AMD Phenom II x4 975 3.6ghz AM3 Heatsink Problems

mccormickw

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May 18, 2012
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I'm currently in the process of rebuilding my computer. My mobo is an ASUS M5A97 and my CPU is an AMD Phenom II x4 975 3.6ghz. After installing everything, I attempted to boot and it failed. I finally realized that the heatsink wasn't working, so I RMA'd the CPU to Newegg. They wouldn't give me a new one because I had bent pins due to negligence, but I know that bent pins have nothing to do with the heatsink not working. So reluctantly, I bought a new CPU and just received it tonight. I carefully installed it, perfectly I might add, only to have the same problem occur with the heatsink not working. I'm wondering what is the likelihood have having two DOA CPU's as opposed to having a problem with my motherboard? Everything else works perfectly on my motherboard as far as I can tell. There is no memory error light, the standby light works fine. All of my case fans work fine. Power is being delivered to everything. Did I get incredibly unlucky? or is my motherboard messed up as well?

-Will

EDIT: I plugged in one of my case fans to the CPU fan slot and it works.
 
I'm confused. Why are you blaming the CPU for a HSF problem? If another fan works on the CPU fan connector, that means that there's a problem with the fan on the HSF, not the CPU. It would be strange to have two bad ones in a row though, I'll agree there (assuming you used two different HSF's and not the same one).

A bad CPU wouldn't cause the fan to not work when another one will (shouldn't cause a non-working fan, regardless). Try an after market cooler maybe?
 

rinval

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May 17, 2012
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i believe you answered your own question. if the CPU fan is turning but not booting and you can plug a different fan into and it will boot that states that the RPM readings from CPU fan are faulty and you will need a new fan or go for an after market heatsink.

most newer motherboards have a failsafe that checks the CPU fan before booting to make sure its turning and if it is not turning or if its not telling the MOBO that its turning the system it will not post and may even give you a beep code depending on what mobo you have.
 

mccormickw

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May 18, 2012
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I'm sorry. I should have said "What is the likelihood of having two DOA heatsinks" and not CPU. The CPU fan has never turned. A case fan worked on the heatsink slot, but neither heatsink that I've used have worked. I've determined it is a mobo problem. The mobo doesn't POST. I get no error beeps. I took out my video card and RAM and had no error indicators from my mobo.
 
Well, from the tip that you bent the pins of the CPU, I can forsee a lil' deeper and ask you... Did you touch the board in any rude way? Like with a screwdriver or something like that? If you did, you most probably damaged a layer of it and killed it.

Cheers!
 

mccormickw

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May 18, 2012
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I bent the pins being an idiot. I installed it without lifting the arm on the cpu socket the first time. I immediately realized I forgot and redid it, as in before I ever got close to booting. I didn't realize it was the mobo because everything else worked except the heatsink, so I thought it was failing to POST because of a faulty heatsink. My friend helped me figure out that it wasn't two defective heatsinks in a row, but rather a defective mobo.