Boot failure.. CPU or GPU?

[XnaX]

Hi,

I've just bought some new components for my system.. I'm new to the whole custom building, so I read all the manuals and followed them strictly, point to point.. When I then pushed the start button, everything but the fan on the GPU started and just stood there.. No POST, no nothing.. My mobo claims it's the cpu failing though.. Any ideas on what's actually failing?


My setup:

New:

ASUS Crosshair V Formula
AMD Phenom II X6 1100T Black
2x4GB Kingston HyperX

Old:

Nvidia GeForce 280GTX
A 750W PSU of a maker i can't recall (it's bottom mounted, so it doesn't show)
Samsung 500GB HDD

Any help would be greatly appreciated

 

[Route44]

First, very nice new hardware components.

Second, though it can happen the cpu is one of the most stable if not the most stable hardware components in a system. How does the motherboard tell you, how is it worded, that the cpu is at fault?

Two things: 1) Is the motherboard touching the case in any way? 2) Find the make of your power supply. I am suspicious of it.

 

[Modena]

I'd check to make sure you didn't miss any of the MB standoffs, you could also try re-seating the CPU. What was you're previous CPU/MB? I'd personally start with removing the GPU and trying to boot from the on-board video to see if you get a post at the very least, since you're GPU's fan isn't running.

 

[XnaX]

When i reseat my CPU, is it necessary to reapply thermal paste or is the current layer sufficient? (I'm quite a noob, so I'm not certain as to why thermal paste needs reapplying)

 

[Route44]

When i reseat my CPU, is it necessary to reapply thermal paste or is the current layer sufficient? (I'm quite a noob, so I'm not certain as to why thermal paste needs reapplying)

Clean off the old paste using Q-Tips and rubbing alcohol at no less than 80%. Then get yourself some Arctic Silver and - I'm not making this up - apply no more than rice kernel size amount in the center. It will spread out when you attach the heatsink. Too much thermal paste and does the opposite of what you need it to do.

 

[Modena]

Remember to also be gentle when removing the heat-sink, you don't wanna bend/damage any of the CPU pins when removing the heat-sink. I say this because I personally remember having a little bit of trouble removing the stock AMD heat-sink when I upgraded to an aftermarket cooler. It will feel as if it's super glued down to the CPU. What I did was run Prime95 for about 30mins to loosen up the paste before removal.

Did you ever end up trying to remove the GPU and seeing if it would post through the on-board video?

 

[XnaX]

Did you ever end up trying to remove the GPU and seeing if it would post through the on-board video?

No, I wanted to get my facts straight before starting, so I could try more than one solution

 

[Leeky]

Please also confirm you have connected the following:

1. The 24 pin motherboard connector
2. The 4/8 pin ATX connector
3. The two 8 pin GPU connectors to your GPU
4. That the CPU fan connector is connected to the correct CPU fan header.

More often than not, one of these is missed by pure accident. Its nice to cover the simple stuff first

 

[XnaX]

Ok, I now tried reseating the CPU, I tried removing the GPU and I'm positive that the motherboard is installed correctly and that the power connectors and the CPU fan are plugged in correctly.. Still getting the same result; the CPU_LED on the motherboard is lit and the system doesn't POST

There are different ways to connect the 4/8-pin connector though.. You can connect it as one 4-pin connector, two 4-pin connectors or one 8-pin connector.. Could it have anything to do with it, that I've used the 8-pin solution?

How does the motherboard tell you, how is it worded, that the cpu is at fault?

Theres an LED on the motherboard named CPU_LED and it supposedly tells the user if the CPU is faulty or not

My Previous MB and CPU was an ASUS P5QL Pro and an Intel Core 2 Duo E8500

 

[kristain]

Hi,

During the time when you are first booting your computer, make sure that the BIOS settings are set taking the primary boot sector to be the hard drive. This is done once you have successfully loaded the operating system. Improper installation of operating system and BIOS settings may also cause boot failure.