Posted on 07/20/2024 4:25:06 PM PDT by Paul R.
Geez, is there some requirement an OP must repost / reply in under an hour? Some of us actually have lives!! And I needed to look at the computer again to get info. for replies, and it was, ya' know, not right at my fingertips.
Anyway, here goes AGAIN:
I've inherited a huge gaming computer from my brother. It seems to turn on ok, except that there is no video from either the Motherboard or the dedicated graphics card. Once the computer is on, the CPU gets warm, the RAM gets warm, the dedicated graphics card gets warm, controls for fan speed (four fans!) appear to work, but there is no indication from either the VGA output or HDMI output on the motherboard, and none from the dedicated graphics card. I even tried the MB video outputs with the dedicated graphics card pulled out of the machine. The monitor I'm using for this runs fine off my laptop (both HDMI and VGA.)
The CMOS battery was dead, but I replaced it. The HD seems to be spinning, but doesn't seem to do searches across the disk, etc. (It is a 1 TB HD, not a SSD.) I'd still think I should see an initial BIOS message on the monitor even if the HD is defective? Oh, BTW, RAM is 32 GB of DDR3, 4 sticks of 8 GB. The DVD player / writer "ejects" and "loads" (no disc in there) but I can't get much further than that without an OS.
Well, yes for any item purchased from them, which I do. A tablet failed recently and I got a better one with discount of what I paid for the failed one. My desktop was a real problem, but because it was covered, they saw the hard drive was very slow. They transferred all data to a new hard drive, total cost 50.00 for the new hard drive.
MB has one DVI port, Graphics card has two.
I’d have to hunt: I MIGHT still have a monitor with a DVI input.
Yeah, I was thinking of trying them one at a time.
Also use on-board vga if available.
Already tried that, no luck. :-(
See post 9.
Can you swap the power supply?
Check all connections.
“...wouldn’t the machine get to the initial BIOS screen?”
You might try different keys while booting to get to the BIOS. [Find the motherboard mfg and model number. Get the manual and read it.]
Don’t spend time trying to get a video output before you replace the power supply. I have been working with and on computers for over 40 years and I have a 99.9 percent success rate with solving computer problems. I am so good that I have a full time job doing technical support and I am in high demand. I laugh at Geek Squad. I am a Nerd. Nerds rule! I spent over 15 minutes on your problem and if I was billing you it would be 250 dollars for a one hour minimum. I would order a compatible or identical power supply from Amazon or eBay if I was at all interested in success with your problem. ThenI would charge you another 250 dollars to install it, plus whatever the power supply cost. You’re welcome.
See this guy can’t call geek squad without paying full price for in-site, or he would have to take it in. I’m all for that but it would be easier to order a power supply off eBay.
On -site
“”””Time is never wasted. You will never be a happy person if you think your life is a waste.””””
True, men like to try and figure things out and they grow from it.
Based on not seeing the bios post then you have a hardware failure. You don’t even need a hard drive to get the bios screen. You do need a good motherboard, power supply, CPU, and Ram. You could try unplugging all drives in case one has a short or the power supply is weak, but that is unlikely.
According to the user manual, your mobo uses beep codes. See page 2-10. It also has LEDs for bad memory and good power. Again see the manual.
No beep, no vid at any point, but most everything else seems to be running. Num Lock does come on and stays on if not turned off, at power up.
I’m not sure there even is an internal speaker - if there is, it’s well hidden. Could be some tiny thing on MB, I suppose, but this machine has 7.1 Dolby built into the MB.
Is the monitor used for gaming (and any other required unit, like the laptop you mentioned) properly connected to the correct A/V ports and turned on?
Did you ever see your brother use the game system you inherited? Are you doing what he did to get it all going?
Is there any documentation that came with the game system that explains how it should be set up?
Do you know anyone that gamed with your brother on the game system? Can you reach out to them to see if one of them can assist you? Maybe they can help you find the online forums for your brother’s favorite games and someone out there can help you.
Does the entire system from one specialized gaming outfitter? If so, contact them about your case. There may be user a forum or a tech that can help you.
There are professionals that put together gaming systems for clients. You might track down someone in your locale that does that and see if they can diagnose, trouble-shoot, or set up yours. Look at professionals that put together home entertainment systems, too. They may be able to handle it or put you in contact with someone who can.
Good luck!
My daughter has a friend who messes with “old”* computers. So we may try that if nothing obvious turns up.
*Heck, I have working computers older than her and her friend! They still do great in my lab.
Would the BIOS have a choice for video output?
They do make DVI/HDMI adapters.
6 USB ports (2 are 3.0 or 3.1, not sure), no FDD, but there is a CD-DVD player / writer.
Your mobo is socket AM3, e.g., the AMD Phenom II (circa 2010). Phenom II was one of the fastest CPUs of the era, but today it is hopelessly out of date.
The repair cost plus your time and effort would likely exceed the replacement cost with a modern low end PC with a low tier NVIDIA GPU.
Cables and connections are all checked in triplicate, but, I can also check power supply voltages. (Fluke 8060A meter)
Thing is, most everything that should get warm does get warm, about as expected. But an individual rail somewhere could be down...
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