PC hardware failure

hey guys, just managed to try that overclock and it's not interested. it actually got to windows boot, but was clearly struggling along. inputted my password and it was shut itself down.

guessing something's beyond repair now right? the cpu fan was very hot to the touch again right after when i went in to reset the CMOS.

is it time to upgrade?
 
If you are having trouble at stock settings then welcome to what I like to call troubleshooting hell :(

I'll be honest CPU failure is very very rare, you've been following a guide so you shouldn't have been exceeding the max safe voltage. The most common fault to find with CPUs is when people bend the pins during installation.

I would be more inclined to think it's either the mobo going flaky or maybe the PSU. Your spec is really vague to be honest, you've not even listed what the brand and wattage of your PSU is.

If you have a multimeter you can check the PSUs voltages are within tolerance although it's often just easier to swap in a known good one if you can beg, borrow or steal one. Flaky mobos are harder to diagnose and can cause all kinds of weird symptoms on their way out. I would have done a memtest as soon as you got the rig powering up again to be honest to rule that out too. Ultimate bootcd is worth a download and burning to disk, it's full of diagnostic tools for the RAM, HDDs and stress testing the CPU etc etc.

If you want to upgrade now is the time with the Black friday offer on the intel CPUs but I would strongly advise you make sure it's not your PSU before doing a mobo and CPU upgrade.

YOUR BASKET
1 x Intel Core i5-4670K 3.40GHz (Haswell) Socket LGA1150 Processor - OEM £167.99
1 x Gigabyte Z87-D3HP Intel Z87 (Socket 1150) DDR3 ATX Motherboard £109.99
Total : £277.98 (includes shipping : FREE).



This mobo comes with a decent cooler for free so you can overclock the 4670K. The OEM CPU is cheaper but has a shorter warranty and no stock heatsink, not that you need one. It would be nice to know if the 2500K CPU is ok so you could flog it off on the MM to help claw back some cash.

All the best with it bud, I know all too well what a PITA it is.
 
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hey, thanks for the reply. really insightful and helpful! fan of that.

it's a cooler master extreme power plus 500w psu. think i picked it up from, ugh, pc world, at some point to replace my old battered one.

don't have access to a multimeter which is a pain.

to be honest, i've not been having issues at stock speeds, it's what i'm running now and it's fine. but i do miss the overclock and am seeing the difference in gaming and running a few programs.

i may just upgrade. especially with the black friday deal going on right now.

basically, i'm ok in the RAM and HDD area. i'm currently running an overclocked 6950. is it worth upgrading that in one fell swoop also or just sticking with it and getting the new mobo and cpu? also, are additional case fans an idea as well?
 
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hey guys, bit of an urgent help request!

new mobo and cpu arrived today (without the free cooler, thanks OcUK :D) and i've set everything up. the pc will switch on, everything seems to be powering up fine but it then switches itself off. great.

noticed that the cpu fan (from my old rig) is not spinning at all. is this what's causing the pc to switch itself off?

if so, any ideas? wait for the new one to arrive tomorrow and try that?


cheers guys.
 
The fan should be spinning, CPU could be saving itself from overheating and powering down. Try a case fan on the CPU fan header, if that spins up ok then power down quickly, you have a duff fan on your heatsink. Maybe that's what was wrong with the 2500K setup?

Get in touch with customer services. Mistakes happen but they have always seen me right in the end, 5UB is very helpful.
 
luckily they have sent out the elusive fan and it's arriving tomorrow. so perhaps that will be the problem solved. perhaps.

it certainly makes sense. maybe it's just finally conked out? oh well. definitely a good time to upgrade like you said ;) (he tells himself, having forked out almost 300 quid on the upgrade) :D
 
just tried the fan in one of the sys fan sockets and it's not working in that so i'm hoping it's just the fan that's died and the new one arriving tomorrow will alleviate the issues!
 
upping this yet again, please can someone help?

new motherboard, cooler and cpu are installed, it didn't work. i have also just changed out my old no-name (turns out it wasn't what i thought) psu to a corsair modular 500w jobby and it is still shutting off after 10 seconds or so.

have tried booting without RAM, hdds, graphics card, taking one out at a time. still nothing. have tried a different plug directly into the mains. nothing.

i'm genuinely begging now. can someone please shed some light on this.

thank you.
 
everything seems to power on, it just doesn't make it to post.

well, there's red led lights on my ram and cooler that certainly light up :D
 
Lets clear up a few points to save time.

1. The mobo is installed via the screws into the stand offs? If not, it may be shorting.
2. Cpu was correctly fitted? You did remove the plastic film from the cooler? You can take it out and check you hav`nt damaged any pins. But make sure you have some paste, before refitting the cooler back.
3. The Cpu fan is plugged in?
4. Check ram is properly seated.
5. Check Cpu 8pin and motherboard 24pin connectors are also properly seated.
 
1. you see, this could be it. the stand offs are installed into the case, but i actually misplaced the screws so it's basically not screwed onto the case. i think the screws are long gone. is there somewhere i could pick some up from instore?
2. cpu is definitely correctly fitted. film is off the cooler and no pins are damaged as far as i can tell. i was very careful with it. there is a good amount of paste on the cpu/cooler.
3. fan is plugged in and spinning.
4. ram is properly seated.
5. both are also properly seated.
 
So is your mobo just propped up in the case?
How did you mange to misplace the screws, you have only recently changed the mobo.
You could try your local PC shop, preferably a small repair shop, as they might have some knocking about.
 
the screws don't come with the mobo do they, but with the case? i certainly don't have any screws lying about which would fit i don't think.

it is somewhat, yes. but so was my old one, pretty much resting on the standoffs with the connections at the back through the faceplate.

do you reckon this could be the root of the problem perhaps?
 
Yes, the screws come with the case. And it is properly the reason you are having so much trouble. But you could try placing the mobo on the box it came in and see if it works. If it does, then it means it is properly shorting on something in the case.
 
i've tried the new motherboard and cpu with the new PSU outside of the case and it's still cutting out without making POST.
 
Remove everything bar 1 stick of ram. Start with the slot nearest the Cpu. If that does`nt work, try the next slot and so on. If it`s still a no go, then try the other stick, same routine.
So no hdd/ssd or Gpu.
And check the mobo for any red led still on when it shuts down.
It will be a slow process of elimination, unfortunately.
 
right, slight breakthrough. it POSTs with one stick of RAM in the third slot along from the CPU.

thoughts?

basically, slots 1 and 3 are working fine with both sticks installed, but any attempt at trying the dual channels won't work as the two closest to the CPU aren't working.
 
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