pc dead HELP!

hi guys, im hoping one of you could provide some insight into the nature of my problem.

a coupla days ago, i booted up my pc as usual, and found that every 30 seconds or so, CPU usage would spike to 100% and everything INCLUDING mouse cursor would freeze. this would last 10 seconds approx. and then things would return to normal... i checked processes etc but couldnt locate the problem so then i decided perhaps a reboot would solve it.

that was the last time i was able to get back into windows.

a few subsequent reboots got me to the windows xp loading screen, and that was it. anotehr restart, and suddenly i couldnt even get into the BIOS. fans would run normally, but no post. no cpu detection nothing. i tried resetting the bios and finally also clearing the bios, no luck.

the cpu doesnt even get warm, its just not receiving any juice at all.

i did what i could in the way of troubleshooting, removing ram chips, trying an old cpu, removing peripherals, etc.. no changes. i know something is screwed, but i need your help in isolating what it could be. im guessing its the motherboard that's fried?

here are the details of my rig:

athlon x2 3800+
2g ocz pc3200 ram ( 4x512mb)
dfi lanparty nf4-d motherboard
ati x800 256mb video card
enermax 530W psu


any help would be very much appreciated!!

PSU must be the first item to check...?

I have also known hdd's that are starting to fail to cause lockups as well. The easiest way I found to check this is to keep an eye on the hdd indicator light and see if it stays on or does not come on at all. If you feel a bit braver open the case and put your hand on top of the hdd and then power up the pc. You should feel some vibration and some noise. Be VERY careful not to touch the underside of the hdd or any other components. If you are unsure about this get someone to take it out for you but still leave it connected to the board.

Check the fan on the back outside of the case on PSU to see if it is spinning when you turn the PC on. If it is you know that it is at least getting some juice in.

With regards to the hard disc mentioned above, take off one of the sides of your case, left side looking at it from the front. Power the system up with an ear close to the hard disc, you should be able to hear it spin up and the heads start moving. Make sure there is no disc in a DVD drive however as that will also spin up and could create confusion.

Check the fan on VGA card and also Processor, make sure both are going are spinning up on boot.

When you first open the case up have a sniff about inside, see if you notice burning smell at all.

Check the capacitors on the motherboard, you are looking to see if any of them are raised up or even burst open. They should all have flat heads, most will have a cross on the top of them. Best place to start looking is beside the AGP / Pcie slot and round by the processor.

Reading what I have from here, I would go with either the PSU or the board. Aiming more towards the board.

thanks guys.
i think ill be replacing my mobo soon..

hdds seem to be working ok..

what a headache:eek: