Haunted PC or Weird thermal paste?

[ManuAndrei]

Hey guyse ^^ after a while of creepin' round I decided to make an account, and ask for your opinion.

 

Okay, so, around 6 years ago I built a PC. All fine and dandy, until I took it apart to dust it off and change the thermal paste.

Every, single, time I dusted it off, it wouldn't POST. No beeps, no display, nothing. 

Took everything apart, put in just the CPU and tried to boot. Nothing, not even the 3 beeps. 

Okay, restarted it, the 3 beeps were there.

I put the pieces one by one, starting with the RAM. One stick in, no POST. Another, no POST. No matter what I did, it wouldn't POST.

I put the PC back together so I wouldn't have parts all around, tried one last time and it booted. Worked like a charm, up until I cleaned it again (oh noes).

 

Okay, now here's where the strange part begins.

Last year I got a new motherboard + CPU ( ASUS M5A78L-M/USB3 + AMD PHENOM II x4 955 ). Putting everything together, applying thermal paste, try to boot and... No POST.

Removing the RAM gives me the 3 beeps, putting the sticks back makes it go silent again. Okay, the RAM must be faulty then.

I changed my RAM to 2 Kingston HyperX (8 GB and 4 GB). Put them in, no POST.

 

Okay, that is really weird now. Out of frustration, I assembled it back together. A couple of random resets later, it booted.

 

Right, maybe it's the PSU then... 

I got a new PSU, B-Move BM-PS07 500W. No POST.

Changed GPU, as well, nothing happened.

Got an SSD and a new case.

 

So, basically, I completely change the components. Whenever I clean up the PC, it won't POST.

Clearing BIOS / CMOS doesn't help. 

What I did discover, though, is that if I just stay there around 30 min to 1h, powering it up, shutting it down, and repeat, after about 100 of them, it will boot up and work smoothly as if nothing ever happened.

 

--Oh and, one last detail. Whenever it won't POST, my fans modulate. That is, the CPU and GPU fan go to high speeds, then low speed, and so on.

 

 

Two PCs, One thermal paste.

 

Should I call in a priest?

 

Later Edit: Oh, right, just remembered, it also tends to do this if it's shutdown for more than around a week.

[Naeaes]

Just out of curiosity, what thermal paste are you using and how are you cleaning the computer?

[Mew]

What kind of thermal paste are you using and how much are you applying?

[ManuAndrei]

I am using CoolBox thermal paste (3.8 W/mk). I usually apply something like an elonged rice on the CPU. I have never had any excess of it smear around and the CPU temps are always good, so I guess it isn't too little either.

 

In order to clean it, I take it all apart, usually. Remove the GPU, the RAM, all the cables, take out the mootherboard from the case, remove the CPU fan and CPU.

I place the parts on static bags, clean the fans with compressed air or cotton swabs (depending on what I have lying around at the time).

I clean the CPU and cooler with isopropyl, then reapply the thermal paste.

After all of that is done, I place the CPU back on the MB, place the MB on the standoffs, screw it in and add the rest of the pieces one by one.

[StareX]

My guess..? The power socket.. Check it out

[ManuAndrei]

My guess..? The power socket.. Check it out

 

Tried that as well, changed the PC to a new room, still acting up.

The weird thing is that this happens only in rather weird conditions, such as cleaning it up and leaving it off for too long

[k4p84]

try a new CMOS battery

[ManuAndrei]

try a new CMOS battery

 

I did not try that, although I find it kinda weird that on a new MOBO the battery would be dead, and the old one as well. Might as well be a weird coincidence, imma try it out ^^

[ManuAndrei]

Nobody has any idea? 

Actually took it to a tech shop to a friend who said they'd take a look at it for free.

They found nothing wrong with it.

I'm really starting to consider calling in the Pope