[Rascle53]

a cple quick Questions, #1 .. I have a msi k8mmv mobo,its been workin perfectly for the past 5yrs. turned it on the other day and all i got was the dvd rom clicking,no boot,no screen,no nothing, i went through the process of elimination of takin out the vid card, the sound card,changing cables, hard drives,ram,removing everything but the cpu, ram and a hard drive,still nothing. when ya turn a pc on, ya can usually hear the fans an system powerdown a little bit when starting to boot, its not doing that any longer. my guess is the cpu fryed but wanted other opinions b4 replacing it.
Q #2. cpu cache .. its to my understanding of what ive read on the net that cpu cache has alot to do with power an performance, the lager the cache, the better the pc performance,, it this correct or am i reading it all wrong?
any and all help asap is appreciated
thank you all

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CPU's very rarely go faulty on their own. They're more likely to either overheat through the build-up of dust on the cooling fan or poor cooling inside the case.

It's more likely your board has died. A board for a machine of that age is probably available but whether it's cost effective remains to be seen.

As to Q2 - cache isn't everything.

[Neil Jones]

CPU's very rarely go faulty on their own. They're more likely to either overheat through the build-up of dust on the cooling fan or poor cooling inside the case.

It's more likely your board has died. A board for a machine of that age is probably available but whether it's cost effective remains to be seen.

As to Q2 - cache isn't everything.

[Digerati]

i went through the process of elimination of takin out the vid card, the sound card,changing cables, hard drives,ram,removing everything but the cpu, ram and a hard drive,

I don't see power supply in that list. Ensuring I have good power is always one of the first things I do when troubleshooting hardware problems. Here is my canned text on testing PSUs:

To properly and conclusively test a power supply unit (PSU), it must be tested under various realistic "loads" then analyzed for excessive ripple and other anomalies. This is done by a qualified technician using an oscilloscope or power analyzer - sophisticated (and expensive) electronic test equipment requiring special training to operate, and a basic knowledge of electronics theory to understand the results. Therefore, conclusively testing a power supply is done in properly equipped electronic repair facilities.

Fortunately, there are other options that are almost as good. I keep a FrozenCPU Ultimate PSU Tester in my tool bag when I am "in the field" and don't have a good spare power supply to swap in. While not a certain test, they are better than nothing. The advantage of this model is that it has an LCD readout of the voltage. With an actual voltage readout, you have a better chance of detecting a "failing" PSU, or one barely within specified ATX Form Factor Standard tolerances. Lesser models use LEDs to indicate the voltage is just within some "range". These are less informative, considerably cheaper, but still useful for detecting PSUs that have already "failed". Newegg has several testers to choose from. All these testers contain a "dummy load" to fool the PSU into thinking it is connected to a motherboard, and therefore allows the PSU to power on, if able, without being attached to a motherboard - great for testing fans, but again, it is not a true load or suitable for conclusive testing.

Note the required voltage tolerance ranges:

Swapping in a known good supply is a tried and true method of troubleshooting used for years, even by pros. If you have access to a suitably sized, spare power supply, carefully remove the suspect supply and replace it with the known good one, and see if the problem goes away.

I do not recommend using a multimeter to test power supplies. To do it properly, that is, under a realistic load, the voltages on all the pins must be measured while the PSU is attached to the motherboard and the computer powered on. This requires poking (with some considerable force) two hard and sharp, highly conductive meter probes into the main power connector, deep in the heart of the computer. One tiny slip can destroy the motherboard, and everything plugged into it. It is not worth the risk considering most multimeters, like plug-in testers, do not measure, or reveal any unwanted and potentially disruptive AC components to the DC voltages.

And remember, anything that plugs into the wall can kill. Do not open the power supply's case unless you are a qualified electronics technician. There are NO user serviceable parts inside a power supply.

[Rascle53]

yes i have checked the powersupply, hooked up an ole asus board to it,workd fine

[phillpower2]

Try another screen (a laptop with a vga port will do) check the condition of the pc to monitor lead including the end connectors are secure and have no bent pins in them.
Have you tried clearing the CMOS by removing the MBs CR2032 battery for a few minutes and then replacing it (use a new one or a spare if you can) remove the add on video card and connect to the onboard video.

turned it on the other day and all i got was the dvd rom clicking

Are you sure this was not the click of death from the HDD, it wouldnt stop you getting a BIOS screen but you would have no drivers or OS.

[Rascle53]

yes i have tryed all of that. ive been from A-Z ,only 2 things it could from all i have done, bac cpu or mothierboard, but motherboard delivers power to all other components

[phillpower2]

Have you done any of this testing with the MB removed from the case to try and eliminate MB shorting out possibilities?

but motherboard delivers power to all other components

Which means the 20 pin connection is good.
Can you have a close inspection of the 4 pin 12v ATX connector on the MB, look for signs of any scorching etc.

[Rascle53]

yes i have, even got out my maglite ( lighted magnifying glass ) and looked for broken solder joints an traces..everything looks goot on top an solder side of board

[Rascle53]

alot of fuss over a 6yo board isnt it, but it out performs my asus dual core hands down

[phillpower2]

alot of fuss over a 6yo board isnt it, but it out performs my asus dual core hands down

You are trying to fix it thats all that matters, I for one am happy to try and help (and learn).
Time to re-seat the CPU I think, do you have any TIM such as Arctic Silver 5?
To do this I would remove the MB and place it on a large piece of cardboard, connect up only
the psu, video, keyboard and a stick of Ram (just in case you get a screen) let it run for a
while, this means that if the CPU is getting power it will soften the present TIM and make the
HS and fan easier to remove and not pull the CPU from the socket which can happen sometimes.
After letting it run for a while, disconnect the power, remove the HS and fan quickly but safely
and feel if the top of the CPU is hot/warm, if it is this suggests that the CPU may be ok.
If it is cold remove the CPU and inspect that and the MB socket for any signs of damage, if it
looks ok clean and prepare it, re-apply the correct amount of TIM, re-assemble and give it a try.

[Rascle53]

sorry it took so long to get back,,the work thing kinda keeps gettin in my way,,lol...i done as you said,cpu it warm,not hot,i pulledit after runnin it for 5min,checks pins, socket,all looks good.
Im gonna take a shot an just buy another cpu,could be a waste of $40 but at least it will let me know if thts the prob or not.
I appreciate everyones help and suggestion, Its nice to know theres some where one can go to get help and sometimes give help.
Thanks again!

[phillpower2]

As the cpu was warm it may suggest it is not the problem, if it was cold I would say it was dead.
Another quick test you could do but be very careful is replace the cpu and connect only the psu,
put your finger on the cpu and switch the power to the MB on and off very quickly, if it heats up
I would say it was not the cpu, I am only mentioning this as a last resort and would not normally
recommend it, and if it saves you $40 it is worth it, just be quick with the power on and off and
do not touch anything else, something else worth mentioning is have you checked the MB for bad caps.

[Rascle53]

phillpower2 .... did as u suggested,took the fan off, turned ont eh pwr, took 20-30 seconds for the cpu to heat up, then it still was still touchable, not really super hot

[phillpower2]

Sounds like the MB may have a problem with the 4pin 12V ATX power supply which powers the CPU.

[Rascle53]

either way. cpu or powersupply, i have both on the way,we'll get this thng whupped b4 its over with hahahaha