• We’re currently investigating an issue related to the forum theme and styling that is impacting page layout and visual formatting. The problem has been identified, and we are actively working on a resolution. There is no impact to user data or functionality, this is strictly a front-end display issue. We’ll post an update once the fix has been deployed. Thanks for your patience while we get this sorted.

Motherboard Dead?

CalebRockeT

Golden Member
Thank you in advance for reading my thread.

Very recently the fan on my Northbridge started making way too much noise. I decided to order a new heatsink and fan to replace the stock one.

Anyways, I got the new heatsink and fan. I set out to replace the stock one. I removed the stock one and as expected they used a thermal pad. Perhaps I am just impatient, but it seems VERY difficult to clean a chip/core when a thermal pad has been used on it (I use isopropyl alcohol and a q-tip). Am I doing something wrong, or is it just supposed to be difficult?

Anyways, I am in the process of trying to clean the Northbridge chip/core off, and I decide to use a razor blade to get the excess off the edges of it. I think I slipped and knicked the top (where it's green) a few times. I end up getting impatient and putting the new thermal ceramique stuff on and attaching the new heatsink and fan.

Fast forward to turning on the computer. I push the power button in. All I get are repeating, rather long beaps. They are unlimited, as long as I leave the computer on, they continue. I've Googled it, and it appears as if it is most likely a system board error (as one would expect).

My questions are:

1) Is my motherboard dead and worthless?

2) How do you go about cleaning cores? Does it take you a lot of time to clean when a thermal pad was used? How do you get the excess off from around the core (since I assume a razor blade is NOT the way to go)?

Any help you can offer me will be GREATLY appreciated. If you need any extra information to aid me, I'll gladly offer it.

Thank you!
 
They probably used thermal glue, which is tougher than paste to get off.

What thermal paste did you use?
If you used an electrical conductive one, and you are lucky, you may be able to get the mobo to work by cleaning the paste off thoroughly,.... or you maybe buggered.

You could try switching on the system for a few seconds to heat up the patch you want to clean - then try isopropyl alcohol,
 
did you connect the new fan to the header where the old one was connected on the mobo? ceramique is not conductive so even if you got it on the mobo, it would still work, even as5 would probably not short anything out unless theres a thick layer. when you nicked te board, you could have damaged a trace on the mobo, and fixing that would require a very good soddering job.
 
Back
Top