EMERGENCY!

[James Gray]

On 14/11/2008, at 7:25 AM, Steven Vollom wrote:

> I just put together my new computer.  I have never built one  
> before.  I
> got to the point where the power is supposed to be turned on.  I left
> the side off the computer to adjust fan speed on two of the fans that
> came with the case.
>
> When I turned the computer on, the case fans came on.  There was a
> single beep.  Nonetheless the fan on the heat sink did not come on,  
> and
> it is fixed to the power post of the motherboard that was made for it.
>
> I shut down the computer because I believe the processor creates a lot
> of instant heat, but I don't know what to do next.  My components  
> are as
> follows:
>
> ASUS M3N-HT Delux Mempipe
> Processor is AMD Phenom Quad Black Box 9600
> Power supply is BFG Tech ATX12Volt  ES Series
>
> Two Maxtor 500gb SATA HD's.
>
> The case fans are connected to the Power Cable that goes to the  
> DVDRW &
> Floppy Drive
>
> The heat sink fan goes directly to the motherboard.
>
> All the components are new.  The case did not come with a speaker that
> would indicate the beeps that advise problems.
>
> I am using the on-board Video, 8400 Gforce for now; also I am using
> on-board sound 8.1.
>
> Does anyone know if the fan over the Heat Sink not being on is normal
> when first turning the computer on?  It took me a year to assemble the
> components for my new computer; I can't afford to burn anything up.
>
> I am very worried.  Could someone who knows please respond?
>
> Steven

Hi Steven,

I wouldn't be sweating it about the processor.  There are checks in  
the BIOS (among others) that will prevent damage in the event of a CPU  
fan failure.  Apart from that, as long as the heat sink is attached  
properly, most CPU's will run quite happily (although hotter than  
normal) without a fan at all under light load.

Now, to your problem.  Make sure everything is seated correctly.   
Being your first build you have probably been a little too gentle when  
inserting components.  RAM especially is easy to insert wrong.  Pull  
all the connectors and components off, one at a time, then reconnect  
them making sure everything is seated correctly.  The power on.   
Either the problem will persist or it will come to life and you'll  
know where you went wrong.  If things are still broken, and you don't  
have any spare parts to test things like RAM/power/etc I'd suggest you  
find a knowledgeable friend who can help.

Good Luck :)

James