Comp just died: Need help

[AmishSlayer]

I changed a setting in a game. While it was applying the graphics changes, I stepped away to get some water. When I came back my computer was off.

I tried to start it up again but nothing happened. Thinking my graphics card had finally ovsrheated, I pulled it out to inspect it. After seeing nothing visibly wrong I decided to pop it back in and try again.

This time the lights on my fan came on for about 1/2 a second before I heard a spark and a small wisp of smoke rose from the general area my gfx card power cable is (the card side of the cable). The computer turned itself off, I quickly unplugged it and looked for the source of the smoke.

I couldn't find it. I figured w/ nothing to lose I'd try to power it on to see what would happen. From then on, only my fan and fan lights would power on for an instant and then go dead (and only after unplugging and replugging the external power cord).

I tried swapping out my power supply with another and I get the same effect.

PLEASE HELP!

I had to type this on my Wii...

EDIT: Ok, got to a laptop (no more typing long posts from my Wii )

Anybody around that might know what the hell is going on with my comp? I'm thinking I fried my motherboard somehow. I had checked temperatures on it earlier today and the mobo was at like 30-35C and the CPU was at 42C so I don't think it overheated.

 

[Javert]

How are we supposed to help you w/o specs??

 

[AmishSlayer]

How are we supposed to help you w/o specs??

I'm retarded.

CPU: AMD64 3200+
Ram: 1gb pc3200 ram
Graphics Card: Leadtek 6800GT
Mobo: MSI K8N Neo4
PSU: Enermax (ELT400AWT)

 

[Asus]

My guess is something with the power cord to the GPU or the card itself is shorting and not letting the PC on. Try not plugging the power into the GPU. It will probably warn you about it not running at full speed or something but try it. Or try a different GPU.

I'd cycle the power supply again though. Switch off for 20 seconds and then on again (not the red switch).

See anything, like plug ends, that is now black/burnt?

 

[AmishSlayer]

The only thing that happens with my comp right now is this:

I plug the power cord ONLY into the back of my power supply which I only have connected to my HDD, DVD drive and motherboard. I click the switch on the power supply (not the actual power button up front) and the fans and case lights flick on for an instant and go off. The power button doesn't do anything at any given time so I don't even get a chance to get to the posts. I don't think it's the PSU because I tried my roommate's PSU which can power on his computer properly (even if the rest of his comp is f'ed).

I'm not sure exactly what is required for a power supply to work properly, but when I unplug the power to the motherboard itself, I don't get the fan/lights flicking on that instant when I click the power supply on.

I'll try physically removing the graphics card when I get back from campus (I've had it unplugged from power on previous attempts to no effect).

I couldn't see anything blackened anywhere on my comp which is frustrating since I wanna find out where that pop and wisp of smoke came from. I just know it came from the general area of the end of my graphics card.

Wait...now that I think about it, just below that part of my graphics card is my southbridge fan that was being noisy for months and months. Something like 3-4 months ago I noticed the sound went away...because the fan stopped. I thought it was okay because my board temps were still 30-40C (that's not too hot for a mobo is it?).

When I noticed my computer first had stopped and I pulled out the card, I tried rotating the fan and found it extremely stiff. Do you think that when I popped the card back in and turned it on, the mobo tried to spin the fan again and it somehow fried in the effort (I had loosened it a bit when I rotated it a tad)?

I can't believe I forgot about that fan...

 

[AmishSlayer]

So do you guys think I should just buy a new motherboard?

I have a question for you guys as well. Is there a motherboard out there that could take my current AMD64 3200+ cpu (Socket 939) and also accept a dual core for a future upgrade and DDR2 ram?

EDIT: Ok...that seems to be impossible (the DDR2 ram at least).

Anybody have a recommendation for a new motherboard and/or some tips for installing it? I've never installed a motherboard let alone a CPU. I've heard you need to zero out an HDD before trying a new motherboard... Is that true? I'd like to get something through newegg if possible.

Thanks.

EDIT2: Or is it time for me to upgrade to a slot AM2 board/cpu? I'm looking for a budget but reliable solution. I don't need crazy performance.

 

[AmishSlayer]

So guys....any help here? I really need to find a new motherboard to buy because I can't keep borrowing my roommate's laptop. I have a Socet 939 cpu right now and I'm hoping to get a full size ATX (not a micro-ATX) with at least 3 PCI slots and not something that's gonna break down when I put my current components into it (I'd also prefer not to have to format my HDD when installing a new mobo - if that's possible).

I know very little about the quality of motherboards let alone installing one...and the last thing I want to do is get a new mobo that doesn't work or I somehow kill it by a shitty installation.

 

[Asus]

There are a few motherboards still out for Socket 939. Newegg says they have 15. Not a lot of selection but it shouldn't be an expensive fix (if it is your motherboard that is bad). Do you have a PCI-Express (16x) or AGP video card?

I wouldn't worry about DDR vs DDR2. Performance is pretty comparable generally. I wouldn't make the memory the reason to buy new.

But if you don't think any of the socket 939 boards are what you want then you would have to buy a new CPU/DDR2 memory and board with the new socket (AMD or Intel). And would be a chance to upgrade to a Core 2 Duo system if it is in your budget. Or AM2.

 

[MiccyNarc]

my leadtek card just died, powered on the computer and the screen was completely garbled.

Wish I could offer assistance.

 

[MRG]

There are several online retailers that carry 939 motherboards. I'll list sites below that link directly to them. Unless you are looking for an excuse to upgrade, you might want to think about taking your PC down to the local PC repair shop to have them verify that your mobo is in fact dead. The same problems you are having can also occur if your CPU is dead. You could also always go down & buy a hardware checker. In some cases it's a specialized PCB board that you plug into a free PCI slot and it'll tell you exactly whats wrong. Some kits even have adapters that plug into the slot where your CPU goes & checks that way as well. A kit like that will run you anywhere from $30 to $250+ depending on where you buy it and the quality.

939 Motherboards

Newegg:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=2010200022+1070907495&name=939

ZipZoomFly:
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductList.jsp?ThirdCategoryCode=111204

TigerDirect:
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/category/category_slc.asp?CatId=1569&

PriceWatch:
http://www.pricewatch.com/motherboards/

-MRG

 

[AmishSlayer]

There are a few motherboards still out for Socket 939. Newegg says they have 15. Not a lot of selection but it shouldn't be an expensive fix (if it is your motherboard that is bad). Do you have a PCI-Express (16x) or AGP video card?

I wouldn't worry about DDR vs DDR2. Performance is pretty comparable generally. I wouldn't make the memory the reason to buy new.

But if you don't think any of the socket 939 boards are what you want then you would have to buy a new CPU/DDR2 memory and board with the new socket (AMD or Intel). And would be a chance to upgrade to a Core 2 Duo system if it is in your budget. Or AM2.

Is it required for me to format my current HD before changing motherboards? I'm ok with formatting it after I can back some stuff up, but not before then.

EDIT: Also, the problem with most of the 939 boards out there is that they're micro-ATX boards or they're rated very poorly.

What I need:

A reliable and cheap socket 939 board that has at least 3 PCI slots, 1 PCI-e slot, IDE drive support, ATX