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Ram or Motherbord dead?

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by tron12

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Ok I have a new 2600+ amd xp chip 512 ddr 333ram g-force 4 card I have had this system about 2 1/2 months. I booted up to windows xp as usal left the computer on for about 10 min came back to it opend a program and bam the screen goes black monitor clicks off power button doesnt work I have to turn it off from the back restarted the computer all the lights and fans came on but it doesnt make it to bios doest read vid card monitor doesnt even blink on I always monitored my systems heat the chip was at norm 52 degrees and at max 57 degrees C I tried reseting the bios check all connections resocked the ram nothing the system ran great b4 then any ideas?

13 replies

by wcp

It is hard to say whether RAM or motherboard (MB) caused the problem. If the MB is really DEAD, the computer would not even power up.
I can not tell you which one is causing the problem but I can tell you how to go about it to find the bad one.

The essential parts the computer needs to boot are:
1. Power supply,
2. MB,
3. CPU (and CPU fan),
4. RAM, and
5. Video card (unless an integrated video card)

If any of the above goes bad, you may not see a screen at all. Sometimes, a hardware (HW) component other than the above may go bad and causes the computer to not boot.

Disconnect all HW other than the above. This means to disconnect HD, CD-ROM, FD, NIC, modem, sound card, and so on. Turn the computer on. If the computer boots normally, then one or more HW you disconnected caused the problem. Connect one at a time to fine the bad one(s).

If the computer still does not boot, then one or more of above is causing the problem
If you do not have any known good replacement, you?d better take your computer to a local computer store and have them to troubleshoot.
If you have, replace the above one at a time to find the culprit(s).

by herrlizard

I would replace the RAM with known good first, then the video card. If the problem persists, the mother board is probably the culprit.

Whether it's the RAM, mobo, or vid card it would be a good idea to have the power supply checked out too. Make sure it's putting out correct, steady voltage particularly while under a load. Ask around different computer repair shops in your area to have it load tested (hopefully they'll do it for free), or you can purchase a load tester for about $15 from any major electronics store such as Fry's Electronics (www.outpost.com), BestBuy, etc.

Phew, I'm out of breath...hope this helps!

by emailralph_s

9 times out of ten this problem is the video card, if you have a back up card, throw it in and try it out.
If your bios doesn't make it to video, try the video first, then go to the RAM, and so on..
Good Luck, RS.

by clickhappy

I agree with that last guy...It's probably your video card. If you have another video card sitting around, I would slap that in and see what happens

by donmars

Answer number 1 is good, but I would remove ram and video card also to see if you get beep codes then replace them one at a time and reboot between each reinstallation. I can tell you it is not likely to be ram, it is something before that maybe power supply or mother board itself.

by donmars

the fact that it does not make it to bios says it is bios, mobo, or powersupply. Anything else would generate beep codes. Now it could also be that a defective (shorted) card is drawing down the power supply. That is where removing everything to see if you have power then adding them back one at a time, power up and see what the indications are each time. So only your mobo and power supply to start.

by w2ktechman

Just a thought, Some HP machines need to flash the bios or video bios after an error to get the system to boot. Doubtful if it will help, but may be worth a try.

by brddog

I just had the same thing happen with my ATI card.
Pull the old one and try a cheap one(not the best thing to put in but its for test purposes).

by tron12

Ok I tried anothere vid card no that not the problem I ordered a new stick (PNY this time) of ram hopefuly thats it... I had my system slightly overclocked and I had Generic ram (K byte) and I'm thinking that the ram just could'nt handle it.

by tron12

Yeah I'v tried flashing the bios removeing everything trying pice for peice it really seems like it can be only the mobo cpu or ram and im pretty sure its the ram I'll know in a day or two when my ram gets here..

by tron12

This system never gives beep codes it never has it doesnt beep. Even when it used to start up its always been like that so I cant really judge anything by beeps with it. the internal speakers are hooked up right it gives me sounds when say you hold a key down or anything like that.... lol its a pos im trying the ram if that doesnt work then the mobo....... I have noticed that I cant hold the power button down to turn it off I have to flip the switch on the Power Supply in the back dont know if that helps.

by tfurman

Take a magnifying glass and a strong light and look carefully at the motherboard components. There has been a rash of defective capacitors found on boards by different maufacturers. I have personally seen about a dozen of these caps that look like the leaked or blew up. you can try to replace them or get a new mainboard(easiest). If the board looks good, try removing everything except the cpu and heatsink/fan and listen for beeps. If you have a beep code shut down install memory and try again. keep going one component at a time. Good luck

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