[Flipside]

Got a wierd problem on my cmputer at the moment, it's shut itself off and refuses to restart. I've tried a different power supply but that didn't work, all that happens is a light on the motherboard (an Intel DP55WG) flashes when the fans start to try to spin up and then it cuts. The PROCHOT light is apparently a cut-off to prevent your CPU from getting too hot.

My own suspicion at the moment is a faulty sensor in the CPU Fan, (which has had quite a hard life with the way I use my computer), since the CPU is stone cold, if not it could be the MB itself which would be unfortunate since a new one is really going to hurt my limited budget. I'm hoping to high heaven it's not the CPU, I don't think it is because otherwise the computer would get further in the reboot than it does, I think, and there's no 'watermark' on the CPU or the copper heatsink that usually hints at an overheat.

Either way, I'm possibly going to be gone from a while, had to post this from my fathers computer.

[Davros]

Apparently youre not alone
http://communities.intel.com/thread/12171

[Flipside]

Yup, I managed to get the 'old' computer working for now (my previous computer, it's actually a dual core 6600 so it's hardly something out of the Ark. The onboard sound only works in Mono and half the USB ports can't decide if they work or not, but it's something at least.)

It wasn't the fan unfortunately, so I've just ordered myself a new motherboard, decided to go for this instead of a straight replacement, mostly because of the ability to boost the SATA speed for 2 drives, which will be the system disc and the virtual synth drive. Since programs like Kontakt tend to stream data from the disc, this is far more important to me than SLi compatibility (which is what the WG has and this doesn't).

Should be here by Thursday, and then comes the dreaded CPU transplant. I hate that bit

[Mongoose]

I feel like I'd be nervous as hell about the prospect of installing a CPU on a motherboard, enough so that I'd be willing to buy an already-assembled combo if such a thing existed.

[redsniper]

Oh it's not so bad, especially with the modern heat sink connectors where you just flip a lever. Used to be you had to force a metal clip down with a screwdriver. Watching the mobo flex under the force was always a little unnerving.

[Iss Mneur]

... the virtual synth drive....

What is this?  I tried google, but it wasn't much help (I assume it related to a Virtual Synthesizer, but I fail to see what a hard drive (or SATA connection speed) has to do with one).

[Flipside]

Basically, it's just the drive that all the samples are stored on, there are two kinds of Virtual Synth, Analog, which calculate the sound and Sample Synths which use several pre-recorded .wav files to create audio. Sample synths tend to stream the audio files direct from disc if possible to reduce memory footprint, so the faster you can read the data, the better

Apparently, the Socket 1156 CPU's are pretty easy to do, with no force needed from the builder, you just use a lever to lower it into the socket, I just still have bad memories from my dual core and spending many nervous minutes trying to straighten a pin that had bent without snapping it.

[rev_posix]

Apparently, the Socket 1156 CPU's are pretty easy to do, with no force needed from the builder, you just use a lever to lower it into the socket, I just still have bad memories from my dual core and spending many nervous minutes trying to straighten a pin that had bent without snapping it.

The newer sockets are no different from the older CPU's with the pins on the bottom (think socket 370) as far as CPU installation is concerned.

The ^$ #&^ %$ &! ! bloody stock Intel heatsink/fan design, OTOH...  What sick mind at Intel decided that a bloody 'pushpin' design for securing a heatsink was a good idea?  Can we say, flex that mainboard trying to secure the last 'pin'?

IMO, the only advantage the newest Intel design has over the old AMD super socket 7 design is that one doesn't have to use something similar to a screwdriver, and not the good kind that contains vodka, to put it on.  Of course, one might need said vodka if said driver slips...

Personally, I rather liked the Socket 478 heatsink design.  Drop it in place, attach the retaining clip and flip the levers...  done!

[General Battuta]

The ^$ #&^ %$  &! ! bloody stock Intel heatsink/fan design, OTOH...  What sick mind at Intel decided that a bloody 'pushpin' design for securing a heatsink was a good idea?  Can we say, flex that mainboard trying to secure the last 'pin'?

This is the truest thing. I really hate that pushpin design. I've never been able to really tell if I have it secure and my heatsink has fallen off twice.

[rev_posix]

The ^$ #&^ %$  &! ! bloody stock Intel heatsink/fan design, OTOH...  What sick mind at Intel decided that a bloody 'pushpin' design for securing a heatsink was a good idea?  Can we say, flex that mainboard trying to secure the last 'pin'?

This is the truest thing. I really hate that pushpin design. I've never been able to really tell if I have it secure and my heatsink has fallen off twice.

I've not had one fall off, but when I've heard that loud snap securing the last pin, I could have sworn I broke something.

[LHN91]

I'm always afraid of assembling an Intel pushpin style heatsink. It truly is unnerving to see the motherboard bend and creak like they do. Maybe that's part of the reason I'm still and AMD fanboy. line up the clips, flip a lever. Done. Worst case scenario, 3rd party heatsink, line up the clips, tighten a screw. Done.

[Flipside]

Well, just got the CPU out, and there's no pins, it's just a slot you balance the CPU in and then you pull down a lever to secure it in place. Though the fan itself is a horrible clip-based thing that takes far too much brute force to release.

I hate rebuilding motherboards anyway, so many leads, so little identification

[Flipside]

Well, she spins up, but it looks like the old Power Supply died and as a last favour, took the MB with it. I have a backup PSU, but it only has a single six-pin connector, and my Graphics card requires two of them for some reason, so I'm making progress slowly. I think I've got an old PCIe graphics card, a Sapphire 9200, so I'll try to dig it out and see what happens. Watch this space

[Davros]

I broke one of the pushpins on my q6600 heatsink
had to replace it with a nut and bolt

[Flipside]

Seem to have hit a brick wall for today. Spin up happens, but there's no post check, no VDU output or anything, it just.... spins up. Unfortunately, the computer is giving me no clue whatsoever as to why. I'll take a look tomorrow, but without any hints, I'm really not certain what to check next.

[Iss Mneur]

Seem to have hit a brick wall for today. Spin up happens, but there's no post check, no VDU output or anything, it just.... spins up. Unfortunately, the computer is giving me no clue whatsoever as to why. I'll take a look tomorrow, but without any hints, I'm really not certain what to check next.

That sucks, though normally it is something simple.

I suggest, reseating all of your ram. Next, make sure that you have the aux power of the CPU plugged in (and make sure that it is the proper one that you CPU needs and that it is not one of the GPUs cables).

If that fails, unplug everything (even the GPU) from the mainboard except for power, one stick of ram, the CPU/heatsink, and the front panel switch.  It should start beeping that it doesn't have a video card (or it will use the integrated one if you happen to have one on the system).  Then start by adding only the video card back, followed by all of your ram sticks, and then start attaching everything else testing the boot after each component is added.

[LHN91]

^ Agreed. poorly seated RAM is 90% of the time the culprit with a system that spins up but doesn't do anything. Also, if it won't boot with the one stick of RAM (and you have more than one) try each one of them separately. You might have a faulty one.

[Flipside]

What worries me is that the CPU_WARNING led has started to come on with the new board as well, looks like the PSU was kind enough to blow and take both the MB and the CPU with it.  I'll take a look today, but it looks like the whole thing is pretty knackered

Edit: To clarify, here were the testing results:

Old MB, Old PSU : Does not spin up. CPU Warning
Old MB, New PSU : Does not spin up. CPU Warning
New MB, Old PSU : Does not spin up. No CPU Warning (I think no power is getting to the board)
New MB, New PSU : Spins up. CPU Warning.

I think it's trying to drop a hint....

[Flipside]

Yup, the processor is dead

Just a quick question before I fork out for a new one. I'm seeing two 2.93GHz i7's for sale, labelled either Lynnfield or Nehalem. As I understand it, the entire range is Nehalem and the Lynnfield is just the name for this particular processor, but some clarification would be greatly appreciated

[Davros]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nehalem_(microarchitecture)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nehalem_(microarchitecture)