# [URGENT] I think I fried my motherboard



## nac (Feb 27, 2017)

I think I fried my motherboard when trying to fix my GPU issue. There was a burnt smell and now it's not booting. I tried some troubleshoot options,

- LED light in motherboard is lit up
- PSU fan not spinning
- CPU fan not spinning
- Don't hear any noise from HDD
- No display in the monitor
- No beep sound
- Removed RAM from the slot to check if RAM is the issue, but there is no continuous beep
- Removed CMOS battery and placed it back after an hour, still no life other than the LED light

I think motherboard gone kaput and don't know if it can be repaired. Contacted a local computer service guy and quoted 500/- to check what's the issue. I am not in a position to spend any money right now. If I have to get a new motherboard, I don't have a lot of choice here. In this circumstance I don't want to spend 500 more just to get confirmation that the motherboard is gone kaput and I have to buy a new one.

Should I go ahead and buy a motherboard or give it to service and wait for them to say what I should do next?

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Update: Removed processor and RAM, put gpu in pci ex slot and disconnected ATX 4-pin connector, cpu heat sink fan. Now motherboard boots.
What's wrong here?

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Update: Swapped another CPU, E8400. Not working.
Swapped another PSU, not working.

BTW, now I am testing with CPU, heatsink fan, motherboard and PSU. Nothing else and things are out of the cabinet.

I don't know if I should consider my motherboard is working as things are starting with CPU power connector disconnected.

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This looks like a leak but not sure if this is a significant unit and causing this issue.

*s13.postimg.org/ouk07m61z/IMG_0203.jpg*pixxxels.org/


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## chimera201 (Feb 27, 2017)

It's time for a new PC


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## quicky008 (Feb 27, 2017)

If your local service guy can check whats wrong with the motherboard and repair it for a nominal fee,then you can hand it over to him and see what he can do about it.If its acting up due to a capacitor leakage then it will probably be quite easy to fix and won't cost too much either.However if he demands a lot of money for repairs then giving it to him won't be worthwhile-in that case its better if you get a new motherboard altogether.

Many people sell used lga775 mobos on sites like olx,quickr etc for fairly low prices-some of them also give a testing warranty that may range from 30 days to 6 months or more.If you don't want to spend a lot of money,you can go with the used route and get a 2nd hand mobo at a lower price.Just make sure you test the motherboard thoroughly before purchase.I had an intel mobo in my pc earlier that lasted  for around 5 years-after it went kaput i procured a refurbished board as its substitute with a c2d cpu for roughly 2400 from a dealer in my city.


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## nac (Feb 27, 2017)

chimera201 said:


> It's time for a new PC


  


quicky008 said:


> If your local service guy can check whats wrong with the motherboard and repair it for a nominal fee,then you can hand it over to him and see what he can do about it.If its acting up due to a capacitor leakage then it will probably be quite easy to fix and won't cost too much either.However if he demands a lot of money for repairs then giving it to him won't be worthwhile-in that case its better if you get a new motherboard altogether.
> 
> Many people sell used lga775 mobos on sites like olx,quickr etc for fairly low prices-some of them also give a testing warranty that may range from 30 days to 6 months or more.If you don't want to spend a lot of money,you can go with the used route and get a 2nd hand mobo at a lower price.Just make sure you test the motherboard thoroughly before purchase.I had an intel mobo in my pc earlier that lasted  for around 5 years-after it went kaput i procured a refurbished board as its substitute with a c2d cpu for roughly 2400 from a dealer in my city.


If I understood him right, it's 500/- for checking what's wrong, for diagonising the issue. I don't know if he will fix it without charging extra. If the problem is with motherboard, possibility is very thin to fix. And he quoted 2500/- for G31 chipset board (an unknown brand). That's 3000/- in total 

Ruled out PSU, tried it in my friend's friend's system and it's working fine and good.

It's either CPU or motherboard.


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## quicky008 (Feb 28, 2017)

if the motherboard is ok and the cpu is damaged,replacing it with a new one isn't gonna be difficult-lga775 cpus are available a dime a dozen these days.The unknown brand that your dealer is offering is probably some noname chinese product-they are rather unreliable and are not recommended.If it comes to replacing the motherboard,you should try to get a refurb/used mobo from a renowned brand like Asus,msi,gigabyte etc-atleast the risk of them going bad or malfunctioning will be far less or minimal as compared to those chinese boards of sub-par quality.And 2500 is a little too much-he's clearly overcharging.A new 945/g31 board shouldn't cost more than 1800.


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## Faun (Feb 28, 2017)

nac said:


> If I understood him right, it's 500/- for checking what's wrong, for diagonising the issue. I don't know if he will fix it without charging extra. If the problem is with motherboard, possibility is very thin to fix. And he quoted 2500/- for G31 chipset board (an unknown brand). That's 3000/- in total
> 
> Ruled out PSU, tried it in my friend's friend's system and it's working fine and good.
> 
> It's either CPU or motherboard.



CPUs don't go bad that easily. Motherboard is choke full of failure points. Likely, the motherboard.


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## nac (Feb 28, 2017)

quicky008 said:


> if the motherboard is ok and the cpu is damaged,replacing it with a new one isn't gonna be difficult-lga775 cpus are available a dime a dozen these days.The unknown brand that your dealer is offering is probably some noname chinese product-they are rather unreliable and are not recommended.If it comes to replacing the motherboard,you should try to get a refurb/used mobo from a renowned brand like Asus,msi,gigabyte etc-atleast the risk of them going bad or malfunctioning will be far less or minimal as compared to those chinese boards of sub-par quality.And 2500 is a little too much-he's clearly overcharging.A new 945/g31 board shouldn't cost more than 1800.


I have already bought E8400, just don't have a system to try. E8400 looks newer than my E2160. Yeah, 2500/- is too much. I bought mine for 2500/- 9yrs back.


Faun said:


> CPUs don't go bad that easily. Motherboard is choke full of failure points. Likely, the motherboard.


I am keeping my fingers crossed. CPU was super hot when I smelled something burn. Case was open, I didn't see any smoke. There is no burn mark on the board, checked underside of the board too. 
When I googled I found most of the queries similar to mine are not solved.
Friend's neighbour asked to bring the board to check. If he narrows down to one component, we can see if it's fixable. If not have to get a new one.


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## topgear (Mar 1, 2017)

Do these :

1. Check Motherboard with OLD cpu only

If it boots then motherboard is ok but not fully functional because you mentioned if you connect the cpu 4 pin connector the motherboard stops booting.

2. E8400 is not working may be due to no bios support - if possible try it on a friends pc.

Last year say similar thing happening with a motherboard .. as soon as the 4 pin cpu power connector is plugged motherboard won't boot, no fan activity either but was running fine with the 24 pin motherboard power connector. The motherboard was at fault there.

Anyway, one can get a decent G31 motherboard of branded companies @~2.2k on ebay but get from seller with high ratings and if you need to discount coupon I can give you some.


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## nac (Mar 1, 2017)

topgear said:


> 1. Check Motherboard with OLD cpu only
> 
> If it boots then motherboard is ok but not fully functional because you mentioned if you connect the cpu 4 pin connector the motherboard stops booting.
> 
> ...


Problem started with E2160 (my old CPU). Swapped CPU, but didn't try disconnecting 4 pin CPU power connector with E8400. For now, E2160 is fitted with the motherboard. I will try tonight and let you know how it reacts with E8400.

Couldn't find compatible motherboard. Waiting for friend's board. Don't know what's the model/whether its compatible with my CPU or not. If he delays, I have to buy a new one.

Friend's neighbour checked and said that something is shorting. Motherboard needs a chip level servicing.

Thanks for the reply.


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