Damned PC's!!!

[Grifter]

So, my computer just stopped working. No freeze, no blue screen, it just shut off while I was watching a TV show. When I turned it back on I wasn't getting a video signal on either monitor so I checked my new video card and the fan wasn't spinning. I then unplugged it and tried two other video cards (an 8800GT and a 7200GS or some shit) and still no picture but on these ones the fans spun up. My next step was to test out the second PCI-E slot with all 3 cards cards but I got the same result. I then unplugged every non essential component and tried all 3 cards again in the primary PCE-E slot with the same results (Not surprising).

At this point I'm thinking it's either my motherboard's PCI-E ports/bus or the power supply. The weird thing is when I turn the system on everything else powers up appropriately as far as I can tell. I need to go buy myself a new multi-meter.

And yes, I reset the CMOS and tried booting it with both BIOS 1 and 2.

Where's the fucking magic when you really need it!?!

This post is more just me venting than asking for help but if you have honestly got an idea of what it could be (short of complete hardware failure) I'll be more than happy to hear it.

Thanks for listening

[CappinCanuck]

So, my computer just stopped working. No freeze, no blue screen, it just shut off while I was watching a TV show. When I turned it back on I wasn't getting a video signal on either monitor so I checked my new video card and the fan wasn't spinning. I then unplugged it and tried two other video cards (an 8800GT and a 7200GS or some shit) and still no picture but on these ones the fans spun up. My next step was to test out the second PCI-E slot with all 3 cards cards but I got the same result. I then unplugged every non essential component and tried all 3 cards again in the primary PCE-E slot with the same results (Not surprising).

At this point I'm thinking it's either my motherboard's PCI-E ports/bus or the power supply. The weird thing is when I turn the system on everything else powers up appropriately as far as I can tell. I need to go buy myself a new multi-meter.

And yes, I reset the CMOS and tried booting it with both BIOS 1 and 2.

Where's the fucking magic when you really need it!?!

This post is more just me venting than asking for help but if you have honestly got an idea of what it could be (short of complete hardware failure) I'll be more than happy to hear it.

Thanks for listening

Don't think there's anything else I can say, you have the two most likely culprits. I wonder if the rails related to the gpu got hosed if the card overheated from a malfunctioning fan.

Any chance the slots got disabled as a protective measure from an overheating issue? Cards yes, but never heard of any mobo doing it with slots, just thinking here.

[Voodoo]

My money is on a VRM in the power supply blowing out.

[mightbe]

Excuse me good sir. But have you tried resetting the CMOS?

[mightbe]

Also, borrow a power supply and try that.

[Voodoo]

This is the tester I have, works great and saves a lot of frustration:
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=9871133&findingMethod=rr

This one is good too:
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=13214203&findingMethod=rr

[iHap]

Could be the RAM, PSU, or Mobo. Check it all!

[RandoM51]

Your new videocard blew up and took the power supply and/or mobo with it.

Then again, maybe it is just the CMOS. You never know when a cosmic ray is going to make it through a hole in the ozone layer, flipping just the right bit in your CMOS settings to cause a failure looking like what is 99.999999999999999999999999999999999999999999% of the time a hardware failure. If it is the power supply, replace it with a 10,000watt PS, I hear they last till the heat death of the universe due to all the extra headroom.

Don't think having dual-BIOS is going to save you, I had three BIOS to choose from and they still said to check the CMOS.

[nabokovfan87]

So, my computer just stopped working. No freeze, no blue screen, it just shut off while I was watching a TV show. When I turned it back on I wasn't getting a video signal on either monitor so I checked my new video card and the fan wasn't spinning. I then unplugged it and tried two other video cards (an 8800GT and a 7200GS or some shit) and still no picture but on these ones the fans spun up. My next step was to test out the second PCI-E slot with all 3 cards cards but I got the same result. I then unplugged every non essential component and tried all 3 cards again in the primary PCE-E slot with the same results (Not surprising).


I know this isn't the issue here, but when a pc shuts off it usually means the video card is over heating (in this case the video card). In mine, the thermal paste had been put on in such a matter that it slopped down into the socket and was basically working its way inbetween the cpu socket and the silicon.

Thanks geek squad.... don't ever take your shit to them.

As far as this goes, I would try each card on its own, then two at a time and then all three again, see if the fans all work, maybe there isn't enough power going when you have 3 of them in there (not a high enough amperage on the 12v rail or something like that).

[Grifter]

I know this isn't the issue here, but when a pc shuts off it usually means the video card is over heating (in this case the video card). In mine, the thermal paste had been put on in such a matter that it slopped down into the socket and was basically working its way inbetween the cpu socket and the silicon.

Thanks geek squad.... don't ever take your shit to them.

As far as this goes, I would try each card on its own, then two at a time and then all three again, see if the fans all work, maybe there isn't enough power going when you have 3 of them in there (not a high enough amperage on the 12v rail or something like that).

I think you need to read my post again.

[nabokovfan87]

I think you need to read my post again.

Ditto... especially the first few words.

[Grifter]

As far as this goes, I would try each card on its own, then two at a time and then all three again, see if the fans all work, maybe there isn't enough power going when you have 3 of them in there (not a high enough amperage on the 12v rail or something like that).

Ditto... especially the first few words.


No not dito, I'm not running anything SLI'd. Read my post again and think about what you said in your last paragraph, especially the first few words.

[mightbe]

Read more read things reading read words.

[Doogie2K]

Read more read things reading read words.

Sounds like a CMOS error.