interesting thing happened...

Discussion in 'General Hardware' started by rattan, Mar 2, 2002.

  1. rattan

    rattan Geek Trainee

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    I recently set up my new ECS K7VTA3 and Athlonxp 1600, with Thermaltake 7 and 256 DDRRAM ECC to test. with only a 3d Rage Pro AGP 2x attached the system would only turn on for a few seconds all the while making a strange whining sound, without speakers attached, and then shut off with the led on the mainboard still lit. i tried changing power supplies and still the same thing. If you have any ideas as to what the problem could be please help out. i tried with and without drives attached. i checked the CPU for obvious damage and saw none, however there is a flaw in the resin holding the center in place on one edge. also what are the possible consequences of using a small power supply such as 235 watts powerman...
     
  2. Big B

    Big B HWF Godfather

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    235 Watts may inhibit powering up, and you're definitely looking at stability issues there too. If at all possible try a different video card. Also, try clearing CMOS and giving it a go. Try different RAM, and/or make sure it is seated properly. Check to make sure the CPU is fully seated. Try removing all cards but the video. The LED usually means there is some power going through the board, at least on the board's I have.

    The whining: can you tell if it's the power supply or the Volcano 7?
     
  3. rattan

    rattan Geek Trainee

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    thanks for response. i was told that it was probably the CPU. the reason the whining sound was so strange was because it was definately not from any fans. as far as ii can tell all the settings are fine. and the system will stay on with no CPU in the socket. of course then nothing happens but at least it doesn't shut off. unfortunately i have no other cpus that will fit handy to test it out. is it possible the CPU was shipped defected? i still can't comprehend how the sound is created... i have been using 300 watts now.
     
  4. Big B

    Big B HWF Godfather

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    I've had a bad CPU before, and it was brand new. So yes, like anything else, you can get a bum CPU. I'm not really sure what to make of the whining, unless the fan's are supposed to be like that--there are a few, specifically the Delta 7000 RPM one, but I don't think that Volcano 7 has that one.
     
  5. Sniper

    Sniper Administrator Staff Member

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    CPU replacement seems to be the solution for your problem!
    let us know how it all works out!
     
  6. rattan

    rattan Geek Trainee

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    Your probably very right. i have managed to prevent it from shutting off now by using better thermal compound, so that part must have been temperature related. but now that i can keep it running still nothing else will happen. there will be no picture. is it possible that the graphics card is not compatible? could it be a problem that it is AGP 2x while the board is AGP 4x? the board parts, mainly the transistors and capacitors near the CPU also are getting very hot. is this normal? i have a feeling the CPU is still Bum even though. thanx oncce again for helping out.
     
  7. Big B

    Big B HWF Godfather

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    ATI has been know for some AGP problems, and if the AGP speed was set to 4x, that might cause some problems. However, default BIOS settings typically have the AGP set to 2x, not 4x.

    It wouldn't hurt to try a different video card in the AGP slot just to make sure that the slot isn't defective. You may also want to drop the ATI card in a different PC just to verify that it works, if you haven't already. And also check that it's fully seated, that can cause video issues too---as a buddy of mine found out;)
     
  8. rattan

    rattan Geek Trainee

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    SO i take it theoretically the graphics shpuld be able to work with ECS K7VTA3 mb and ATI 3d rage pro 2x graphics. DO you think the fact that the slot on the board is constant while there is a gap in the connector part of the G-card could cause any problems? cause not all the slot's connections are filled, although all the g-card's connectors are all in contact. mean while thanks for the advice and i'll try to get my hands on another card to test...:afs:
     
  9. Big B

    Big B HWF Godfather

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    The little gap in the card should be a notch key dealing with voltage. While that could be a problem, the AGP slot isn't keyed for any specific video card.
     

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