Building a PC - Can someone help me troubleshoot?

[TJN23]

I powered up the motherboard, installed memory, video card, processor, and cooler without attaching the motherboard to the case and tested it out.

The whole thing powers up, turns on for about 5 seconds, i begin to see video, then everything shuts off.

I think I bent the prongs on the cpu cooler, so it doesn't snap on well to the processor. I can see the processor pins aren't all the way in sometimes - so I'm guessing that when the cpu cooler powers up it may cause the processor to vibrate or jiggle out of the socket.

When I test out the processor without the cpu cooler attached, i get nothing.

memory's installed fine, video as well as far as I can tell.

any suggestions?

TIA

Tim

 

[NikPreviousAcct]

The CPU won't jiggle out of the CPU seat unless the CPU seat is really effed up, which you'll notice. If it's just shutting off, I'm guessing that it's over heating. Get yourself a new heatsync (sp?) and fan. Borrow them or something. Make sure you're using enough thermal paste, although it doesn't often need much, and that the entire little metal box in the center of the CPU P) is covered evenly in it.

When you lock the HS/fan down on the CPU, does it wiggle at all? What mobo/cpu/hs-fan?

 

[Smilin]

Originally posted by: TJN23
When I test out the processor without the cpu cooler attached, i get nothing.
Tim

You fire that thing up without a heatsink on the processor and you've likely burned up your CPU before post can complete. Never do this. I really hope I read you wrong here.

Depending on your CPU and motherboard it may be able to do an emergency shutdown due to overheating if your fan stops spinning. Doing a thermal shutdown fast enough to stop a meltdown with no heatsink whatsoever might not happen.

Never power up a cpu if that cooler isn't on PERFECT. If the processor pins aren't in all the way it's very unlikely your heatsink is on correctly. Correct this and try again. If you are LUCKY you've been getting a thermal shutdown that has been saving your butt. If this is the case you should be fine once you get the heatsink on right. Be prepared though - there is a really good chance you fried your CPU.

You redoing your heatsink compound each time?

Good luck!

 

[mechBgon]

Originally posted by: TJN23
I powered up the motherboard, installed memory, video card, processor, and cooler without attaching the motherboard to the case and tested it out.

The whole thing powers up, turns on for about 5 seconds, i begin to see video, then everything shuts off.

I think I bent the prongs on the cpu cooler, so it doesn't snap on well to the processor. I can see the processor pins aren't all the way in sometimes - so I'm guessing that when the cpu cooler powers up it may cause the processor to vibrate or jiggle out of the socket.

When I test out the processor without the cpu cooler attached, i get nothing.

memory's installed fine, video as well as far as I can tell.

any suggestions?

TIA

Tim

Full spec list please, and I'm going to start off on the assumption it's an AthlonXP or Duron and have you look over this photo guide.

Key concepts:

• The foam pads at the corners of the CPU lift the heatsink completely off of the CPU core unless the heatsink's clip is clipped down and exerting enough pressure to squish the foam pads down and bring the heatsink into contact with the CPU core. If your clip is damaged, it may not be doing that, in which case you don't have contact and overheat is a certainty.
• Overheat on an AthlonXP or Duron takes about 1-2 seconds since a large amount of wattage is heating a very, very small piece of silicon. Wrap your hand around a 60W lightbulb and turn it on, and now envision all that heat being focused on your thumbnail... :evil: yeah.
• The heatsink's base is not symmetrical and neither is the clip. The heatsink should be oriented as shown in the photos, and the clip's pressure point must be over the CPU core, not the other way round.
• The CPU detects overheat and signals to the motherboard to do an emergency shutdown, which would account for your 5-seconds-then-off symptom. This is your warning that something is Seriously Messed Up? and you gotta back off and see what the problem is.
• The square gummy thermal patch on a stock AMD heatsink or similar, is good for exactly one usage. If you fire up the CPU, it melts to fit one time. If you then take the heatsink off, it's time to scrape off the melted thermal pad and use a paper-thin coat of high-quality thermal grease on the CPU core from then onwards, and reapply it any time you take the heatsink off. Arctic Silver or Coolermaster thermal greases are good.

Hope that helps, if it isn't too late already

 

[TJN23]

thanks for all the help guys,

here are my specs:

athlon xp 2100+ OEM
DDRAM 256MB|32X64 PC-2100 8T CRL%
MB ASUS A7V8X-X/LAN KT400 RTL
VGA CARDEX|GF MX 4000 128MB RTL
Thermaltake POLO 735 Extreme 3 in 1 CPU Cooler

hopefully my processor is still good, i am going to order the Athlon XP 2100+ retail cpu cooler

Tim