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CPU Fan Spins but No POST

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The system is a branded Lenovo 3000H desktop which came with an Intel Pentium D 2.8GHz (I cannot recall the model). Of the modifications I've made over the past few years is just the addition of an X800GT and a gig of RAM (totalling 1.5GB).

So just a few days ago, I wanted to change the processor since it was having heating problems for almost a year. I didn't want to spend much $$, just an equivalent would suffice. As such, I got the Intel Pentium Dual-Core E5300 2.6GHz. I had taken the 800MHz FSB of the Lenovo mobo (think it's a Foxconn) into consideration as well by going with that.

So, I sold my 1.5G RAMs alongside the older CPU and got a new pair of Kingston 1GB ValueRams for 2GB.

I couldn't use the heatsink/fan of the new CPU because the form factor is different, the system needs one with screws. So I used the old heatsink. I placed the new proc snugly into the socket (LGA775) and with much trouble (it's really annoying, there's a backplate with the four screw holes which have to align) screwed in the heatsink.

Everything was set, I powered on the machine, pressed the button, but holy baloney..the chassis has a light surrounding the button which would light up blue, and this time it didn't. The only action going on was the fans spinning.

Could this be:

a) Faulty new processor
b) Inadequate PSU (280W, I gather from the Chinese scrawled all over the label)

I did try removing everything but the CPU itself, because if it was anything else at least there would be beeps. Nothing, nada. Same old fan-spinning-only behaviour. There is no light on the power button, but if I hold it for 5 seconds, it does shut down the fans.

So even with the proc by itself being the only component aside from the onboard Intel GMA 950 and a network card, is it possible that there is no adequate power?

I just hope it's not a faulty proc.

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CPUs Master

Use cpuid, a free download, to identify your motherboard chipset. My best guess is that it won't work with core2 duos. Most oem boards aren't designed to upgrade the cpu. The core2 duos have a different voltage requirement. You can try upgrading the motherboard using the micro-atx size. But you may have problems reinstalling windows on a non lenovo board. Many oem boards have the windows installation tied to the motherboard bios. My old hp vista dvd wouldn't load on a non hp board. You may find some newer lenovo boards on ebay.

As if you needed a THIRD person to point out the obvious, that Pentium Dual Core E5300 is simply too new to work in that computer. I'm glad you looked at FSB requirement before buying, but there's still a lot more you need to know if you're going to buy a compatible processor.
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Truth is:

1) I've never upgraded the CPU of a branded system
2) I've never upgraded the CPU of a motherboard old enough for the new processor

So that should explain it.

Would anything like a BIOS upgrade help? Or is there someway to "unlock" the mobo? Would the CPU work if I put in say a P4 CPU? I need to at least get to the BIOS if I want to flash it with a diskette.
CPUs Authority

You will probably have to contact Lenovo to see what CPU's are supported by your motherboard. You're kind of in a tough spot now, though. Even if a BIOS flash will help, you already sold your old CPU so you can't flash the BIOS. I don't know what to tell you. You shouldn't have sold the old CPU until you were sure the upgrade was successful.

I think I can answer that myself:

Get a new motherboard =p

I've e-mailed Lenovo and will be fitting in an old P4 (hopefully w/ DDR-II support) proc which I might have lying around from other upgrades. If neither works I'll go with a new mobo.

Any P4 should probably work, granted we're talking about LGA 775 here. On a side note, P4s don't "support" any type of memory. It is the motherboard chipset that deems what memory is supported. That can lead to some interesting motherboards, such as the Asrock 775i65g, which supported DDR ram and AGP yet was LGA 775 with Core 2 support, allowing you to use a quad core CPU if you wanted. On the other hand, Biostar has a motherboard based on socket 478, using a VIA chipset, that allows for DDR2 ram and PCI-e. Then there was the Asrock motherboard for LGA 775 that supported BOTH DDR and DDR2, and had BOTH AGP and PCI-e. A very interesting "transitional" board.


And BTW, the E5300 is way more than equivalent to the old Pentium D, it's more like almost double the performance. Think of anything built on Core 2 technology (Pentium Dual Core E2xxx and E5xxx series, CeleronE3xxx series, and everything Core 2 branded) to be 2x faster than the same GHz Pentium D. So, an equivalent processor for the E5300 would be a ~5GHz Pentium D.

I did a bit a research for you, and stumbled upon a thread talking about the same subject were are now. In that thread, a person claiming to own a Lenovo 3000H with a Pentium D claimed to have successfully upgraded to a Core 2 Duo E4600, so you may be able to get a 65nm Core 2 Duo or Pentium Dual Core, but the newer 45nm CPUs, such as this E5300, simply won't work. Good Luck.

Awesome, thanks!

Yes, for a moment I was thinking a processor may be too old to support a particular type of memory technology.

Wow, that only adds insult to injury =p I'm now on the losing end having to purchase a mobo separately when I could've gotten a bundle at a much cheaper price. But oh well, life's learning.

Thanks again guys!
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