new computer

[Keyvan]

i just put together a new system, and I'm having a slight problem.
it's the intel retail edge kit, so the specs are:

p4 3.4 LGA775
Intel 915PBL mobo
1 gig of Mushkin DDR2 ram
80 WD SATA HDD (retail package)
Antec sonata case (with the 380Watt power supply)

just to get things up and running, i'm using a couple of spare parts until next paycheck:
a plextor 16x cd writer
ati PCI video card (radeon 7000)


anywho, specs aside,

the system will boot, and post and then it will say something along the lines of:
"the cpu has rebooted [or recovered?] from a thermal event (overheating), please get your computer serviced immediately"

I can either press F2 and go to setup, F4 to resume, or f12 to boot from network.
now if i press f2, it says "entering setup" and it just stays there for quite a bit.

and now if i try to boot, it just stays at the intel logo, it won't even post.... i'm going nuts!
i've tried reseating the ram, cpu/hs, cd writer, hdd, power connections. maybe there's something i'm missing?

any help? please.

 

[spanky]

i'd guess that either the heatsink is no on properly, or the cpu itself maybe need to be rma'ed. can u check what ur temps are like in the bios?

 

[Keyvan]

ok... so after playing around for a bit, here's what i get..

on boot up, the system stays on the intel logo screen (the first thing to appear) indefinitely until i press esc, and then i see post screen... it says i have 1024 megs of dual channel ram (so i'm guessing the ram should be ok), and i get the option to enter setup f2. when i press f2, it just stays on "entering setup". i have the WD boot cd in the comp too.
just wondering whether it could be something other than the cpu/hs? i'd hate to have to rma them back to intel


edit: btw, i no longer see the message about the "thermal event" on the post screen

 

[Psyber]

I would double check to see if the heatsink was seated correctly on the CPU like spanky had mentioned. The heatsink should be really snug and shouldn't move too much if it is. Do you use Thermal paste or a thermal pad on the CPU? Another thing you could check is if the cpu is in all the way, make sure it isn't too hot and jiggle it a bit so it is snug in the slot.

It really does sound like your CPU either overheated or was defective in the first place from your error message.

 

[Keyvan]

ok,
so i brought my comp with me to work today for some testing. i took out my cpu, hs/fan and tried one from another computer. when i used that one, it booted up fine, so the problem would be the cpu. now i was just wondering if anyone has ever had to rma stuff to intel before and how are they with honouring their warranties?
i got this direct from ShopIntel, so i'm guessing Intel's tech support line will be able to help me out. (i called them once and they told to test it with another cpu and call them back).

 

[Keyvan]

Ok, so Intel sent me a new cpu and all seems well...
just one question, is it normal for the cpu to run at 48-50 C on idle? right, i'm running firefox, itunes(playing a song and ripping a cd), and the cpu is over 65C !

edit: the temp readings are from an intel utility, desktop control center