Member Avatar for ryao85

Hello friends!

short version- my brand new computer will 'power up' but not much else. fans and hard drive all spin, including the one that attached to the heatsink, which is attached to the mobo. Nothing else looks to be functioning, and cannot powerdown by the power button (I have to flip the switch on the back of the power source)

long version
I just built a new PC with the following specs-

Motherboard: ECS A780GM-A
CPU- AMD Athlon 64 X2 Black Edition (5000)
HSF- Masscool 90mm heatsink with fan
RAM- Gskill DDR2 8000 PC2-6400 1024mb x 2
Graphics Card- Sapphire HD 2600 XT
Hard Drive- 500 gig Seagate 7200 rpm SATA
CD-drive- Lite-On dvd-r/w something or other.
Power source- Antec Earthwatts 500w

following the step by step instructions, i put everything together, crossed my fingers, and pressed the power button, and much to my sad surprise, all the fans, including the CPU heatsink fan and the the casefan powered up, as well as the harddrive. However, nothing else seemed to work, as i got no video signal from either DVI or VGA (both from the onboard port and the graphics card ports...), the CD drive would not open (and no lights came on) and I could not power down via the power button that powered everything up. Normally I just press and hold the power button, but no luck.

This is very frustrating, as it is my first build, so any guidance or help is greatly welcomed. Even any suggestions on where to look, or possible issues would be helpful.

thank you very much
Rich

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by caperjack

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Good call by to focus on the board connectors and the front‑panel wiring. Given the behaviour described in the thread, the most useful next steps are practical, reversible tests that separate the motherboard/CPU/PSU from the case and peripherals so the faulty component can be isolated quickly.

Remove the motherboard from the case and bench‑test on a nonconductive surface with only these connected: mains to the PSU, the main motherboard power and the CPU power connector, the CPU and cooler, one stick of RAM in the recommended slot, and video (onboard or single GPU). Use a tiny screwdriver to momentarily short the two power‑switch pins on the front‑panel header to power it up — this checks the board independently of the case switch or miswired front leads. Attach a small system speaker so you can hear POST beeps; any pattern gives a diagnostic starting point. Add devices back one at a time only after a successful POST.

Check these specific points while benching: reseat the RAM and try each stick alone and in different slots; inspect the CPU socket/pins for damage; confirm every power connector is fully seated; ensure no standoffs or metal screw is shorting the PCB. If the system still spins fans but gives no beeps/display, try clearing CMOS (jumper or remove battery for a minute) and retry.

Power supply issues are common here: a PSU can spin fans yet fail under load. If available, test with a known‑good PSU or a proper PSU tester/multimeter on the rails. Do not cut or hack connectors unless you know how to re‑pin safely — replacing a miswired front‑panel cable or getting the vendor cable is preferable. If none of these isolate the failure, the usual next steps are component swaps (PSU, RAM, motherboard) or an RMA for the board/CPU.

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Member Avatar for caperjack

first thig i would try is remove video card and try onboard ,if you haven't all ready done this .also make sure that the connectors for the front panel switch and lights are on correctly
did you put thermal past on the processor before you install the heatsinc and fan

Member Avatar for ryao85

Thanks for such a quick response- since i tried everything, including removing the heatsink, I have to get some thermal compound before i proceed.

I'll let you know this afternoon when i return.

Member Avatar for ryao85

for clarification-

there was a factory thermal paste pre-applied to the heatsink that i used, but since i've unseated it, I need to go get some more.

i tried running w/ just onboard, but no luck there.

The front panel has potential to be the problem. is there a way to bypass the power light? for whatever reason my case came with some weird connectors (Raidmax O2 case), and as such, the power LED connectors do not match up to the on board plug. based on newegg reviews, no one else has had this complaint, so this is probably due to my inexperience that I don't know how to rewire the plug correctly, whether the plug is incorrect at all.

most of the plugs have no space between wiring, but the power led has a gap between connectors.

power_jack.JPG 8.75 KB
Member Avatar for caperjack

for clarification-

there was a factory thermal paste pre-applied to the heatsink that i used, but since i've unseated it, I need to go get some more.

i tried running w/ just onboard, but no luck there.

The front panel has potential to be the problem. is there a way to bypass the power light? for whatever reason my case came with some weird connectors (Raidmax O2 case), and as such, the power LED connectors do not match up to the on board plug. based on newegg reviews, no one else has had this complaint, so this is probably due to my inexperience that I don't know how to rewire the plug correctly, whether the plug is incorrect at all.

most of the plugs have no space between wiring, but the power led has a gap between connectors.

I downloaded you manual ,im looking through it now ,just one think to make sure you have the ATX12V1: ATX 12V Power Connector plugged in that a square 4 pin connector goes in the motherboard ,near the mouse connection
i have had that with plugs on different cases ,what i do to correct it is using small wire cutters and cut out the center and have it like its 2 connectors ,one on each wire and hook it up that way .you would have to be careful not to cut it too close to the metal inside the plug .
also noticed that your ram choice is not on there list of tested ram ,maybe a factor may not

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