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Help! GFX or PSU not working right. 1st time build.

Last response: in Systems
December 12, 2012 8:40:26 PM


Nice community we have here. Like to mention that this site has been very helpful in my build. Thanks!

Here is my build:

i7 3770k
Gigabyte Z77x-UD3h
2x8gb DDR3 RAM (G.Skill Ripjaws)
Radeon HD 7770(HIS iCooler H777F1G2M)
Rosewill 600w PSU(RP600v2-sl)
TP-Link PCI-E network card
1tb Sata HDD
CoolerMaster Scout case
Sony Optical Drive

Ok, so I am having a problem with my build and I am not sure if it is the graphics card or the PSU. The problem started when I initally booted the computer in BIOS and set the memory to 1600mhz. Newbie mistake I know as I just read that memory performance correlates with CPU performance. I didn't touch the CPU settings. When I went to save the settings I heard a pop and it smelled like burning. So I know something went wrong. Just curious what would cause this? Wouldn't the mobo have a failsafe to prevent such things?

After, when I re-booted, the GFX card will only run for a few seconds before shutting off, thus turning off my display. At this point I could only turn off the motherboard by turning off the PSU. I re-seated the GFX card and it still does this. Now I have the card completely removed and the computer will now have a display(through mobo) and will now turn off when I press the power button on the mobo. The BIOS settings are default as they were on inital boot.

Now I am curious if the noise/problem is the PSU or the GFX card as the mobo would not shut down and the card runs for a few seconds before turning off. So is the PSU not providing enough power, or is the GFX drawing too much power? I am a little frustrated as I just want this build to work, been kind of fighting it for a couple days. Would love to hear your guys' advice and expertise for my newbie mind. Is there anything I can do with my current equipment that will help?Thanks!

Could it be my RAM, I read somewhere that faulty ram will not allow the mobo to power down. I have them both in and the BIOS reads them. I am thinking maybe the mobo also sent a higher power to the RAM when I adjusted the settings, which could also have caused the noise?

Also should mention that the computer has no OS on it, would like to sort this out before continuing. But everything else does seem to work fine as I can now go to the BIOS menu.
a b B Homebuilt system
December 13, 2012 1:47:13 AM

you have a lot of different things going on here.

Start by removing all but one dimm, and everything else non essential, work up from there

If you are certain about the pop and burning smell, investigate further, there should be clear evidence of a blow like this, a scorch mark somewhere perhaps.
a b B Homebuilt system
December 13, 2012 1:51:18 AM

pop and it smelled like burning: remove PSU smell (smells like burnt) replace
December 13, 2012 6:52:52 AM

Thanks for the reply guys. Well I put in another PSU and it still does the exact same thing. So I don't think it is PSU related. Could it be my GFX card? It will still only run for a few seconds then shut down. It looks fine otherwise.

Also I forgot to mention I tried only one DDR3 as well and it still does the same thing. Could both sticks have gone bad? They look fine and like I say in BIOS it reads them both fine.