OC gone wrong, help me find the problem?

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[Solved] OC gone wrong, help me find the problem?

Spec: Asus p8p67 rev3 mobo, i5 2500k CPU, corsair 500w builder psu, gigabyte gtx560 ti super oc graphics, 4gb corsair xms3 ddr3 RAM, xfi titanium sound.

I bought the i5 2500k because I was looking forward to overclocking it, with all I've read of the ease with it being unlocked. I followed guides on the internet from places like bit-tech and forums which all said slight variations of the same thing. Up the multiplier, adjust the CPU voltage to 1.3v, ram voltage to match what's on the label, everything else on automatic. Worked fine, and the BIOS told me the expected Turbo for x45 was 4500MHz. Sounded good. However, my multiplier wasn't showing up in cpu-z, and the solution for this on one of the guides was to turn off EIST. As soon as I applied and reset, the computer crashed, shut itself down, and refuses to power up for more than a millisecond, once, for each time I unplug/replug.

Removing the 8 pin atx connector, which I believe powers the CPU, causes all the fans, leds, drives, gfx card and so on to spin up. Fans at 100%. This makes me think the psu is fine, as it can sustain powering everything apart from the CPU.

Removing the CPU, I see nor smell no signs of damage, though I'm not too sure what to look for. I assume perfect gold connectors and no smell of burning means it's fine. The computer shut down right away after saving the BIOS, so no way enough time to heat up? CPU reseated, re-thermal'd, re-cooler'd (gran tranquilo air cooler) but the problem remains.

The mobo displays a green led when the mains power is on. I have tried removing the battery for some time, and cannot find a cmos clear switch for this board. I am assuming the BIOS is corrupt somehow and cuts out for safety when the CPU is powered? However, without the 8 pin atx plugged in, the 6 second power button shutdown works, which indicates the BIOS is loaded and something else is damaged?

This is my first real attempt at an OC on a brand new machine, so I don't really have money for trial and error replacements. Help me figure out the problem part? I'm inclined to say the motherboard/BIOS, but need more opinions. Hours of Googling led me to one identical case, and for him it was the mobo. If you think so, do you recommended getting the same board, or another for around £120?

Any help is greatly appreciated.
 
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There are quite a few issues with this board, so it is unlikely you damaged anything with the overclock. From what I've read this board has quite a few issues with cold and double booting.

However it could be a few things, how long did you leave the battery out? Try leaving it out for a hour with the power cable also removed.

Also try moving the graphics card down to the second slot, removing the sound card and removing all but one stick of memory.
 
I left the battery out for around an hour with the power cable removed. I have removed it again now and will go back and try your suggestion in the morning.

If it turns out to be the mobo, do you recommend another of similar price? If I need to buy a replacement part, I need to do it asap to get it tomorrow.

Thank you.
 
Okay, good informative post.

Was it normally booting before you changed the overclock settings, or was this the first time you had tried to boot it?

1. Unplug everything from the board.
2. Plug only the CPU and heatsink/fan. (No power supply at this point)
3. Take out the CMOS battery.
4. Short the CMOS for at least 5 -10 seconds. (Screwdriver or so)
5. Put the battery back.
6. Connect only the speaker and the power on switch to the motherboard.
7. Connect the 8 pin & 24 pin power connectors.
8. Turn on the computer.
9. You should be hearing one long beep followed by 2 short beeps. The long beep means the CPU is ok and there is no memory.

If there is beeping, try it with RAM. If you still get the same result, test your GPU in another machine.
 
It was booting normally before oc and after oc. Stress tested twice with eventual bsod, so I modified settings and reset. Still booted fine. Then, to get my multiplier to show in cpu-z, disabled EIST. Dead computer.

The board has no internal speaker. Will a speaker from an old computer work?
 
Can always give it a try.

Other forums suggest this as a possible fix -

Clear RTC rma (3 pin CLRTC) (You should find the location in the manual)

1. Turn off the computer and unplug the power cord
2. Move jumper cap from pins 1-2 default to pins 2-3 after 10 seconds place the
jumper back to 1-2 position.
3. Start up the computer and enter the bios. (del)
4. Disable pll overvoltage (Or set the XMP RAM profile)(Or both)
5. Save and exit

Edit: Just so you know, lots of people are having issues with this board for similar reasons. Also, this board should have three LEDs located around the board, beside cpu, beside RAM slots and beside GPU. Wherever the light stops should locate the eventual problem. (If it stays on long enough) :)
 
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Hm, if the board is junk I may return it. I haven't done anything to warrant the death of a machine, and have been quite conservative in the OC. Please suggest feasible replacements.

I will try all of these suggestions in the morning and feed back here.

Edit: just to note, when the PC was built the 8 pin power cable wasn't connected, and it acted as in the op. Everything spins up on max. However plugging it in now means a millisecond before cut-out.
 
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It would shut down if the 8-pin isn't connected, as the cpu requires the dedicated power it supplies.
 
It didn't shut down before, then was fully functional, now still doesn't but dies with the 8 pin. Just noted that in case it suggests the CPU is at fault, but will test these mobo suggestions.
 
Quick update, CLRTC and battery removal did not make a difference. So switching the jumper with 0 power, the board is somehow able to clear the BIOS? Not too sure how that works, but I followed the instructions here, in the manual and on other jumper guides and did it with the power cable out, with and without the battery. No joy.

Am I to assume this is a hardware issue now? Having the CPU plugged in results in instant KO, so the beep tests surely wouldn't work?
 
Replaced the mobo with a MSI P67A-GD55 (B3). The computer now powers up even with the CPU plugged in. However there is no display, HDMI or DVI. Everything spins up, LEDs light up, etc. Sometimes the computer turns itself off, then restarts. After holding the power button down for 6 seconds, the computer turns off, but will automatically turn itself on again.

I cannot boot from hard drive, CD or USB. I have tried moving the graphics card to the second PCI slot so that it is better seated.

Before putting everything in the case, I had only the CPU, cooler and RAM in, power it on, and there was no sound from the internal speaker. Would that indicate the CPU is faulty, even though it looks/smells fine?

When it stays on, I really can't tell why there is no display. I've tried the RAM in every slot. Unplugged the hard drive. Everything.

Please advise my next move.
 
There is a light on most boards. Have a look what colour, or sequence it displays when you attempt to boot.

The manual will tell you what error is causing the PC to fail the POST.
 
Apart from the LEDs for the board power/reset/OC buttons (OC being off for now), there are 6 blue LEDs across the top of the board. They are simply labelled LED1-6 and there is no reference to them in the manual. However, all those LEDs are on and blue. EDIT: I lied, these LEDs apparently indicate which power phase the CPU is in. All 6 lights are on, so apparently the CPU is in Phase 6 power mode.

The system turns on for a few seconds, turns off, then on again and stays on. Still no display, beeps or other indication of POST. If the CPU was faulty, would the computer stay on continuously after the reboot?

There is also no way to turn the computer off permanently without removing power. The 6 second power-off turns the computer off, but it automatically turns on again.

There is no reset switch on my case, so it is not connected, nor shorting.

This PC is giving me no indication at all what is wrong. Changing the motherboard allows it to now stay powered on with the CPU plugged in. But it doesn't POST.

Any other ideas?
 
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The motherboard is on risers. All risers have screws in them.

I will have to obtain another power supply. It does manage to turn everything on and keep it on after the initial reboot though. I can see/hear everything spinning up. Could it still be faulty?

If the CPU shows no signs of damage, could it somehow be faulty?
 
The pins are fine. You mean for the speaker, right? I also checked that the polarity was correct, but I'm hearing nothing from the computer. Not a single beep to tell me what's wrong.
 
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