New Desktop PC No Beeps Nothing on Monitor

Efdy · 10 Mar 2019

Hello. I'm trying to make a new desktop PC. It's the 2nd PC in my system specs. I put together the computer parts and pushed the power button. The fans and power LED came on and the hard drive makes noise, but there are no beeps and nothing happened on the monitor screen. I bought two of the same motherboard to try to make sure I had an extra one if it couldn't be replaced later by warranty for some reason. The same thing happened with both motherboards. I tried using both the onboard video (or whatever it's called) and a graphics card, and I tried using two different monitors too. I disconnected the monitor and the hard drives and the DVD drive and removed the memory thingos, but it still wouldn't even make beeps.

I got the case speaker thingo (little round black thingo) from Amazon.com. I didn't see anything that came with the PC case to plug into where the motherboard says 7-pin SPK_PLED1, and the only connectors listed in the PC case manual thing to plug in along that same part of the motherboard are HD Audio, POWER SW, RESET SW, HDD LED, POWER LED+, AND POWER LED-, which are all I see in the PC case, so I don't know if the thing I bought and plugged in to the motherboard where it says SPK_PLED1 should make beeps.

I'm not very knowledgeable about computers. Can you guys suggest what to do next? Thank you.

essenbe · 10 Mar 2019

Hello Efdy and welcome to the forums. You should get plenty of replies to your problem. Please don't get offended by anything we tell you. We have no idea how much you know or what you have tried. So, just to start, I'll run through a few things, most are pretty basic. As far as all of the front panel connectors, at this time, I would disconnect all of them except for the Power Switch (POWER SW) make sure it is on the correct pins. The speaker should have a connection labeled SPKR close to the front panel connections. It would be better if fit were connected, but not necessary for right now.

Are you sure the CPU was installed correctly and there were no bent CPU pins? That part is critical. Recheck all of your power connections, especially the 24 pin which is on the right side of the board and the 8 pin CPU 12V connection which is on the top of the board above and just to the left of the CPU. Make sure they are both oriented correctly and completely seated. The cable that connects to the CPU connection should be marked CPU on the connector. Did you install the standoffs between the case and the motherboard? And are there only the ones that have corresponding holes in the motherboard with no extras? Are they all screwed down snug, not real tight?

You should have an 8 pin connector to your graphics card. Make sure it is plugged in completely. The cable from the PSU should be marked PCIE. Also, you will have monitor connections from the motherboard and monitor connections on the graphics card. With a graphics card installed, the connections from the motherboard won't work usually. Make sure your monitor is connected to the graphics card connections. Also, you may want to check your monitor settings and make sure they type of connection you are using is selected on the monitor's menu.

If you want to try the monitor connections from the back of the motherboard, completely remove the graphics card and plug the monitor connections into the back of the motherboard connections.

The graphics card should be installed into the X16 pcie slot closest to the CPU. Make sure it is completely seated. When it starts do the fans on the graphics card turn?

Efdy · 10 Mar 2019

Hello. Thank you for helping me. I only tried what I mentioned so far. I didn't know what else to do besides going through the related checklists here and at Tom's Hardware.

I am an average user, I guess, but with probably below average comprehension level. This is only the second time I built a computer. The other one with Windows 7 was the first. It functioned normally from the beginning so there was not much to ever do besides use it. I fixed some ordinary problems with help from SevenForums during the past several years, but I don't know much about computers besides using them. I never had any other devices/tech gadgets besides the desktop PCs, and I don't know anything about electronics. Sorry to be so wordy, but that's my experience level.

If standoffs are the little posts with screw holes, they were already part of the case, and the only ones there are meet up precisely with corresponding holes for screws in the motherboard. There are no extra ones touching the motherboard where there are not holes for screws to go through. I only gently tightened the screws that hold the motherboard in place. I didn't screw in the second motherboard I tried until I tried it with the GPU. Before that I just laid it on a piece of cardboard like I people mentioned in topics like this even though there weren't extra standoff thingos where there aren't screw holes.

I only disconnected or connected anything with the PC power switched off and both the PC and the monitor unplugged if that's important to know. I looked closely at the CPU and where it attaches to the motherboard using a magnifying glass. I don't know what to look for except that I kept reading bent pins like you mentioned in topics such as this one, but I don't see what appears to me to be physical damage anywhere. I'm pretty sure the CPU was positioned correctly, and it went in easily each time.

Yes, both of the monitors I tried were set to use that type of connection, DVI, and both monitors work normally when they are connected to a different computer. On this PC if I switch off the power to the monitor while the PC is powered on and then switch the monitor back on it says no signal and goes back to black screen. I don't know if just not having a GPU card installed makes the motherboard video output get selected or if there is something to switch on the motherboard to select one or the other video output option, but all I did was try each motherboard with a GPU card installed and without a GPU installed. The GPU card was in the slot closest to the CPU, but I didn't know it mattered. I just put it there randomly, or whatever, but now I know--thank you.

Yes, the GPU card fans do spin when the computer is powered on.

The 24 pin connector plug thingo is in two pieces, one with 20 and one with 4. I think they are positioned the correct way. If the clip is the bottom, then I have the 4-pin part on the right with the yellow wires closest to the CPU. All the other connector plug thingos seem to be pushed all the way in, and I think they are in the right places. I watched videos and looked at web pages and the manual thing for help, and I used a magnifying glass to see what I was doing, but I'm not certain about it.

I forgot to mention that I tried more than one case speaker thing, and there were no beeps with any of them plugged in. I'm pretty sure they were plugged in the right way.

Thank you again for helping me.

essenbe · 10 Mar 2019

I assume the 8 Pin plug is plugged into the GPU card as well. The motherboard should default to the on board graphics if there is no graphics card plugged in. May I suggest you try your 8800GTS from system 1 in your board instead of the 1060. You know the 8800GTS works right.Before you make the switch, uninstall the video card drivers from system 1 and put the 1060 in system 1. That should tell us if the video card is the problem or if it is something else.

Efdy · 11 Mar 2019

Hello. Thank you for the reply. The GPU card I purchased for the new desktop PC (system 2/Windows 10 not installed yet) works in the desktop PC I use daily (system 1/Windows 7). The same thing as previously described happens when I put the GPU card from system 1 in the new PC, system 2. The GPU card fan spins when the PC is powered on, and there is no picture on the monitor.

[Edit]
I keep forgetting to ask if it is okay to shut down the new PC this topic is about by pressing the power button and holding the power button there till the PC switches off. I don't know what the PC is doing because I can't see anything on the monitor. I have been letting it run for ten minutes each time it is powered on before shutting it down. Is this how I should be doing it in this situation? Thanks again for helping me.

essenbe · 11 Mar 2019

Yes, that should work to shut the PC down. Does your hard drive have a windows installation on it?

essenbe · 11 Mar 2019

Am I correct in assuming the card has the 8 pin PCIE cable from the Power supply connected and fully seated? What you have described sounds like a motherboard problem or a Power Supply problem. However I find it hard to believe that 2 motherboards would have the same exact issue. Can you try a different PCIe X16 slot?

Efdy · 12 Mar 2019

Hello. Both of the GPU cards I mentioned, the 1060 purchased to use in the new PC (system 2) and the 8800GTS in the PC I have been using for years (system 1) only have 6 square holes for the power supply to plug into, 2 rows of 3 square holes all in 1 piece. In the new PC, I have been using the same type of 6+2 plug thing that I use in the computer I'm typing this on right now (system 1) to power the GPU card, with the 6 part plugged in and the 2 part not plugged in because there is nothing to plug the 2 part into on either GPU card. (Sorry, I don't know how to say what I mean very well, I guess.) That 6+2 plug thing is the only plug thing that will fit into either GPU card.

There is no software installed on the new PC (system 2). It's just the hardware parts assembled. I put it together, pushed the power button, and nothing showed up on the monitor. Just fans and lights came on, and the hard drive made typical hard drive sounds.

The specs for the motherboard in the new PC (system 2) say it has "2 x PCI Express 3.0 x16 Slots". I tried a GPU card in the other slot. Same results. GPU card fans spin. No picture on monitor.

I also swapped the 2 PSUs. That made no difference either. The new PC (system 2) did the same thing when powered on while using the PSU from the older PC (system 1) that I use daily.

It does seem kind of unlikely that both motherboards would have what seems to be the same malfunction.

Yes, I believe all the connectors have been plugged in all the way each time I switched on the PC.

sygnus21 · 12 Mar 2019

Sorry to ask but are you sure you're plugging the monitor into the GPU and not the motherboard itself? essenbe mentioned that, but I've not seen you respond to that comment.

For a dedicated card such as your 1060 or 8800GTS the monitor needs to be connected to the dedicated card. If using the integrated GPU of the CPU, the monitor needs to be plugged into the motherboard, and integrated GPU enabled in the BIOS.

There's also one other possibility that "might" be causing issues and that's the "CSM" (Compatibility Support Module) setting in the BIOS. In keeping things simple, CSM needs to be enabled (which by default, it usually is) for non-UEFI based GPU's to function out of the box. If CSM is disabled, and the GPU is not UEFI certified, you'll get a blank screen because the motherboard can't find a UEFI based card. Again, keeping things simple.

With that, make sure the monitor is connected to either the 1060 or 8800GTS, and double check in the BIOS that CSM is enabled.

Lastly, what motherboard and monitor are you talking about - name and model?

Efdy · 12 Mar 2019

Hello, Sygnus21. Thank you for trying to help me. Yes, the monitor cable was plugged into the GPU cards when I was trying to use GPU cards instead of the motherboard video. As I mentioned previously, I don't know how to select between video output options if that is something that can be done without seeing a picture on the monitor, to which essenbe replied that the onboard video may be selected by default if no GPU card is in the motherboard slot. I have just been plugging the monitor cable into the motherboard video output when there is no GPU card in the slot and plugging the monitor cable into the GPU cards when a GPU card was in the motherboard slot.

I don't know how to enable integrated graphics in the BIOS if that is something that can be done without seeing a picture on the monitor. I also don't know how to check that CSM is enabled if one needs to be able to see a picture on the monitor to do that.

I don't know how to find out if my GPU cards are EUFI certified. If I press F2 when the PC I'm using right now to type this (system 1 in My Computers information at TenForums) is restarting, a screen appears that says EUFI BIOS Utility where there are things like temperature, voltage, fan speed, advanced mode, boot menu. Does that mean the GPU card is EUFI certified? Because I did try both GPU cards in the new PC. By the way, in device manager it says Nvidia GeForce 8800GT, not 8800GTS. I thought it was GTS, but I guess not. Sorry about that if it matters.

The new PC has the MSI GeForce GTX 1060. Would that card not support EUFI out of the box?
Motherboard: ASRock Z370 Pro4 1151 300 series
Monitor: Asus-VS247H-P 24-inch LED

Someone from ASRock sent an email to me with some instructions for clearing the BIOS, which I don't know anything about. The motherboard manual includes some pictures to help plus what online resources show how to do it, and I see the two CLRMOS pins (It only has two, not three, on this board.), but I don't know where any jumper cap thing is to short it. I don't see a jumper cap in either motherboard box or setting on dummy pins on the motherboards if that is something manufacturers ever do. The manual says:

1.1 Package Contents
• ASRock Z370 Pro4 Motherboard (ATX Form Factor)
• ASRock Z370 Pro4 Quick Installation Guide
• ASRock Z370 Pro4 Support CD
• 2 x Serial ATA (SATA) Data Cables (Optional)
• 1 x I/O Panel Shield
• 3 x Screws for M.2 Sockets (Optional)

No jumper cap is listed even though it lists something as small as M.2 screws, and all items listed were included in each box. I replied to the ASRock support guy to just say for now that there is no jumper cap that I can find to use for what he instructed me to do.

Thanks again for your help and for your patience.

As I mentioned above, this thread is about the new desktop PC I am trying to build, system 2 in my TenForums "My Computers" information. System 1 is the computer I am typing this with that I have been using daily for years. System 2 has an ASRock Z370 Pro4 1151 300 series motherboard, an Intel Core i5-8400 CPU, and MSI GAMING GeForce GTX 1060 6GB GDRR5 192-bit GPU card. The case is a Corsair Carbide 200R. All of my monitors are Asus-VS247H-P 24-inch LED. There is no software installed yet including Windows because I can't see anything on the monitor. I hear no beeps when the PC is powered on with either of two motherboard speakers plugged into the mother board.

I bought two of the same motherboard for the new PC so I could have an extra one if I ever needed to replace it and there wasn't one available to replace it with through the warranty at that time. I only have one CPU (the one I bought for this new PC) that is new enough (8th generation) to use with the ASRock Z370 Pro4 motherboard. I used the same i5-8400 CPU in each of the two ASRock Z370 Pro4 motherboards. I tried two different monitors (all are the same model ASUS monitor listed in my computer information at TenForums), the motherboard video output, two different graphics cards, and two different PSUs. All of those hardware parts work in the computer I am typing this with, system 1. When I had the monitor cable plugged into the motherboard video output, there was no GPU card in the motherboard slot. When I tried GPUs in the motherboard slots (both slots were tried per essenbe), the monitor cable was plugged into the GPU cards, not the motherboard video output thing. I tried powering on the PC with no memory modules and none of the moterboard diagnostic speakers I tried beeped even then in either motherboard or at all during any of these testing configurations.

As I mentioned in previous posts, I am not certain I am connecting everything properly or pushing connector plug things in all the way, but I believe I have been doing both of those things properly, looking very closely at what I am doing with a magnifying glass and referring to the motherboard manual, webpage pictures, and related videos. Plus, I have no problem getting the same hardware to function with the PC I am typing with at the moment, so I really think I have been connecting things in the right places on the new PC and pushing the plugs in all the way.

I have been laying my arm on the metal PC case before touching anything else when I go to work in there. I have been unplugging the PSU and monitors from the power surge whatever thing and then pressing the PC power button to use electricity in the capacitor if that is a thing to do--I don't know--before disconnecting and reconnecting hardware and cables from and to the motherboard.

[Edit]
I was calling the motherboard speaker a case speaker, so I changed it to motherboard speaker. Sorry about that. Thanks again for the help. I appreciate it.