Just Built New Rig: Started Up Once, But Never Again

[MonstaThrilla]

Here are the specs:

Lian Li 68+ Case
Enermax 350W PSU
Epox 8K7A Mobo
AMD 1.33Ghz TBird 266 Mhz
512 MB of Crucial PC2100 DDR Ram


I think that's all you need because this problem is in the BIOS. I started up the machine after building it. Fans all go on, it looks good. It hangs for a minute on the POST code "6F" on the LEDs. Then it shuts itself off, and hasn't started up since. I didn't smell any burning, although the HSF was already hot to the touch afterwards (even though the fan was on). I looked in the mobo's manual, and it says that the POST code 6 means "Over voltage fail". But in the back of the manual it gives what combinations of POST code mean, but "6F" isn't listed.

The machine refuses to startup again, I'm only using the highest quality parts. I hope I didn't fry something.

 

[DisposableHero]

bump for help

 

[Hanpan]

Did you take the plactic covering off the thermal interface material on the heatsink. Was the heatsink properly installed. My best guess is your fried your bird. Are there burn't marks on your processor. IT is touhg to say what the problme is whithouht more information...

 

[Sundog]

<< Did you take the plactic covering off the thermal interface material on the heatsink >>



That would be a big OOPS!

 

[dowxp]

<<

<< Did you take the plactic covering off the thermal interface material on the heatsink >>



That would be a big OOPS! >>




yes it would be.

 

[FordLorider]

so you lost the fans and everything now...might be the powersupply, is everything plugged in right, something might have upside down

 

[Pakman]

Man, that sucks dude... it sounds like you fried your chip. My heatsink never gets hot. Even if it's been on for a long time.

 

[MonstaThrilla]

I lapped my ThermoEngine and everything. Unfortubately, I think I fried the CPU. I thought I installed everything correctly, but on one end of the die (the side closest to the AMD logo), I think I see burn marks. The ThermoEngine wasn't properly centered over the die, I guess I didn't install it properly. But I don't see how else I could have installed either. I'm certain I installed the CPU correctly, because on the bottom side there are those areas without pegs, which lined into the port in the mobo. The CPU went in nice and flatly. I had some trouble with the ThermoEngine, but it went in and everything looked snug.

But when I took off the HSF today, I noticed that on the edge of the core most closest to the AMD logo, there wasn't any Arctic Silver residue, and when I looked at the bottom of the heatsink, the core wasn't aligned in the center, rather towards the edge. It was only a millimeter or so that wasn't in contact, but I guess that's more than enough.

Thanks for your help guys.


There goes $180...




EDIT: The problem came I think when I took off the clips on the ThermoEngine to lap the bottom. When I put them back, they were on the wrong sides, which caused the alignment to be off by a hair...

 

[drewski]

It's a long-shot, but you could try reseting the CMOS and try again with the HSF reseated.

 

[FordLorider]

damn, got any good snapshots of that burnt bad boy... www.hardocp.com loves them!

 

[fkloster]

Thank god for cpu throttling (DAMNIT TO HELL, JUST KIDDIN' ALL RIGHT!!!??)

 

[MonstaThrilla]

I really don't understand why the system refuses to even boot up though. Will resetting the CMOS help? I'll try that right now...

 

[sandorski]

Yes, try resetting the CMOS. Won't hurt to try.

 

[MonstaThrilla]

Resetting the CMOS is as simple as modifying certain jumpers as far as I could tell from the manual. Still, no power to the system.

Can frying the CPU mean that the PSU gets fried? I highly doubt that, but for the life of me I can't get the system to powerup. I tried removing the CPU, no luck. Is the system starting up dependant on a functioning CPU? And yes, I have quintuple checked that all power plugs are where they should be.

 

[UB]

MonstaThrilla,

Try unplugging everything from the power supply, except for one hard disk drive (remove data, but keep power cable plugged in). If the drive spins up and initializes, your power supply may be ok.
UB

 

[MonstaThrilla]

But don't I have to plug in the biggest cable from the PSU (with like 20 individual plugs) into the mobo to turn it on, since the case's power switch on the front plugs into the mobo?

 

[UB]

ATX - pfftt!
Yes MonstraThrilla. I always have AT power supplies around.

 

[gygheyzeus]

yeah, Sounds like what i ALMOST did. i put my heatsink on the wrong way, i caught myself before I turned it on tho. I thought it looked weird with the heatsink sitting half over the side of the socket. lol

 

[MonstaThrilla]

No luck with the PSU. I'm thinking about trying it on my existing system that I'm using to type this. But I'm thinking a functioning CPU has to be installed for the mobo to power up. Anyone know for sure?

When I installed the HSF correctly, the core was still teetering on the edge of the flat part. I'm losing faith in the great reviews I read about the ThermoEngine.

Live and learn I guess...

 

[smp]

&quot;teetering on the edge of the flat part&quot;??? What does that mean? It sounds like it's on backwards. You may also have shorted out your board. Check that the mobo isn't making contact with the case anywhere. If you have any LED's layin around you can use that to check if the power supply works. Just plug the positive side into the red, and the ground to black on any of the molex connectors (after unplugging everything else) and see if the LED goes on. I think it would.

 

[Doomguy]

A dead cpu on a 8k7a will show FF. Trust me, i've had a dead cpu in there before.