JB/Computer

Here we go...

Mobo went down in my current computer. At least, I think it's the mobo. Possibly power supply. But who cares? Computer was a Best Buy bargain 6 years ago. Only so much RAM you can plunk in such a machine before you've got it's squeaky little wheels churning past its comfort zone. So time for a full-on upgrade. First question: CPU. Intel quad core, no doubt. But which one??? i5 750, or the new i7 930? The i5 is the smart choice, as it comes in at a full $120 less for the processor alone, plus the accompanying motherboard will probably run about $70 cheaper than the boards that fit the i7. And truth be told, it's probably more than enough power for me. Then again, the i7 is power. And it's predecessor, the i7 920, seems to be universally hailed as one of the best processors around.

Decisions...

p.s. Isn't great that our little science website has temporarily been degraded to a venue for computer-building monologues?

Contents 1 Phase I: Hardware Acquisition 2 Phase II: The Build 3 Phase III: Configuration 4 COMMENTS

Phase I: Hardware Acquisition

Current Build

Category	Specification
Chasis	Cooler Master Storm Scout
CPU	Intel Core i5-750 Lynnfield 2.66GHz Quad-Core
Motherboard	EVGA P55 LE
Graphics Processor	EVGA nVidia GeForce 9800 GT
RAM	Corsair 4GB DDR3 1600 (1.65V)
Chasis Cooling	1 Top, 1 Back, 1 Front
CPU Cooling	Cooler Master GeminII S
Hard Drive	Western Digital Caviar Black 640GB, 7200RPM
Power Supply	Antec TP-750 blue (750 Watts)
Optical Drive	Left over from previous computer
Total price	~$825

Phase II: The Build

Black Beauty

Well, the build is complete. Just waiting on my copy of windows 7 (pro, 64 bit) to arrive so I can install an operating system in this mofo and see what she is capable of. All-in-all, it took me about 6+ hours, which is longer than necessary, I think, but I wanted to be sure I was doing everything properly.

It was all pretty simple, though there is a lingering sense of doubt due to the paltry installation manuals that came with each part. Perhaps the most confusing was the wiring of the computer case, which does not come with a wiring diagram. But it was easy enough to figure out (…I think).

That said, I have yet to fire it up, as I’ve been too busy with lab and preparing for my vacation to Portland, OR (which I’m currently “speeding” towards on the train – yay!) Once I’m back and have the OS is in hand, I’ll go through phase 3: Configuration.

As a side comment, I built this computer primarily for 1) the learning experience, and 2) to save money. The former has definitely been accomplished, but I’m not sure how much cheaper (if at all) a custom build is. After purchasing the hardware and OS, my tab will come out to just under $1000. You can buy a pretty sweet pre-assembled computer for that amount – something definitely comparable to my build, although probably with slightly inferior parts. With their bulk-buying discounts, companies like Gateway and Dell (ugh) can put together the same computer for much less. Buying a mass produced computer should also ensure the parts used are compatible. On the flip side, with your own computer you won’t get all that annoying bloat-ware those guys love to pile on. Additionally, you can build something specifically tailored to your needs – in my case an all-black computer ;)

Phase III: Configuration

4/09/10 - Fucker will not POST

4/15/10 - Ok, maybe I can be a bit more specific. Had everything hooked up and installed, plugged it in, held my breath, and hit the power button on motherboard. Lights came on, fans whirred, a few short beeps were emitted. These are good signs. Logo screen for my motherboard comes up on monitor - yes! Boots into BIOS. Sweet. At this point, I'm basking in a job well done. Go to set the time and date in my bios, hit return, and BAM! computer dies. WTF?

computer won't boot back up unless I hit the "reset cmos" button. And even then, it only comes on for maybe 10 seconds. So I unplug and wait a little. When I come back, computer runs again for maybe 2 minutes before abruptly cutting out again. And if I try to power it back on, it cuts out after only a few seconds. WTF!?

First thing I do is make sure my RAM is seated properly, as misseated RAM can lead to various problems, and is a common cause of computer malfunction. I reseat my sticks, move 'em around to different dims, try to fire it up using only 1 stick, etc. Nothing helps. Could my RAM be faulty??? Doesn't seem to be, as when I am able to get into BIOS, I see that it recognizes and is reading both sticks, so RAM seems to be ok. What next???

Maybe if I try unhooking all the hardware except for the CPU and RAM? I remove the video card, unplug sata cables from HDD and optical drive. Same outcome...

Ok, let's see. Computer will turn on for a couple minutes after resting for a while, but if I try to reboot immediately after shutdown, it turns right back off. Sounds like it may be a problem with the CPU overheating (many motherboards will automatically shut the system down if the CPU overheats). That's got to be it. So I remove my heatsink and CPU fan and scrape off all the thermal compound using 70% isopropyl alcohol (apparently 70% is a bit low and something more pure, like 95%+, should be used. Or just use acetone = nail polish remover). I reapply thermal compound, reseat the CPU, and hook everything back up. Is that it??? No.

By now, I've messed around in BIOS enough to know where to find my CPU temp. I watch this after starting up my system, seeing if the temp will jump just before shut down. It does not. It's not a CPU temp issue.

At this point, I don't know what to do. So I call up customer service at EVGA. Got through very quickly and got a really helpful correspondent on the line. He agrees it sounds like a CPU temp issue, but wants me to make sure the board isn't shorting somewhere inside the case. He tells me to take everything out of the case and see if it will remain on. And it does...

Ok, so the board must be making contact with the chassis somewhere, causing it to short and then cut out. Perhaps the heat expands the metal, initiating contact. My strategy is to raise the board up off the chassis even farther than normal. I put some rubber grommets underneath the standoff screws that separate the mobo from the chassis. Same problem. I get some plastic washers and put these above and below the standoffs, raising the mobo so high the i/o components barely fit the i/o panel. Turn it on, mofo stays on for a good hour plus. YES! I got it. Shut down. WTF!?!?!

What else could it be? Well, when I take it out of the chassis, all I have hooked up are the CPU, RAM, and video card (no inputs from the chassis). Maybe my problem has to do with one of the inputs from the chassis. New strategy: put back in case, plug everything in, wait for it to shut down, then unplug chassis inputs one by one until the computer turns on and remains on. So I put it back in the case, hook everything up, and switch it on. And wait. And wait. And wait. But it's not shutting down. a good 3+ hours pass, and it's still going strong. And it's been going strong for the past day and a half.

It's a bit early to celebrate, but if it's good to go, I'm perplexed as to why. The only thing that I can think of is I didn't push one of the side panels (the one that covers all the wires) in all the way at the bottom (due to my routing, I had a lot of wires passing unseen through the back side of the computer). I suspected earlier that closing this panel completely caused a bit of compression on my wires, and may have caused the chassis panel underneath to flex toward the mobo - but my mobo is raised so high now that I don't think this can be an issue.

Whatever it is, that's where it stands. I hope someone out there can glean some useful information from this. And if you have any insight that I may have overlooked, please comment below. Otherwise, I'll update the page should future issues arise.

Edit: 5/25/10
Still no problems, and still no idea what I "fixed" to get it this way. But I don't think I'll be moving stuff around to figure it out anytime soon, cuz if it ain't broke...

COMMENTS

<comments />-