Faulty i7-6700 CPU - Can a software event kill a CPU?

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Samarkand

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Jan 4, 2016
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I recently built a new rig (specs below), installed windows 10, Steam and Dota 2. Then, during a game of Dota, bam!, the system crashed without any warnings or error notification and when it came back on I couldnt restore nor repair it. I decided to wipe the SSD with the Secure Erase Function from the BIOS and reinstall Win10 and that's when the fun started as I only got blue screens as soon as the install screen appeared and the dots started to dance in a circle the system gave the machine_check_exception error. I spent the following 5 days checking literally every single component - memory, SSD/HDD, unplugged CDR drive, flashed the mobo with the most recent Bios but alas the blue screen persisted. I couldnt figure out whether the mobo was faulty or the CPU but given that the bios came on fine and everything ran well on the mobo side, it could only be the brand new CPU. But how? I have built many rigs in the past and searched many forums but I think the common perception is that CPUs hardly ever get killed ... particularly not by a software event. Oh, and btw, no, it definitely wasnt a heat-related issue as I had a CPU temp program running on a 2nd monitor and it always stayed around 26-30 degrees celsius.
So, yesterday I got the CPU exchanged and today the system works just fine.
Sorry, for the long intro, but I really want to prevent killing another 2nd CPU, so I'd like to understand what could have possibly happened during that system crash to kill that processor?
Any advice is highly appreciated!

Rig:
i7-6700l CPU @ 4 GHz, ASUS Maximus VIII Hero, 2GB RAM, ASUS EAH5970 (soon to be exchanged), SSD EVO 850 500GB, Seasonic X-1250, Win10.
 
Solution
BadActor
I don't possibly see how software could damage a CPU, the only damaged ones I've encountered have been from overheating or overvolting. It might be possible the Bios was corrupt in some way that caused it to overvolt or it could have just been a manufacturing defect in the CPU itself. I'm not sure how you would ever be able to tell. I would take a look at all the voltages in the Bios to make sure they are in spec.
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BadActor

BadActor

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I don't possibly see how software could damage a CPU, the only damaged ones I've encountered have been from overheating or overvolting. It might be possible the Bios was corrupt in some way that caused it to overvolt or it could have just been a manufacturing defect in the CPU itself. I'm not sure how you would ever be able to tell. I would take a look at all the voltages in the Bios to make sure they are in spec.
 
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Samarkand

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Jan 4, 2016
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It's still puzzling to me. I forgot to mention that apart from the CPU I did also exchange the GPU (a Radeon HP5970) as it used to spin up massively under load. Since exchanging both CPU and GPU the system has been working flawlessly. Was the GPU maybe the culprit? Maybe the GPU caused an overvolting event that fried the CPU. Otherwise I cant see why the system works now and not back then...
 
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Samarkand

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Jan 4, 2016
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Thanks for your reply. No, I didnt OC the CPU. I intentionally turned off all OCing in the BIOS before installing Windows and running anything.
 
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