computer died

[ExedExes]

I would also make sure the area and the fan around the processor is dust free. Last year I had this issue with a relatively new computer and it would always go to black when it was on and sometimes it would not start up at ALL. Turns out there was a HUGE buildup of dust, so much that it was flying in the air as I sprayed it out. Dust traps heat, and modern CPUs have thermal sensors that WILL shut them down if they get over a certain temperature.

[s1mplehumar]

You might also check your CPU fan. Make sure its snapped in, seated, and making contact with the CPU.

If you're having PSU issues, I can hook you up with something in the 400-600 watt range real cheap.

[SpaceBooger]

I'm going to get a can of air, there is a lot of dust in the CPU fan. I'm also going to try another power supply sat, if that works I may connect you s1mple to buy a good one.

I'll also check newegg, but if that and these fixes don't work... does anyone have an opinion on those links from best buy I posted?

[Cronozilla]

If the fan is really caked with dust, it'd make more sense to unscrew the fan from the heatsync and clean it manually (like a cotton swap dipped in alcohol). The compressed air won't do much if you actually have to scrub it clean. (It won't affect the thermal paste or anything, it should be like four cross head screws) ... Just make sure you put it back in the orientation you found it.

It doesn't sound like the CPU is dead ... if it were, the system would behave more like there's a jolt of it being on, then it turns off. The only way to actually be sure would be to remove the CPU and check it. I've had some where I'd go to check it when the machine is dead, and the CPU is, literally, black.

If something blew in the power supply ... it wouldn't consistently give power or the proper amounts, things like that ... but that usually results in the computer turning off almost randomly.

It could be memory, if memory is bad, you won't really see anything (no way to get it to other areas of the system at the startup stage, really)

Could be the video card ... though, if it were, the system would fully boot ... it sounds like, as far as you can tell, it turns on and just sits there not posting.

If I had to guess, I'd make an argument for the motherboard, especially because it's a pre-built machine. Those boards are usually one of the first components to go. RAM ... is pretty solid, if it's been going for several years, then it's likely not dead (unless you've always had issues) ... something would have had to happen for it to suddenly become that way ... so either you physically interfered or the board messed up (or the power supply) and damaged it. Or something like that.

But my first instinct is the motherboard. It would make sense to visually examine it for burnt areas of any kind or swelling capacitors, things like that.

Try all the CMOS flashing that's suggested here with bare-bones equipment in the computer to try to get it to post. If you can't ... you really don't have a choice but to start replacing components. It's just not worth taking the time to test boards and things like that ... especially if you're already running into a time period where you'd think about upgrading. If you can find a replacement stick of RAM, like from a friend, I'd suggest trying that also.

[SpaceBooger]

If I'm building my own how important is putting in a Liquid Cooling System?
I don't think it's necessary... but I'm not too hip on this new technology - I'm a retro gamer

[Ziggy]

If I'm building my own how important is putting in a Liquid Cooling System?
I don't think it's necessary... but I'm not too hip on this new technology - I'm a retro gamer

It's completely unnecessary! Water cooling is pretty much just for people that wanna over clock the shit out of their stuff, to the point where air can no longer keep it cool.

If you buy a CPU new, it will come with a heatsink/fan. You don't need to get any cooling systems. NewEgg also sells refurbished CPUs that don't come with a HSF, so in that case, you'd have to buy one. But you don't need water cooling.

I'll also check newegg, but if that and these fixes don't work... does anyone have an opinion on those links from best buy I posted?

You need to apply for NewEgg's Preferred Account, that's what will get you 12 months no interest. Just be aware that it works like every other "no interest for xx months" plan, if you don't pay the balance off before the promotional period ends you get slammed with the deferred interest charges. I'm sure you know this already, but I have talked to people before that weren't clear how that works.

[Ziggy]

I took the liberty and put together a modest build on NewEgg for you. It uses the Intel LGA 1155 socket. You could go with the 1156 socket mobo and CPU and save a little money, or you can go with the 1366 or 2011 socket and spend more money. I went with the 1155 for this because I feel like it's a good balance between cost and performance.



Motherboard: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6813131701

It's got everything you could want, USB 3.0, SATA 6Gb/s, eSATA, all the latest and greatest stuff. It doesn't have a PATA connection though, so if you're optical drive from you HP isn't SATA, then you wont be able to reuse it. But you can get a do-all CD/DVD+/-RW Lightscribe drive for $25, so that's not a big loss.

CPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6819115072

Again, price to performance. You can get a Core i3 Dual-core for $100 less, depends what you're after I guess.

RAM: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6820231314

I chose DDR 1600 because that's the fastest speed the motherboard supports (with out over clocking). I chose a matching kit because the mobo supports dual channel. RAM isn't that big of a deal, just decide the speed and size you want and pick a good brand name. Crucial, Kingston, etc. All the 8GB kits (2x4GB) were between $40 and $50.

PSU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6817194094

Or: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6817194086

Don't skimp on the PSU. I know a lot of people look at these and thing, "You're crazy, I can get a PSU for like 20 bucks with more WATTS!" Watts are actually the last thing I look at, and some times, I even forget to check. What's important to me is brand name. That might sounds stupid, but after dealing with blown PSUs and hearing tales of blown PSUs, there's only a couple brands I trust. Enermax and Thermaltake, and Enermax is by far my favorite. Every PC I've built, rebuilt or upgraded has either a Thermaltake or Enermax PSU, and they've all been fantastic.

Anyway, these will both do the job, but the slightly more expensive one is a little more beefy with more connections. Just depends what you're after.

Case: http://www.newegg.com/Store/SubCategory ... der=RATING

That should be sorted by best reviewed. Really, you can't go wrong with any of the highest rated NewEgg cases. Just keep in mind that your computer case has everything to do with air flow, and air flow is crucial to cooling your computer. After that, just choose the size you want. I have the Cooler Master Centurion 5 and it's been fantastic.

HDD: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6822136950

I picked out a 6Gb/s drive, as oppose to 3Gb/s. There's also the possibility of getting a SSD if you wanna spend the money. I like WD these days, been using them for a while now.

OS: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6832116992

You can get 7 Home Premium 64-bit for $100 (OEM) if you wanna save a few bucks.


I wont bother picking an optical drive. They all do the same things these days, and at the same price. Just choose a brand that makes you happy. Or use the one from your HP if possible. And I didn't pick out a video card either. If the one in your HP still works, you can just use that. Otherwise, pick out a video card that will fill your needs. Keep in mind that the mobo I picked out doesn't have on board video, so if you try to use the video card you have now and it turns out to be busted, you'll be SOL. You could go on eBay and pick up ANY PCIe video card, just the cheapest thing you can find as long as it works, just to test your new build out in the event your 9800 doesn't work.

Total build cost is just over $700, minus a video card and optical drive and whatever else you would want to add. Not bad at all, considering what you're getting. A quad-core CPU, SATA 6Gb/s hard drive, DDR3 memory, USB 3.0, etc. AND I chose all quality parts, this thing should LONG outlive any thing you can buy in Best Buy. If your budget is higher, then maybe step up to the LGA 1366 socket and get a Core i7. The LGA 2011 is the latest and greatest right now, but they seem a little expensive to me. If you're budget is less, you can save a little going with the 1156 socket. Possibly reuse the hard drive from your HP to save money there.

[RyaNtheSlayA]

If I'm building my own how important is putting in a Liquid Cooling System?
I don't think it's necessary... but I'm not too hip on this new technology - I'm a retro gamer

It's not needed, but it's quiet and kinda awesome looking if you get one. I have one, but certainly wouldn't have gotten it if it hadn't been free.

Ziggy's build is pretty solid, though if you're looking to keep the price down maybe go for an AMD setup.

[Cronozilla]

I'd strongly suggest going with AMD Socket AM3+ chips, like the FX4 series. It's not going to do number crunching as well as the i7s ... but it's significantly cheaper and will yield equally great performance in games. The entire system ends up being $150-$250 cheaper, simply by building around an AMD CPU, and there is no discernible difference when playing games. That is mostly determined by your GPU choice.

If you look at a motherboard with the AMD 990 and 990FX chipset, nvidia has released driver support for them, so you can choose AMD or Nvidia graphics.

By doing this I usually piece together systems that can play most all games at 1920x1080 maxed, for $600-$900 the only difference is the price of the OS and Case (The Antec 300 with the Fans for $70 is killer. It's airflow is very very nice.). I always include the GPU. $700 for a machine withOUT a GPU is ridiculously expensive. A best bang for your buck GPU is still going to be $180-$250, making the entire machine about $1000-$1200 Just because you chose Intel. It's silly and yields no real added benefit outside of bragging rights that you can computer further digits of Pi or that HD video encoding takes 2 hours instead of 3.

Games aren't optimized pieces of software. They're going to run just as inefficiently on an Intel chip as an AMD one. Once you pass a specific threshold, it really doesn't matter anymore, so you should go with the one that saves you some money. All of the direct affect on game performance comes from the GPU selected and the amount of RAM in the system; and some games still perform the same no matter how much RAM you put in (because they have an allocation limiter ... Looking at you Skyrim)

And yes, liquid cooling is completely unnecessary for standard use.

[gtmtnbiker]

I'm in the process of building out a HTPC. I have the Ceton 4-tuner cablecard adapter, 128GB Solid State Drive, and a 2TB hard disk. I still need to pick out a case, power supply, motherboard, cpu, ram.

I do have the option of going with a micro-ATX board but I think I will stick with ATX. I think you get more deals/options to choose from with ATX. Do people find this to be true?

I'm also planning to go with i3-2100 and use the integrated GPU. I do not plan to do any gaming on this machine.