Comp shut down by itself and won't POST

[Igor Volkin]

hi, I need help.

I have motherboard Gigabyte 965P-DS4 rev1.0, cpu cooler Freezer 7 Pro, power supply OCZ Mod 450W, graphics card Geforce 8800GTS 320MB.

I had cpu Intel Core 2 Duo E6300 1.86GHz and memory Kingmax DDR2 667MHz 2x1GB. everything worked fine.

I wanted to make an upgrade so I decided to buy a new cpu and memory. I checked what new CPUs my motherboard supports and saw it supports Intel Quad Core Q6600 (B3 stepping supported from bios F7 and G0 from bios F10). I flashed the bios to the most recent version F11, bought Q6600 G0 and new memory Kingmax DDR2 1066MHz 2x2GB, put everything in (used Arctic Ceramique thermal paste for the cpu) and it seemed to work. I didn't overclock it. then I reduced the vcore slightly, to reduce temperatures, performed some tests (Prime95) and it still seemed to work.

then one day computer just shut down by itself. it didn't want to POST when powering it back on. all fans were spinning, HDDs spinning as well, but I got no beep from the motherboard at all. I connected the jumpers which clear CMOS and then it POSTED. I thought maybe it was because I lowered the vcore. or because I read this rev1.0 mbo has some issues with 1066MHz memory. so I've set default vcore and put memory to 800MHz, just to be sure.

few days later it happened again, but this time clearing the CMOS didn't do the trick. but I managed to get computer to POST and start after I've disconnected power to the hard disks. I concluded that maybe my power supply (ocz 450W) is too weak so I removed a floppy drive and left only one hard disk inside. it worked for a couple of days.

yesterday it turned off again. same symptoms: computer won't even POST, mbo doesn't give any beeps, fans are spinning. I tried everything I could have thought of: disconnected the hdd power, removed pci cards and the graphics card, tried my old 667MHz memory instead of new one, checked all cables and the cpu cooler. nothing helped. finally I decided to put my old E6300 back in and - it POSTED! computer worked just fine.
so my latest conclusion is that the problem is in the motherboard. seems like my mbo sample just doesn't support Q6600 like it should.

---

my questions:

1) should I upgrade to a different mbo or try to make this one work? and how to make it work!? I really would like to avoid changing the mbo so I don't have to reinstall winxp as I have tons of programs and everything installed and configured to the details. but if there is no other option, well...

2) if I should really upgrade to the new mbo, I was looking at these:
- Gigabyte GA-EP45-DS3R
- Gigabyte GA-EP45-DS3P
- Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3R
- Gigabyte GA-EP45-DS4
- Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3P
I would prefer not to give more money than what those ones cost. do you guys have any recommendation? most important things to me is that mbo is easily overclocked (not to extremes though) and that it supports all my components (Q6600 i Kingmax DDR2 1066MHz 2x2GB memoriju) without problems. I read around that there're problems with some of the listed MBOs and CPUs and memory, I belive...

tnx to all in advance!

[Spongebob]

I suggest you call gigabytes tech support@ 626-854-9338 if you live in the US, sorry don't know the number anywhere else. They should be able to tell you if that CPU is 100% compatible with your current board, I personally think it probably is. Your ram on the other hand might be a little more touchy, they probably have trouble shoots for you.
I've had strange things happen with PSU's also. It could be that your PSU is just not as stable as it use to be. Try a different one just incase thats the problem.

[jabs83]

id say you should try a different psu. I had one completely die on me... one that actually sparked, smoked and popped. This was one week after an i7 mobo upgrade from a core 2. Initially the pc worked, and even went through a 24 hr stress test. Then it just quit.

I tried 3 other psu's supplied by my buddy whose an tech at a university... with each, the fans spun up, and everything lit up, but no post, and everything died. I thought i had seriously fried the mobo when the psu went kaplooey.

Turns out those 3 other psu's were also dead. So try a new high quality one.

[JerBear]

Since the quad core will use more power, I would go get a larger PSU :)

[artdrivers]

Hi Igor Volkin
The first thing I would do is definitely get a better power supply. You are adding parts that require more power. My assumption is sure it may have worked but is drastically getting weeker.
Also you could be getting a short from the case. You would be surprised how many no P.O.S.T. problems can be fixed by a simple bench test. It is simple. We recommend you remove that motherboard from the case/chassis and test the board for POST. Please follow the following simple steps.
1. Place the motherboard on top of the cardboard box (you can use the motherboard box)
2. Install the CPU, CPU fan, Memory, Power supply plugs (plug the 1 X 20 pin and 1 X 4 or 2 X 8 pin from the power supply unit) and a video card.
3. Hook the monitor to the video card and be sure the monitor is switched on.
4. Turn on the system board by using the case "Power on" switch.
If the system fails to POST, check the components' insertion again to ensure they are all connected properly. But it is very important that you use a good power supply.

[skopro]

I'm set on this being your PSU. 450 watts is not enough to drive what you have in there. Here eXtreme Power Supply Calculator Lite v2.5

Its a PSU calculator and should tell you how much wattage you need. Also take into account that PSU's get Capacitor againg over time that reduces their output performance(depending on age, calculator does it)..I would run at least a 600 or if you want to futreproof (a lil bit anyway) yourself i would go with a stronger one.