# Help Please!  Only green SB light on mobo comes on?



## Thlorian (Oct 24, 2010)

Hello,I did a system build. Asus MB M4A78T-E with AMD Phenom II 965 Black Edition and Cooler Master GX 750 PSU. I followed the connections very carefully. When I boot up, all I get is the green SB light on the motherboard and absolutely nothing else! I am a bit frustrated right now! Any help would be greatly appreciated please. Thanks


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## Frick (Oct 24, 2010)

No beeps or anything? Have you tried the usual, switching places on the RAM, trying different memory sticks, processors and so on (if avaliable)?


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## sneekypeet (Oct 24, 2010)

clear CMOS???


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## Athlon2K15 (Oct 24, 2010)

so it does turn on but you get no video. do any fans spin up?


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## garyinhere (Oct 24, 2010)

do you have the 4pin or 8pin connector plugged in?


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## TSX420J (Oct 24, 2010)

Thlorian said:


> Hello,I did a system build. Asus MB M4A78T-E with AMD Phenom II 965 Black Edition and Cooler Master GX 750 PSU. I followed the connections very carefully. When I boot up, all I get is the green SB light on the motherboard and absolutely nothing else! I am a bit frustrated right now! Any help would be greatly appreciated please. Thanks



Could be that you used the wrong 4 pin. I had that happen to me twice and freak the 
hell out of me. The mobo had a light but when pressing the power button it 
would make a sound like if it powered on for a millisecond and powered off. 
I thought I shorted out the computer or something. Then I noticed I plugged a
pci 4 pin into the CPU power. Maybe that is your problem.


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## Thlorian (Oct 24, 2010)

Wow!  So many responses so quickly.  Thanks all!  Ok, I am a newbie but have built 2-3 computers before in the past.  This is my biggest one to date with EVERYTHING being new.  No fans come on, no video, no beeps.  I do have two Crucial DDR3 4gb (2x2) dual channel kit memory sticks and the board has two orange slots plus two black slots.  The MOBO manual (which surprisingly I actually attempted to read through a bit but was still a bit dizzy on it) said to put both sticks in the orange slots to allow the best overclocking.  Didn't really understand how that could relate to OC'ing a cpu but I followed this direction and both are in the Orange slots.  On the plug to the CPU/mobo, the power supply has  4 pin connectors.  There are a few so perhaps I plugged in the wrong one.  But strangely none of the four plugs are marked differently to tell me that they plug in here.  One more weird item.  The 24 pin power plug is actually two plugs.  It is one long one of 20 pins and another one with four pins.  When I first opened the package, I thought maybe somehow the four pin broke off the 20 pin but at closer inspection, it does not look like that.  So I plugged both of them into the mobo's 24 pin connection.  Could this be the problem?  I don't think it would be because of the green light on the mobo coming on but I am new to this.  Oh, another item.  The one thing I forgot to buy was a sata cd/dvd drive so I had to use an older IDE one (Nov 2007) and use the ide mobo connection plus the ide cable.  I plan to run to Best Buy today and pick one up if the price is fair (whatever that may be)???

I will try to change the RAM slots and then the four pronged power chords to see if that will work and then get back with you all.  Thanks and PLEASE-PLEASE-PLEASE continue to offer suggestions for me to get this rig up and running!   Thanks very much for all your help thus far!


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## Thlorian (Oct 24, 2010)

UPDATE from a few moments ago:  

(1)  I tried moving the RAM sticks around but no luck
(2)  I tried removing the CMOS battery and reinserting but no luck
(3)  I tried plugging in another 4-prong plug into the mobo for the CPU power but no luck.  Incidentally there are actually only two 4-prong plugs which are attached two each other.  The other 3-4 plugs that I thought were 4-prong plugs are actually 6-pronged plugs. 
(4)  I tried plugging in just the 20-prong power plug w/o the extra 4-prong plug attached to it but no luck.
(5)  I tried disconnecting the ide cd/dvd drive completely but no luck.

Each time I do this I get the GREEN SB light on the mobo to come on and the keyboard flashes a light for 1-2 seconds.  Then nothing.  The green SB light stays on but no power anywhere else, i.e. fans, led lights, etc.???


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## Thlorian (Oct 24, 2010)

UPDATED AGAIN:

I tried a test that was recommended to me in testing the power supply with a paper clip inserted into the green and black wires of the power connector.  It worked as the PSU fan came on.  I then connected the case's fan to this set-up and it too came on.  Sadly when I plugged the power plug back into the mobo, nothing happened.  SO I know the PSU is working but I am back to almost square one...


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## Beertintedgoggles (Oct 24, 2010)

Try setting up your system outside of the case first.  There's the chance that you are shorting something out between the motherboard and the mb tray below.  Otherwise, try re-seating all your cards.  Some power supplies still have the 20+4 pin setup like yours, make sure to plug both those in like you said.  The extra 4 pin power cable (or some have an 8-pin for the motherboard) should be formed such that you can only insert the correct cable.  Check the pins on the plug and you'll see that each has a unique shape so that you can only put it in one way (well without excessive force).  Lastly, if you're getting no beeps or anything even if the board is outside the case I'd suspect either the motherboard or the cpu is the culprit.


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## 95Viper (Oct 24, 2010)

You used motherboard stand-offs... yes?

Try a different keyboard.
Un-plug any un-necessary devices.
Switch off and, then, un-plug PSU from wall for ten to twenty seconds. PSU doesn't have a 120/240 switch, does it?
Check and make sure the CPU is properly seated.
Make sure the dips/jumpers are set correctly(on the MB).

Just some ideas...


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## Thlorian (Oct 24, 2010)

The first time, I misunderstood how the mobo standoffs were suppose to be (don;t know how I missed this but I did).  I took the mobo out and made sure to use the standoffs correctly and the mobo is absolutely level now.  I reseated the CPU and reinstalled everything outside of the case.  I also tried using an older PSU from another computer but no luck to any of these attempts so I am back to square one...???


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## sneekypeet (Oct 24, 2010)

Do you have a motherboard/case speaker you can hook up to the motherboard?

Also check the manual for a CLRTC, then be sure the jumper is in the running position not the clearing position.


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## cadaveca (Oct 24, 2010)

If the standoffs were placed incorrectly, there is a chance that now the motherboard is dead. Using a pc speaker, as suggest, should allow you to hear the POST beeps, which will indicate where the failure is.


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## Thlorian (Oct 24, 2010)

Ok, to make sure it is the mobo and not the CPU can I do the following:

The computer I am using right now to log on here has an AMD Athlon II 620 Quad core cpu.  Could I take the AMD Phenom II 965 Black edition cpu from the one I am having problems with and exchange it with the Athlon II above to find out if it is the CPU that is the problem?

If I have to drop another $100 on a MOBO, I'm ok with that excep that I really want to be sure that is what I need.

Then do you have one you can recommend for me?


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## Thlorian (Oct 24, 2010)

sneekypeet said:


> Do you have a motherboard/case speaker you can hook up to the motherboard?
> 
> Also check the manual for a CLRTC, then be sure the jumper is in the running position not the clearing position.



Are you referring to a little piece of hardware that has a small/tiny 4 pin prong (like the fan prongs) on one end, and what looks like a very tiny barrel on the other end sticking straight out?  If so, this did come with one of the packages I opened up (I think w/the mobo).  I have it installed on the mobo where it says "Speaker-Ground-Ground-+5v" (one pin for each.  This is all on another little prong that has the Power Leds, HDD, Pwr, and Reset.  I found where the jumper is for the CLRTC and it is on the correct pins (1-2) for running.  

I started again and still get just the green SB light on the mobo...


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## francis511 (Oct 24, 2010)

Thlorian said:


> UPDATE from a few moments ago:
> 
> (1)  I tried moving the RAM sticks around but no luck
> (2)  I tried removing the CMOS battery and reinserting but no luck
> ...



1. Try the 2 sticks separately
2. ---
3. You use both 4-prong plugs on certain motherboards. The other plugs are pci-express plugs
4. If it has 24 prongs then use both plugs
5. Sata/ide dvd-rws make hardly any difference


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## sneekypeet (Oct 24, 2010)

no beeps from said speaker when you try to boot?

I would try booting with just the CPU and all the power connected, removing ram, card and any SATA or IDE devices from the board. See if the speaker makes any noise.


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## H82LUZ73 (Oct 24, 2010)

does this board have the 8in cpu socket,You may need the 4+4 cpu plugged into it.check if it has the black cap remove it and use the 4+4 cpu plug.


Ok this board has just a 4pin cpu socket next to the cpu ziff socket,here is an image fro coolermasters website with your psu cables.


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## Thlorian (Oct 24, 2010)

francis511 said:


> 1. Try the 2 sticks separately
> 2. ---
> 3. You use both 4-prong plugs on certain motherboards. The other plugs are pci-express plugs
> 4. If it has 24 prongs then use both plugs
> 5. Sata/ide dvd-rws make hardly any difference



Thanks - tried all four and no luck!


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## Thlorian (Oct 24, 2010)

sneekypeet said:


> no beeps from said speaker when you try to boot?
> 
> I would try booting with just the CPU and all the power connected, removing ram, card and any SATA or IDE devices from the board. See if the speaker makes any noise.



Ok I did and still no beeps...sadder still....I found out that this computer I am typing on is a AMD 2 socket and the Black edition would not work on this computer.  It started to boot up and then said incompatible cpu and booted down.  THat was great becuase it told me so and I could just put the original cpu back but....But here is the part that ticked me off.  When I removed the original Athlon II 620 Quad core cpu,I saw that HP has it GLUED TO THE HEAT SINK!  I can not put it back into the cpu socket to lock down.  I add to use an Athlon 64 4000+ (that I luckily had ketp stored) to get back online here.  Man I am having a real crappy time with this!  Now I have to buy a new cpu for THIS computer and I still do not know what is going on with the other one that I paid almost $1,000 for to build on my own.  Very, VERY frustrating.

I am at a loss on what to do next but thanks for helping out.


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## MT Alex (Oct 24, 2010)

Ouch.  It's not glued, but the paste can be really nasty.  Best to take off your heatsinks right after shutdown, that way the thermal paste is more pliable, and the heatsink will come right off.  It's damn important to give them a little twist both ways before pulling straight out.

Try using a hair dryer to loosen up the paste, then twist the cpu back and forth.  I'm sure it will come off.  DO NOT bend any pins!


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## 95Viper (Oct 24, 2010)

I have never seen HP or any system builder glue a processor to the heatsink. Nothing is impossible I guess.
Dried out TIM or hardened TIM. Stuck...yes, but not glued.
Turn the heatsink over and pour some 90% rubbing alcohol on it(between the heatsink and cpu, not the pins) and see if you can slowly work it free.

EDIT:
Also, MT Alex's hair dryer idea is good.


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## francis511 (Oct 24, 2010)

Thlorian said:


> Now I have to buy a new cpu for THIS computer and I still do not know what is going on with the other one that I paid almost $1,000 for to build on my own.  Very, VERY frustrating.



New cpu or new motherboard .....?


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## Thlorian (Oct 25, 2010)

95Viper said:


> I have never seen HP or any system builder glue a processor to the heatsink. Nothing is impossible I guess.
> Dried out TIM or hardened TIM. Stuck...yes, but not glued.
> Turn the heatsink over and pour some 90% rubbing alcohol on it(between the heatsink and cpu, not the pins) and see if you can slowly work it free.
> 
> ...



Ok..I guess i need some patience too!  My bad on the thought of it being glue but it is REALLY stuck!!!!!

I will try the blow dryer and then the rubbing alcohol.  I'll have to pour the RA on a cloth and then rub it in around the edge of the CPU.

On the original problem with the new cpu and mobo, this is what I am going to do so that I KNOW it is the mobo.  I am going to unplug everything and take everything out of the case.  Then I will place the mobo on the cardboard sheet it came with and start new.  I will place one ddr3 card in a slot, connect the monitor, keyboard, and mouse.  Then I will connect the 4-pin atx cpu power plug in and the 24-pin power plug in.  Lastly I will plug in the soundboard toggle that someone mentioned in a previous post here.  This is a small 4-pin "plug" that has what looks like a very tiny "barrel" on the other end and is only about an inch or so long;  I will place this in the lower right corner of the motherboard on the pins that the mobo says to place it on.  These pins are part of a set of pins that include the led's, Pwr, etc..but I will only plug this in so that I can hear some beeps.  then I will power up and start hitting delete to get to the BIOS.  Is this correct?  Also, if the same stuff happens, i.e. just the green light on the mobo, how ill I proceed forward to determine if I need to buy either a new mobo or a new cpu?

Thanks!


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## MT Alex (Oct 25, 2010)

Sounds like your on the right track.  Hopefully, when you get everthing out it will work fine.  That's what happened on my first build.  It turns out I didn't have the 4 pin MOBO power all the way in, and I also was pulling to many amps off the wrong rail with my gpu.


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## Thlorian (Oct 25, 2010)

You guys are AWESOME!  The hair dryerloosend it up in one minute!

Thanks!!!


Now I'll try tackling the original problem one more time before calling it a day!  If this does not work, I am going to throw in the towel and purchase a new mobo.  Anyone with a suggestion on a mobo?

Here is what I bought for my original build:

Athlon Phenom II X4 965 Deneb 3.4Ghz Black Edition CPU AM3 Quad core 45nm
Corsair XMS3 DDR3 dual channel kit memory 4gb (2x2) PC3-10666 1333Mhz
Cooler Master GX 750 watt ATX PSU
Cooler Master Armor A90 mid-tower case w/120mm and 200mm fans
MSI Radeon HD5750 1 GB PCI Video Card
Sound Blaster SE PCI Sound card
Logitech speaker System

Thanks!!!!!


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## b82rez (Oct 25, 2010)

Might be a stupid question but is the power switch on the case plugged into the correct motherboard header? I had this problem the first time I built a PC.. 

If your not sure..try booting the pc with a screwdriver.


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## Kantastic (Oct 25, 2010)

Thlorian said:


> (3)  I tried plugging in another 4-prong plug into the mobo for the CPU power but no luck.  Incidentally there are actually only two 4-prong plugs which are attached two each other.  The other 3-4 plugs that I thought were 4-prong plugs are actually 6-pronged plugs.



So you plugged in a PCI-E 6-pin to the 4-Pin EPS header?


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## Thlorian (Oct 25, 2010)

b82rez said:


> Might be a stupid question but is the power switch on the case plugged into the correct motherboard header? I had this problem the first time I built a PC..
> 
> If your not sure..try booting the pc with a screwdriver.



Thanks - Are you referring to the 24 pin plug?  If not I am not sure which plug you are talking about but I am willing to learn and try anything...

What is the procedure for booting a pc with a screwdriver?

Is it safe?


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## b82rez (Oct 25, 2010)

Follow the power switch on your case and tell me where it leads to. It should plug into a header on the motherboard.. (check motherboard manual) 

If this isn't plugged in..when you press the power on button nothing will happen because the switch isn't connected to anything! 

If you can't find the right header on the motherboard, you can always just use a screwdriver to boot the pc by putting it inbetween the two headers and yes its safe.


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## Thlorian (Oct 25, 2010)

Kantastic said:


> So you plugged in a PCI-E 6-pin to the 4-Pin EPS header?



No - the only plug "outlet" next to the CPU is the four prong plug (there are actually two of them in a Y form).  I plugged just one of them in because I do not see a four prong outlet for the other one on the mobo.


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## Thlorian (Oct 25, 2010)

b82rez said:


> Follow the power switch on your case and tell me where it leads to. It should plug into a header on the motherboard.. (check motherboard manual)
> 
> If this isn't plugged in..when you press the power on button nothing will happen because the switch isn't connected to anything!
> 
> If you can't find the right header on the motherboard, you can always just use a screwdriver to boot the pc by putting it in between the two headers and yes its safe.



I am a newbie so bear with me please on this as it is relatively new to me ---> Are you talking about one of the really tiny led plugs that go over one pin on the mobo.  There is one that is labeled something like PWR.  Or perhaps the lead coming from the restart button on the front of the case?

Thanks for helping me on this...


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## b82rez (Oct 25, 2010)

Thats Okay mate. 

Yeah the one that is labeled PWR is the power switch. You have to make sure it is plugged in to the correct headers on the mobo or your switch won't work. 

If I have any issues with that, I normally take all the plugs out and just swipe a screwdriver over the top to see what two headers are correct.


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## Thlorian (Oct 25, 2010)

Ok, at this point I I tried the "out of the case set-up and testing" and still get the same result.  So I am ready to toss in the towel and accept that the mobo is shorted out or fried and needs to be replaced.  I have learned more form all of you in 24 hours than what I have picked up on computers in a year (or more!) so thanks VERY MUCH.

Can any of you do two things for me please;

(1) Recommend a decent AMD3 board for me to purchase (full ATX) that runs around $100-$125?

(2)  Most importantly if you have used this board,please email me the exact steps on where to plug in everything please.

Thanks!

Here are the specs on what I have laying on the workbench right now for the mobo:

Athlon Phenom II X4 965 Deneb 3.4Ghz Black Edition CPU AM3 Quad core 45nm
Corsair XMS3 DDR3 dual channel kit memory 4gb (2x2) PC3-10666 1333Mhz
Cooler Master GX 750 watt ATX PSU
Cooler Master Armor A90 mid-tower case w/120mm and 200mm fans
MSI Radeon HD5750 1 GB PCI Video Card
1.5 TB Seagate Hard Drive
Sound Blaster SE PCI Sound card
Logitech speaker System


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## b82rez (Oct 25, 2010)

I'm a big fan of Asus and ASRock boards. I'm running an ASRock 890GX, really good board.


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