Help me find what part needs to be replaced

[Zorglob21]

Computer worked flawlessly for years, and flawlessly since I installed a new video card a month or two ago, but...

Last time I tried to power on my PC, it made a grinding sound... as if there was a PSU wire hiting against a fan. I immediatly checked in the open case and before I knew it the PC shutdown. Needless to say, there was no loose wire. I did not have time to identify the source of the sound... the hard drive maybe?

Since then, I can't power on my PC. Nothing happens at all happens.
The only led working is the green one on my motherboard being lit as usual.

Specs:
PSU: OCZ PowerStream 520W
CPU: Athlon 64 3700+
Motherboard: Asus A8N-E
RAM: 2x Corsair Value Select PC3200 1GB
Video: EVGA Geforce 8800GT


What I've done so far:

1-) jumpstart the PSU:
plugged it to my harddrive and a fan, then jumpstarted it. It worked fine.

2-)Minimal setup:
Connected the mobo, to the PSU with video card and 1 RAM module. Nothing happened, still can't boot. Switched RAM module, put in a different video card, still nothing.

3-)Minimal setup 2:
Tried again with a spare antec 450W PSU, same results.

Well, it's unlikely that both RAM modules would fail at the same time (and even then I should still get a failed boot, not just nothing right?), and I know the backup video card works... so I guess the motherboard is fried, but it's green led is still working... is it a sign of hope or is it the light at the end of the tunnel? By the sound of it, my hard drive might be dead too.

Before I go out and replace the motherboard (and CPU probably), I'd like to know if I have missed something.

[screwballl]

try the old video card in there... if the newer one is dead, it may be relaying this to the system and not letting it start

otherwise your only other option is to try the items in another system to see if any specific item is dead or gives errors.

[Hitman]

I am going to state the obvious here, but did you check to make sure the power connection to the Video Card is plugged in and secure?

Other then that it does sound like it's your Motherboard. I wouldn't write off the CPU just yet, CPU's are pretty tough and can survive a motherboard failure. Before you give up on the Motherboard try clearing the CMOS by taking out the battery and shorting the jumper, for about 30 sec.

[Zorglob21]

Thanks for the comment,

I did try with the old video card, and unfortunatly, I can't test the memory on another computer. I guess I dont have much choice then...

Testing the hard drive can wait until the rest is taken care of.

So, in the event I do have to get a new mobo, are the DDR2 RAM slots compatible with DDR modules?

EDIT: working on the last suggestion, be back in a few

[screwballl]

for the DDR answer: no
DDR memory will only fit in DDR slots
DDR2 memory will only fit in DDR2 slots
DDR3 memory... you get the idea

so if you do need a motherboard, you need a Socket 939 with DDR slots... which is tough to find these days from the mainstream online retailers. Newegg and ZipZoomFly do not carry them anymore.
Geeks.com only has one:
Asus A8N-LA GeForce 6150 LE Socket 939 mATX MB w/VID SND LAN Asus A8N-LA

[Zorglob21]

Yes, the video card was properly plugged to the PSU.
I reset the CMOS and I still get nothing at all.
I guess I'm due for an unexpected upgrade.

I might as well upgrade the mobo-cpu rather than replace. I'm in Canada, and ncix (best prices around here) doesn't even carry S939 mobos anymore. The RAM is cheap enough that it isn't a big issue.

I've been out of the loop on recent hardware. What would you recommend, AMD or Intel? It's for gaming, but I don't need top of the crop performance, just something that's future proof as much as possible.

[Hitman]

how much you want to spend? $350, can get you a decent Core 2 Duo, Motherboard, and 2 GB DDR2.

[Zorglob21]

Close to or less than 300$, memory included. If I can get by with much less, say 200$ and not have to upgrade again too soon, that would be perfect.

[Zorglob21]

Thanks for your help both of you.
I'm looking at the core 2 duo E7200 with an asus P5K-ATX motherboard. I'd rather not buy asus again, but they do have good mobos without bells and jingles i don't need (wlan, sli...). Anyway, I'll have to do a bit more research before I commit.

[Hitman]

Well I don't know about Canada, but $200 might be kinda tough.

This is just an idea of what you could do. You can adjust on the parts to fit your needs.

Intel Core 2 Duo E4600 Processor HH80557PG0562M - 2.40GHz, 2MB Cache, 800MHz FSB, Allendale, Dual Core, OEM, Socket 775, Processor in Canada at TigerDirect.ca
Crucial Ballistix Dual Channel 2048MB PC6400 DDR2 800MHz EPP Memory (2x 1024MB) BL2KIT12864AA804 in Canada at TigerDirect.ca
Intel DP35DPM Motherboard - Intel Socket 775, ATX Motherboard, Audio, PCI Express, Gigabit LAN, SPDIF, USB 2.0 & Firewire, Serial ATA, RAID BOXDP35DPM in Canada at TigerDirect.ca