Something in my computer fried last night

[SirOblivious]

Hey all,

After installing my BFG 6800GT OC and Antec 430W true power PSU a few days ago, I started installing a fresh copy of winXP (For the 10% or so performance boost mainly). After installing all the drivers I installed my favorite game WoW. At the very end of the install, my computer froze. About 5 seconds later the Hard drives shut off. Another second or two and PC shut off. I scratched my head a few minutes and then turned it back on. A loud squeel came out of my speakers and the computer didn't post. I open up the computer to do a rough inspection to see if anything let out the "magic smoke" (that stuff inside all IC's that make them magically go). The BFG felt warm, but not hot. The PSU was a bit warmer than I expected. The CPU heatsink however was fairly cool. I took off the CPU fan and the heatsink jiggled around. It had that thermal adhesive paste stuff on it, but maybe it got cooked and became brittle maybe?

I'm guessing thats my problem there. CPU cooked... The PC won't even turn on now. I press the power and nothing happens.

Any idea's on trouble shooting for me? If I take the CPU out of the MB, will the computer (normally) post? - too see if its the CPU. Could it have fried the BFG or PSU I just bought? (in which case I can test if the computer will post w/o a CPU). Comments?

Regardless I just bought the following this morning:
MSI neo2 Plat MB (monarch combo)
AMD 3200+ s939 WC (monarch combo)
mushkin PC3200 DDR ram (512x2, new egg)

My current(and dead) system:
P4 2.4GHz
Some generic POS MB that I dont care about
512MB PC2100 (256x2)
antec 430W true power PSU
BFG 6800GT OC

 

[allanon1965]

no it will not post without the cpu in place, you need to change things out to test them, cpu,psu,vid card, etc....got a friend who can help with that?

 

[LTC8K6]

The CPU is the last thing I'd suspect here. It's just about impossible to cook a P4 with it's built in thermal protection. I'd start troubleshooting, beginning with the power supply.

It seems like you were really just lookingfor the excuse to buy new stuff though....

 

[SirOblivious]

I was already planning to upgrade the MB/CPU/Mem within a month.

Regarding looking at the PSU, I neglected to mention the 2nd thing I tried. I took out the new PSU and put in the old one along with the geforce4 MX (old one I know wouldn't have enough power for the BFG). It still wouldn't turn on.

Also, I wouldn't ask anyone to risk a P4 CPU by sticking it in a system that could fry it.

Any more ideas or comments anyone? Tell me now, cause I sure as hell can't check it tonight... heh

 

[SirOblivious]

any more ideas?

 

[Markfw]

Motherboard would be my first guess. Got a VOM ? Try hooking up the motherboard outside the case, and just hook up the switch for the Power-on, and then see if 12v are coming out of the PSU.

 

[maluckey]

I had an Antec True Power 430 die with a whimper and a squeal. Tey another "known good" PSU. It's a quick and easy check.

 

[SirOblivious]

Currently nothing turns on. No fans or anything. My old PSU I know is good(POS generic, but works) which I have in it now. So that leads me to believe the MB isnt sending the power on signal to the PSU. So... CPU fried / PSU fried. One or both I imagine. Man this next week is going to be horrible. No computer to keep me entertained.

 

[maluckey]

Bad news!

But wait! There's still more!

You still have to determine if the oher PSU is dead by testing it, either in a "known good" system, or by some other means. I had a setup die once for no good reason, though I suspect the PSU was the cause. I wanted test the old PSU, and I used an older setup (garage setup), for fear of losing another mobo. It was a good thing, as the old PSU was toast, and the rapid-fire overvolting on setup killed the old setup, to include to HDD and the Mobo, though the CPU survived ( a miracle?).

I never found for sure which killed which originally, but I learned to treat ALL of the old setup with suspicion until proven good.

 

[dguy6789]

A pentium 4 will work without the heatsink; albeit very slowly. So your cpu is not cooked. PSU is my first guess.

 

[SirOblivious]

Last night I took out the CPU and plugged both my old and new PSU's into the motherboard(nothing else though) and turned it on. Both PSU's powered up and fans were going. Put the CPU back in, nothing...

Ummmm...

 

[miketheidiot]

Originally posted by: SirOblivious
Hey all,

After installing my BFG 6800GT OC and Antec 430W true power PSU a few days ago, I started installing a fresh copy of winXP (For the 10% or so performance boost mainly). After installing all the drivers I installed my favorite game WoW. At the very end of the install, my computer froze. About 5 seconds later the Hard drives shut off. Another second or two and PC shut off. I scratched my head a few minutes and then turned it back on. A loud squeel came out of my speakers and the computer didn't post. I open up the computer to do a rough inspection to see if anything let out the "magic smoke" (that stuff inside all IC's that make them magically go). The BFG felt warm, but not hot. The PSU was a bit warmer than I expected. The CPU heatsink however was fairly cool. I took off the CPU fan and the heatsink jiggled around. It had that thermal adhesive paste stuff on it, but maybe it got cooked and became brittle maybe?

I'm guessing thats my problem there. CPU cooked... The PC won't even turn on now. I press the power and nothing happens.

Any idea's on trouble shooting for me? If I take the CPU out of the MB, will the computer (normally) post? - too see if its the CPU. Could it have fried the BFG or PSU I just bought? (in which case I can test if the computer will post w/o a CPU). Comments?

Regardless I just bought the following this morning:
MSI neo2 Plat MB (monarch combo)
AMD 3200+ s939 WC (monarch combo)
mushkin PC3200 DDR ram (512x2, new egg)

My current(and dead) system:
P4 2.4GHz
Some generic POS MB that I dont care about
512MB PC2100 (256x2)
antec 430W true power PSU
BFG 6800GT OC

This just screams "PSU" to me.

EDIT: nm i didn't read the whole thread. sounds like the mobo fried.