New computer build--No signal input on monitor?

October 17, 2008 1:55 PM

I just cobbled together a computer for the first time, and while it powers up OK (fans and drives awhirring) I get nothing on the screen. No signal input. What did I mess up? Did I kill my CPU?

I've got the monitor plugged into the onboard graphics card.

Here's the board: GIGABYTE GA-M61PME-S2 AM2 NVIDIA GeForce 6100 / nForce 430 Micro ATX AMD Motherboard
and the CPU:
AMD Athlon X2 BE-2400 Brisbane 2.3GHz 2 x 512KB L2 Cache Socket AM2 Dual-Core Processor

Happy to produce any other relevant details. Please go easy, I'm not a total n00b, but close.
I appreciate your help, thank you in advance!

posted by saguaro to computers & internet (12 answers total)

Make sure you have the speaker plugged in correctly, and listen for the beeps when you start up. Your MB manual will tell you how to decode them. It's usually something pretty straightfoward.
posted by RustyBrooks at 2:00 PM on October 17, 2008

(Most of the problems I have are:
* screwing up the jumpers or the connections from the case to the motherboard
* incomplete ram insertion or bad ram
* incomplete video card insertion or unsupported card (not in your case)
)
posted by RustyBrooks at 2:02 PM on October 17, 2008

Check and make sure your motherboard has the two power cables plugged into it. It almost sounds like your motherboard isn't getting enough power.

Also, did you put your motherboard on risers?
posted by nokry56 at 2:02 PM on October 17, 2008

RustyBrooks has it. Mobos have built-in troubleshooting with the beeps.

Although of course when I built my computer the case had no speaker. So I had to debug it manually.
posted by katrielalex at 2:04 PM on October 17, 2008

Seconding the two power plugs. Its easy to miss.

If that's not it then reseat everything.
posted by damn dirty ape at 2:07 PM on October 17, 2008

nokry56 gets a 'close enough' best answer. The board wasn't getting enough power; flipping the voltage switch on the ps did the trick. OK, now to register 8 sockpuppets to ask you swells the billion other questions I'm sure to have in the next few.

Thank you kindly!
posted by saguaro at 2:07 PM on October 17, 2008

This is so exciting!
IT'S ALIIIIVE!!!
posted by saguaro at 2:15 PM on October 17, 2008 [2 favorites]

Yay! Go saguaro!
posted by MadamM at 2:33 PM on October 17, 2008

The 110/220 switch?
posted by damn dirty ape at 2:48 PM on October 17, 2008

Yeah, that one. I must have nudged it over at some point in the proceedings. Thanks again all. It's been a good day.
posted by saguaro at 4:13 PM on October 17, 2008

Posting from the new system. (Nearly) everything is perfect. Sweet, sweet success. Thanks to AskMe!
posted by saguaro at 6:49 PM on October 17, 2008

You're lucky you live somewhere with 110V power.

Where I live, nudging that switch over lets out all the magic smoke.
posted by flabdablet at 7:14 PM on October 17, 2008