EggXpert

Hi fellows:

 I have 3 questions

question 1:

For a computer to be able to post, which hardware needs to be connected to the mobo? I assume the minimum you need is:

• mobo
• cpu
• ram
• video card (my mobo does not have integrated video card)
• eventually speaker to hear the beep

Is this correct?

question 2:

If one of these components is not hooked up or is faulty, what happens? absolutely nothing, no beep no nothing except for the cpu fan to run?

question 3:

will the computer post if one of the components is not compatible? for example, the mobo has AGP 4X but the video card is 8X or the ram is DDR 400 but max accepted by mobo is DDR 333?

 

 Any help, comment and responses to come appreciated.

1. all those and of course a psu, and some motherboard dont require a speaker to hear the post.

2. Depends if it's the cpu you could get a number of beeps, if it the video card you get a different number of beeps, and ram same as before.

3. If the video card is 8x then the motheboard will clock the card down to 8x, and if ram is ddr 400 then the motherboard will do the same and clock the ram down to ddr333. Those numbers are just speed timming which can all be ajust by the motherboards bios.

The only items that could be dead without beeping would be the PSU or the motherboard. If you have any kind of leds on the Mobo, that'll tell you if it's booted.  A PSU tester always comes in handy, and you can get one for a couple bucks (read: $10-$20) off the 'egg.

Thank you for the clues... really appreciate the help..

2 more questions to put me in the right directions:

question 1:

Would a deffective bios chip on the mobo prevent  the computer to post and the computer to beep? Does changing the chip make any sense?

question 2:

Just need clarification about the video card. If it is dead, should the computer should still post and beep? Sorry I am not clear on this one.

 

(I need to post a little more details about my problem and will do this probably under another thread)

 

Thanks

dontknowmuch:

question 2:

Just need clarification about the video card. If it is dead, should the computer should still post and beep? Sorry I am not clear on this one.

yes, the computer will make a beeping noise, even if there is no video card in the slot.   

With a bad video card, you'd still get the beeps.

With a bad BIOS chip, or a bad flash, the board should still beep.

If you really need to know what's wrong, the simplest solution is to get a "POST Diagnostic Card" - they're available for cheap ($5-$10) on eBay, or like $40 from Newegg.  They plug into PCI, miniPCI, or ISA expansion ports, and will display a code that you can match to a description of what's wrong with the board.

With a bad video card most of the time the bios will beep as if the video card wasnt there, just like it would beep if you have no ram installed. But I have had the memory on a video card go bad and in that case the motherboard beeps with a different sequence a beeps.

If you dont mind why do you ask these questions? Are you having problems or are you gettin ready to put together a build?

Once again, thanks for the responses.

I did not know about the post diagnostic card; interesting stuff.

I am obivously dealing with a problem for my computer I put together a few years ago (not a new build, I wish).  I suspect my mobo (abit NF-7S V2) to be bad but I am trying to eliminate every other components one by one. A friend gave me another socket A mobo with a cpu on it so it helps to go thought the testing process except that he mobo takes an AGP 4X video card (may be compatible with 8X but I am not sure) and ddr 333 ram and I only have 1 DDR 400 stick. The PSU (power supply) is good for sure (tried it on another computer and also tried a different PSU on the faulty computer) so I am down to mobo, memory and video card.

Whatever mobo I used, none of them gives me a beep wether the video card (and monitor) and/or the memory stick are connected. Of course, the speaker could also be bad but it would be odd that the speaker died at the same time than the mobo (assuming that the mobo is the culprit). 

I'll try to be a little more specific if needed but I have had limited spare time these past few days. This is why I went straight the point with my questions and your answers have been great.

Thanks to all and if you have a suggestion, let me know.     

dontknowmuch:

A friend gave me another socket A mobo with a cpu on it so it helps to go thought the testing process except that he mobo takes an AGP 4X video card (may be compatible with 8X but I am not sure) and ddr 333 ram and I only have 1 DDR 400 stick.

the 4x agp slot shouldn't matter.  The graphics card should work fine in it, although if you were using it for gaming, it would be a bit slower.  It's just like using a PCI-E 16x graphics card in a PCI-E 4x slot.   It will work, it just won't perform as well for gaming.  It should work perfectly for diagnostic purposes. 

I was away for a few days...just found the last comment back concerning the video card. Thanks.  

Thanks to everyone for all the responses, I now have a better understanding of the post process. Unfortunately, I still do not know what is wrong with my computer. I think it is time that I start a more specific thread where I can provide more info to help with troubleshooting.

Appreciate the help and see you in another thread!