That didn't go well. Advice on new motherboard.

[betarayjim]

Hi all, 

 

First post. Just had a bit of a nightmare. 

 

Little bit of background, not much has changed with my build for a couple of years, have a 3570k overclocked to 4.2, Radeon 7950, Gigabyte z77x-ud3h, 600w PSU. Everything going swimmingly. 

 

Today I decided to get myself a H100i cooler to replace the Xigmatek Aegir that was getting a bit old and loud. 

 

After installing the H100i, the machine wouldn't boot. It would power on, all fans spin up, pump starts whirring, then cut off after a few seconds. I wondered if i'd ruined the CPU while taking it off for cleaning, so I took it all apart, cleaned it off again, new paste, put it back together, and it stayed on, success! Or so I thought. 

 

After about 20 seconds, a heard a fizzing, then a pop, then some sparks and smoke and something on the motherboard has blown. It's relatively near the CPU, but difficult to say what exact component it was. 

 

Now I obviously need a new MB, but i'm worried that something i've done to the CPU (the only part I really touched) will cause this on another board.

 

Budget is limited, but do I get a new MB, and hope the CPU is ok? Or just bite the bullet and get a MB/CPU combo? Any advice on how or why this happened?

 

Many thanks in advance. 

[Godlygamer23]

Can you take a picture of the component?

[Guest HyppoCube]

Well the cpu cooler you got is still fine. You need thermal paste and quiet fan. And clean it a bit.

 

I do recommend selling / returning h100i and just upgrading.

 

What is the PSU?

[betarayjim]

Sure, it kind of came from under the blue heatsink. Shall I take it off to see what's under?

 

[Godlygamer23]

Sure, it kind of came from under the blue heatsink. Shall I take it off to see what's under?

It could be a capacitor or MOSFET.

[betarayjim]

PSU is Corsair CX600w

 

Not sure what you mean in saying the cooler is fine, then to upgrade the H100i? I'm fairly sure the H100i is fine. I'm assuming it was down to clumsy installation that a faulty cooler. The hope is that I can just get a new MB and everything else will still be fine.

[betarayjim]

ok, here we go...

 

[Godlygamer23]

ok, here we go...

Looks like a MOSFET died.

[betarayjim]

Looks like a MOSFET died.

ok thanks. Any idea what would cause that? Do you think my CPU is ok?

[Godlygamer23]

ok thanks. Any idea what would cause that? Do you think my CPU is ok?

Anything could've caused it. Electronics are very complicated, and it's hard to narrow it down. As far as the CPU is concerned, it's probably fine.

[betarayjim]

Thanks a lot for the advice. I'm going to try and replace the MB, and hope for the best.

[Goat]

Test the cpu on a spare motherboard if you have one to make sure it is working. If it is, you don't have to worry about it.

[betarayjim]

Test the cpu on a spare motherboard if you have one to make sure it is working. If it is, you don't have to worry about it.

No spare i'm afraid.

[runit3]

No spare i'm afraid.

If the board is within its RMA period try that route first. If not, this may be your best option (aside from Ebay): https://www.sabrepc.com/computer-hardware/motherboards-sabre.html?cat=20000306

[betarayjim]

If the board is within its RMA period try that route first. If not, this may be your best option (aside from Ebay): https://www.sabrepc.com/computer-hardware/motherboards-sabre.html?cat=20000306

It's 3 years old so it's well past RMA period. 

 

I think I underestimated how easy it would be to get a compatible motherboard. I can't find anything for a reasonable price. May have to bite the bullet and get a CPU too.

[runit3]

It's 3 years old so it's well past RMA period. 

 

I think I underestimated how easy it would be to get a compatible motherboard. I can't find anything for a reasonable price. May have to bite the bullet and get a CPU too.

Market for K SKU's is always pretty healthy, should be able to recoup some of the cost by selling the current one.

[0wN3r]

It's 3 years old so it's well past RMA period.

I think I underestimated how easy it would be to get a compatible motherboard. I can't find anything for a reasonable price. May have to bite the bullet and get a CPU too.

I think you will need to "go get that bullet boyo” since MOSFET ia a part of VRM which is responsible for powering up the cpu (simplified version), the CPU could have overvolted and other bad sounding things could have happened... Try asking in some service if they could use a spare mobo to test it, since you will save the money on cpu. Else, go for the new one

[Godlygamer23]

I think you will need to "go get that bullet boyo” since MOSFET ia a part of VRM which is responsible for powering up the cpu (simplified version), the CPU could have overvolted and other bad sounding things could have happened... Try asking in some service if they could use a spare mobo to test it, since you will save the money on cpu. Else, go for the new one

The only way to know is to test it. I can't state that they should go out and get a new CPU if it's not required, and at this point, I don't think it is.

 

I agree with you on your suggestion though - getting a spare motherboard to test the CPU to be sure that it's fine.

[betarayjim]

The only way to know is to test it. I can't state that they should go out and get a new CPU if it's not required, and at this point, I don't think it is.

 

I agree with you on your suggestion though - getting a spare motherboard to test the CPU to be sure that it's fine.

I just can't see a way of doing that. I have no computer shops near me that would do that, none of my friends have PCs, no spare. I had planned on getting a new Z77 board and if the CPU was dead, then I'd try and return it. I can't even do that because Z77 boards seem to be pretty hard to get. I don't see a way around it other than having to get a whole new bundle, CPU, RAM, MoBo. Gutted.

[Godlygamer23]

I just can't see a way of doing that. I have no computer shops near me that would do that, none of my friends have PCs, no spare. I had planned on getting a new Z77 board and if the CPU was dead, then I'd try and return it. I can't even do that because Z77 boards seem to be pretty hard to get. I don't see a way around it other than having to get a whole new bundle, CPU, RAM, MoBo. Gutted.

What area do you live in?

[betarayjim]

What area do you live in?

Essex, UK. 

[betarayjim]

Ok, thanks so much for the advice so far.  I think i'm resolved to getting a new CPU bundle, but now the question is what.

 

Having done some rushed research (haven't kept up with CPUs since I bought the 3570k nearly 3 years ago), i've come up with the following:

MSI H170A Gaming Pro

Intel i5-6500 3.20 GHz

HyperX Fury 2 x 8 GB

 

All in it's £326.

 

I'm gutted my board died, but using the opportunity to get a small upgrade. That should be OK for a few years right? 

[Godlygamer23]

Essex, UK. 

I looked up some motherboards on both Newegg and Amazon in UK. Newegg doesn't have anything, but Amazon has a few that are available used.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Z77+motherboard

[betarayjim]

Thanks, I saw some of those, but something doesn't sit well with buying an old motherboard for more or less the same price as a new one, on the hope that my CPU is OK. 

[MageTank]

Ok, thanks so much for the advice so far.  I think i'm resolved to getting a new CPU bundle, but now the question is what.

 

Having done some rushed research (haven't kept up with CPUs since I bought the 3570k nearly 3 years ago), i've come up with the following:

MSI H170A Gaming Pro

Intel i5-6500 3.20 GHz

HyperX Fury 2 x 8 GB

 

All in it's £326.

 

I'm gutted my board died, but using the opportunity to get a small upgrade. That should be OK for a few years right? 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

 

CPU: Intel Core i5-6400 2.7GHz Quad-Core Processor  (£139.98 @ Novatech) 

Motherboard: MSI Z170-A PRO ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  (£83.99 @ Ebuyer) 

Memory: Crucial 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory  (£64.91 @ More Computers) 

Total: £288.88

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-01-09 23:29 GMT+0000

 

288 euros for a Z170 board and the i5 6400. I don't know if you mind overclocking at all, but this board supports overclocking if you plan on doing so. If overclocking is not your thing, try this:

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

 

CPU: Intel Core i5-6600 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor  (£155.00 @ Amazon UK) 

Motherboard: ASRock H170M Pro4S Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  (£76.91 @ More Computers) 

Memory: Crucial 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory  (£64.91 @ More Computers) 

Total: £296.82

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-01-09 23:31 GMT+0000

 

Faster CPU out of the gate at 3.3ghz, and still a decent motherboard. Just trying to help you save some cash.