CPU sizzle?

smittyst0ic

New Member
Hello guys,

I am new to the computer building thing but I wanted to try it out. I am fairly fimilar with hardware, but this is the first time building a box from the ground up.

Running into a problem with my CPU when booting up with the board. I've got my motherboard installed in my case (nForce 680i LT SLI from EVGA, http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813188015) and have my PSU hooked up to the 24-pin power head, then I have the CPU head plugged in also. I also have the front panel lights/buttons connected to the board. The only other thing I have installed is the CPU (Core 2 Quad) with the heatsink and fan fastened on top (fan is unplugged from MB though to help isolate the problem). No RAM installed, no video, no drives...

The "standby" light will turn on once I connect the PSU to the wall outlet. Now, when I hit the power button on the case, it tries to boot the machine, but while booting, the CPU starts crackling (almost like its shorting out, literally sounding like something on a skillet your cooking, but no smoke). It will run for about 5 seconds and then the box shuts down (maybe some safety mechanism?).

I am 100% sure it is the CPU because the board will boot up fine without the CPU installed (ie - will send power to all the devices). Also, I have checked that I didn't screw up the pins on the MB because I compared them to the pin closeup here -- http://www.hardcoreware.net/reviews/review-219-1.htm. Thinking I seated the CPU wrong, I verified by going to Intel's site and watching their video tutorial on how to install the CPU and I have done exactly that. I tried re-seating a couple times but still the same problem, skillet cooking CPU.

Has anyone had this happen before or seen/heard similar problems? Am I missing a ground wire somewhere on the motherboard or something else weird that I have overlooked? CPU bad?

I also noticed that before re-seating the processor for the second time, that the bottom of the processor has indentations from the pins in the CPU socket, is this normal? I was possibly thinking I pressed too hard when trying to install the heat sink on top.

Any comments would be appreciated :)
 
Umm, you started up your system with the CPU fan disconnected? Hahaha. Can you say fried CPU?

You NEVER start up a system with the cpu fan disconnected! NEVER!

Sorry, but that was not a good thing to do.

The CPU can get up to 90c in seconds, and if you had it on for over a minute, then its fried.
 
I know this already... fan/heatsink not on CPU is bad.

When I originally started the system, I had all the fans plugged into the PSU and the fan on the CPU was running and I still got the sizzle sound. The fan was seated properly on the CPU and locked into the MB.

I turned the fan off and tried booting (just to see if it was the fan was making the noise) and still got the noise.
 
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According to the instructions that were with the retail CPU, said do not apply anymore paste -- there was already some pre-applied to the bottom of the heatsink. It was a thin layer of some gray stuff.

Just wondering if its a bad CPU, judging from the newegg comments about the Q6600 about people getting DOA CPUs. I guess the more likely reason is I screwed something up during installation....
 
Negative... instructions bundled with CPU said not to apply any paste. I think it already had some of the bottom of the heat sink (had a thin gray substance on it).

So either I screwed up somewhere or the CPU or MB socket is bad... or who knows. I am baffled and hoping I didn't just destroy a $300 CPU :(
 
Yes, by "stand offs" you mean, screws that have an open top that screen into the case, lay MB on top of those and then screw in screws into those. I followed the whole ATX disgram that was in the case. MB is elevated off the case and the I/O on the back lines up right... should be all good there.
 
WHoa! I had a stand off on lower left corner of the CPU (under the MB)... was not supposed to be there! Think I just screwed the board up because of that?

Going to remount MB and try to boot up from there.
 
Is there some kind of grounding I've missed? Its odd that I would only hear the sizzle when the CPU was connected... probably because more power was being sent through the MB in that area maybe?
 
Well, this f***ing blows... I remount the board, plug in 24-pin MB power, CPU power, attach heatink + fan onto CPU, plug in the CPU fan. Start the machine... works for about 3 seconds and bam!, MB catches on fire, LOL

Jesus... this sucks. All the mounts were correct this time, I don't get what happened. Thankfully nothing else got burned... who knows about the CPU being good anymore or not.

This really sucks alot, I'm out at least $160 now and if the CPU is messed up, I'm out about $350.

Christ. :mad:
 
Like actually on fire? If so that's awesome. Not for you but in general if you think about it. Time for a new mobo.
 
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