Need help please! building new comp..

[whodo]

i just bought all the components i need for a new computer and im putting this dumb thing together an now im not sure what is wrong exactly. these are my parts in question: DFI LanParty nf4 ultra-d mobo, Hitachi 250gb SATA drive, 1gb (2x512) corsair value ram.

firstly, my HD is doing this: when i power on it sounds like it does like a half spin every second (and its loud like maybe theres friction in there) and it will do this for about 2-3 mins then stop completely. plus my mobo will NOT recognize the drive or anything so maybe its DOA? i mean ive built numerous computers but ive never had a problem with any dead components so im not sure..

secondly my memory. ok i can put them in slots 1 & 2 (single channel) and it will boot up and recognize 1gb ram and it will say "warning, in single channel mode, plz put in slots 2 & 4 for dual mode" but if i do that then when i power on i wont even get a signal to my monitor! so i was thinking maybe the memory is bogus, but keep in mind it will recognize it if its in the first 2 DIMM slots..

which leads me to the last bit, the mobo. maybe my mobo is funky because it wont boot with my memory in dual channel mode? anyone familiar with this stuff please give me a hand, im clueless and ive never gotten bogus parts with any computers ive built. to think all of a sudden i get 3 possibly crappy parts make me angry and confused. helllllllp

 

[montag451]

What psu are you using?

 

[whodo]

brand new enermax noistaker 420w

are you suggesting maybe im not getting enough power, or that its unstable power? (shouldnt be unstable but is 420w enough?)

 

[montag451]

420 is fine,
Have you got any bits you can swap out/in?

If so, what?
Especially handy would be an IDE hdd - any size

 

[whodo]

i was thinking of taking the HD in the computer im using right now (IDE HD) just to test everything else, but why won't this thing boot in DDR mode?

yeah the HD is about the only thing that i can swap out as my working comp is an older platform (socket a).

 

[montag451]

And might want to try your old vga card as well.

And, if it comes to it, your old psu

From what I have heard, some mobos need dual channel to be enabled in BIOS - so keep it in single channel for now - we are now in troubleshoot mode, not overclock and burn up mode

 

[whodo]

cool, ill have to try my HD out then.. im pretty sure my new SATA is just DoA. i mean it sounds dead to me the way it half-ass spins and its a loud spin, as opposed to being quiet like a normal HD.

vga card is a no go because its an agp and now ive got a PCIe board. my vid card isnt a problem unless i try putting the ram in DDR mode. then when i power up i get absolutely nothing.

so i guess ill have to do more testing then eh.. ugh.

if anyone else knows if these are symptoms of poopy parts please let me know!

 

[pyrosity]

Sounds like it's time for the handy-dandy RMA for your SATA HDD there...

Like the other poster said, swap things in and out, and try to get things basically working before you optimize; keep the mem. in single channel until things start working properly, and later search your BIOS for some dual channel settings.