Help Please - new build suddenly stopped

Hmm CPU? What would make that fail? It was stable for 5 days but now doesnt even post. I havent touch the FSB or anything and havent tried overclocking it. It was running games fine - oblivion 40fps maxed out. I rechecked the heatsink and that is on solidly.
 
I've had more than my fair share of CPU failures :(
In fact my first ever build had a dead pentium 166 which I dread to think of what it cost. It nearly put me off build-your-own.
I read somewhere that CPUs rarely fail, but not in my experience! And I'm not into overclocking really, and the CPU's which have failed had never been overclocked. I would have blamed that if they had.
The latest failure was after years of service, for no apparent reason. Like you, I suspected the MB or PSU (I even bought a new MB after trying an old PSU, but before it arrived, I found an old CPU, and that identified the problem).
Are you able to lay your hands on a suitable CPU?
 
Then I'd change the RAM as tech support suggested, and in the meantime still test using your friends RAM & VGA to eliminate them. In fact your friends RAM should indicate if it you're on the right track :)
If not, that only leaves the MB or CPU!
 
AIM said:
I was beaten to it by Andy298, I think its your CPU. The big drawback with build- your- own is identifying faulty components. The symtoms are the same as when I had a CPU die. I presume that you are not getting to POST.
Its too easy to blame the wrong component, and end up buying unnecessary replacements.
I would strongly advise trying a spare CPU if you have a compatible one available, and likewise RAM and graphics card (an old pci one would do).
Its best to test with just the bare minimum of MB, PSU, RAM & GFX card, out of case if possible with no other expansion cards or drives attached, changing one thing at a time. Try RAM sticks one at a time too.

As tech support say its the ram, it makes sense to try that first, so hopefully you've got an old stick available or can borrow one.

But why did it work okay for 5 days, and then both sticks fail?

My monies on the CPU.
Click to expand...


Yeh thats why I'm thinking it can't be the RAM. Both sticks at the same time!? If the RAM was clocked too much then yeh ok, but no OC'ing has been carried out.
I always remember the first time I was shown a dead CPU on a test machine when I was studying for my A+. I was like, 'Why isn't it giving POST errors?' Teacher said to me something thats always stuck in my head. 'If your brain was dead you wouldn't be able to tell people what was wrong with you would you? Same concept for the brain of the PC isn't it!?'

:D
 
Just a final thought, if your friends RAM or GFX card don't give positive results, i..e enable you to POST, then I'd check with Tech support before sending MB with CPU attached back together for testing, with your G Skill RAM. You'll want to change the RAM anyway, as support have said there are incompatibility problems, but assuming your friend's RAM is compatible with your MB, if it doesn't POST with your friend's RAM, then the RAM's not the problem. Without a spare cpu to test with, I can't see how you can pinpoint the problem between MB and CPU.
Let us know how you get on.
 
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