No Video Output After Building PC

[MrW]

So I tried to put together my first PC last night. I read all the instructions and proceeded to put it together but after I completed it I was not getting any video signal. All the fans work, I get no beeping sound when I turn it on and I get nothing but green lights. I tried looking online for help but found nothing of use. All either different motherboards or posts from 2005. I tried:

Reinstalling all the hardware
Redoing the jumpers on the motherboard
repositioning the RAM
Installing a different video card
Using a different monitor via VGA and DVI hookups

I'm just hoping that I don't have a lemon somewhere. Is there anything I forgot to do, some test that I'm missing or has someone had a similar problem and found an easy solution?

List of hardware includes:


AMD Phenom 9950 2.6GHz Socket AM2+ 125W Quad-Core Black Edition Processor
ASUS M4N72-E ATX AMD Motherboard
SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 4870 100259-1GL Video Card
CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply
Antec Three Hundred Black Computer Case
G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit Memory
Sony Optiarc DVD/CD Rewritable Drive Black SATA Model AD-7240S-0B
Western Digital Caviar SE16 640GB 3.5" SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

[Mafai]

I had to RMA a motherboard a couple months ago that had the same issue. It sounds like you covered all your bases besides the board to me.

The board I RMA'd actually booted up the first time and the OS was installing when I decided to go out while it was happening. Came back to it turned off and it would not show video when it turned back on. Tested all the stuff you did, and just decided to RMA the board. Once the new one came, good as new!

[Olo401]

I did some digging around and it looks like there's a recurring issue with the PCIE 16x slots on this particular board - either they don't work at all or the cards don't seat properly in the slot even when you have it inserted correctly and firmly in place..

Give ASUS a call or file a tech support ticket online ASAP. Either that, or RMA for a replacement or a different board.

[Farseer]

I get no beeping sound when I turn it on

Shouldn't there be a single beep to show that the bios has booted? I'm kinda new to this but are you sure you have connected all power cables to the motherboard? if you are missing the 4 pin plug for the CPU it might not be booting at all.

Edit: if you were missing the CPU power it would still boot into bios my mistake =/ but im pretty sure you should be getting a beeb when you hit the power switch so it might not be your card or any display problem.

[MrW]

Yeah, I connected the 24pin and the 4 pin. I get no beeps period. Just green lights. I called ASUS tech support but those guys are as dumb as I am apparently. It seems like it's working fine except I get no video output. The second I plug my video card into the PCI slot the monitor comes out of sleep mode, waits 2 seconds and finally goes back to sleep mode because it can't find a connection. I'm so lost.

[Rafbacca]

pop out the bios memory, and unplug the power supply. Then hold the power button for a few seconds, to clear any stored charge. This should reset the bios to factory settings.

Then replace bios battery and plug in the power supply.

then cross your fingers and pray.

[Farseer]

did the display work the first time you turned the pc on? because with mine there was an option to enable the PCIE card, it was set to the default monitor connector on the motherboard as standard, so after the first boot it wouldn't use the PCIE, took me a while to figure it out, had to reset bios for every boot =/

[MrW]

Naw, I never got any monitor output period. Also, I tried restoring the BIOS to the factory settings and still same problem. I'm starting to think that I need a BIOS update before it recognizes my CPU. Guess if this is true... how do I update the BIOS when I can't get it to work in the first place?

[Farseer]

The bios would boot before the cpu takes over for things like that so its probably nothing to do with the cpu =/ I'm guessing it doesn't have an on-board graphics port you could try?

[Chicomagiko]

Are your standoffs placed properly?

[Farseer]

Did you ground yourself before building? or did you slide across your carpet in your socks?

[kyamei]

To help narrow things down...

Try turning the comp on with no RAM installed just to see if it beeps.
If you still get no beeps, try using a different PSU if available.
If that doesn't get you any beeps either, I'd guess its your mobo.

[Shaawn]

What kind of monitor do you have?

If your video card has dual DVI output plugs try swapping the monitor connector to the other plugin after the computer has booted.

I had a similar issue after building my system. It was solved after I swapped plugins, for some reason it would not actually be "visual", except for it being black. Didnt have the dirvers for my video card installed yet.

Try this method:

Boot, wait 20 seconds, swap plugins on video card. If you get video then reinstall or install your video drivers. After you install your drivers, shutdown completly (not restart, restarting is not a "TRUE" shutdown). Turn PC back on everything should be find.

If you still dont get a screen you may not bein the #1 DVI, plugin to that port and you should be good to go from now on.

Let me know your results.

[Hosom]

I'm starting to think that I need a BIOS update before it recognizes my CPU.

This is likely.

Guess if this is true... how do I update the BIOS when I can't get it to work in the first place?

ASUSTeK Computer Inc.-Support-

ASUS provides the BIOS and directions here to do so. You will need another CPU to upgrade the BIOS though. Your best bet....actually, never mind....this is rather unlikely, got curious and looked at your CPU Support....

ASUSTeK Computer Inc.-Support-

Looks like your CPU should have been supported with the original BIOS

[MrW]

Are your standoffs placed properly?

Yeah, that was the second thing I checked after I booted up the first time.

Did you ground yourself before building? or did you slide across your carpet in your socks?

You bet I did. Last thing I want is a fried motherboard because I was being stupid

To help narrow things down...

Try turning the comp on with no RAM installed just to see if it beeps.
If you still get no beeps, try using a different PSU if available.
If that doesn't get you any beeps either, I'd guess its your mobo.

I tried that boot up as well to see if it might have been my RAM, CPU or video card. Got no beeps period.

What kind of monitor do you have?

If your video card has dual DVI output plugs try swapping the monitor connector to the other plugin after the computer has booted.

I had a similar issue after building my system. It was solved after I swapped plugins, for some reason it would not actually be "visual", except for it being black. Didnt have the dirvers for my video card installed yet.

Try this method:

Boot, wait 20 seconds, swap plugins on video card. If you get video then reinstall or install your video drivers. After you install your drivers, shutdown completly (not restart, restarting is not a "TRUE" shutdown). Turn PC back on everything should be find.

If you still dont get a screen you may not bein the #1 DVI, plugin to that port and you should be good to go from now on.

Let me know your results.

Tried this method hoping for some luck but alas I still have the black screen with my monitor saying "DVI input no connection" followed by "monitor going to sleep".

This is likely.

ASUS provides the BIOS and directions here to do so. You will need another CPU to upgrade the BIOS though. Your best bet....actually, never mind....this is rather unlikely, got curious and looked at your CPU Support....

ASUSTeK Computer Inc.-Support-

Looks like your CPU should have been supported with the original BIOS

Well, shit...

I called ASUS ... again, their customer support is shit and I'm just gonna send it back hoping its the board. If not I'll try an older CPU and see if I get lucky.

[guartz]

That's a pretty juicy rig setup, you sure your psu is pushing enough juice for that setup?

[MrW]

Yeah, I tried a PSU from my friend's comp that was 850W. Same thing happened.

[Olo401]

The more I think about this, the more I think it's a matter of updating your BIOS before it can recognize the CPU.

Unfortunately if that's true you'll need lower-end CPU (like an Athlon X2) to pop in there before you can update the BIOS. And of course, if you put a slower CPU in there and get the same problem you know it's not the CPU. Go figure..