Weird Socket AM2 problem

**John_K** · September 1st, 2006, 01:43 PM

My company standardized on socket 462 several years ago and now that they are becoming dinosaurs and sometimes hard to buy replacements, I decided to standardize on the new socket AM2 to maximize lifespan of the components. I find that there are not alot of selections in motherboards so I chose a brand I am not particularly fond of. Now as I put one together I can't make it boot, post, or beep. The main ingredients are MSI K9N Neo(MS-7260 Rev 1.0) , Diablotek GF6500 256MB model# V6500-256P, 2 x OCZ DDR2 512MB PC4200 PN: OCZ2533512V, Athlon64 3500+ Boxed CPU, 380W raidmax PSU.

I bought components to build 2 identical systems and I have tried every combination of all components. I have yet to hear a single beep or see a single post. I confirmed all of these parts are compatible with one another. This really baffles me. Its like both motherboards are DOA in the sealed box. Anyone have any suggestions?

TIA,
John

**John_K** · September 1st, 2006, 06:51 PM

Yes its actually 3 plugs on this power supply and they are all firmly seated. More info, the cpu fan and power led on the front panel do fire up. Those are the only signs of life I got from this thing. Of course a dead MB or cpu can sometimes still turn on fans/LEDs. I even tried it with no video and no memory hoping for some beeps... Thx for reply

**John_K** · September 2nd, 2006, 10:47 AM

Yes its in the correct position, tried to clear cmos as well.

**John_K** · September 3rd, 2006, 01:39 AM

Sorry, the RAM wasn't bought as a dual channel kit but I got 4 identical sticks of OCZ 512MB PC4200. I tried all of the 4 sticks (1 or 2 at a time) in single and dual channel mode. I unplugged and re plugged the 4pin. I think I would have to get rough with it to plug it in wrong but I have seen stranger things.
Here is a pic of the board: http://www.msi.com.tw/program/produc...il.php?UID=733
I notice the heatsink by the PCI slots is getting extremely hot. I think it may be time to see about an RMA on the boards. I find it very hard to believe I got 2 bad boards in one order.

**slavedriver** · September 3rd, 2006, 12:26 PM

Originally Posted by John_K

Sorry, the RAM wasn't bought as a dual channel kit but I got 4 identical sticks of OCZ 512MB PC4200. I tried all of the 4 sticks (1 or 2 at a time) in single and dual channel mode. I unplugged and re plugged the 4pin. I think I would have to get rough with it to plug it in wrong but I have seen stranger things.
Here is a pic of the board: http://www.msi.com.tw/program/produc...il.php?UID=733
I notice the heatsink by the PCI slots is getting extremely hot. I think it may be time to see about an RMA on the boards. I find it very hard to believe I got 2 bad boards in one order.

Test them out of the case on an insulated area.. being your getting heat off the board OMG makes a valid point, try another brand of memory.

**John_K** · September 3rd, 2006, 10:37 PM

Thanks OMG and Slavedriver! Thats not the exact board I have but its similar enough to raise interest. I have a Dell setting in my office I can rob some ddr2 out of. Thats the only compatible component I have in house I can swap.

[Test them out of the case on an insulated area]

When I tried the second board I had it on its antistatic bag.

I downloaded the latest BIOS Rev 1.3 6/2/2006. I am on vacation till Thursday so I won't be able to try it until then. I will let you know how it turns out.

**John_K** · September 7th, 2006, 01:27 PM

Resolved - Thanks guys! The Dell RAM did the trick. Good call..

**John_K** · September 7th, 2006, 03:43 PM

The BIOS flash didn't help. I guess I'll know better next time. Hopefully this OCZ stuff will work in the Dells.

**John_K** · September 8th, 2006, 03:06 PM

Originally Posted by OMGmissinglink

you should flash with the /p/b/n/c switches so the boot block gets flashed.

http://drivers.softpedia.com/progDow...oad-16457.html

I will give that a try. If it still doesn't work the Dells like the OCZ ok.

**John_K** · September 11th, 2006, 10:57 PM

Originally Posted by daffy86

John.. please post your results with the OZC mem OZC is suppose to be quality memory but what I've heard OZC uses slightly more voltage.

Although I agree with you on the quality of the OCZ memory, you may be surprised that my solution was to trade it to a coworker and have him replace it with comparable spec RAM. If this were for my computer at home I would have no problem with tweaking timings/frequencies/voltages. But at work I am not the only person maintaining these machines and I want them to work flawlessly with stock settings. I could have swapped out RAM with the Dells but who knows if it would end up in another machine 6 months down the road. And now I have a buddy at work who owes me one

**John_K** · September 12th, 2006, 01:08 PM

Originally Posted by OMGmissinglink

John, then the flashing did not help with the mem issue, glad you've got the problem worked out.

Sorry, OMG. I should have posted that. The second flash didn't seem to make any difference. I know there is nothing wrong with the RAM as it works in the Dells. And the MSI boards boot with the off branded RAM from the Dells.
The thing that really gets me is that OCZ's memory configurator specifically pairs this exact RAM with the board I have. I am normally not so picky when it comes to RAM but I have heard stories about how finicky AM2 can be. I probably wouldn't have had a problem if I just bought the Kingston or PNY value stuff I generally get.