building a new system and it doesn't seem to post. It starts up and runs for about 3-5 seconds and shuts down. System includes the following:

Case - Rosewill Challenger U3
PSU - Thermaltake TR2 700w
CPU - AMD Phenom II x4 965
Mobo - ASUS M5A97 EVO
RAM - G. Skill Ripjaw 16gb 4 x 4gb
HDD - Wd Caviar Black 1TB
VGA - Sapphire hd7850 2 gb ddr5
Optical drives - Lite-on 24x dvd, LG 24x dvd

To begin all green mobo lights are on. Push power button and system power up. All fans are running for about 3-5 seconds. Then red cpu led flashes and system immediately shuts down. Installed cpu correctly and used artic silver thermal paste before installing heatsink. It can't be overheating in that short a time. Could it be a DOA cpu?

 

[DonNagual]

Do you have the 8-pin cpu power hooked up?

I checked if it is a cpu / bios version compatibility issue, and you should be fine there. That cpu was compatible with the board's very first bios version.

 

[hood6558]

Try booting it with a different CPU fan plugged into the CPU_FAN header, your current fan may not be sending an RPM signal to the motherboard, or it may be running slower than the default RPM threshold, either of which will light the CPU LED and force system shutdown. If that doesn't help, remove the heatsink and check for a good coverage pattern/even loading by the thermal compound - if its not flat against the IHS, it will quickly overheat the CPU and force shutdown. If the thermal compound pattern looks okay, remove the CPU and check very carefully for bent or missing pins (use a good magnifying glass). If everything looks good but the problem remains, you have a bad motherboard or CPU. Since DOA CPUs are very rare, I'd suspect the motherboard first. If you can somehow borrow a compatible CPU to test the motherboard, it would confirm this If it still won't boot. Hope this helps.

 

[MrBlkfx1]

I suspect it's a bad connection somewhere. A good one would be Don's suggestion of the 8 or 4 pin CPU power connection. People overlook the connection all the time and it would cause these exact symptoms.

 

[Jad Chaar]

Did you test the components before putting them in your case? The PSU may not be functioning correctly along with many other components. Make sure you test your components before finishing the build (putting components in case). Luckily, I think it is a connection issue like Don and Blk said.

 

[eharvey650]

Thanks for the many replies. I stumbles to the solution to my problem. I have a 8 pin cpu power connection. Unplugged and plugged back, still same problem. I noticed my case top fan wasn't spinning even though it was plugged to motherboard. I unplugged it from motherboard and plugged it to power connector coming from psu. Powered on and system works. Question, why would a case fan shut down motherboard? Two other case fans are still connected to motherboard (front in-take and rear exhaust).

 

[GhostRyder]

Well that's a bit odd, perhaps the fan connector was loose in some way or on backwards which could have caused system issues. That's really all I can guess unless that fan port on the motherboard is damaged in some way and causing some issues with the whole system.

 

[eharvey650]

Yeah that was a bit weird. Wondering if I have a cooling issue. My CPU temp at idle is stable at 42C. As stated above, it is a AMD Phenom II X4 695 BE w/ stock heatsink/fan. What is an ideal idle temp should I be looking for? Suggestions for a replacement if the temp is unacceptable?

 

[GhostRyder]

For a phenom ii x4 on the stock Heatsink, that temp seems about what to expect. That temp can be considered a little high by standards of aftermarket cooling, but on the stock fan it's what to expect. Your temps in other words are fine.

 

[hood6558]

That seems very high for idle temps, even with the stock cooler. The max loaded temp for that CPU is 62c, and it's Black Edition (unlocked multiplier), and a good overclocker, so why would you use the totally lame stock cooler? When you remove it to install a real cooler, check the thermal paste pattern to see if the HSF was evenly loaded on the IHS. Also, your case is not the best for airflow, even among $60 cases - the Corsair Carbide 200R has much better cooling, and room to mount a 240mm radiator, which is what you really should get to squeeze the most out of that CPU. Just sayin'.

 

[Jad Chaar]

That seems very high for idle temps, even with the stock cooler. The max loaded temp for that CPU is 62c, and it's Black Edition (unlocked multiplier), and a good overclocker, so why would you use the totally lame stock cooler? When you remove it to install a real cooler, check the thermal paste pattern to see if the HSF was evenly loaded on the IHS. Also, your case is not the best for airflow, even among $60 cases - the Corsair Carbide 200R has much better cooling, and room to mount a 240mm radiator, which is what you really should get to squeeze the most out of that CPU. Just sayin'.

The 965 runs pretty hot.

 

[eharvey650]

Thanks guys. Hood6558 I currently have no plans to OC. I don't consider myself an avid gamer(I know that's not the only reason to OC). I am big into flight simulators though. I can get the cool master hyper 212 plus for under $22. Would that be an improvement over the stock hsf? I am using arctic silver, but I will check for even distribution on hsf.

 

[Jad Chaar]

Flight simulators will benefit from the OC. There is no reason to replace the stock cooler if you arent going to overclock.

 

[hood6558]

Yes, the 212+ will certainly reduce your temps, probably by 10c or more. And yes, gaming (and everything else) will benefit from overclocking. You say you have no plans to overclock, but you bought an unlocked CPU, and you should know that these chips were designed to be OC'd. You don't have to push it to the limit, but if you don't take advantage of a CPU's potential, it's a waste, like buying a Ferrari and never taking it out of first gear. It only costs you a little time and the price of a CPU cooler, and everything you do will be done quicker, your frame rates will be higher, and your latency will be lower. You'll see, once you've had it up for a while, and loaded some programs and games, Windows won't feel quite as snappy as it used to. Overclocking can minimize this phenomenon - my system at 4.5 GHz feels very fast even after loading dozens of games and applications over the last 6 months.

 

[eharvey650]

I installed the 212+. That thing is huge. It could probably cool a small block chevy engine. Anyway, my temp is now at 35c. I'm sure I could get it lower if I could adjust the fan speed. Its only spinning 575-600 rpm. Does FanSpeed work with Win7 Pro 64?

 

[hood6558]

Speedfan works on some boards very well, others not so much. The only good way to find out is to install it and see. The OS doesn't matter, it's the Nuvoton chip and sensors that it reads and manipulates. Usually if it displays all your CPU, motherboard, and temp info correctly, it's a good sign that it will work well with that system. My luck with it hasn't been good, and I now use a fan controller to regulate all my fans.

 

[Jad Chaar]

Speedfan works on some boards very well, others not so much. The only good way to find out is to install it and see. The OS doesn't matter, it's the Nuvoton chip and sensors that it reads and manipulates. Usually if it displays all your CPU, motherboard, and temp info correctly, it's a good sign that it will work well with that system. My luck with it hasn't been good, and I now use a fan controller to regulate all my fans.

It isnt effective on a lot of modern boards. The sensors are just too high tech for Speedfan I guess . Use RealTemp.