System activated but screen remains off, no post-boot sequence, possible motherboard issue.
System activated but screen remains off, no post-boot sequence, possible motherboard issue.
Just built a new old PC for testing and it suddenly stopped starting up. After checking, I tried setting up Clover to run from an HDD instead of USB, but the setup failed and the screen went blank. Here’s what I’ve done so far:
- Motherboard LEDs flash briefly during POST check, then shut off normally
- Beep code: one short beep followed by three quick beeps – manual says no VGA detected
- Swapped GPU, now same beep codes and no display
- Changed PSU, still no improvement
- Switched CPU, same results
- Updated RAM, tried different slots, nothing changed
- Tried resetting BIOS with a jump, but got the same codes
- Plugged out all USBs and storage devices, still stuck
- Tried turning off the PC, unplugging it, removing battery, holding power button for 30 seconds – no difference
I’m confused because the system passes POST and shows the VGA LED, yet I don’t see any display or boot. It feels like a possible motherboard issue, but I’m not sure what else to try.
The motherboard appears to be malfunctioning since most components have been replaced except for the motherboard itself. You may consider switching the GPU into a different PCIe slot. The instructions likely contain something similar to: "beeeeeep beep-beep-beep."
buy a pci debug card this will give actually detailed info on whats going on i also happen to have a couple asus x58 being my crappy p6x58de and a sabertooth aswell but ill just send a vid of it posting once i get home you should also try different pcie slots as these boards were meant for 2-3 gpus cause this is an hedt platform and that 990x deserves a better board and good rams heres my w3680 running ddr3 2832c10 with an x58a ud3r with samsung m378b2873gb0 (1333 sr 1gbit g die) that asus alongside most amibios based boards will probably top out at around 2600 ish due to the forced 3:2 uncore memclk ratio where im running a 5:4 ratio on my gigabyte board so i can hit ddr3 2800+ and you can do the same on 45nm just that anything between 1:1 and 2:1 is completely unstable, ideal board for mem freq on this platform is the x58a oc but those are unobtainium compared to the common rampage boards rams wise id look for high bin 2gb sticks mainly psc and elpidas like this or samsung m378b5673gb0 (dualrank 2gb version of my sticks but quite rare) for 4gb sticks look for the high bin low cl sticks to avoid 4gbit chips as x58 has a max trfc of 255 which makes them completely useless for any decent freq on this platform, youll be looking at dualrank samsung 2gbit d die or hynix 2gbit cfr the latter of which i wouldnt push past 2.1v as ive observed noticable degradation at >2.3v while i was screwing around with my dualrank though the aformentioned 1gbit gdie and 2gbit d die its skys the limit or till the sticks destabilize which for my gdies is 2.3v used in the above overclock there is no max vdimm that is fully dictated by the rams and the cpu imc doesnt give a shit about it otherwise my chips would be dead as i have definitely pushed vdimm to 2.6v at times and never go below 2v for the most part as im dealing with actually decent frequencies vtt tops out at 1.55-1.6v on 32nm where on 45nm that varies from 1.5-1.94v, you wont be getting into degradation territory on most chips as they dont scale high enough and i usually use 1.52/1.54v vtt for my 32nm chips including the oc above, the max 1.35v myth is likely due to mounting quirks on this platform as ive observed on my w3670 where remounting a few times got 2800c11 stable but after i left it off for a day to screw around with my w3680 it became unstable at 2800 so i remounted a few times and boom 12 hours stable again like last time, its not noticable at lower freqs (<2200) but its very noticable at high ocs like this its a fun platform but if you dont do mem oc its pretty boring since bclk is just a matter of set vioh to 1.3v and pcie to 115+ assuming you dont get a crap bin board that cant boot/stabilize >210 without slowmode like my crap p6x58de and one of my x58a ud3rs, 775 is alot more fun imo if you want to toy with fsb ocs as theres a myriad of boards to toy with all with different oc capabilities though mem oc is mandatory
Same outcome with the beeps but the VGA light stayed lit. That 8GB stick was just a placeholder while I picked out some decent DDR3 RAM modules I liked. I thought the Asus Xt8 sabotage board looked good—it looks nice and everyone I’ve seen online praises it. Also, I remember before each time I powered on (including after a restart) it would briefly turn on, then shut off before coming back on, sometimes it would cut out again but that seemed very uncommon. I actually bought an X38 Intel motherboard before; it was frustrating getting it to boot straight to Windows. Plus, the new sealed box felt really bad to use. Alright, I’ll move forward, hoping I can find a cheap one on Amazon.
there might be a dirty CPU socket issue, which could lead to problems like no power, dead RAM, or even dead PCIe ports. It’s possible the board itself is compromised, though dirty CPUs can sometimes be the root cause. Cleaning the underside often resolves the startup issues, possibly resetting BIOS settings. Sometimes it just happens without any apparent reason, but it’s usually normal if other components are fine. Sabertooth seems average at best, but some ASUS models like Rampage II Extreme or Rampage III Black Edition stand out for their performance. Evga’s Foxconn and DFI boards have unique quirks, though. Personally, I own a 4-way SATA but it’s broken, so I’m hoping to fix it before trying Evga again. For Mem OC, the X58A U3 is impressive with its high clock speeds, but it’s rare. If it doesn’t work, it’s still a solid board. Look at the specs—Foxconn’s Flaming Blade and Bloodrage are top-tier for tuning, though I haven’t found another listing in a while. The E8600 is included with the X58A, and you can adjust channel timings for better performance. Some boards like the Giga EP45 U3D also clock well but aren’t as common. It’s a mixed bag, but it’s definitely something worth checking out.
Intel DX38BT seems to function properly initially, but after installation the pin pads and socket appear clean. Overclocking to 4.7Ghz was unlikely if they were clean. A recent Clover boot or Windows update might have affected it. The GPU could be the issue, while Windows probably didn't interfere with the motherboard. For a budget build under $70 that isn’t OEM, look for affordable yet reliable components to ensure stability.
it's an Intel platform and not particularly suited for serious overclocking. The connections don't appear to influence core speeds much, suggesting a standard chip unless you're pushing around 1.4V. It remains a solid option if you're near 1.5V, though. At around 1.6V with HTA, it can save you roughly 0.2V for the 4.8 MHz clock. A $70 investment is reasonable considering current market values, especially when other boards struggle to sell even at lower prices. You might find better options in higher-end models like G1 Assassin or Rage 7, but these require more effort to optimize. ASUS boards are straightforward, while Gigabyte offers more advanced BIOS features—though they can be complex to configure. I remember wanting this board a few years back, but now it seems overshadowed by Gigabyte's offerings. The ASUS version has decent memory training and RAM detection, though it lacks detailed diagnostics for overclocking.
I was planning to purchase the PCIe diagnostic tool but decided to film the computer powering on to demonstrate my issue, hoping I might have overlooked something. The machine simply displayed and started Windows, with no changes since then—it’s functioning now. I edited the recording and noticed it stopped working again.
Here’s a simplified version of your message:
You’re having trouble with the Memory beep code. It seems easier to get the VGA code, and before this video it showed the beep for all clear without keyboard detection. The file name you mentioned is 8mb.video-Gvo-HpptcuJU.mp4.