[SOLVED] No POST - - - CPU issue ?

[xibalban]

Hello folks,

My 10 year old rig (the same rig as in my signature) failed to post. The CPU fan clicks for a second and then switches off. This is the most common issue there is and thanks to Tomshardware's sticky post on troubleshooting ((link here), I zeroed in on the CPU as the culprit.

Initially, I got lazy and simply decided to give a local business a chance and had them looked at it, and eventually got scammed by them. Problem persisted and only my wallet went a little lighter. Hence, I decided to troubleshoot the system myself.

I bread-boarded the system and after I removed the CPU from the slot, I could see the mobo posting (via on-board LEDs).
Next, I carefully inspected the CPU socket and found one pin slightly bent, and straightened that out.
Next, I took a closer look at the CPU itself and at the myriad of circular contact points on its surface. The view was dismal (picture attached). The local repair shop (probably) had screwed the hell out of it.
I had no rubbing alcohol or any iso-propyl, so I grabbed wet tissue and wiped it clean as much as I could.
Next, I seated the CPU back into the slot and viola, the system booted like a charm. I was happy again

Until, after two days, the issue recurred. This made me realize, and your comments will help me decide, that I need to go for a CPU swap. Finally, we arrive at the gist and purpose (other than how helpful this may prove to some other members facing similar no-post issues) of this post.

• Should I care to get a new CPU for a 10 year old rig?
• Which Haswell processor may I choose, since this is a chance for an upgrade from my i5-4430?
• Or, should I try again at cleaning the contacts of the CPU using better methods, etc.
• The thermal paste between the stock cooler and the CPU has been cleaned off, I had no thermal paste. Could the absence of thermal paste cause no-post issues?
• The picture of the CPU was taken "before" cleaning with wet-wipes. I didn't take any picture after cleaning and I'm reluctant to remove the CPU from the slot again.

Looking forward to your kind comments please. Thank you.

 

[Lutfij]

That CPU's underside looks like someone took a steel wire brush and went to town with it. Try and use an eraser and get the carbon off of it, gently. Then use isopropyl alcohol and see if you can clean it up a little, without using your elbows(be gentle).

Please list the specs to your build like so:
CPU:
CPU cooler:
Motherboard:
Ram:
SSD/HDD:
GPU:
PSU:
Chassis:
OS:
Monitor:
include the age of the PSU apart from it's make and model. BIOS version for your motherboard at this moment of time.

If you state your specs are in your sig space, sig space specs can and will change over time, rendering this thread and possible suggestons moot to the person in the same boat as you're in now. Which is why we ask users include their specs in the thread's body.

 

[xibalban]

That CPU's underside looks like someone took a steel wire brush and went to town with it. Try and use an eraser and get the carbon off of it, gently. Then use isopropyl alcohol and see if you can clean it up a little, without using your elbows(be gentle).

Please list the specs to your build like so:
CPU:
CPU cooler:
Motherboard:
Ram:
SSD/HDD:
GPU:
PSU:
Chassis:
OS:
Monitor:
include the age of the PSU apart from it's make and model. BIOS version for your motherboard at this moment of time.

If you state your specs are in your sig space, sig space specs can and will change over time, rendering this thread and possible suggestons moot to the person in the same boat as you're in now. Which is why we ask users include their specs in the thread's body.

You have a point, sorry my bad not to include the specs here. And, thanks for the response.

i5-4430
MSI-Z87-GD65
MSI-GTX-760-OC
GSkill-RipjawsX-2x4GB-2133Mhz
Corsair-Neutron-120GB-SSD
Seagate-Barracuda-1TB
NZXT-Phantom-410
Benq-XL2411T-120Hz-1080p
NVIDIA-3D-Vision-2
Seasonic-860W-Platinum

All bought in 2014. BIOS version, cannot check now, not sure.

 

[baboma]

>The thermal paste between the stock cooler and the CPU has been cleaned off, I had no thermal paste...Next, I seated the CPU back into the slot and viola, the system booted like a charm...Until, after two days, the issue recurred.

Suggest thermal paste. https://ebay.com/itm/383335682578

>Should I care to get a new CPU for a 13 year old rig?

If CPU worked for 2 days w/o good heatsinking, it's probably fine. Get paste first and find out.

>Which Haswell processor may I choose, since this is a chance for an upgrade from my i5-4430?

>Could the absence of thermal paste cause no-post issues?

Given your inexperience at PC-building per above question, plus other indications, suggest sticking with same CPU for best chance at success.

A faster CPU would have minimal impact, and may require other changes like better CPU cooler. It's an old PC and expense should be kept minimal, inline with its residual value, which is under $100.

Intel Core i5-4430 $12.20 https://ebay.com/itm/196372768487

 

[DSzymborski]

This is why it's good to provide the specs! Without them, I would have assumed you were mistaken about your parts; Haswell CPUs were released in 2013. In 2010, you would have had to have a pre-Sandy Bridge chip, and I'd definitely recommend not putting any money into a a system that old.

That's about as messed up as I've seen an Intel CPU that wasn't burned to a crisp. You have a competent motherboard that has BIOS updates that can get you all the way to the refreshed Haswell parts and an i7-4790 can be had used for like $30. You can do a 4790K, too, but at $75, it's starting to verge on an amount that makes more sense to be put into a platform update.

Though, you will need to update BIOS if you haven't already (you could likely use a 4770 without an update) and make sure your current cooling solution is adequate.

 

[xibalban]

Suggest thermal paste. https://ebay.com/itm/383335682578

Thanks for the link.

Haswell CPUs were released in 2013. In 2010, you would have had to have a pre-Sandy Bridge chip,

You are right, and pardon me, this rig seems to have been built in 2014, so it is actually around ten years old.

Thank you so much for such great responses, especially about the CPU replacement suggestions.

UPDATE: I removed the CPU and noticed dirt built-up again, just like in my initial picture. This time, I used eraser and ethyl alcohol to clean the contacts, and I have attached a picture this time, post cleaning.

The PC now boots and is working okay, but given the history, the issue may repeat (after two days perhaps).

The BIOS version is now visible: American Megatrends Inc. V1.3, 6/17/2013

Since the dirt deposit returned after cleaning, I am sure the several hundred pins in the CPU slot are dirty and need cleaning. Is there a way to clean those contacts, since I obviously can't wipe those. I tried a miniature 3 Volt hand operated vacuum cleaner on the slot but it seems to do nothing to clean those contacts. Must have sucked any dust in there but dirt stuck to the pins, I don't think so. Any suggestions?

The CPU after cleaning:

The CPU Slot:

 

[baboma]

>Any suggestions?

If PC has heavy dust build-up, remove components from case, take them outside, and use a blower (not a vac). Take ESD precaution.

https://dollartree.com/air-duster-2z/266972

 

[DSzymborski]

Even as someone who has built and maintained myriad PCs in the last 35 years -- I installed my first card, and EGA card so I could play Civilization at 11 -- I try to avoid tinkering too much with the socket if I don't have to. A small blower may be sufficient. I also have a tendency, at last resort, to use my spray bottle of isopropyl. But I also don't mind buying new parts as the money's less valuable to me than the time.

 

[xibalban]

Well, the PC failed to start again. I took the CPU out again, to find the same dirt on those contacts. Could microscopic short circuits be causing the contacts to burn and leave the dirt residue? How do I really clean the pins inside the slot, there must be a way.

>Any suggestions?

If PC has heavy dust build-up, remove components from case, take them outside, and use a blower (not a vac). Take ESD precaution.

https://dollartree.com/air-duster-2z/266972

Thanks, I am familiar with the spray (simply compressed purified air) as I used it extensively on optical fibre work. The spray won't clean the pins though.

I also have a tendency, at last resort, to use my spray bottle of isopropyl. But I also don't mind buying new parts as the money's less valuable to me than the time.

Do you mean, simply spray the iso-propyl over the slot and wait for it to dry?

I feel more and more tempted to get a 4770K, available here at about 120 CAD. But, what if it were the CPU slot that is actually causing the issue and not the processor itself. I need time to ponder over it, to be or not to be.

 

[baboma]

>Do you mean, simply spray the iso-propyl over the slot and wait for it to dry?

https://youtube.com/results?search_query=clean+motherboard+cpu+socket

 

[xibalban]

>Do you mean, simply spray the iso-propyl over the slot and wait for it to dry?

https://youtube.com/results?search_query=clean+motherboard+cpu+socket

I feel like a total jacka** when someone tells me to simply search the web for solutions. Believe me, I had done that already before seeking for solutions here in this forum. Youtube is fraught with videos from a particular country, with only the video titles in English and the content in a different language (or otherwise unintelligible).

I trust suggestions from real unselfish people, like those here in this forum, rather than from unknown click-baiting video up-loaders.

 

[Max_D]

I had a similar experience to you just last week with my 10yo 'project' PC, but in my case I was only lucky enough to get my mobo posting ONCE after troubleshooting. However It refused to post again, even after trying every trick in the book.

I ended up spending $130 on a replacement PSU, only to find that was NOT the issue.

Spent another $500 on replacement mobo, CPU, and RAM. I suspect it was the mobo at fault, not my CPU.

 

[xibalban]

Spent another $500 on replacement mobo, CPU, and RAM. I suspect it was the mobo at fault, not my CPU.

I followed the troubleshooting guide in the "sticky" part of this forum and since removing the CPU from the slot caused the mobo to light up, and the PSU to stay on, it had to be the CPU.

I repeatedly have cleaned the CPU contact points and reinstalled it in the slot and the system boots but the problem recurs. Somehow, carbon/dirt reappeared on those contacts.

Recently, I cleaned the CPU slot with a tooth-brush dipped in iso-propyl. I ended up bending a few pins in the slot and now even after cleaning the CPU contacts, the system won't boot. I must straighten those bent/displaced pins in the slot meticulously and try again. Since the contacts on the CPU looked as if someone had used sand-paper over them, I am planning to get another CPU (a 4790K possibly) and hopefully the swap should end all my woes.

 

[xibalban]

UPDATE:

I carefully fixed those bent pins in the CPU slot and the system booted. This time, I saw an alert at start-up - "New CPU installed. Press F1 to enter setup to configure your system". I obviously went to the BIOS setup, just saved and exited and the system boots into windows as usual. It was funny what may have triggered that message. Also, as usual, the system won't boot again after a few hours.

Fellas, looking back at my initial post (picture below), do you think I must get a new CPU after all?

 

[xibalban]

UPDATE:

One very crucial info that I missed in my initial post was the CPU temp at idle, though we carelessly looked at it with insignificance. The CPU temp at idle, taken from the BIOS screen was hovering between 70 to 74 degree Celsius.

Next update is about my ordering a 4790 (non "k" version). I found one at 60 CAD which will arrive today. This comes with a thermal paste. I will apply thermal paste this time around and then post my outcomes fellas. I have a stock Intel cooler.

Thanks for your support.

 

[xibalban]

I swapped my old worn out 4430 with a 4790 this morning and well, finally the issue rests as resolved. I applied thermal paste this time around and the idle CPU temperature now stays under 40 °C. The lack of adequate cooling had corroded the CPU contact points. There are no further no-post/no-boot recurrences whatsoever.

Given your inexperience at PC-building per above question, plus other indications, suggest sticking with same CPU for best chance at success.

The final takeaway for me and everyone else, hence is as follows:-

The main issue was the lack of thermal paste.