Rebuilding PC after 3 months in storage. Any potential pitfalls I should be aware of??

peanutismint

peanutismint

peanutismint

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I recently moved from the UK to the USA and managed to take all of my PC components (minus the PSU and case) with me in my suitcase. They have been in the cupboard in jiffy bags (because I couldn’t find antistatic bags!) since I got here, and I recently managed to get ahold of a new case and 650W PSU to put it back together again.

I am fully expecting everything to be in the same condition as it was in when I packed it, so hopefully it should just be a case of putting all the pieces together again and turning it on… But I just wondered first whether I should be made aware of any potential issues? Or example, I didn’t remove the CPU heatsink or fan, so is there any chance the thermal paste might have dried out during this time? Should I try to pick up some more and replace it??

Also, the PSU I bought was second-hand but looks to be in great condition; it’s made by Antech, but I wonder whether there is any point to me testing it with a multimeter or something first before plugging my components in? Or should I just plug it in first and try things in increasingly important order, e.g. fans first, then motherboard with CPU, then GPU/RAM and so on....?

Anything else people could give advice on?
 
peanutismint said:
But I just wondered first whether I should be made aware of any potential issues? Or example, I didn’t remove the CPU heatsink or fan, so is there any chance the thermal paste might have dried out during this time?
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That depends on how long it's actually been on the CPU altogether, since build? If it's been over 5 years, i would take the opportunity, while it's easy to do, to reapply some fresh TIM.

peanutismint said:
Also, the PSU I bought was second-hand but looks to be in great condition; it’s made by Antech,
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Model?

peanutismint said:
Anything else people could give advice on?
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What is your complete spec?
 
I would boot it outside of the case to check it posts.

If you have a problem you won't waste time putting it in the case and will find troubleshooting easier.

Good luck
 
Plec said:
That depends on how long it's actually been on the CPU altogether, since build? If it's been over 5 years, i would take the opportunity, while it's easy to do, to reapply some fresh TIM.


Model?


What is your complete spec?
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Thanks; it's a good 7-8 years old now so maybe some new paste wouldn't hurt, maybe even a decent CPU fan as I'm still using the stock Intel one it came with...

Why do you want to know the PSU model/specs? The model of Antec PSU shouldn't really matter, neither should the spec; I'm not asking for upgrade tips, simply wondering what 'best practice' procedures I should think of implementing to make sure it re-builds safely. If you're really curious the specs are right there in my sig :-)

Holst1981 said:
I would boot it outside of the case to check it posts.

If you have a problem you won't waste time putting it in the case and will find troubleshooting easier.

Good luck
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Good idea; what's the safest way of booting it outside of the case? Can I just put the motherboard/hard drives on non-conductive surface like cardboard or something?
 
peanutismint said:
The model of Antec PSU shouldn't really matter, neither should the spec; I'm not asking for upgrade tips, simply wondering what 'best practice'
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It doesn't?

Model would have given me approx age/quality of PSU - i.e. potential risk, if any (part of your question, as second hand) . Spec (which you supplied) is useful to know in case you had follow up questions. Also tells me the ease of setting up outside of case and whether you needed to short the pins to boot or whether your board had an onboard start button. Again, useful to know if you were unfamiliar with shorting procedure - if I had suggested.
 
Ah I see, thanks for thinking of that. Yeah my board is (as you can see from my sig) reasonably old so does't have a power button, but I can probably just jump them, or stretch my new case's front panel lead to reach.

I don't have the PSU with me right now but I just know it's an Antec and 650W; guess at the least I could use a multimeter to test the outlets but I'd need to read up on how to do that as I don't quite know which rails I should be testing/what voltages to look for etc.
 
peanutismint said:
Thanks; it's a good 7-8 years old now so maybe some new paste wouldn't hurt, maybe even a decent CPU fan as I'm still using the stock Intel one it came with...

Why do you want to know the PSU model/specs? The model of Antec PSU shouldn't really matter, neither should the spec; I'm not asking for upgrade tips, simply wondering what 'best practice' procedures I should think of implementing to make sure it re-builds safely. If you're really curious the specs are right there in my sig :)



Good idea; what's the safest way of booting it outside of the case? Can I just put the motherboard/hard drives on non-conductive surface like cardboard or something?
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Something non conductive.

Motherboard box is OK, or a large book.

I wouldn't bother with hdd, just motherboard gpu memory cpu, if it posts you will be ok.

Just use a screwdriver to start it by jumping the pwr pins.
 
peanutismint said:
Ah I see, thanks for thinking of that. Yeah my board is (as you can see from my sig) reasonably old so does't have a power button, but I can probably just jump them, or stretch my new case's front panel lead to reach.

I don't have the PSU with me right now but I just know it's an Antec and 650W; guess at the least I could use a multimeter to test the outlets but I'd need to read up on how to do that as I don't quite know which rails I should be testing/what voltages to look for etc.
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You could do a quick paperclip test - but all that will do is demonstrate that it's delivering power - but it's a quick simple test, recommend using an insulated wire rather than paperclip if you have it. Even the multimeter test will only confirm rails - but not under load. Your concern is whether the second hand unit will do something nasty when put under strain. If the Antec is a decent model (hopefully an Earthwatts) - the built in safety features will do their job.

As, @Holst1981 has listed; it's a simple process and done with a skeleton setup. I usually use a large, flattened out Bud Box to sit the motherboard on, and now your Stateside this shouldn't be an issue.

You only need to briefly bridge the power pins - quick touch. The only real risk is knocking the unsupported GPU - but once you have established it has life; flip the PSU switch and get it fitted. Once built you could run some torture tests on the GPU/CPU - but general everyday use and abuse is the best stability test even if it passes synthetic tests.
 
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Hahah yes it is indeed. It seems to work; I bought a second hand case from a Goodwill store that had an MSI Z97-GD65 Gaming motherboard in it and altho I don't have a compatible CPU to test it it seemed to boot that up fine (well not boot but you know, lights came on, etc).

Wonder if this motherboard is worth anything second hand.....
 
peanutismint said:
an MSI Z97-GD65 Gaming motherboard

Wonder if this motherboard is worth anything second hand.....
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Yes, they sell at a premium on the bay as EOL and the motherboard is usually the first thing to die. It's still cheaper for some people to buy an overpriced second hand motherboard than a new system - and an i7 4770 (for example) is still a capable CPU.

You have premium board too - so you'll be pleasantly surprised at it's value second hand.
 
peanutismint said:
Nice! Yeah I had a quick check and couldn't quite believe it, tho whether or not it actually sells for that much, I don't know...
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They do, you got lucky.

A working, quality board, in good condition, is a rare commodity and in demand. But sell it quickly as more will appear after July - when Zen 2 is released.
 
Must have been antique store...
TruePower Trio is 13 years old design.

Also capacitors are from second tier at good day makers.
So oscilloscope would be proper measuring instrument.
Certainly wouldn't trust it to do cleanly anything approaching numbers in sticker.
Even with quality capacitors that old PSU would have degraded some amount.
 
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