M/B toasted the CPU?

[Patrick Wolf]

I sold an Intel D865PERL to a guy and he thinks it fried his CPU. Obviously it was a working pull. And out of the countless number of parts I've handled, I have yet to damage one due to static discharge. Also the shipment was insured.

He's using an X1300, DDR400 (512x2), P4 2.8, Asus P4S8X is his old board. I'll just post what he said:

1st e-mail
Thanks for shipping the board so quickly. It arrived nicely packed, but I was surprised it didn't come in an antistatic bag. Box wasn't dented or damaged. Had a problem. I swapped out my old board, installed the new one; the board's power LED lit up but no boot.

Tried the DIMMs and video card in another system and they worked fine. Swapped my old board back in; power LED lit up but no boot. It looks like the CPU is toasted. I don't know for certain if the new board is defective and blew the CPU or if I might have done something (e.g., static discharge) to fry it. I've built several systems in the past and never had this happen.

2nd e-mail:
Thanks for the reply. The thread you suggested was pertinent but pretty basic stuff; again, I've built several systems and never had a problem. Also, I downloaded a copy of the Intel Mobo manual and read it before starting, so I knew where all the connections were. The mobo doesn't boot, but it does give beep codes. And again, when I swapped my old board back in, it also wouldn't boot. Memory and video card are okay, so that leaves the CPU.

I'm pretty careful about static electricity. My "best guess" is that the mobo you sent was defective and toasted my CPU.

3rd e-mail:
Hi again,
On the Intel board, I got a single long beep that was repeated 5, 6, or 11 times - it varied, and then it shut down. On the Asus, I also got a single long beep but it repeated many times before I pulled the plug.

D865PERL manual

I don't know everything about troublshooting hardware so was wondering if anyone could give some insight. His processor is compatible with the Intel board.

I mean how likely is it that a bad board could take out a CPU and nothing else?

 

[Quiksilver]

What made him want to change motherboards in the first place? Perhaps there was an underlying problem and his best guess to fix that problem wasn't the correct one? To me though, this sounds more like a bad memory problem. There is also the fact he seems to be just swapping out random parts trying to figure out what is causing the problem rather than looking up what the beep codes mean for either motherboard.

 

[Patrick Wolf]

Yeah I don't know why he wanted a new board. The beep codes he described don't even make sense to me. He gets different beeps each time he powers up? Got me fooled. I dunno, maybe his CPU/RAM combo wasn't compatible on the Intel board...

 

[mpilchfamily]

The motherboard is unlikely to kill a CPU. The PSU on the otherhand...

It seams like he is discribing a continues beep which indicates a PSU problem. Otherwise it would be a series of the basic beeps, i.e. one long one short, then it would stop. Just because the power LED comes on doesn't mean the PSU is good. That just means the motherboard is getting some power from the 5vsby rail. The 12V rail may be bad.

 

[Patrick Wolf]

Hm, yeah maybe his original setup was acting up and he thought his mobo was the problem, but it was actually the PSU going out. And so when he powered up the new board the PSU jolted the CPU. I better see what PSU he has now...

 

[oynaz]

I have seen a bad motherboard kill a CPU, and a bad CPU kill a motherboard. So it is possible, though rare.

 

[VeryCharBroiled]

I have that exact board (typing on it now). IIRC there was a BIOS update to support some of the later CPUs like the P4C 3.0 and up. one of the BIOS updates was for better compatibility with some memory. was the BIOS the latest? what CPU does he have?

I also cant see it killing a CPU, but I guess it could happen. it as likely his board toasted the CPU when he swapped it back as it is than yours..

could be his CPU is OK but his old board is now completely toast, and the D865PERL doesnt like his memory and/or CPU, so now neither will post. did he try posting with CPU, 1 stick RAM and nothing else?

 

[Patrick Wolf]

Originally posted by: VeryCharBroiled
I have that exact board (typing on it now). IIRC there was a BIOS update to support some of the later CPUs like the P4C 3.0 and up. one of the BIOS updates was for better compatibility with some memory. was the BIOS the latest? what CPU does he have?

I also cant see it killing a CPU, but I guess it could happen. it as likely his board toasted the CPU when he swapped it back as it is than yours..

could be his CPU is OK but his old board is now completely toast, and the D865PERL doesnt like his memory and/or CPU, so now neither will post. did he try posting with CPU, 1 stick RAM and nothing else?

My dad bought 2 or 3 of these systems at an auction and they all had the Intel boards in them. He tested them of course before giving me one to sell. (Nothing was wrong with any of them, the place sold them simply because they're old and wanted to upgrade. He's actually using one as his WIndows 7 machine.) The one I sent this guy had a P4 2.8E (P13 or greater) in it and some DDR333. The other system had a different CPU with a P19 BIOS. Dad should have flashed the BIOS but now I can only assume it's a P19.

He said he has a P4 2.8. I asked him what the SL# is on his CPU so I'd know exactly what he has. He replied "Sorry, don't know." Well that's convenient.

I'm not sure what he's tried for minimum boot setups.

I'm waiting for a reply on my last question: "Why did you buy this board? Were you having problems with your original setup?" Because if he was, it sounds like his CPU or PSU is the problem.

 

[Patrick Wolf]

This is interesting.

He's using this build as a Linux machine and wanted the Intel board because it supports HT and the P4S8X doesn't, so it wasn't taking full advantage of the processor. And his video card, an X1300 AGP 8x, is reporting as 4x in Linux on the P4S8X.

The P4S8X only supports 400/533 FSB processors and DRR333 memory. According to Intel's P4 list there is no 400 or 533 2.8Gz P4 w/ HT. Only the 800 FSB 2.8 P4's support HT. So I guess he doesn't even know the exact CPU he's using.

Even worse, the P4S8X doesn't support DDR400 memory, but he said that's what he's using. When he put together the system w/ the Intel it didn't work, so he put everything back into the P4S8X and he said he got long beeps in an endless loop. Well hell, according to the manual, that's a memory problem.

ASUS's site is f'ed but I found the P4S8X Manual elsewhere.

 

[VeryCharBroiled]

Originally posted by: Patrick Wolf

The P4S8X only supports 400/533 FSB processors and DRR333 memory. According to Intel's P4 list there is no 400 or 533 2.8Gz P4 w/ HT. Only the 800 FSB 2.8 P4's support HT. So I guess he doesn't even know the exact CPU he's using.
[/L] elsewhere.

there was a few P4 with 533 FSB models that did HT. like this 3.06 HT 533 FSB SL6JJ and this 2.4 HT 533 FSB SL7FY. I didnt see any 2.8s but I though there was a 2.8 HT 533 too, just cant find it.

mobo should of defaulted to DDR333 speeds on boot if thats what he had. even mine will default to DDR333 speeds with all DDR400 sticks and a 3.06C (800FSB) chip.

have to wait till he gets back with the model number. I had a 2.8B in this originally, then tossed a 3.06C in. flashed the BIOS before I did it but I cant remember if I needed to, I just did it.

btw you can overclock these beyond the boards built in "4% burn in mode" using systool. select the ICS 952607 clock chip.

 

[Patrick Wolf]

Originally posted by: VeryCharBroiled

Originally posted by: Patrick Wolf

The P4S8X only supports 400/533 FSB processors and DRR333 memory. According to Intel's P4 list there is no 400 or 533 2.8Gz P4 w/ HT. Only the 800 FSB 2.8 P4's support HT. So I guess he doesn't even know the exact CPU he's using.
[/L] elsewhere.

mobo should of defaulted to DDR333 speeds on boot if thats what he had. even mine will default to DDR333 speeds with all DDR400 sticks and a 3.06C (800FSB) chip.

Yes, but the Intel actually supports DDR400 and 800 FSB. You'd think the Asus would be backwards compatible, but not every board is made the same. Take this review of the P4S8X. They tried using DDR400 modules but could not achieve complete stability.

His CPU is a SL6HL. A P4 2.8Ghz 533 FSB. No HT.

Anyway when he went back to his original setup after trying the Intel, the beep codes said memory problem and I'll need him to test each stick.

 

[Quiksilver]

tel him to run memtest instead of just slapping the ram modules into another machine.

 

[Patrick Wolf]

Apparently his RAM is fine because he's been using it in a 3rd (working) setup and it's been OK. As well as the video card.

He tested each stick of RAM on both boards and got the same results. On the Asus: memory errors. On the Intel: it varied. He wasn't really specific enough but he said he got 5, 6, or 11 beeps. The manual says the following:

5: Processor failure (Reserved; not used)
6: 8042 GateA20 cannot be toggled (memory failure or not present)
11: Invalid BIOS (such as, POST module not found)

Before I shipped the board I tested it with the components that came with it (P4 2.8Ghz 800 FSB & DDR400) and it posted and booted just fine.

If it arrived damaged (or if he damaged it) could it be mis-reporting it's beep codes? I don't thnk he's tried booting with just the CPU and nothing else and seeing how it beeps.

But now I know he didn't install the DDR400 modules he was using in the ASUS himself (which doesn't offically support DDR400). I don't know when, but his original sticks died and, pressed for time, he took it to a shop and they installed them. They worked so he didn't think anything of it.

And it doesn't look like the Intel would be too happy with the combination he used (a P4 2.8Ghz 533 FSB w/ DDR400) according to this table: http://support.intel.com/suppo...5PERL/sb/CS-027106.htm

 

[VeryCharBroiled]

Originally posted by: Patrick Wolf
But now I know he didn't install the DDR400 modules he was using in the ASUS himself (which doesn't offically support DDR400). I don't know when, but his original sticks died and, pressed for time, he took it to a shop and they installed them. They worked so he didn't think anything of it.

And it doesn't look like the Intel would be too happy with the combination he used (a P4 2.8Ghz 533 FSB w/ DDR400) according to this table: http://support.intel.com/suppo...5PERL/sb/CS-027106.htm

he may of had DDR400 in the old ASUS board, it would just run at 333.

the D865PERL will do the same. I originally had a 2.8B (533 FSB) in this one with DDR 400 memory and it just ran at 333 instead. once I dropped the 3.06C in (800 FSB) it now runs them at 400.