Help diagnose a problem

CI on 26/04/2014 - 19:42
Last edited 26/04/2014 - 21:13

So my computer (desktop) turns on, then suddenly turns off. Sometimes it reaches the home screen and sometimes just as it is turning on turns off. Not shut down just turns off.
I have gone ahead replaced the CPU thermal compound. Didn't help. I then went ahead replaced the GPU thermal compound didn't help.
Now my question, do you guys think it's the PSU? Whenever I turn the comp on there's this high pitch noise and then disappears.
Today it turned on upto the the windows home screen but the mouse is no longer functioning.
Should I go buy a PSU?

I have a gigabyte ga p55 series motherboard, with i5 intel chip. The PSU is 430 watts.

Bios: http://tinypic.com/r/3090ifn/8

Computing

Comments

  • shadow131 on 26/04/2014 - 20:07

    Today it turned on upto the the windows home screen but the mouse is no longer functioning.
    Did it shut down again by itself?

    And generally when its the PSU problem you should either
    a) not be able to turn it on at all
    b) if you smell it closely should smell like….er… burn plastic or something burning.

    You can also check if it is the psu by booting into you motherboard's bios. Spam f1 or f2 on boot. (i think). If it stays on the bios and doesnt shut down, then i dont think it has to do with the bios

    Only other issue i can think of it your ram. Try taking one of the multiple sticks out if you have more than one.

    • CI on 26/04/2014 - 20:58

      Yes it did just shut down again.

      Ok I will try that thanks and get back to you

      I have 2 sticks 2gb each ddr3

    • CI on 26/04/2014 - 21:04

      Just tested what you advised. It suddenly turned off again at bios after about 3 minutes max.
      But what I did notice was CPU temp reached 89 degrees C in seconds. So my thermal compound is crapy ?

      • scrimshaw on 26/04/2014 - 21:24
        +3

        But what I did notice was CPU temp reached 89 degrees C in seconds. So my thermal compound is crapy ?

        Lol no. It's more likely your heatsink fan is dead or maybe your heatsink isn't even touching the processor die!

        Might want to check it again?

        • CI on 26/04/2014 - 21:42

          fan is working fine, you maybe correct on them actually not touching. thanks. I am no expert with comps so please bare with me if i say something stupid

        • shadow131 on 26/04/2014 - 23:33
          +1

          Wont be due to crappy compound. Even with a crappy compound it should be able to hand more then 3 minutes on idle. Try reseating the heat sink. screw each corner down gradually, e.i. 1/2 way for each one, then go back and completely screw it down

        • ramb9 on 27/04/2014 - 01:09

          Agree with both.

          Almost definite CPU overheating problem.

          And about the thermal compound, if you apply too much, instead of transferring heat it will insulate and become even hotter. You may be applying too much thermal compound, thus its overheating even worst.
          http://www.wikihow.com/Apply-Thermal-Paste

  • 2pro4sho on 26/04/2014 - 22:15

    Could be faulty motherboard. Pretty tough to test that. Maybe take it to a computer shop for a quote then just buy / install the problem parts yourself

    • CI on 26/04/2014 - 22:29

      I don't think its the motherboard, as the problem is back onto the heat sink, since BIOS showed high cpu temp even after re-application of thermal compound. But, I could be wrong.

    • scrimshaw on 26/04/2014 - 23:00
      +1

      Actually your motherboard could have a faulty temperature probe, so reporting an unusually high temperature and shutting the machine down.

      • shadow131 on 26/04/2014 - 23:53

        Actually your motherboard could have a faulty temperature probe, so reporting an unusually high temperature and shutting the machine down.

        touch the back of your motherboard if you case has a hole at the back. if thats burning hot then there nothing wrong with the probe.

        • CI on 27/04/2014 - 00:17

          Thanks. Will follow advice tomorrow and update back here.

  • solace on 27/04/2014 - 00:12

    very unlikely for the thermal compound / contact to be playing up unless you have recently reseated cpu/removed cpu fan, particularly if its the stock intel fan
    sometimes heavy aftermarket cpu coolers can have trouble with contact with CPU

    is the cpu fan spinning up properly? are the heatsink fins getting warm to touch at all? (though they can stay pretty cool on idle if working properly)

    If it is truly heat related you should be seeing the boot times getting shorter and shorter as you constantly try to power cycle the pc

    Any recent changes to the PC at all?

    Try clearing the CMOS before trying again..

    • CI on 27/04/2014 - 00:16

      Hey thanks mate for your advice
      Please read op, I did apply thermal compound recently to try to fix the problem. As it is starting to become more obvious that the actual cpu and heat sink are not in good contact, evident from the fact after applying the compound temperature remained high.

  • Geewhizz on 27/04/2014 - 08:47

    Mine was doing exactly what you describe in the original post. Turned out to be the power supply.

  • Cdmonk on 27/04/2014 - 10:06

    PSU or RAM.

    Have spent so much time in the last chasing weird issues that I couldn't work out that ended up being either PSU or RAM. I don't trust the BIOS voltage display anymore. Borrow someone's supply and try it. Block diagnosis is the best way to sort it out, but it generally means you need to get your hands on spare parts.

    Agree with the comments: unless you've pulled the CPU cooler, it won't be the thermal compound. Check fan visually. Check CPU temps in bios. (I normally check in windows, but you can't seem to get there). as already said, is the heat-sink getting hot?
    The temp sensor should be reliable as it's in the CPU. Haven't checked the boards specs to see how old it is but they have been in the CPU for a long time now.

    Start with PSU. You should be able to get your hands on one easy enough.

    For the ram, you can try to see if it's 1 faulty stick by removing them all, then trying them all 1 at a time

    If you have another graphics card that you can get access to, swap it out too, unless your board has built in graphics as well , if it does pull the graphics card all together.

    Also, try safe mode or a Linux live CD just to rule out software.

    If it's not software, heat, ram, PSU, GFX then It's looking like CPU or motherboard :(

    Good luck

  • edfrane on 27/04/2014 - 22:06

    I have the same series motherboard.
    It just turns off when the CPU overheats.(my fault, had no thermal compound on at the time)

  • Weezle on 27/04/2014 - 23:16

    Have you tested the RAM?

  • CI on 27/04/2014 - 23:53

    Update 2: so I believe it was the actual sitting of the heat sink being incorrect. As I went to reapply the thermal compund the heat sink came off without much force.
    I cleaned everything with alcohol and reapplied new thermal compund and sat the heat sink to the best of my ability, making sure it's not wiggly. I have left it to cure for next 24 hours.
    Hopefully tomorrow when I run the pc the cpu temp is down.
    Haven't tested the ram yet, will do tomorrow.

    • imcold on 28/04/2014 - 11:08

      It should be so tightly on there should be no wiggling at all. Should feel solid. Unfortunately my last motherboard/CPU cooler had a faulty heat sink clip-on. If you bumped the computer hard or tried moving it you had to re-seat it and probably reapply the thermal paste just to be safe.

    • netsurfer on 28/04/2014 - 23:22

      The CPU heat sink + fan should not come off unless you rotate the 4 pronged fasteners (“push pins”) and pull them out first. It is quite common to not install the heat sink + fan properly, especially if it is to re-apply thermal compound (i.e. you took out the heat sink + fan and want to re-do the thermal compound).

      The heat sink from Intel is good the first time you use it, but if you remove it and then re-install it, you really need to make sure it is 100% secure and pushed all the way down leaving no gap. If you can pull out the fan with a bit of force, then it is not installed correctly.

      Getting virtually no gap between the heat sink and the CPU is most important. The thermal compound helps, but only a bit (mainly to seal off any very minor air gap). For me, if the heat sink is brand new, it is quite easy. Using a used heat sink (i.e. changing CPU from one motherboard to another motherboard) generally require more work / effort to get it done right.

  • nicksinternet on 28/04/2014 - 07:26
    +1

    I am an IT Tech. This sounds like motherboard to me.

    Give away was how your mouse (usb port) randomly stops working as well. Booting to various stages is also sign. You probably have a dry solder joint or crack somewhere. Both not fixable.

    • cantstanzya on 28/04/2014 - 19:57

      Whats your thoughts on the kitchen oven reflow technique?
      I have a bad laptop mobo and have always been tempted to try it.

      • shadow131 on 28/04/2014 - 21:17

        Your oven need to have very accurate readings. else you will fry your components, that or it will de solder and components will fall off the underside.

  • [Deactivated] on 28/04/2014 - 09:56
    1. reseat ram, test
    2. Borrow a psu from another pc
    3. scrap mobo and buy new
  • subywagon on 28/04/2014 - 10:08
    +2

    too much porn overload.

  • edgar28 on 28/04/2014 - 12:14
    +1

    I encountered the same before, end up it's the GPU faulty.
    replaced the graphics card, it works for another 3 months……. then the same symptom happens again.
    It's the motherboard start to get faulty.

    sometimes it's just better off get a brand new computer, as older parts are more expensive (in most cases)
    and last week my hdd is not functioning anymore (same badge when I bough the old computer)

    the lifespan is about the same for all parts…….

  • ahly92 on 28/04/2014 - 18:50

    So my computer (desktop) turns on, then suddenly turns off

    don't worry you will get a call from India "Microsoft" very shortly…they'll solve it ;)

    • shadow131 on 28/04/2014 - 21:12

      Cant. They wont be able to show him the 1000's of errors. :P

  • CI on 28/04/2014 - 23:42
    +1

    Update: fixed heat sink properly. Cpu temps are down to 39 degrees. That's the good news! But all that rapid turning off has damaged something, the pc is super slow like I am using a pentium 3. Should I just reinstall windows ? Are there other checks I can run?

    • shadow131 on 28/04/2014 - 23:47

      Can be a result of corrupted boot/background processors.
      go to task manager and check performance for CPU usage. Should idle on 5% or less. if its high, go to processes and see whats eating up its power.

      You can reinstall windows if you have nothing you want to keep on your drive

      EDIT: Oh an check that your ram shows up on the task manager. May have not pushed it all the way in

    • netsurfer on 30/04/2014 - 10:20

      Re-install Windows 7/8. If possible, get or use an SSD.

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