Newly Built Computer Won't Stay On

[Jack Bruss]

I just built a new computer, and when I turn it on, it turns off in about 4
seconds. I hear a longish beep, and all 4 fans in the system are turning
before the whole thing shuts down. There is no time for anything to show up
on the monitor. The system is as follows:

CASE - COOMAS|CAC-T05-UB BLK/BL RT
PSU - SUNBEAM|SUNNU450-US-BK 450W RT
MB - ASUS M2N-MX GF6100 AM2
CPU - AMD|A64 X2 3800+ AM2 2x512K R
MEM - 1G|OCZ DII800 OCZ2P800LP1G R
HD - 120G|WD 7K 8M SATA2 WD1200JS

The Power supply has this temp monitor fan controller thing, and it shows a
temp of about 25 C, before the computer shuts down. I've tried starting
with the knob at high, low, and auto, with the same results, that is shut
down in about 4 seconds.

I tried to boot before I installed the drives, and got the same results.

Any help will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Jack

 

[JAD]

I just built a new computer, and when I turn it on, it turns off in about 4
seconds. I hear a longish beep, and all 4 fans in the system are turning
before the whole thing shuts down. There is no time for anything to show
up on the monitor. The system is as follows:

CASE - COOMAS|CAC-T05-UB BLK/BL RT
PSU - SUNBEAM|SUNNU450-US-BK 450W RT
MB - ASUS M2N-MX GF6100 AM2
CPU - AMD|A64 X2 3800+ AM2 2x512K R
MEM - 1G|OCZ DII800 OCZ2P800LP1G R
HD - 120G|WD 7K 8M SATA2 WD1200JS

The Power supply has this temp monitor fan controller thing, and it shows
a temp of about 25 C, before the computer shuts down. I've tried starting
with the knob at high, low, and auto, with the same results, that is shut
down in about 4 seconds.

I tried to boot before I installed the drives, and got the same results.

Any help will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Jack

check your temps
check the heatsink fan install

 

[RussellS]

I just built a new computer, and when I turn it on, it turns off in about 4
seconds. I hear a longish beep, and all 4 fans in the system are turning
before the whole thing shuts down. There is no time for anything to show
up on the monitor. The system is as follows:

CASE - COOMAS|CAC-T05-UB BLK/BL RT
PSU - SUNBEAM|SUNNU450-US-BK 450W RT
MB - ASUS M2N-MX GF6100 AM2
CPU - AMD|A64 X2 3800+ AM2 2x512K R
MEM - 1G|OCZ DII800 OCZ2P800LP1G R
HD - 120G|WD 7K 8M SATA2 WD1200JS

The Power supply has this temp monitor fan controller thing, and it shows
a temp of about 25 C, before the computer shuts down. I've tried starting
with the knob at high, low, and auto, with the same results, that is shut
down in about 4 seconds.

I tried to boot before I installed the drives, and got the same results.

Any help will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Jack

-----------------------------------------------
That particular DDR2-800 memory needs 2.2V and is geared more towards
overclockers, but I believe that motherboard supplies a maximum of 2.0V to
the memory and is not the best board choice for high voltage memory. Your
memory is probably not supported, so I'd go to the Asus site to get a list
of QVL memory for that motherboard, then do a memory exchange. if you can
get your hands on some DDR2-533 1.8V memory just to see if it'll boot up,
that could rule out other possibilities.

Also, double-check that both 12V power cords are plugged into the
motherboard.

-Russell
http://tastycomputers.com

 

[VanShania]

could be your power supply. Had same type of problem with an Antec Sonata II
Power supply 450 watt

--
Love and Teach, Not Yell and Beat
Stop Violence and Child Abuse.
No such thing as Bad Kids. Only Bad Parents.
The most horrible feeling in the world is knowing that No One is There to
Protect You.

A64 3500+, Gigabyte GA-K8NSC-939,AIW 9800 Pro 128mb
MSI 550 Pro, X-Fi, Pioneer 110D, 111D
Antec 550 watt,Thermaltake Lanfire,2 Gb OCZ Platinum 2-3-2-5
2XSATA 320gb Raid Edition, PATA 120Gb
XP MCE2005, 19in Viewsonic,BenchMark 2001 SE- 19074
Games I'm Playing- Falcon 4, winSPWW2, winSPMBT, Call of Duty War Chest

 

[OSbandito]

Russell generously responded:

-----------------------------------------------
That particular DDR2-800 memory needs 2.2V and is geared more towards
overclockers, but I believe that motherboard supplies a maximum of 2.0V to
the memory and is not the best board choice for high voltage memory. Your
memory is probably not supported, so I'd go to the Asus site to get a list
of QVL memory for that motherboard, then do a memory exchange. if you can
get your hands on some DDR2-533 1.8V memory just to see if it'll boot up,
that could rule out other possibilities.

Also, double-check that both 12V power cords are plugged into the
motherboard.

-Russell
http://tastycomputers.com

Jack, I'll throw in my two-cents here. I believe Russell is being kind.
What I'm seeing on the Anandtech forum is that (variants of)this MB are
causing LOTS of headaches, with regard to low RAM voltages in
particular. Though AMD did put together a good rig using the M2NBP-VM
CSM mated with the NVIDIA Quadro NVS 210S + nForce 430, it (the M2N)
seems awful damn touchy about which components it's mated with. I
haven't checked on whether the suffix on the board model means a lot. My
opinion, which is affected by low intellect and bad upbringing, is that
the ASUS MN2 board is more headaches than it's worth($100); probably
more trouble than the time you'll spend getting it to work right. Maybe
more experienced types can suggest something other than this nuclear option.
http://avs.amd.com/Home-Page/Best-of-Breed-Platform-Provide.aspx

~best luck

 

[kony]

That particular DDR2-800 memory needs 2.2V and is geared more towards
overclockers, but I believe that motherboard supplies a maximum of 2.0V to
the memory and is not the best board choice for high voltage memory. Your
memory is probably not supported, so I'd go to the Asus site to get a list
of QVL memory for that motherboard, then do a memory exchange. if you can
get your hands on some DDR2-533 1.8V memory just to see if it'll boot up,
that could rule out other possibilities.

Also, double-check that both 12V power cords are plugged into the
motherboard.

Instable memory should not turn off the system in 4 seconds,
it would merely fail to post or crash.

This kind of problem is more often one of two sources:

1) PSU itself isn't staying within accepted voltage ranges
and shuts off. Might be defective, might be powering
defective parts, or a general system build error has shorted
something (doubtful since it stays on 4 seconds).

The PSU might be checked with a multimeter, monitored right
up until the point of shutdown.

2) Motherboard cause, either bios sensor reading out of
range (like voltage or fan RPM), or hardware shutdown like
CPU temp (particularly if heatsink isn't making contact- a
merely marginal heatsink installation wouldn't be bad enough
to hit overheat threshold within 4 seconds from cold-off
state, it'd have to be removed and the interface inspected
to determine this as 4 seconds isn't likely enough time to
get to the bios health monitor page to see any readings.

 

[Robert Heiling]

I just built a new computer, and when I turn it on, it turns off in about 4
seconds. I hear a longish beep, and all 4 fans in the system are turning
before the whole thing shuts down. There is no time for anything to show up
on the monitor. The system is as follows:

CASE - COOMAS|CAC-T05-UB BLK/BL RT
PSU - SUNBEAM|SUNNU450-US-BK 450W RT
MB - ASUS M2N-MX GF6100 AM2
CPU - AMD|A64 X2 3800+ AM2 2x512K R
MEM - 1G|OCZ DII800 OCZ2P800LP1G R
HD - 120G|WD 7K 8M SATA2 WD1200JS

The Power supply has this temp monitor fan controller thing, and it shows a
temp of about 25 C, before the computer shuts down. I've tried starting
with the knob at high, low, and auto, with the same results, that is shut
down in about 4 seconds.

I tried to boot before I installed the drives, and got the same results.

Since nobody else has mentioned it, I'll toss this out. Double-check your wiring
job in regard to the power-on and reset buttons and motherboard pins. Your magic
4 second delay is exactly the effect you would get if power-off were being held
down.

Bob

 

[jbruss]

Since nobody else has mentioned it, I'll toss this out. Double-check your wiring
job in regard to the power-on and reset buttons and motherboard pins. Your magic
4 second delay is exactly the effect you would get if power-off were being held
down.

Bob

I can't check this until tonight, but do you mean the LED connections?
I know on some of them, it was not clear which way they should go on.

Jack

 

[jbruss]

Instable memory should not turn off the system in 4 seconds,
it would merely fail to post or crash.

This kind of problem is more often one of two sources:

1) PSU itself isn't staying within accepted voltage ranges
and shuts off. Might be defective, might be powering
defective parts, or a general system build error has shorted
something (doubtful since it stays on 4 seconds).

It would be ironic if the PSU were the problem. In the past computers
I've built I always purchased the cheapest case/PSU combo I could find
and had no problems. This time I bought in to the advice to get a good
PSU, and here I am with a no start! Sigh...

 

[RussellS]

Instable memory should not turn off the system in 4 seconds,
it would merely fail to post or crash.

This kind of problem is more often one of two sources:

1) PSU itself isn't staying within accepted voltage ranges
and shuts off. Might be defective, might be powering
defective parts, or a general system build error has shorted
something (doubtful since it stays on 4 seconds).

The PSU might be checked with a multimeter, monitored right
up until the point of shutdown.

2) Motherboard cause, either bios sensor reading out of
range (like voltage or fan RPM), or hardware shutdown like
CPU temp (particularly if heatsink isn't making contact- a
merely marginal heatsink installation wouldn't be bad enough
to hit overheat threshold within 4 seconds from cold-off
state, it'd have to be removed and the interface inspected
to determine this as 4 seconds isn't likely enough time to
get to the bios health monitor page to see any readings.

-------------------------------------------
Although I'd more likely concur with older chipsets, DDR2-based boards are
increasingly picky about memory. When the NFORCE430 and P965/G965 chipsets
were first released, I had problems with some custom builds, whereby the
system wouldn't reach a POST screen, but symptomatically power on, then
power off in a never-ending cycle every 3-4 seconds until memory was
exchanged for more compatible sticks, immediately solving the issue with no
other component or settings changes. Since the OP was mentioning identical
symptoms, and is using memory out-of-spec for his board, I suspect memory
being the culprit.

Russell
http://tastycomputers.com

 

[RussellS]

*snip*
"My opinion, which is affected by low intellect and bad upbringing"

 

[kony]

It would be ironic if the PSU were the problem. In the past computers
I've built I always purchased the cheapest case/PSU combo I could find
and had no problems. This time I bought in to the advice to get a good
PSU, and here I am with a no start! Sigh...

Systems use more power now, you'd be even more likely to
have a psu problem, or at least early death, with the
typical cheapest came-with-case unit.

Given a low(er) powered integrated system, as you may have
with the integrated video (and sound, lan to lesser extent),
many of the branded PSU that come with newer-generation
cases might do fine.

 

[Jan Alter]

I can't check this until tonight, but do you mean the LED connections?
I know on some of them, it was not clear which way they should go on.

Jack

The LED connections wouldn't have any affect on whether the comp stayed on
or not. If the connectors were placed backword the LEDs simply would not
light. But if you are skeptical if you've got them right then it certainly
would be a good thing to recheck the manual.. I lean towards PS problems
myself..

 

[OSbandito]

Since nobody else has mentioned it, I'll toss this out. Double-check your wiring job in regard to the power-on and reset buttons and motherboard pins. Your magic 4 second delay is exactly the effect you would get if power-off were being held down.

Bob Good answer--hitting the basics first. But you should warn him:
if he got his wires crossed, he will have to remove his shorts.

 

[Robert Heiling]

Bob Good answer--hitting the basics first. But you should warn him:
if he got his wires crossed, he will have to remove his shorts.

In pubic?

 

[jbruss]

Bob Good answer--hitting the basics first. But you should warn him:
if he got his wires crossed, he will have to remove his shorts.

Well, I've tried reversing the power on wires, removing the reset
wires, removing and replacing the heat sink/fan, and moving the memory
to a different slot, and there has been no change. I don't have spare
mbs, memory, or PSUs lying around, so I guess I'll go buy a power
supply first, and try that.

Thanks for the advice, and keep it coming.

Jack

 

[JAD]

you covered the gambit of 'free' things to do...
PSUs are the most important hardware in the rig, only recently(18 months or
so) this has been so much more a truism.

 

[Robert Heiling]

Well, I've tried reversing the power on wires, removing the reset
wires,

I wouldn't be comfortable with what you describe. Why don't you simply remove
all connections to those 10 sets of pins -LED, Reset, Speaker, Power - All of
them! Then briefly short the Power pins. If the behavior is still the same, then
you've ruled those out.

removing and replacing the heat sink/fan, and moving the memory
to a different slot, and there has been no change. I don't have spare
mbs, memory, or PSUs lying around, so I guess I'll go buy a power
supply first, and try that.

Thanks for the advice, and keep it coming.

But if it comes on and stays on, you'll know where to look for one problem.

Bob

 

[kony]

The LED connections wouldn't have any affect on whether the comp stayed on
or not. If the connectors were placed backword the LEDs simply would not
light. But if you are skeptical if you've got them right then it certainly
would be a good thing to recheck the manual.. I lean towards PS problems
myself..

It is true, LED connectors being reversed polarity wouldn't
in itself cause this, but wrong connector block wiring,
particularly to one of the OEM or (more elaborate new cases
with several function circuit boards in front) other cases
could conceivably route LED or other logical connections
where they shouldn't be. Thus, the safest bet is to unplug
all such wiring and turn system on by momentarily shorting
the two power-on pins together with a metallic object.

 

[jbruss]

I wouldn't be comfortable with what you describe. Why don't you simply remove
all connections to those 10 sets of pins -LED, Reset, Speaker, Power - All of
them! Then briefly short the Power pins. If the behavior is still the same, then
you've ruled those out.


But if it comes on and stays on, you'll know where to look for one problem.

Bob

I just located an older 20 pin PSU in my basement, but my mb needs a 24
pin. Is there any way to use this old PSU, just to see if it fixes the
problem before I buy a new one?