Computer shuts down straight away without getting to BIOS

Question

The other day when I was to use my computer it had locked up, it didn't responde to keyboard so I pressed reset. Instead of restarting it simply shut down. Pressing the power button resulted that the fans sped up just to shut down again immediately. A short beep can be heard but I'm not certain if it's the mobo that produces it. Since then I get the same result every time I press the powerbutton.

These are the things I have tried so far:
- Replacing the power supply, waste of $60.
- Resetting the CMOS by removing the battery
- Removing the connector to the power button from the mobo and carefully shorting the pins on the mobo with a screwdriver. Which felt a bit nevous to do :)
- Removing the connector to the reset button from the mobo and try the power button.
- Remove the power button again and short the pins instead.

Nothing I did gave any change in behaviour. The computer simply spins up for a second, gives a strangled beep and then dies.
Are the any more things I can check to see if it is the mobo or some other components that fails?

My mobo is a Gigabyte GA-MA770-UD3AMD770. Secondary questions is if any one knows a good (though not too expensive) mobo and maybe cpu to buy. My cpu is old, AMD Athlon64 X2 5200+2.7Ghz,2x512Kb,64-bit and the RAM I'm using is Corsair TWIN2X 6400 DDR2, 4096MB CL5.

All advice happily recieved.

Answer 1

In addition to the other suggestions, there are a few other possibilities:

NOTE: Take appropriate precautions when removing connectors and expansion cards, if you're unsure, consult a local technical expert - improper handling of expansion cards, memory modules, CPU's and other components can cause further damage.

1. Disconnect everything except front-panel connectors and the ATX / ATX-12V connectors from the board and try again. Remove all expansion cards as well (except the memory modules), including any graphics card, connect to the onboard graphics if available. It is possible that another device (HDD, CD etc) is faulty, drawing too much power and preventing a clean power-up. If no on-board graphics are present on that board, take the card out anyway - you're looking for the fans to keep spinning and to hear a different beep-code. If this works, start replacing devices one at a time until you identify the faulty device.

2. Remove and re-seat the memory modules and try again.

3. Remove and re-seat the CPU, clean the thermal paste from the CPU and heatsink and apply new paste (very sparingly) and try again.

4. If none of the above work, examine the motherboard for signs of damage - look for areas which appear slightly scorched which may indicate overheating. Look particularly at the capacitors near the CPU and power connectors for any which may be burst or bulging, indicating a power regulation failure on the board.

If 1, 2 and 3 fail, and especially if 4 shows signs of damage, your board is likely failed.

Answer 2

Generally this is going to be BIOS or MoBo rather than CPU. Though it is possible the issue is the CPU.

With devices this old, unless you have the desire and capability to resolve a low-level hardware issue, it's generally not worth the effort.

You have already tried pretty much everything I would've done except to check the "beep codes".

You mention there's a beep when the system powers on. Beep codes allow for blind diagnosis of what the BIOS thinks is the issue. Find your BIOS type and then google " beep codes", or check your MoBo manual which may be available online for download. Different patterns of beep codes will indicate different issues and may help point you in the correct direction as far as diagnosis and possible repair.