Hey everyone, first time poster, long time lurker 
Just started my new build (only my second one, so keep in mind I'm still a bit of a rookie), and I've been having some issues getting the system to POST consistently.
When I initially assembled everything, I was able to get it to post and enter the BIOS, so I know the parts *work*. But after tweaking some stuff in the case, and doing a little cable management, I seem to be having issues getting the system to post again. Basically, I'll power on the system, the fans will start spinning and the mobo shows signs of life, but then everything restarts after a few seconds. After reading past topics, I imagine something is causing a short, but my problem is- I just can't tell what is causing it!
I've tried stripping out parts to see what may be the weak link, testing individual sticks of ram, etc. I have a feeling it may have something to do with my CPU, and that the heat sink is on too tight, but my question is- how tight is too tight?
As my system specs indicate below, I'm using one of the 2500k's with an MSI mobo. I noticed during the build that the mobo's bracket that holds the CPU down is pretty tight, but has a bolt to loosen it. I worry though if i loosen it too much, the heatsink (Hyper 212 + ) may not have good contact with the heat spreader. This is my first time using a beefier heatsink, so I'm a bit lost here.
Thanks in advance for your insight!
System:
CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz
Heatsink: COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus
Mobo: MSI P67A-GD55 (B3)
VGA: EVGA GeForce GTX 470 1280MB
RAM:G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) - -DDR3 1600
PSU: XFX XXX Edition P1-650X
Case: COOLER MASTER HAF 922
Storage: Intel X25-M 80 GB SSD
Just started my new build (only my second one, so keep in mind I'm still a bit of a rookie), and I've been having some issues getting the system to POST consistently.
When I initially assembled everything, I was able to get it to post and enter the BIOS, so I know the parts *work*. But after tweaking some stuff in the case, and doing a little cable management, I seem to be having issues getting the system to post again. Basically, I'll power on the system, the fans will start spinning and the mobo shows signs of life, but then everything restarts after a few seconds. After reading past topics, I imagine something is causing a short, but my problem is- I just can't tell what is causing it!
I've tried stripping out parts to see what may be the weak link, testing individual sticks of ram, etc. I have a feeling it may have something to do with my CPU, and that the heat sink is on too tight, but my question is- how tight is too tight?
As my system specs indicate below, I'm using one of the 2500k's with an MSI mobo. I noticed during the build that the mobo's bracket that holds the CPU down is pretty tight, but has a bolt to loosen it. I worry though if i loosen it too much, the heatsink (Hyper 212 + ) may not have good contact with the heat spreader. This is my first time using a beefier heatsink, so I'm a bit lost here.
Thanks in advance for your insight!
System:
CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz
Heatsink: COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus
Mobo: MSI P67A-GD55 (B3)
VGA: EVGA GeForce GTX 470 1280MB
RAM:G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) - -DDR3 1600
PSU: XFX XXX Edition P1-650X
Case: COOLER MASTER HAF 922
Storage: Intel X25-M 80 GB SSD
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