GA-800GA-UD3H: Immediately powers off

[chuteless]

I recently bought a Gigabyte GA-800GA-UD3H motherboard (Rev 3.1) for a new build - to begin with everything was fine and it ran without any problems, but after about a week, often when I turned the machine on it would only power up for a fraction of a second before turning off again (the fans very briefly spun), and this got more frequent to the point where it now never properly starts up.

I originally thought it was the power supply, so got it exchanged (Nexus NX-5000 R3 530W) but the same thing is happening with the replacement.

Taking it down to the bare minumum (motherboard, AMD Athlon II X2 245e with supplied heatsink/fan) and the same still happens.

Does it look as though the motherboard has just slowly died, or could it be anything else?

Thanks for your help!

[absic]

Hi there,

You could have a faulty motherboard but it would really help if you could post back with your full system spec's as sometimes, other components could be the cause. I recently encountered a similar problem on my own system and it was due to my PCI Soundcard that needed to be externally powered before the motherboard would recognise it.

Is your PC Case new? Sometimes the power and reset switches can be faulty and they can cause similar problems. Double check that you haven't connected these incorrectly.

Try building the PC outside of the PC Case to eliminate the possibility of a short. If you're not sure how to do this check here: http://forum.giga-byte.co.uk/index.php/topic,5704.msg45815.html#msg45815 where I go through putting a PC together.

Do an extended clear of CMOS to make sure the motherboard is reset to its factory default settings.

Check that the CPU cooler is attached correctly. Sometimes an over heating CPU can also cause similar symptoms.

[chuteless]

Hi absic,

Thanks for your reply - when I tried the 'bare minimum' setup that I mentioned it was all outside the case, with literally just the CPU with heatsink/fan and the power button plugged in (I even tried a different power switch on another case to rule it out!)

The motherboard has built in video and sound, so I can't remove these, and the memory is 2 x 4GB Kingston ValueRAM (DIMM 240-pin, DDR3), but even without this installed it doesn't get any further.

Just in case it's still relevant (although none of these are attached when trying to get it working), I'm using a Fractal Design Define R3 Case, and 8 x 2TB Samsung HD204UI Spinpoint F4 hard drives (using the machine as a file server).

I followed the instructions in the manual to clear the CMOS, and have removed and re-installed the CPU, but still no luck!

[absic]

Well, your options are a little limited but I would try an extended clear of CMOS. Check here: http://forum.giga-byte.co.uk/index.php/topic,5621.msg45368.html#msg45368 where Dark Mantis explains the procedure.

If, after doing this you still can't get the motherboard to fire up then we can try and kick in the back-up BIOS but the reality is that you are probably going to be looking at an RMA of the motherboard.

To try getting the Backup BIOS to kick in follow these steps:
1.  Shut down the PSU from the wall
2. Hold down your case power button and then turn on the power supply button. A few seconds later the board will start, immediately shut off the power supply at the wall.   
3. Turn on the power supply again and power up the board normally and the Dual BIOS should kick in and copy the Back-up chips to the main BIOS.

[chuteless]

Thanks, I'll try that - I didn't realise an extended clear of CMOS was different to a 'normal' CMOS clear (as described in the manual), so I'll give your suggestions a try and will report back!

[chuteless]

Well I tried the enxtended clear of CMOS and the instructions for the backup BIOS, but nothing has changed.

Looks like a return is needed, but thanks for your help.

[Dark Mantis]

How long did you leave the battery out for ?

It sometimes will work if it is left out overnight. I don't really know why it should make a difference but it is documented that it can.

[chuteless]

Ah right - I left it out for just over 2 hours, but I'll take it out overnight and try again in the morning!

[Dark Mantis]

It is worth a try. It may not work but at least you have given it your best shot then. If that still fails there is one last thing for you to try but I will PM you with the instructions if they are necessary.

[chuteless]

Still no luck after leaving it overnight - if there's anything else you can suggest (or send in a PM) I'd be very grateful...would like to try all the options before returning it!

[absic]

The method DM is talking about sending you details of via PM is not something I would recommend in your situation. It would be a much better option to RMA the motherboard.

[chuteless]

Sorry to confuse things even more, but while I had a bit of spare time this morning I decided to try things out with another (fully working) computer that I've got here.

I firstly tried the new PSU (the one I've already had replaced) in the other computer - it worked fine, as expected. The I used the PSU from the other computer on this motherboard (still with only the CPU installed and nothing else), and it appeared to work - the fans on the PSU and CPU started up and remained on.

There's no way a PSU and motherboard can just be incompatible with each other, is there? It would seem unlikely, as the motherbaord did originally work for a while, but gradually stopped.

I'm still tempted to go ahead with the return, just to find out for sure whether the motherboard is faulty.

[absic]

It is not common for there to be a problem with compatibility when it comes to PSU's but it is possible.

However, it is more likely to be a problem with power draw and the correct wattage PSU and one of good quality is always the best option. I have had occasions where brand new PSU's have failed after a few hours - days and this could be the situation that you are facing now.

I would suggest getting hold of a good quality 550 - 650 Watt PSU (or greater) depending on your future upgrade plans and double checking that it isn't just down to a power problem.

[chuteless]

The other power supply I tried (which worked) was a 400W Antec, whereas I had been trying a 530W Nexus (both the original and replacement were identical), and this has still been without any drives attached, so I don't think it can be lack of power.

Given that the other PSU worked, I assume this rules out the motherboard being faulty? But then I've tried two of these PSUs, so I would assume their also not faulty?

Would my best next step be to return the PSU for a completely different make/model?

[absic]

The fact that a different PSU has worked with your motherboard would seem to point to a power issue being the primary cause of the problem.

If faced with your situation I would swap the PSU for a different make and I would also recommend that you get one, as mentioned before, between 550 - 650 Watts. Personally I use a Corsair 620Watt modular PSU in my own system and that has proved very reliable.