Motherboard fried? How do I tell if CPU and other hardware are operating

[impLi3D]

Hi guys I think my motherboard fried.. Earlier today I was replacing the stock cooler for my fx 8320 because its so god damn loud but when I removed the heatsink and CPU there were excess thermal paste that I cleaned off. There was so much thermal paste that whoever built my computer must've squeeze an entire tube into that thing.


I tried cleaning it off but smeared thermal paste inside the CPU socket on the motherboard now its in the CPU holes on the mobo. Then, being the idiot I am and also due to terrible lighting I thought I had it all cleaned out, threw my CPU in and booted up my computer.

Everything turns on, fans spin, video card fan spins but there was no beep from the motherboard and there is nothing transmitted to my display. I'm lost on what to do now..

Can I just replace my motherboard and hope everything else is alright? If anyone can help please help me troubleshoot what's wrong.

 

[impLi3D]

Also guys is the MSI 970 a solid choice for a motherboard

 

[d1rtydeedz]

You may as well take the mobo out and try cleaning it again. I'd set it on the kitchen table, grab some q-tips and some isopropyl alcohol [at least 50%]. Then I'd dip the q-tips and start scrubbing away, just be gentle. Make sure you clean it completely this time, including the cpu. Then reassemble and fire it up to see what happens. If you've already damaged it, what's the hurt? But it's possible there is just a bad connection on one of the pins.

Best of luck,

d1rty