Issue with GA-880GM-UD2H and SATA HDD

[boolean_1or0]

Hi All,

I am new to this forum, so please forgive me if I have broken any conventional rules of this forum (off-course I haven't read the terms and conditions)

I have a self assembled PC with following configurations

Processor : AMD Phenom II X4 955 - 3.2 Ghz
DDR3 RAM @1333Mhz : 4 Gig : Trancent
Mother Board : GA-880GM-UD2H
HDD : Seagate : 1TB : 7200RPM
DVD W/R Drive : LG
PSU/SMPS : 400W


The problem is if I use Ubundu Linux from live DVD and boot from it, my PC works fine.
But the same configuration fails to boot from HDD. When it tries to boot from HDD, the motherboard turns off, after this to turn ON the motherboard I have to turn off the supply to the board and connect it again.

I thought its problem with the HDD and then I replaced the hard disk with a brand new HDD, but no luck

Interesting part of the problem is that I am able to format the hard disk, so its hard to believe that the SATA controllers of my board is faulty.

I tried to run RAM MEMORY Tests and all got passed.

I used SeaTools to verify my HDD but all tests passed.


I tried with both Native IDE and SATA bios setups, but no luck. I tried with Fedora 11, Ubundu with both AHCI SATA and IDE modes, but it didnt even allow me to start the installation.

Then I tried with XP, usng Native IDE mode, it allowed me to format the drive and copy setup files into the HDD, but as part of the setup process when windows setup program restarted and tried to boot from HDD, it again turned off

Now other things that may fail are my processor and RAM, but since it works fine with DVD Drive, I think processor and RAM must be working fine.


Now only doubt that I have is about my DVD Drive, can it fool my motherboards SATA controller because the DVD Drive Board is faulty?

I think SMPS works fine because I am able to format the HDD while DVD drive is also connected. I am totally confused.

Any light into this issue would be high helpful.

Thanks in advance,
Boolean













 

[Dark Mantis]

Hi and welcome to the Gigabyte Forum.

I suspect that your problem is your PSU. It is a bit on the small side and if not new will be even lower output than what it is rated at. The recommended size for your system is 550W. The PSU is the most important part of any build and a cheap and nasty one as are often used if it fails can destroy many other components as well.

[boolean_1or0]

 Thanks Dark for the quick response.

I agree with your point that the wattage of SMPS is on the lower side, but it works when my DVD drive as well as my HDD are running together, I tried out a scenario of formatting the HDD while DVD Drive is running. But I agree with the point that may be during  boot time HDD may be using more power than its normal use cases.

Anyway I have decided to upgrade the SMPS very soon, thanks for the suggestion.

Is there anythign to do with BIOS settings or Version? I have upgraded the BIOS to F8 version. But anyway even the older version also was not working me.

Thanks and Regards,
Boolean

[absic]

As a matter of interest is your 1TB Seagate Drive a "Green" Model?  There can be issue if this is the case and it is often better to use a different type of HDD as the primary BOOT drive.

[Dark Mantis]

I think it is unlikely that it is a BIOS issue as you mentioned you had the same problem with an earlier BIOS version. Absic's point was a good one regarding the "Green" drive.

[boolean_1or0]

Thanks Absic and Mantis

Regarding "Green Model" - to be frankly I don't know whether its a green model or not. It is a new HDD that Seagte sent me as a replacement for my faulty HDD (1 Yr old), but the one I received is a brand new HDD (not a refurbished one) . So I think its not a Green Model. Right now I don't have access to the HDD, so I will confirm it in another few hours.

[Dark Mantis]

"Green" refers to the power saving mode of the drive. Quite a few drives on the market now have a way of powering down when they think they are not needed but this isn't good for boot drives as you can imagine.

[boolean_1or0]

oh Jesus .. that's scary ...  .. at-least they should have some reasonable timeout before deciding whether they are in use or not?
Anyway I will confirm whether my drive has "Go Green" policy

[boolean_1or0]

I don't think the HDD is Green Model, to be frankly I don't know how to verify that

There is new finding - my PSU labelled as iBall LPE223-400 (250 W) power supply That means it is just 250W??? But it was working fine with my previous board GA-MA785GMT-UD2H. So is there such a considerable difference in power consumption between GA-MA785GMT-UD2H and GA-880GM-UD2H?

[absic]

Hi again,

250 Watts is really not enough power for your set-up and I would be looking at a PSU of at least 550 Watts. Although the system may start up and appear to be OK with the smaller PSU, there is probably not enough constant power to supply your rig which is a possible the reason that the install is failing. It's also worth remembering that, over time, the output from PSU's degrades so you probably aren't even getting 250 watts.

[boolean_1or0]

Thanks guys - I will upgrade my PSU and let you know the results.

BTW could please suggest a good PSU?

Thanks and Regards,
Boolean

[absic]

Not sure what is available to you in India or the costs. Personally I like Corsair PSU's but the best advice I can offer is to look for a good brand with a single rail.

As always, cost will be a deciding factor in your final choice but the more powerful the PSU you can get at this stage (within reason) the longer life and upgradability it will give you. I would be looking at PSU's between 550 Watts & 750 Watts if I were buying one for your system.

If you find a couple that you think are OK and want to post some links we can look at them for you and offer our opinions.

[Dark Mantis]

I agree with absic on his choice of PSUs. I too would want something of at least about 650W on a single rail. Corsair, Seasonic, Enermax depending on what is available.