Perfectly normal CPU just up and croaks??

[PAP]

Was away for weekend. System working perfectly before I left. Never a problem.

Come back - monitors are both blank. If I unplug the monitor I get a test pattern from them. So far I've replaced with a new video card - no dice. Replaced motherboard after RMAing it - no change. New power supply - no change.

Can a CPU just die for no reason? Very strange. I have no access to another socket 939 to test so I'm going to have to try and RMA a very expensive chip back to AMD. I never overclock and CPU always runs very cool.

Asus A8NSLI Premium MB
AMD 4800X2 cpu
Scythe Ninja Heatsink
P180 Case
Seasonic PS 500w, tried the 600w from my server as well
N7800GTX TOP ASUS video card
2 GB RAM

I greatly appreciate any help I can get - I've been without a system now for almost a month trying to get this fixed and I'm at wits end. This was a top of the line system put together 6 months ago and never a problem until now.

 

[Megatomic]

Maybe you took a hit (electrical spike). Do you have the system powered up through a UPS or a quality surge supressor?

 

[PAP]

Yes it goes through a UPS. I took the chip out and it looks normal, if that means anything.

edit:

I should also note I don't hear any beep when powering on as well. All fans turn, hard drives spin up, but no evidence it's posting.

I haven't taken all the ram out, but I figure if I had a bad chip it would lock up or give me an error, not just give a blank screen.

 

[Duvie]

Did you try ram sticks??? One bad stik especially in the first dimm slot and there will be NO GO!!!

 

[compgeek89]

try moving the ram sticks to the other 2 slots... just an idea.

 

[PAP]

Will a system post with no ram? Wouldn't I see something at least from the sytem bios even with a ram error?

It's corsair ram btw and has always been stable. This was a well used system, nothing new.

Right now I've got the heat sink off. Can I attempt to turn the system on long enough to check without it or would that harm the CPU very quickly (i.e. less than 30 secs.) I always thought that was a no-no, but not sure now with modern chips that throttle.

 

[Duvie]

Yes...Often times (depending on the board) as everything has fired up, the motherboard will give multiple long contnuous beep tones....Do you have a case speaker installed, so you could hear this?

Everything will fire up, but just with a blank screen...A dead cpu often times will give a blinking cursor on a all black post screen. However, that has been a long time since I saw one of those...

 

[HorseShoe]

Originally posted by: PAP
Will a system post with no ram? Wouldn't I see something at least from the sytem bios even with a ram error?

It's corsair ram btw and has always been stable. This was a well used system, nothing new.

Right now I've got the heat sink off. Can I attempt to turn the system on long enough to check without it or would that harm the CPU very quickly (i.e. less than 30 secs.) I always thought that was a no-no, but not sure now with modern chips that throttle.

Its never a good idea, EVER, to run your comp w/o a heatsink or some cooling for your cpu. Even the newer ones. It would just take a few seconds to permanently damage the whole thing so its never worth it.

As for your problem of your comp not posting, try taking the ram out and unplug the whole system and put it back together, this is what I did when my comp didn't post and afterwards it worked out fine.

 

[imported_bearfx]

I would actually go one step further - disconnect everything from your motherboard... every drive, every card, and all your memory. Get a stick of memory and a video card you KNOW works (or test yours in another system), and put them in - see if it will POST . If it doesn't, you are probably looking at a bad motherboard or processor. If it does post, add things back one at a time until it no longer boots . At this point, I usually start by adding back the memory. When it will no longer boot, you have your bad components

I have actually seen computers that would not boot because of a bad IDE cable, so it is worth the little bit of effort to unpluf everything

 

[buzzsaw13]

Don't ASUS motherboards tell you whats wrong if the system won't post if you have your speakers plugged in?

 

[BassBomb]

if its setup that way, doenst always work right

 

[imported_SLIM]

In my experience, it's almost always the ram to blame in a situation like yours. Definitely do not turn on the system without a HSF on the cpu. I'd try running the system with one stick of ram at a time (it's pretty unlikely both sticks would fail over the same weekend).

The P180 doesn't look like it comes with a case speaker, so I doubt he could hear the beeps the motherboard would generate. Does the ASUS MB come with diagnostic LEDs?

 

[buzzsaw13]

Originally posted by: SLIM
In my experience, it's almost always the ram to blame in a situation like yours. Definitely do not turn on the system without a HSF on the cpu. I'd try running the system with one stick of ram at a time (it's pretty unlikely both sticks would fail over the same weekend).

The P180 doesn't look like it comes with a case speaker, so I doubt he could hear the beeps the motherboard would generate. Does the ASUS MB come with diagnostic LEDs?

ASUS motherboards speak when you have your speakers plugged in when theres soemthing wrong.

 

[PAP]

Couple issues to consider:

1) there are two LEDs on the MB. The first is green when I turn on my power supply. The other was dim (not on at all) until I pulled both RAM sticks - then it turned red even when the machine isn't powered up.

2) I believe the ASUS talking feature has to be enabled in the bios. I have a brand new motherboard in this machine - the original one that I thought was the problem went back to Newegg and was RMAed. Therefore I have no idea what the settings on this MB are now. But I'm still having the exact same problem.

3) I bought a brand new video card to test, so I don't think it's video card either.

After church today I'll put the heatsink back on (big hassle!) and then try unplugging everything except one stick of ram and see what happens. I'll also try to find a speaker to hook to the speaker output on the motherboard.

Can anyone with this MB verify it does beep when posting even without a speaker? I swore it did.

 

[PAP]

No change. Still no beeping, no nothin. RAM made no difference. This is maddening!

 

[Duvie]

New mobo?
swapped all the ram around to isolate a bad stick?
Tried a differnt PSU?
swapped all the cables?
Taken th eboard out of the case and lay on table? (trying to see if grounding issues...I know I know it was fine at one time)
Tried different vid card?


Once you have done all of that then I guess you need to either RMA th cpu or try to get your hands on one to test it out....Sometimes those mom and pop shops can do this for you...a lot faster then waiting for an RMA....

 

[d3lt4]

It could be your cables to the monitors. Just a thought.

 

[Puffnstuff]

I find it strange that your mb status light changed when you pulled the ram out. Do you have another stick that you can try instead of what you're using? I use corsair xms 3500LLpro with the led's on the back however electrical items usually fail early on if they're going to go.

 

[PAP]

Yes it's a new MOBO

Yes I've tried a new Video card

Yes I've tried swapping ram out - with NO ram in the system I don't get any error beep or anything at all.

Yes I've tried a new PS

I just tried getting the mobo out and running it table top, but the case power switch leads don't reach that far so I can't power it up.

I'm gonna call AMD tomorrow to try and get a new CPU. If that doesn't work I'm throwing it all in the trash and buying a dell. I've got about $3000 bucks worth of junk here and it's all the more irritating because it was working just fine until this all happened.

 

[Duvie]

Originally posted by: PAP
Yes it's a new MOBO

Yes I've tried a new Video card

Yes I've tried swapping ram out - with NO ram in the system I don't get any error beep or anything at all.

Yes I've tried a new PS

I just tried getting the mobo out and running it table top, but the case power switch leads don't reach that far so I can't power it up.

I'm gonna call AMD tomorrow to try and get a new CPU. If that doesn't work I'm throwing it all in the trash and buying a dell. I've got about $3000 bucks worth of junk here and it's all the more irritating because it was working just fine until this all happened.

thats easy...you just take a flat head screwdriver and touch (JUST THE RIGHT 2) the 2 power pins where the case power plugs went....I am doing that right now as my 270 dualie system is waiting for its new case.....

Dont get irritated...Sh^t happens and parts fail...I can go buy a Mercedes tomorrow and something could fail on it...Doesn't mean I am going to sell it and get a Toyota Camry...

AND YEAH you can use my analogy to compare current dual cores with Intels dual core lineup...

 

[Madwand1]

Did you try clearing the CMOS?

 

[TrevorRC]

Originally posted by: Madwand1
Did you try clearing the CMOS?

Would've gone along with the new mobo.

 

[Big Lar]

Hmm, How about trying a different rpm sensing fan on the cpu fan header, and of course plug the cpu fan into a different fan header on the board. My thinking is that the fan on the cpu heatsink may have gone out, hence rendering no post. Worth a shot anyhow.
( You need to watch the fan on the cpu to make sure it is running of course if it does boot, and shut the system down Immediately if it dosn't rotate but the system starts to boot. Of course then you would need to replace the offending fan).

Larry

 

[PAP]

Update: AMD shipped me a new processor. System now works fine EXCEPT I can only run with one RAM chip installed - the other won't post. I think maybe one ram chip AND the cpu went down which is even stranger. Must have been power despite my UPS.

BTW, huge thumbs up to AMD - they shipped me a new processor quickly AND upgraded my chip to the new FX60 at no extra charge because they were out of the 4800x2. I'm totally impressed with their customer service. If only all tech companies were that supportive of their customers. They've earned my business for a long time.

Thanks to everyone who helped out.

 

[Zap]

Originally posted by: PAP
upgraded my chip to the new FX60 at no extra charge because they were out of the 4800x2

:Q

OMG you scored!