fried my test system

Xinserz · 06-14-2007, 10:52 AM

Ok so I did something stupid and friend my PSU and im pretty sure it took my motherboard with it.

Now I replaced the PSU and it powered up but the monitor stays black (the card is an old PCI one). I took out the RAM and didn't get any post beeps. Last time I fried my mobo the CPU fan would spin, but it doesn't do that this time. Would this mean the CPU fried as well?

Also when I was taking out the CPU fan, it was stuck to the cpu, I guess it had to much thermal paste on it. So after rocking a little back and forth the CPU fan came out with the CPU attached the heatsink on the bottom. The clip on the socket that holds the CPU in place was still down, how much damage would this cause to the CPU if it wasn't fried in the first place.

I have a new PSU, and a nice new mobo coming but until then I don't have anywhere I can test the CPU, and I really don't want to wait until the stuff gets here to find out i have a fried CPU and that I have to order and wait for another one.

**manic** · 06-14-2007, 12:17 PM

You need to post more specs. Dont have know what type of cpu you
have. If its intel, ive seen that before. Never seen a cpu damaged because
of that. "coming out of socket stuck to heatsink" Ive never had a intel
cpu die. Ive fixed alot of machines, in alot of different scenerios, I just
started thinking back, and it kind of suprised me that Ive never had a bad
intel cpu. I can say the same for amd, but Ive never assembled a amd
based machine, but have worked on a few. Sorry for the walk down memory
lane,lol

**Done_Fishin** · 06-14-2007, 01:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Xinserz

Now I replaced the PSU and it powered up but the monitor stays black (the card is an old PCI one). I took out the RAM and didn't get any post beeps. Last time I fried my mobo the CPU fan would spin, but it doesn't do that this time. Would this mean the CPU fried as well?

I would like toi know what CPU you have ..
it's not a good sign that the CPU fan isn't spinning but that could be that the fan has problems .. try a different fan .. if your CPU is AMD ... don't run the CPU without a heatsink & Fan

Lack of beeps could be that something else is shorting out an address or data bus so remove all hardware apart from the CPU, Heatsink, Fan & PC speaker and try again .. without Ram it should beep as long as there is a CPU working to detect that it's missing. Also remove all power plugs EXCEPT those running to your motherboard .. you might be overloading your new PSU.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Xinserz

Also when I was taking out the CPU fan, it was stuck to the cpu, I guess it had to much thermal paste on it. So after rocking a little back and forth the CPU fan came out with the CPU attached the heatsink on the bottom. The clip on the socket that holds the CPU in place was still down, how much damage would this cause to the CPU if it wasn't fried in the first place.

Quite normasl to find that the heatsink compound has caked itself like cement, bonding heatsink & CPU together. Only problem with forcing the removal is danger of damaging pins on the CPU or the socket ..

Quote:

Originally Posted by Xinserz

I have a new PSU, and a nice new mobo coming but until then I don't have anywhere I can test the CPU, and I really don't want to wait until the stuff gets here to find out i have a fried CPU and that I have to order and wait for another one.

The only thing I can sugest is see if you havew a friend who uses a similar CPU on his mobo .. or a friendly comnputer shop who is willing to take your CPU and check it for you .. assuming that you still don't get any satisfactory results from what I have said above .. If after checking with only the CPU, Heatsink, Fan & PC speaker connected you still get no beeps .. it's sheer spaecualtion as to whetehr it's just your mobo that fried or it took the CPU with it .. if it's AMD .. the likelihood is greater that you may have lost both .. but until you get int on a new board .. you will have no way of being certain. Remember that Intel are far harder to burn than AMD ..

Xinserz · 06-14-2007, 01:44 PM

Ok before I go play around with the system I'll explain some more and add specs. The CPU is an AMD Athlon 64 3500+ and the mobo is a gigabyte GA-K8U-939. The power supply was a cheap Apevia 520W PSU that I've used constently since 2004.

Now how it happen. I was doing a quick reformat of a HDD so I just left it outside the case. The comp wouldn't pick up the HDD so I was checking cables, and when I grabbed the hdd and checked the power cable, it turns out it wasnt plugged in all the way so when I checked the cable it plugged it in and then the comp shut off. At that point i knew the PSU was gone so I went and grabbed a back up out of my closet, some antec 300 watt just to test it out. When i plugged it in and the turned on the computer the first time, I got the BIOS but the bios didnt complete like it usually does, it said the CPU and that ddr channel was enabled but then it stopped before it got down to the 2 HDDs and the 2 DVD-rom drives (only one HDD and one DVD-rom were actually plugged in). I then turned it off and the next time I turned it on a little later I got the Check signal cable.

Also the fan has no problems, Its been working great for over a year since I bought it. Its a nice Arctic cooling Silencer64Ultra with some bestbuy thermal compound cause I ran out of arctic silver 5.

Xinserz · 06-14-2007, 05:07 PM

Ok, after taking the system out of the case and putting it on a box then trying it with minimum pieces, and to my sheer shock, it booted. So I don't know what it was but the comp boot after I attached the rest of the pieces so all it needs is the new PSU i ordered. Thanks for the help though guys, it pointed me in the right direction. Im just gonna leave it out of the case until I get the new PSU. If you wanna see what it looks like I took a pic of the setup cause it looks funny.

setup:
http://img227.imageshack.us/img227/4697/dsci0061ug9.jpg
close up:
http://img176.imageshack.us/img176/8313/dsci0062ot6.jpg

**linderman** · 06-14-2007, 06:17 PM

nice job troubleshooting

your orginal PSU make (apevia / aspire) is probally the worst their is fro poor quality or at the very least; tied for worst !!

the antec 300 watt doesnt have enough power to run your whole sysytem by a long shot! 300 watts PSU's were used on Intel P3's back in 1999 !

You should be looking for a 550 watt Antec Trio >>>>>>> you skin that Griz Pilgrim & I will fetch you another !!

Xinserz · 06-14-2007, 09:14 PM

Yea I found out ti was a sketchy brand after I bought it. It lasted a good 3 years before I fried it so I must have gotten lucky. However, that doesn't mean I'll buy another one lol.

I ordered an Antec Smart-Power 500 watt PSU from newegg. I didn't think I would need more since the system has an old mobo, and a PCI graphics card lol.

**mattlock** · 06-15-2007, 12:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Xinserz

Yea I found out ti was a sketchy brand after I bought it. It lasted a good 3 years before I fried it so I must have gotten lucky. However, that doesn't mean I'll buy another one lol.

I ordered an Antec Smart-Power 500 watt PSU from newegg. I didn't think I would need more since the system has an old mobo, and a PCI graphics card lol.

Just a little FYI, the Antec Smart Power and True Power II series have had a lot of issues with bad capacitors. You may get lucky again, as you did with the Apevia, but don't be to surprised if you end up RMAing the SP500 within a years time.

The Antec Earthwatts, Trio, and NeoHE are all good lines however.

Xinserz · 06-15-2007, 09:48 AM

Yea, I read that in some of the reviews. However, it was only 40 bucks and its for my test system/back up computer. I'll be buying some nice parts for a new computer here in a couple months and I'll be sure to come here for some advice. Thanks for the help and advice guys.

06-14-2007, 10:52 AM	#1 (permalink)
Xinserz Registered User Join Date: May 2007 Posts: 40 OS: Windows XP Pro (5.1, Build 2600) Service Pack 2 My System	fried my test system Ok so I did something stupid and friend my PSU and im pretty sure it took my motherboard with it. Now I replaced the PSU and it powered up but the monitor stays black (the card is an old PCI one). I took out the RAM and didn't get any post beeps. Last time I fried my mobo the CPU fan would spin, but it doesn't do that this time. Would this mean the CPU fried as well? Also when I was taking out the CPU fan, it was stuck to the cpu, I guess it had to much thermal paste on it. So after rocking a little back and forth the CPU fan came out with the CPU attached the heatsink on the bottom. The clip on the socket that holds the CPU in place was still down, how much damage would this cause to the CPU if it wasn't fried in the first place. I have a new PSU, and a nice new mobo coming but until then I don't have anywhere I can test the CPU, and I really don't want to wait until the stuff gets here to find out i have a fried CPU and that I have to order and wait for another one.

06-14-2007, 12:17 PM	#2 (permalink)
manic Mod Hardware Team Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Florida Posts: 4,870 OS: xp	Re: fried my test system You need to post more specs. Dont have know what type of cpu you have. If its intel, ive seen that before. Never seen a cpu damaged because of that. "coming out of socket stuck to heatsink" Ive never had a intel cpu die. Ive fixed alot of machines, in alot of different scenerios, I just started thinking back, and it kind of suprised me that Ive never had a bad intel cpu. I can say the same for amd, but Ive never assembled a amd based machine, but have worked on a few. Sorry for the walk down memory lane,lol __________________

06-14-2007, 01:44 PM	#4 (permalink)
Xinserz Registered User Join Date: May 2007 Posts: 40 OS: Windows XP Pro (5.1, Build 2600) Service Pack 2 My System	Re: fried my test system Ok before I go play around with the system I'll explain some more and add specs. The CPU is an AMD Athlon 64 3500+ and the mobo is a gigabyte GA-K8U-939. The power supply was a cheap Apevia 520W PSU that I've used constently since 2004. Now how it happen. I was doing a quick reformat of a HDD so I just left it outside the case. The comp wouldn't pick up the HDD so I was checking cables, and when I grabbed the hdd and checked the power cable, it turns out it wasnt plugged in all the way so when I checked the cable it plugged it in and then the comp shut off. At that point i knew the PSU was gone so I went and grabbed a back up out of my closet, some antec 300 watt just to test it out. When i plugged it in and the turned on the computer the first time, I got the BIOS but the bios didnt complete like it usually does, it said the CPU and that ddr channel was enabled but then it stopped before it got down to the 2 HDDs and the 2 DVD-rom drives (only one HDD and one DVD-rom were actually plugged in). I then turned it off and the next time I turned it on a little later I got the Check signal cable. Also the fan has no problems, Its been working great for over a year since I bought it. Its a nice Arctic cooling Silencer64Ultra with some bestbuy thermal compound cause I ran out of arctic silver 5. Last edited by Xinserz; 06-14-2007 at 01:51 PM.

06-14-2007, 05:07 PM	#5 (permalink)
Xinserz Registered User Join Date: May 2007 Posts: 40 OS: Windows XP Pro (5.1, Build 2600) Service Pack 2 My System	Re: fried my test system Ok, after taking the system out of the case and putting it on a box then trying it with minimum pieces, and to my sheer shock, it booted. So I don't know what it was but the comp boot after I attached the rest of the pieces so all it needs is the new PSU i ordered. Thanks for the help though guys, it pointed me in the right direction. Im just gonna leave it out of the case until I get the new PSU. If you wanna see what it looks like I took a pic of the setup cause it looks funny. setup: http://img227.imageshack.us/img227/4697/dsci0061ug9.jpg close up: http://img176.imageshack.us/img176/8313/dsci0062ot6.jpg

06-14-2007, 06:17 PM	#6 (permalink)
linderman Moderator, Hardware Team Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 19,370 OS: win 2000 pro / Win XP pro My System	Re: fried my test system nice job troubleshooting your orginal PSU make (apevia / aspire) is probally the worst their is fro poor quality or at the very least; tied for worst !! the antec 300 watt doesnt have enough power to run your whole sysytem by a long shot! 300 watts PSU's were used on Intel P3's back in 1999 ! You should be looking for a 550 watt Antec Trio >>>>>>> you skin that Griz Pilgrim & I will fetch you another !! __________________ Even a Broken Clock is Right Twice a Day ! Power Supply Selection LEARN TO BACK-UP YOUR DATA FREE & EASY YouTube - Runtime Software DriveImage XML tutorial

06-14-2007, 09:14 PM	#7 (permalink)
Xinserz Registered User Join Date: May 2007 Posts: 40 OS: Windows XP Pro (5.1, Build 2600) Service Pack 2 My System	Re: fried my test system Yea I found out ti was a sketchy brand after I bought it. It lasted a good 3 years before I fried it so I must have gotten lucky. However, that doesn't mean I'll buy another one lol. I ordered an Antec Smart-Power 500 watt PSU from newegg. I didn't think I would need more since the system has an old mobo, and a PCI graphics card lol.

06-15-2007, 09:48 AM	#9 (permalink)
Xinserz Registered User Join Date: May 2007 Posts: 40 OS: Windows XP Pro (5.1, Build 2600) Service Pack 2 My System	Re: fried my test system Yea, I read that in some of the reviews. However, it was only 40 bucks and its for my test system/back up computer. I'll be buying some nice parts for a new computer here in a couple months and I'll be sure to come here for some advice. Thanks for the help and advice guys.