Hardware failure: cpu or motherboard?

[Daniel Vallstrom]

My pentium 4, 865PE computer is broken and I'm trying to guess if it's
the cpu or motherboard that fails.

For a couple of weeks, it was difficult to start/reboot the computer.
It usually hung with some memory failure mobo diagnostic but after a
few tries it booted. Then it started to become *very* slow, even after
it booted. Now it seems completely broken.

I have tried installing completely new memory but that didn't help.
Does it look like it's the cpu that is broken? Thanks for any help.

(I miss-posted this in comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.systems before I
noticed that that group is not very active.)


Daniel Vallstrom

 

[Noozer]

My pentium 4, 865PE computer is broken and I'm trying to guess if it's
the cpu or motherboard that fails.

For a couple of weeks, it was difficult to start/reboot the computer.
It usually hung with some memory failure mobo diagnostic but after a
few tries it booted. Then it started to become *very* slow, even after
it booted. Now it seems completely broken.

Could be failing capacitors on the mainboard. That's the first thing I'd
look over.

CPU's rarely just fail for no reason.

 

[Adam Strawson]

My pentium 4, 865PE computer is broken and I'm trying to guess if it's

the cpu or motherboard that fails.

For a couple of weeks, it was difficult to start/reboot the computer.
It usually hung with some memory failure mobo diagnostic but after a
few tries it booted. Then it started to become *very* slow, even after
it booted. Now it seems completely broken.

http://www.pcstats.com/articleview.cfm?articleID=195

Leaking capacitors?

 

[Guest]

My pentium 4, 865PE computer is broken and I'm trying to guess if it's
the cpu or motherboard that fails.

For a couple of weeks, it was difficult to start/reboot the computer.
It usually hung with some memory failure mobo diagnostic but after a
few tries it booted. Then it started to become *very* slow, even after
it booted. Now it seems completely broken.

I have tried installing completely new memory but that didn't help.
Does it look like it's the cpu that is broken? Thanks for any help.

(I miss-posted this in comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.systems before I
noticed that that group is not very active.)

It sounds like you got a fault that developed until total failure. CPUs
don't do that - they tend to just die without any warning - except maybe
getting a LOT hotter, in some cases.

Now it could just be a power supply problem. With some rails being out
of spec, but others ok. A quality power supply is a good investment and
will quite possible outlast several upgrades of the rest of the system.

If the psu checks out ok, then the odds are that it is the mobo. But, as
to what killed the mobo...that could easily be a cheap and nasty power
supply which is then going to kill the next mobo.

My advice would always be to save money on the everything else, but
never put in or use a "bargain" power supply..

 

[Bazzer Smith]

My pentium 4, 865PE computer is broken and I'm trying to guess if it's
the cpu or motherboard that fails.

For a couple of weeks, it was difficult to start/reboot the computer.
It usually hung with some memory failure mobo diagnostic but after a
few tries it booted. Then it started to become *very* slow, even after
it booted. Now it seems completely broken.

I have tried installing completely new memory but that didn't help.
Does it look like it's the cpu that is broken? Thanks for any help.

(I miss-posted this in comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.systems before I
noticed that that group is not very active.)


Daniel Vallstrom

Well if we can narrow down the suspects as to who broke the computer
your are probably the prime suspect :O|


Not much help I know. Personally I don't think it is very likely
the CPU is broken cos its a sealed unit and you would probably
have had to do something to break it such as over clocking it
seriously.
I find the *very* slow bit a bit strange, that sound more like
some sort of virus infection. I mean what could cause it to go
slow? The CPU basically IMO has to work at the clock
speed or not work at all, there is no middle ground here?

My tuppence worth is that mechnical stuff breaks first so I
am thinking harddrive or sommat, so I would say the
likey suspect's in order of likely hood are:-

Software virus, harddrives, cables and stuff, motherboard, CPU.

I could also add *you* at either end of that list :O)

 

[Jeff]

In my recent experience, that sounds like a failed hard drive. Mine
would boot fine sometimes, then others it would take a lot of effort to
get it to boot, and when it did, it was painfully slow and couldn't get
simple tasks done. (The computer would hang on things like copying or
duplicating a file). Finally it just died. On my box the disk activity
light would stay on solid like the drive was always busy even when it
wasn't doing anything or the computer had stopped responding. If you
have a known-good hard drive lying around, give that a shot.

 

[Sjouke Burry]

I had a pentium dropping down to almost prehistoric
XT speed,and it turned out that the heatsink had
dropped off, and it automatically adjusted speed,
to keep the chip alive.
BTW,have all pentiums such a failsave clock??

 

[JAD]

I had a pentium dropping down to almost prehistoric
XT speed,and it turned out that the heatsink had
dropped off, and it automatically adjusted speed,
to keep the chip alive.
BTW,have all pentiums such a failsave clock??

after market fan setup or stock?

I believe the later PIII's and up have 'throttling' features. Also the MB
must support such things too.

 

[Sjouke Burry]

after market fan setup or stock?

I believe the later PIII's and up have 'throttling' features. Also the MB
must support such things too.

Nah, the retaining clip had broken off,
after some questioning the owner admitted
putting the case on the floor somewhat quickly.