Have I broken my computer?? Please help! :(

[Gr44]

Guys, please please please help me. I'm really worrying here!

Basically I bought the pc a few weeks ago. ( My System ).

I got my new case and watercooling end of last week and got it all setup since then. Went to boot it tonight and it keeps rebooting. Will go on for a few seconds then reboots.

What I've done to the PC since:

Add CPU/GPU/NB and 2x mosfet water blocks. Lapped CPU.

I've tried to do this:

Replaced all cables, reseat GPU and reset CMOS. also tried using 1x stick of ram.

Any suggestions? Bare in mind the case had pipes full of water every where so theres only so much I can do without draining it all...

Please tell me I haven't busted this

[staffsMike]

When you say it goes on, does it post or just have a black screen?

[Gr44]

I get no signal on the monitor at all. Power comes on for a few seconds then it reboots again, repeat.

No bios beeps, except once in a blue moon when I've turned off the PSU and it gives 2 short bursts ( but think this is just down to killing the power )

[Gr44]

I've reseated the CPU and it hasn't helped.

It looks like 2 of the little connecters in the CPU socket ( motherboard side ) are slightly out though... but too hard to see properly. Two of them don't hit the light the same as the others though.

[Rosaline]

Have you adjusted any bios settings at all yet?

Would it be possible to test the power supply, motherboard, graphics card and processor individually and separate to all the other components (watercooling excuded)?
(or try swaping in replacement components, one at a time)

[Gr44]

I can't get into the Bios. Nothing shows up on the monitor

I know the PSU works but I can't test the other stuff on it's own. My other pcs are all older gen.

[Rosaline]

I take it your motherboard does not have integrated VGA?

Try stripping components back, take it down to just power supply, motherboard, CPU and ram (Ideally a single stick, that is known to work - or try one, then the other). Don't worry about graphics card, if it posts that will be an improvement. Do not connect anything else. Does the problem still occur?

If so, hopefully someone, with more experience than I, can suggest if it would be possible to then remove further components for diagnostic testing such as the ram.

If not, you can then re-add components until it happens all again, and so the last component added will likely be the culprit.

If you need to drain it all to do this, so be it. Better to drain it all and get it working, then have it filled with fluid and broken.

[Gr44]

It doesnt have integrated VGA no. Im thinking its probably the CPU pin things though ( see above )

Going to give up for this evening though I think... bed time... though I'll be worrying about this all night now ;(

[Gr44]

Thanks for your help btw Rosaline : )

[Gr44]

Ive had a closer look at the socket and one pin has broken.

Spent most of the weekend setting up the watercooling and one freaking pin has busted... Going to have to spend ages again getting the water out and pay another £140~ for the motherboard... then ages putting it all back.

:'(

[GSte]

Unlucky mate, I know how bad it feels when this sort of thing happens. Hope it all goes better with the new board.

[acro666]

GR44, this may not help you much, but when I first bought my Abit Fatal1ty from MicroTech, maybe two years or so ago, I could not even get to the POST stage, nothing worked. I rmd it. They sent the board back to me saying that I had damaged two of the processor pins and that was it. I KNOW that I had not damaged the pins as I checked it before returning it. I never deal with MicroTech now.

They did include a photograph of the damage and sure enough two pins were misaligned. I carefully, by using a wooden kitchen skewer pushed them back into place, refitted the PSU and all the other bits; the mobo is still working beautifully.

So Gr44 look very closely at the pins, they may be only out of line.

regards

acro666

[Rosaline]

Acro666 has a good point!
As the warranty is invalidated anyhow, why not try and gently realign the pins?

[SadikP]

You could try and realign the pins, magnifying glass and a needle should do it. Or you could just put it back in the box & RMA it, You've got nothing to loose.

[Rosaline]

You could try and realign the pins, magnifying glass and a needle should do it. Or you could just put it back in the box & RMA it, You've got nothing to loose.

I was under the impression that RMA only works when your product is still under warranty. Removing the pre-installed heatsinks from a motherboard typically invalidates the warranty, and as such the likelihood of it being fixed for less than the cost of a new board (once postage is taken into account) is likely slim.

Mind you, it is worth a try to see what they do, the worst possibility is that they keep the board, so again, nothing really lost.

[Gr44]

Thanks for all the replies chaps.

I had a look, and I'm sure 1 of the pins is broken, rather than bent

I'll take a proper look when I take the mobo out othe case and double check. I've just recieved a new P5K Deluxe board though in the mean time. So will drain all he loops later and try and get it fitted before the weekend if I can.

Will report back if I manage to salvage the motherboard : )