Can a "working" motherboard cause CPU failure?

[pc-freak]

Hello,

A while ago I sent a defective CPU (which has worked for 6 months) and the motherboard back to the shop. I asked them to replace both the CPU and the motherboard.

After they done their tests, folks at alternate said that they will send a new CPU but will send the old motherboard back as it "works" just fine.

The email I got this morning:

thank you for your E-Mail.

Your return consignment has arrived at our service department on Jan. 23rd. Our tests confirmed
that the CPU is defective, so we replaced it and sent a new CPU with SL 354552034

As for the board, it didn't show any problems once we've updated its BIOS, so we've sent it back
to your with SL 354551994

You'll receive the board and the replacement for your CPU within the next few days.

If you have any further queries, please feel free to write us.

Weird thing in this email is that board shows no problems after they've updated bios. The PC worked fine for 6 months! I doubt a bios update solves all its problems.

Okay. If they say it works, fine. But I still do not know what caused the old CPU failure in the first place.

I am scared to put the new replacement CPU into a, what they say, "working" motherboard for obvious reasons.

Little background to the whole issue. Few months ago the PC started to have weird issues: the GPU stopped getting recognized in the top PCI slot, while in the bottom PCI slot it worked fine. So naturally I thought it was the motherboard.

I made a thread about this issue: http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/answers/id-3792893/msi-z370-top-pcie-x16-slot-stopped-working.html

The PC worked fine for another month (with the GPU in the bottom PCI slot), then, it died completely. Stopped giving signal. Fans did spin. It did turn on. But no signal.

How I see it there are two possibilities:
1. CPU was faulty the whole time causing the motherboard to act weird
2. Motherboard is in "half working" state and caused the CPU failure

So...
What do you think about this whole situation?
Can a working motherboard cause CPU failure?
Is there a such thing as a working motherboard which causes component failure?
Would you trust alternate and use the old motherboard or would you get a new motherboard just to be safe?
What would you do?

I am really frustrated with this issue. It has been going on for so long now... Any help is really appreciated!

 

[cin19]

How I see it there are two possibilities:
1. CPU was faulty the whole time causing the motherboard to act weird
2. Motherboard is in "half working" state and caused the CPU failure

A "working" MB will not cause the CPU failure, either the cpu is time to die, or other reasons like improperly installed the cpu, or improperly oc to cause overheat, or bent pin(s), or etc.
If they did test to confirm the cpu has problem, you should be fine. If you will get problem, Go back the shop ask for more help.

 

[gingerrankin]

Several things:
Neither MSI nor any motherboard manufacturer updates the bios automatically. It is a process with a certain risk that has to be done with care.
It is not that the update of the bios has fixed the problem, but they have updated the bios as a general protocol and after this they do not observe failure.

The problem you had with the first PCI-E slot is significant. If you look at page 29 of the motherboard manual you will see that the first one depends on the cpu lanes and the other on the chipset lanes. This is compatible with a cpu error.

In any case if the first pci-e slot still does not work you should return the motherboard.

 

[pc-freak]

How I see it there are two possibilities:
1. CPU was faulty the whole time causing the motherboard to act weird
2. Motherboard is in "half working" state and caused the CPU failure

A "working" MB will not cause the CPU failure, either the cpu is time to die, or other reasons like improperly installed the cpu, or improperly oc to cause overheat, or bent pin(s), or etc.
If they did test to confirm the cpu has problem, you should be fine. If you will get problem, Go back the shop ask for more help.

Thank you!

Several things:
Neither MSI nor any motherboard manufacturer updates the bios automatically. It is a process with a certain risk that has to be done with care.
It is not that the update of the bios has fixed the problem, but they have updated the bios as a general protocol and after this they do not observe failure.

The problem you had with the first PCI-E slot is significant. If you look at page 29 of the motherboard manual you will see that the first one depends on the cpu lanes and the other on the chipset lanes. This is compatible with a cpu error.

In any case if the first pci-e slot still does not work you should return the motherboard.

You are probably right regarding the upper pci-e slot not working due to a faulty CPU. I didn't know about this.
Thank you!

However, what still bugs me is that the PC worked fine with the GPU in the second, bottom slot for another month or so, all until the CPU completely died.
Can a CPU be in a half working state? Is there such a thing?

Screenshot, page 29 from the motherboards manual:

 

[gingerrankin]

A CPU can "fail in part". The strange thing is that it went from functioning correctly to partially functioning and not working at all.

If you decide to put the new cpu on the motherboard, I suggest you download the "Intel® Processor Diagnostic Tool" and pass a complete test of your processor.

I'm sorry I can not be of more help.