# Dead Motherboard?

## steve_d555

Hi,

I just bought a Abit NF7-S2 from Newegg, and it came and looked perfectly fine. But after installing the CPU (Barton 2500+), RAM(512mb PC3200), and cdrom/hdd and fans when I turned it on there were no beeps and it shutdown after 2 secs. So I did some tests, like taking out the RAM and starting it and such (CMOS too), but nothing happened. Then I took out the CPU (there was no heatsink, havent got it yet, problem??) and started it. Now it started but there were still no beeps (there doesnt have to be speakers right?). Do i have a dead mobo or dead cpu on my hands???

Thank you

--Steve

EDIT: Also the red and green LED's on the bottom of the MoBo do light up, and the insert trick does not seem to work

----------

## gentoo_lan

If you don't get a post, then it sounds like a dead mobo to me but it could also be the CPU. When my mobo died I didn't see anything on my screen when booting and the computer would sometimes post and sometimes not post.

Does the mobo have any type of indicator lights for diagnosis? If not it will be hard to diagnose the problem without another motherboard to test it.

----------

## steve_d555

Ya, there are two, a red and a green one. One is for power, which lights up and then the green one does when I start it.

----------

## steve_d555

bump

----------

## steve_d555

I havent got a heatsink on it (getting in a couple days)  Could that be a proble m? Without a processor in the MoBo there still arent any beeps. Could they both be fried. (that would of course suck)

----------

## NeddySeagoon

steve_d555,

You ran the CPU without a heatsink ?

You will have a dead CPU and maybe a dead motherboard. The overtemp protection depends on software running but the CPU won't live long enough to run the protection software without the headsink being at least poorly attached. When a CPU is killed this way , it often takes out the Vcore regulator on the motherboard.

----------

## steve_d555

Fuck........

O well live and learn. Ok, thank you very much, Everything else can probably be salvaged right? Drives, and RAM too?

Thank you

Steve

And excuse my language....

----------

## Woll0r

Some mobo's won't boot up when there is no CPU fan installed. Some kind of protection I think.

----------

## steve_d555

Planning on getting a new Nf7-S version 2. I hear its better than the Nf7-S2, and Ill keep the old one just to test. Any thoughts on the choice? Ive also heard good on Epox?

Steve

----------

## NeddySeagoon

steve_d555,

I would be very careful about plugging that CPU into a new motherboard or fitting a new CPU to the motherboard.  You need some electronics skills to do some testing on the motherboard before you try a new CPU in it.

----------

## steve_d555

No, I'm getting a new CPU, so I can just return it, and I will probably get a new motherboard, but I can test the new CPU in the old motherboard without hurting the CPU? Or should I just start fresh?

----------

## gentoo_lan

I think it would be better to get two new components and save yourself the trouble of having to test the motherboard for damage.

----------

## DarrenM

Why buy new components when you don't know yet what state your existing ones are in? Get the heatsink, put it all together properly and then try it. As mentioned, it's possible the machine didn't boot due to inbuilt protection. I had one of the same motherboards and IIRC it wouldn't boot if there wasn't anything plugged into the CPU fan power plug.

Secondly, before you go playing around again, go read some guides or buy a book on building a PC. If your trying to run one without a heatsink on the CPU, you obviously need to do some research before you waste even more money.

http://www.google.com.au/search?hl=en&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=build+pc+guide

Read several so you get a good clear picture of what you need to do.

NEVER try to run any modern cpu without a heatsink. I also wonder about the cpu you got. Was it second hand? AMD cpu's usually come with a heatsink in the box when you buy retail.

If anything is dead, it will be the CPU. Frying the cpu won't kill your motherboard.

----------

## steve_d555

Ok, Ya I read a guide and it says that the Nf7 series does have built in protection, so I think my CPU might actually be fine. I am getting my heatsink in a couple days so I hope it all goes well. Thank you very much for help a n00b like me. That is why I love these forums, no one tells how much of an idiot I am and explains carefully and well.

Thank you all very, very much

--Steve  :Wink: 

----------

## NeddySeagoon

steve_d555,

Thats some good advice from DarrenM.

Don't mix and match a suspect CPU and a suspect motherboard with good parts. You won't do any more damage by trying them together with the heatsink.

Be aware that if you get a heatsink with a thermal pad, the pads melt and harden the first time they get hot  - so you can only use them once. To reuse a heatsink like that, carefully clean both the CPU and heatsink - scratches are not permitted and use a small amount of Artic Silver in place of the pad. Heatsink compound must be used very sparingly. Its not like jam in a sandwhich. The idea is that the heatsink and CPU actually touch and the compount fills the small voids where they don't.

When a CPU fails due to lack of cooling, many of the wires going to the chip get connected together by molten silicon. This incudes the Vcore Vi/o and 0v. Vcore can provide upwards of 40A for the CPU and its very difficut to provide overcurrent protection before the switching transistors break. Many designs depend on the upstream  +5v or +12v overcurrent protection provided by the PSU. How useful that is depends on the PSU you have.

----------

