AN8-SLI problem

[Aussie2]

Would like some assistance setting up sli mobo the following are the specs
AN8-sli deluxe
Athlon 64 3000+
Corsair twinx 1024-3200C2 (2x512)
Thermaltake 400 psu 20 pin with 24 pin adapter
Radeon X300SE (budget card to get system running)

Set the above up in a soprano case failed to boot striped back to basics slight turn of cpu & vid card fans removed ram cleaned refitted booted up fans all spun powered down fitted 2rd stick of ram powered up nothing removed second stick swaped with first booted up fans all turned powered off rebooted nothing fitted 2 sticks rebooted all fans turned powered off rebooted nothing removed mobo from case back to basics ie ram,cpu,vid card screw driver on switch headers nothing reset cmos nothing refitted cpu with arctic silver nothing reset psu nothing tried all of the above steps countless times with other known good ram and psu there are no distorted or leaking caps when I have manage to get the fans to spin up I get slight siren type noise this board dosent have beep tones it has verbal warnings I also have tried basics without vid card but still nothing I am convinced the mobo is faulty it is a friends system all parts are new except mobo (bought off ebay second hand cant rma) any advise would be greatly appreciated

Cheers Brian

 

[garebo]

Thermaltake 400 psu 20 pin with 24 pin adapter - I take it you cant install that wrong?

With all you have done i would think you have to start with the power supply and make sure its good. Unless you have pulled it from another unit that was known good.
You can google a troubleshooting tutorial for power supplies, there is a good one at techrepublic. You do need a digital or analog multimeter but we should all have one anyway, good for checking power supplies, house and auto wiring.

When you reset cmos did you do it as per the manual for that mobo as the method does differ? Sorry, have to ask.




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[micker377]

Siren could indicate a CPU heat problem. Are you sure the heatsink is installed in the right direction? Is the CPU fan plugged into the correct socket (CPU - not chassis fan label), and is the fan turning?

 

[paparazi]

Aussie2
This board has two extra power connectors that need powering.

1)Top egde behind OTES (4 pin P4 connector)
Bottom edge molex connector below slots.

2) Also many of the new A64 motherboards have perculiar memory fitment sequence read manual

I worked on the top DFI SLI board yesterday where when fitting two sticks they must ocupy slots 2 & 4.
Single stick was slot 2 I believe.
NOT SLOT 1 like you would think
This Abit motherboard might be the same?

Martin


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[Aussie2]

Sorry got the mobo wrong it is a Asus A8N-SLI Deluxe not a AN8
garebo tried two power supplys both are new and both deliver correct amps on 12 volt rail also reset both several times

micker377 know exactly what your saying there did in fact have cpu fan connected to chassis fan header prior to first boot up but I corrected it they are both side by side easy mistake to make also have refitted cpu three times I am confident it is correct the siren noise is not a very good description it sounds exactly like when a wire is just touching a fan blade but not as loud

paparazi I have the 4 pin power cable connected and also the molex right next to pcie slot Asus call this a ez connecter and the manual says for this particular board it is only required if you are using two vid cards but I have tried with and with out a few times the same with the ram you are also right there I have put it in the right dim slots and tried every other concievable option

thanks guys for your posts I keep thinking Ive missed some thing but I feel a bit more confident now (got three of the best brains on this site on the job)

 

[paparazi]

Aussie2
I notice you have Corsair TwinX have you tweaked your timings and upped you voltages accordingly:
(2 2 2 5 @ 2.75v)?? or whatever applies to your model.
Have you tried some plain Twinmoss/Kingston/Crucial?

These boards simply refuse to work if they don't like the memory.
Martin

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[Aussie2]

paparazi
Have tried plain Hynix 1 stick out of my own p4 same result not sure how to change timing and voltage if I cant get the system to boot up this board is probably beyond my tech skills I am trying to help out a friend who has been burnt by a internet scam he prepaid $1,400.00 up front for a hi end system which never arrived and was not able to contact the seller (stupid I know) he then decided he would build his own system (also stupid) and when things went pear shaped he asked me to try and get it to run (even more stupid).

 

[garebo]

Stupid? Maybe, but we have all done some of the same things, lol.

Getting back to your issue, im not saying its the power supply for sure, its just that it should be tested but just testing the 12 volt line doesnt do the job, you need to test the other rails (voltage lines) as well. Have a look at the tutorial at techrepublic. On the other hand, if you have tried 2 different power supplies, its likely you can look elsewhere for the problem, im really only pointing this out for future use.

Now that the sound has changed from a siren to a "ticking?"
can i ask if you have the hard drive connected? If you do have the h drive connected then disconnect it and see if that helps. Im not making fun of the sound change either, i do understand its hard to approximate some of these sounds.
Any chance you can swap out the vid card for another? I get the impression that the radeon card you are using is a known good card anyway, but worth a shot if you have another you can try.
Seems you have already done that with the ram situation.



Good advice + great people = tek-tips

 

[garebo]

thanks guys for your posts I keep thinking Ive missed some thing but I feel a bit more confident now (got three of the best brains on this site on the job)"
Actually more like 2.5 brains, im not in the same league as the other 2 but i sure appreciate the vote of confidence!



Good advice + great people = tek-tips

 

[paparazi]

Aussie2
Ahhhh! I see, I was confused over your references to "Booting up"
Basically you have POST (power on self test) this is the white writing on the black backgrounds which preceed the boot process:
The actual loading of the operating system to a finnished desktop screen display is "The Boot"

I think you really will have to adopt the most basic of test methodology.

Remove the motherboard, place on a box (motherboard box is ideal) to insulate and allow the graphics card to hang over the front edge.
Connect power supply plugs (both) to the motherboard and then mains lead
Fit graphics card (PCI express graphics card fitted to the top 16X PCIe slot, closest to the CPU)
Monitor cable to VGA out on graphics card.
One stick of ram (in the correct slot for single module) read manual (might not be slot 1)
CPU fitted with heatsink attached, CPU fan connected to CPU fan header on the motherboard.

Clear the cmos (either with Cmos clear jumper or remove button battery on the motherboard for 2 minutes)

Turn on wall socket to PSU

Use a small flat terminal screw driver to momentarily bridge the power switch header pins on the motherboards
marked "pwr"
The board should POST

Do not fit anything else! no addon cards, IDE cables or front panel wires.

Martin



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[Aussie2]

paparazi
Have had the mobo out of the case siting on the box it came in with only the basics connected as you suggest and get nothing before I was able to get the fans to spin up but now zilch also have cleared the cmos several times.

I have just discovered a brown discolouration next to the chipset fan at first it looked like it was just dust but when I look at it with a magnifying glass it appears to be burnt and around this area the board has lost its gloss finish will remove chipset fan and have a closer look.The chipset fan was working when I was able to get the fans to spin up at no time have seen or smelt any smoke and I have been paying close attention.

Sorry about the boot,post terminology no post nothing on the screen.

garebo Have now tried three known good working power supplies including the one that is powering this post


ps 2.5 bah 3 legends

 

[paparazi]

Aussie2
I just had an interesting chat with another technician M8 of mine who seems to believe that this board HAS TO HAVE a 24pin power lead connected, he said the older 20pin type doesn't allow a POST.
Now I don't know how true this is because all the SLI boards I've worked on (MSI, Gigabyte, DFI) worked fine with just a 20pin as long as the other power connectors were utilized.
He reckon's it states this in the Asus manual?
If this is true you can purchase a 20 to 24pin adapter instead of replacing the PSU.

http://www.electronicsoutfitter.com/store/ATX2024MF.html

Martin

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[paparazi]

Aussie2
I just realized how contradictory the description is on this product!!!
The photo shows the correct adapter yet the first description is the opposite to what you want.

The second description however is correct.

20 to 24pin old PSU to new 24pin motherboard connection.

Martin

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[Aussie2]

paparazi
I am using a 20 to 24 pin adapter, my own Asus p5p800 board is a 24 pin but works with a 20 pin psu because it is an agp board but I needed a min of 8amp on my +12v lead and 1amp on my +5vsb this sli board dose need a 24pin and similar specs on the +12v but your M8 is right it wont boot with a 20 pin atx psu it must have 24 pin eatx psu or an adapter

 

[paparazi]

Aussie2
Of couse! U mentioned the adapter in the first post Doh!


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[Aussie2]

Hi Thought i would post an update on my sli probs it seems the nforce chip was fried my friend bought a new mobo same model its all set up and running with no problems must say its a dam nice mobo wouldnt mind one myself

thanks micker,garebo,paparazi