Really weird Athlon 64 issue...

[Glonk]

I was installing a wireless PCI card into my computer (Antec TruePower 380W PS, Athlon 64 3200+, Athlon 64 3200+, ASUS K8V Deluxe, 2 x 512MB OCZ PC3200 Platinum EL), with the power cable unplugged, when all of the sudden the fans turned on for about half a second. I then immediately smelled the dreaded electrical burning smell. Now, I wasn't even touching anything but the screwdriver at the time -- screwing in the screw -- and I did ground myself first. So I doubt it was me.

Some basic research online showed that it is probably a flaw with the early version of the board I had: http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=13674 . I checked and my board had those capacitors in question on it, and it sounds like that might've been the problem. Afterwards, I booted up the computer -- everything seems to be working perfectly fine, except for the AGP (and maybe PCI -- couldn't test). My videocard was not putting out a signal or anything. So I replaced it with my brother's GF4, and it did the same thing. So at this point I was sure the AGP/PCI bus was somehow damaged by the little surge.

So I went to the local store to buy a replacement, they didn't have the exact same board, so this time it was an ASUS K8V Deluxe SE, which is virtually identical except for the ethernet chip and stuff like capacitors. But now, it's doing the EXACT same thing.

I'll turn on the computer, the fans and harddrive will spin and power up, the lights all turn on, but the video card never sends a signal.

Anyone have any ideas at all, no matter how outlandish...? I'm so lost.

Thanks!

 

[Glonk]

Anyone?

 

[Ryoga]

Are you not getting a POST OK beep?

If not, then you may have:
Damaged power supply (the P1 rail).
Damaged RAM.
Damaged CPU.

You can also try a different monitor.

 

[LTC8K6]

Did you try the GF4 in the new board?

 

[imported_raybay]

When you got the "burned" odor significant damage was done. It could be something in any pci slot, or on the motherboard itself with a blown capacitor. Video cards are extremely fragile and sensitive to any voltage variation. Try any different video card, AGP or PCI to see if it works with the change. Then go back to fundamentals... First, odor check every component to see if you can tell where it came from. Power supply, motherboard, one memory module, floppy disk. Do you get any image on the screen? Does the CPU fan run? Remove the memory module. Do you get a series of beeps when you try to reboot? CPU's seldom fail, but you could have shorted out the motherboard, which then ruined the CPU. If you don't get anything useful with the other attempts mentioned, pull the CPU to see if there is any discoloration on either side. Write all this down in a little book about how you took a fairly inexpensive course in installing motherboards and learned that you always ALWAYS unplug the power before you open the case. Some really great technicians do not learn this until later on when they are working on a customers computer they later have to buy.

 

[Glonk]

I've tried RAM from another computer, and the video card from another computer, on the new mobo and it doesn't fix it. The fans turn on on the video card, though, but still no signal.

And I do not hear ANY beeps when posting, even when I remove the CPU. That means the PS or the CPU is fried...but I don't know of any way to check if the CPU is fried or not, since I have nothing else in Socket 754. I also don't think it's the PS, since nothing smells "burnt" around it, and it seems to be powering the fans and harddrives and CD-ROM and AGP and all that without fail...

Is it the CPU?

 

[Glonk]

$400 and a new CPU later, it wasn't the CPU.

Going to try the PS...

 

[Pathogen03]

Yep. i torched my mobo, had exact same symptoms. Bought a new mobo, and destroyed the processor while cleaning off old thermal gunk.