Best way to diagnose MB/CPU problem?

[TrECeNTeRs]

I have always had this problem as a tech and really never was sure how to solve it besides process of elimination.

Maybe you guys can tell me something to look for for a way to best decide what to do.


Say you have a system with no spare parts around to swap out. ex. AMD64 ECS/MB

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On board video

You know the power supply is good and the board is sending power to the fan and the cpu is not heating up.

Would this be a shot cpu or could it be the board that is faulty?

I would guess the cpu but then again I figure its a toss up from what I have seen in the past.

 

[o1die]

Have you tested the power supply in another system? If you're not sure whether it's the mobo or cpu, newegg has a sempron 754 combo deal with ecs board for $39.99 after rebate; your old heatsink should work with it. And computer geeks still has some foxconn 939 boards if that is your cpu.

 

[DAPUNISHER]

Yeah, just powering up the board and fans running, does not eliminate the PSU as a potential culprit. I've seen faulty PSU's that do that. Having a means to hear any audio error beep codes is always a good idea too, whether it be on-board or you need to attach a case speaker. I like to double check any/all jumper settings too. Rarely, even the manual will have the settings goofed, so a google search can eliminate a frustrating troubleshoot that resulted from a jumper setting being printed bass ackwards.

If more than 1 stick of ram is involved try each 1 at a time.