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I think my CPU just died
Jambo
Scriptkiddie
in Zocalo v2.0
I was fixing a friends PC for him yesterday, this guy is a human storm around PCs, he goes through them like a fat man goes through candy, and I think his very presence around my PC has caused it to die.
So anyway, here's what happened. I was taking my graphics card out and replacing it with his (he thought the graphics card was dodgy so I was testing it for him), so I turned the pc onto its side, probably for the first time since I built it. Usually when I upgrade or change PCI/AGP/RAM/etc I just keep it standing, but obviously I was within his cursed aura this time. So I turn on the PC, still on its side, and a very unusual smell comes from the computer. A bad smell, an evil smell, like any smell originating from the insides of your PC would be. I turn off the PC straight away, the smell was clearly coming from the cpu-fan/heatsink/cpu.
Now, I leave it for a bit whilst I test the internals out on another computer. Ram,HD,Graphics Card,Sound Card all fine, thankfully. I put everything back and turn the PC back on, 'looking good' I say to myself after the beep. Everything looks fine, it's checking the memory, good, no problems... but then nothing. After the mem check it just hangs there for about 10 seconds, then my PC restarts into nothingness. I take it that's a CPU problem then? I can't get into the cmos either, keyboard input doesn't seem to be working.
I've owned PC's for years and never once have I actually fried a CPU. The only think I think that could have happened is that when the PC was on its side, some of the blanket of thick black dust that was coating the heatsink and insides of the fan fell onto the CPU and... I dunno... suffocated it.... surely that couldn't happen though? My CPU's an OX! It would explain the smell though.
Any ideas what it could be, or have I actually managed to kill my CPU?
So anyway, here's what happened. I was taking my graphics card out and replacing it with his (he thought the graphics card was dodgy so I was testing it for him), so I turned the pc onto its side, probably for the first time since I built it. Usually when I upgrade or change PCI/AGP/RAM/etc I just keep it standing, but obviously I was within his cursed aura this time. So I turn on the PC, still on its side, and a very unusual smell comes from the computer. A bad smell, an evil smell, like any smell originating from the insides of your PC would be. I turn off the PC straight away, the smell was clearly coming from the cpu-fan/heatsink/cpu.
Now, I leave it for a bit whilst I test the internals out on another computer. Ram,HD,Graphics Card,Sound Card all fine, thankfully. I put everything back and turn the PC back on, 'looking good' I say to myself after the beep. Everything looks fine, it's checking the memory, good, no problems... but then nothing. After the mem check it just hangs there for about 10 seconds, then my PC restarts into nothingness. I take it that's a CPU problem then? I can't get into the cmos either, keyboard input doesn't seem to be working.
I've owned PC's for years and never once have I actually fried a CPU. The only think I think that could have happened is that when the PC was on its side, some of the blanket of thick black dust that was coating the heatsink and insides of the fan fell onto the CPU and... I dunno... suffocated it.... surely that couldn't happen though? My CPU's an OX! It would explain the smell though.
Any ideas what it could be, or have I actually managed to kill my CPU?
Comments
Since you said you smelled something, could it be the CPU-Fan died? (a cable or something blocking it, when you had it on the side, and the motor burning out or something?)
CPU could be fine...
This would explain why you got some way through the POST and then...
phhht!
first blow out the crap and dust with compressed air, the power up for a short bit to see if the fan is running at all on the CPU heatsink, and then go from there...
:)
I like having the clear plastic side on my Athlon to visually see the CPU fan doing it's job!
:D
[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by RubberEagle [/i]
[B]Actually, if the CPU was totally dead, you wouldn't even get the memory check, as that is also performed by the CPU.
Since you said you smelled something, could it be the CPU-Fan died? (a cable or something blocking it, when you had it on the side, and the motor burning out or something?) [/B][/QUOTE]
I think the smell might have been heated dust, I don't think I've cleaned the thing once since I built the bugger.
The fan is still going round though, I dont think it ever stopped.
[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Entil'Zha [/i]
[B]Could be a bad CMOS chip as well, if you call your mobo manufacturer they will prolly send you another (for a small fee) [/B][/QUOTE]
Thanks, I've tried resetting the CMOS but It doesn't seem to have done any good. I'll give Gigabyte a call on Monday.
[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by JackN [/i]
[B]If CPU cooling is failing to do it's job, such as the fan/heatsink the cpu will usually shutdown due to overheating...
CPU could be fine...
This would explain why you got some way through the POST and then...
phhht!
first blow out the crap and dust with compressed air, the power up for a short bit to see if the fan is running at all on the CPU heatsink, and then go from there...
:)
I like having the clear plastic side on my Athlon to visually see the CPU fan doing it's job!
:D [/B][/QUOTE]
I've cleaned out the internals, I'll give what you said a go later. How long does it usually take a CPU to overheat from cold though?
Ta!
for AMD Chips should be below 60* C Up near 70 is generally a PC's shut off temp to ensure it doesn't burn out the chip.
I got called by my very frightened mother a couple of months ago because she had turned her computer on and it had started sounding a very loud siren through the PC speaker, due to the CPU having died.
Then again there's one other unmentioned thing, if that graphic card had some fault it might have damaged motherboard so check are there any burn marks in AGP slot. (or in contact surfaces of card's PCB)
Then there's always possibility of ESD.