Sparky Posted September 28, 2005 Report Share Posted September 28, 2005 Award BIOS's dont' POST beep anymore *unless* there is a fault with RAM or the Video card. Normally, RAM sticks need to be in Slot 1 and 2 (or 0 and 1). Paired RAM is just that "paired together" and is designed to be run together as they are optimised for it. It's quicker basically. Technically it doesn't matter what slots the RAM goes in, but the mobo book tells you to use certain slots for performance reasons when not filling all slots. Can you confirm if it is an Award BIOS? The beep pattern you mentioned before (8 beeps?) sounds a lot for a board that isn't supposed to do it (according to Asus.com) [ QUOTE ] <ul type="square"> [*] one long beep and two short beeps - Video error (reseat or replace video card) [*]two short beeps - Non-Fatal Error (reseat RAM, check other components) [/ QUOTE ] Sounds like a video card error to me. Have you ensured the card is seated correctly? Does it need an extra power connection to the card? Is this in place? Sorry for all the questions! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mollox Posted September 28, 2005 Author Report Share Posted September 28, 2005 Here's the link to the board as bought from ebuyer...says AWARD on the spec there I'm not with the box at the mo so will pass on the Q's when he bloody wakes up There was an Asus "EZ Plug" power connector next to the graphics card which we hadn't plugged in at first but I *think* this is only required when running in SLI mode. Either way it didn't work when we plugged it in either. I will get him to reseat the video card first thing. RAM is in A1 and B1 as per the manual...I just popped these in without too much thought - there aren't any jumpers or such that require setting on the RAM that we might have overlooked are there? Thanks for all the help Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mollox Posted September 28, 2005 Author Report Share Posted September 28, 2005 Tech Spec for the Mobo Specification CPU - Socket 939 for AMD Athlon 64FX/Athlon 64 X2/Athlon 64 - AMD64 architecture enables simultaneous 32- and 64-bit computing - Supports AMD Cool 'n' Quiet Technology Chipset NVIDIA nForce®4 SLI™ Front Side Bus 2000 MT/s, 1600MT/s Memory - 4 x 184-pin DIMM Sockets support max. 4GB DDR400/DDR333/DDR266 ECC/ non-ECC un-buffered DDR SDRAM memory - Dual Channel Memory Architecture Expansion Slots - 2 x PCI Express x16 slot *SLI mode : x8 , x8 *Default(Single VGA) mode : x16, x1 - 2 x PCI Express x1 - 3 x PCI SLI - Under SLI mode : support two identical SLI-ready graphics cards - Under Default(Single VGA) mode: supports all PCI Express graphics cards - ASUS EZ Plug - ASUS SLI Warning LED - ASUS EZ Selector - ASUS two-slot thermal design - ASUS PEG Link for dual PCIe graphic cards Storage/RAID nForce4 Storage: - 4 x SATA 3Gb/s - 2 x UltraDMA 133/100/66/33 - NVRAID : RAID0, RAID1,1+0 and JBOD span cross SATA and PATA LAN nForce4 built-in Gbit MAC with external Marvell PHY : - NV ActiveArmor - NV Firewall - AI NET2 IEEE 1394 TI 1394 controller supports 2 x 1394 ports Audio Realtek ALC850, 8-channel CODEC Audio Sensing and Enumeration Technology Coaxial/Optical S/PDIF out ports on back I/O USB Max. 10 USB2.0 ports ASUS AI Proactive Features AI NOS(Non-delay Overclocking System) AI NET2 network diagnosis before entering OS Overclocking Features AI NOS(Non-delay Overclocking System) AI Overclocking (intelligent CPU frequency tuner) ASUS PEG Link for single/dual graphics cards Precision Tweaker: - vDIMM: 9-step DRAM voltage control - vCore: Adjustable CPU voltage at 0.0125 increment - SFS (Stepless Frequency Selection): allowing FSB tuning from 200MHz up to 400MHz at 1MHz increment - PCIe Frequency: allowing PCIe frequency from 100MHz up to 200MHz at 1MHz increment Fixed PCIe/PCI/SATA frequencies. ASUS PEG Link for single/dual graphics cards ASUS C.P.R.(CPU Parameter Recall) Special Features ASUS EZFlash ASUS CrashFree BIOS 2 ASUS Q-Fan ASUS MyLogo2 ASUS Multilanguage BIOS ASUS Instant Music ASUS SLI warning LED ASUS EZ Selector ASUS EZ Plug BIOS 4 Mb Flash ROM, AWARD BIOS, PnP, DMI2.0, WfM2.0, SM BIOS 2.3 Back Panel I/O Ports 1 x Optical + 1 x Coaxial S/PDIF Output 1 x PS/2 Keyboard 1 x PS/2 Mouse 1 x Parallel 1 x RJ45 1 x 1394 4 x USB 2.0/1.1 8-Channel Audio I/O Internal I/O Connectors - 1 x SLI selector card connector - 3 x USB 2.0 connector supports additional 6 USB 2.0 ports - 1 x IEEE1394 connectors - 1 x Paraller connector - 1 x COM connector - 1 x GAME/MIDI connector - CPU Fan / 2x Chassis Fan/ Power Fan/ Chipset Fan connectors - Front panel audio connector - Chassis Intrusion connector - CD audio-in connector - 24-pin ATX Power connector - 4-pin ATX 12V Power connector Support CD Drivers ASUS PC Probe - PC Health Monitoring Software ASUS LiveUpdate Utility ASUS AI Booster ASUS Cool 'n' Quiet Utility NVIDIA nTune Utility Anti-virus software (OEM version) Accessories SLI connector 1 x 1-port IEEE1394 module 1 x SLI retention bracket 2 x 2-port SATA power cable 1 x 2-port USB2.0 / Game module 1 x 2-port USB2.0 module 1 x COM Port module 1 x UltraDMA 133/100/66 cable 1 x IDE cable 1 x FDD cable 1 x I/O Shield User's manual Form Factor ATX Form Factor, 12"x 9.6"(30.5cm x 24.5cm) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mollox Posted September 28, 2005 Author Report Share Posted September 28, 2005 Board overview - that's the power plug to the right of the blue PCI card that we did/didn't connect... Should it be powered when used with a single graphics card? ta Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mollox Posted September 28, 2005 Author Report Share Posted September 28, 2005 OK, so its definitely 1 beep followed a while later by SIX beeps….definitely an AWARD bios I got him to take the sound card out and reseat the video but to no avail… Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparky Posted September 28, 2005 Report Share Posted September 28, 2005 Righto... Well if the Video card has an extra power connector on it, plug that in, as most new Video cards that have this power point - ONLY use that for the power. It takes a trickle voltage from the PCI slots, but not enough to run the video card properly. I'm not 100% certain your card has a power connector on it, so stabbing in the dark here, but if it does have one it will need it. It's not just an SLI thing. See if that works, but it's looking like a Video issue still. You're okay with the RAM as it's jumperless. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mollox Posted September 28, 2005 Author Report Share Posted September 28, 2005 He's just reseated everything and no luck...can you see the power point next to the card in the pic? Is that what you mean needs plugging in? Ta Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparky Posted September 28, 2005 Report Share Posted September 28, 2005 Yes mate, the 4-pin molex connector from mobo to video card. Like I say, it might not have a molex connector on the card, but if it does, that's the first port of call. You'll need a cable similar to this: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mollox Posted September 28, 2005 Author Report Share Posted September 28, 2005 Ooh now that’s in interesting. I’m pretty sure this is the right picture of the card – are you saying it needs power to the connection (we’ve just found) as marked? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris_B Posted September 28, 2005 Report Share Posted September 28, 2005 [ QUOTE ] OK, so its definitely 1 beep followed a while later by SIX beeps [/ QUOTE ] The video problem may be a separate issue; My Asus A8N-SLI-Premium will beep once for POST complete, then will give a series of six short beeps if hardware monitoring has picked up a problem like CPU or system fan speed too low etc. The beeps could be something like that, and there will be a message once you can see it. As for that graphics card, did it come with any documentation? It should tell you if it needs a power connection of it's own. The EZ-Plug is indeed designed to boost the power to the PCI Express slots when running SLI, and should not be necessary with a single card installed, although my board does complain if I have a single card in the second PCIe slot and no EZ-plug (it works, but it complains). Have you got the graphics card in the right slot for a single card? Check the manual. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparky Posted September 28, 2005 Report Share Posted September 28, 2005 [ QUOTE ] and should not be necessary with a single card installed [/ QUOTE ] Some cards require it to run. I've had two now that will not work without the power lead being connected. Both nVidia and ATI. I'm not sure this is his problem though - the beeps Mollox mentioned don't point to anything on Asus's website. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mollox Posted September 28, 2005 Author Report Share Posted September 28, 2005 Arrrrgh I'm running out of ideas for him... The bit that I don't get is why the screen is all scrambled up - is there anything we can deduce from that? Or any workaround to get the screen working so we can read the error? Any views on that white connector on the card needing power? (aside from the EX Plug) Thanks again Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mollox Posted September 28, 2005 Author Report Share Posted September 28, 2005 Ahh isn’t technical support great… Connect3d (Graphics card) said: Those are conflicting alerts – scrambled image suggests a duff card but 6 beeps sounds like bad RAM so try one 512mb block at a time and if its not that get ebuyer (doh!) to send a new graphics card… (swapping the RAM didn’t work) Asus (after I fought for someone to have a go said) connect a speaker to the board and it will SPEAK (!) the error if it’s a video problem He then said to do a CMOS reset if that didn’t fix it…hmmm Any thoughts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparky Posted September 28, 2005 Report Share Posted September 28, 2005 I didn't realise you'd not fitted the speaker. That's essential with those boards. Ooops. What does it tell you? Have you got access to a spare PCI-x Video card? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mollox Posted September 28, 2005 Author Report Share Posted September 28, 2005 thing is he doesn't have basic speakers - all of his stuff is mental and comes out of the back of various boards and things - so no basic speakers. Have asked him to try earphones - will that work? So does it actually.....speak?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparky Posted September 28, 2005 Report Share Posted September 28, 2005 No, you need to connect a speaker to the SPKR connection header on the mobo. And yes, it does actually speak to you - in some american woman voice that sounds like she's in a little pain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris_B Posted September 28, 2005 Report Share Posted September 28, 2005 [ QUOTE ] Some cards require it to run. I've had two now that will not work without the power lead being connected. Both nVidia and ATI. [/ QUOTE ] What, are we talking about the connector on the card or the power connector on the Asus motherboard? My PCIe cards need their own power connectors hooked up to PCIe power leads (6-pin ATX-style connector), and the board needs it's power connector powered (HDD-style 4-pin) if two cards are installed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris_B Posted September 28, 2005 Report Share Posted September 28, 2005 [ QUOTE ] Any views on that white connector on the card needing power? [/ QUOTE ] Is there anything printed on the card's PCB next to the connector? Anything that might suggest what it's for? Most cards I've seen that need additional power either have the same sort of 4-pin connector as a hard drive/CD/DVD, a smaller 4-pin connector like a floppy drive, or a 6-pin PCIe connector. A card's power connector is usually on the end of the card furthest from the mounting bracket, but that doesn't mean it always will be... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mo-S3 Posted September 28, 2005 Report Share Posted September 28, 2005 Sounds like a duff graphics card. ANy card when plugged giving a scrambled image/text is knackered. Beg borrow or steal another pne form a friend and try that just to be sure before you send it back. Also ensure that the small SLI key is slotted in firmly and its in sigle mode too. The extra EZ plug next to your PCI-ex slot is like you said when running 2 cards. The Ram you have pur in is also in the right slot so dont worry about that. Alos try disconnecting all other devices such as hard drives. cd roms etc jus to get it to boot. Once it boots happily reconnect them. Good luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris_B Posted September 28, 2005 Report Share Posted September 28, 2005 [ QUOTE ] No, you need to connect a speaker to the SPKR connection header on the mobo. [/ QUOTE ] A few PC cases have speakers in them, although it's becoming less common. When yo uplugged in power, reset LEDs etc from the case, was there a speaker connector (possibly orange and black wires)? If so, the speaker's attached, and if the feature is enabled is *should* be speaking. Having said that, I thought the voice messages weren't the default setting, which makes them pretty useless for problems when first installing... If the case doesn't have a speaker, do you have an old PC case you can dismantle for one? That's where the one in my Antec P180 came from! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mollox Posted September 28, 2005 Author Report Share Posted September 28, 2005 Feck it we've (begun the process of) sen(ding) it back to ebuyer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mo-S3 Posted September 28, 2005 Report Share Posted September 28, 2005 Not all PCi ex cards need seperate power for them, usually higher end ones and they usually come with the connector with them or its a floppy type connector. They small white connecter you highlighted is not a point to power the card. its usually for a fan connector when seated on a different type of heatsink. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparky Posted September 28, 2005 Report Share Posted September 28, 2005 [ QUOTE ] What, are we talking about the connector on the card or the power connector on the Asus motherboard? [/ QUOTE ] On the graphics card. I had two that the manual told me I must connect a lead from PSU/Mobo to the Graphics card to obtain it's power as it does not take it from the Mobo. It was just a suggestion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris_B Posted September 28, 2005 Report Share Posted September 28, 2005 [ QUOTE ] On the graphics card. I had two that the manual told me I must connect a lead from PSU/Mobo to the Graphics card to obtain it's power as it does not take it from the Mobo. [/ QUOTE ] Ah, you see, I was talking about the connector on the motherboard, which Asus call the EZ-Plug. It adds extra 'oomph' to the PCIe slots and chipset on the motherboard so that it can handle their clever SLI system that doesn't require power-down to swap to and from SLI. If the drivers could do it, I don't think the hardware actually needs a reboot to swap modes either, it's just nVidia's drivers that do. I wasn't sure if the EZ-Plug was to power grpahics cards until I tried - it's not, it's for the mobo. Both my cards need their own 6-pin PCIe connector as well as the board needing EZ-Plug power. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mo-S3 Posted October 2, 2005 Report Share Posted October 2, 2005 Mr Meat Monster... whats the latest with your pc? have you got it working yet?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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