Shipped working custom PC, now slow and BSOD - what got damaged?

[littlecupcake]

So, I was moving across country without a car and in my online searching, people recommended I ship my computer in tact to myself via UPS or some service rather than dissemble it and take all the components on the plane with me. So, I did that, but now my computer is having problems. The day I got the computer and set it up, I got a BSOD, which I will copy/paste details of below. I opened it up to find my CPU heatsink was loose. I couldn't get all the heatsink latches to secure. I managed to get three secured and one sort of tight but not really. In general, I am noticing my computer is going slow as hell. Web tabs open slow and pages load slow, video editing is taking forever. It just does not feel right.

How do I figure out which component, if any, is the culprit? This system is brand new, custom built from parts I got for Christmas. I insured the package for $1140 so hopefully I can successfully file a claim and get money back. (If anyone knows how I prove they broke my computer, I'm all ears.)

System specs (this thing should not be running slow):

OS Windows 7 Professional 64-bit OEM, installed January 2012
CPU: Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-2600K CPU @ 3.40GHz
Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-Z68XP-UD3P
RAM: CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM
Video: EVGA 01G-P3-1461-KR GeForce GTX 560 (Fermi) 1GB
PSU: CORSAIR Enthusiast Series TX650 V2 650W ATX12V v2.31/ EPS12V
Case: COOLER MASTER HAF 932 Advanced RC-932-KKN5-GP Full ATX
HDD: Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 ST3500413AS 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5"

BSOD info:

Problem Event Name: BlueScreen
OS Version: 6.1.7601.2.1.0.256.48
Locale ID: 1033

Additional information about the problem:
BCCode: 1e
BCP1: 0000000000000000
BCP2: 0000000000000000
BCP3: 0000000000000000
BCP4: 0000000000000000
OS Version: 6_1_7601
Service Pack: 1_0

Log Name: System
Source: Microsoft-Windows-Kernel-Power
Date: 6/29/2012 4:16:04 PM
Event ID: 41
Task Category: (63)
Level: Critical
Keywords: (2)
User: SYSTEM
Computer: Katie-Desktop
Description:
The system has rebooted without cleanly shutting down first. This error could be caused if the system stopped responding, crashed, or lost power unexpectedly.
Event Xml:
<Event xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/win/2004/08/events/event">
<System>
<Provider Name="Microsoft-Windows-Kernel-Power" Guid="{331C3B3A-2005-44C2-AC5E-77220C37D6B4}" />
<EventID>41</EventID>
<Version>2</Version>
<Level>1</Level>
<Task>63</Task>
<Opcode>0</Opcode>
<Keywords>0x8000000000000002</Keywords>
<TimeCreated SystemTime="2012-06-29T21:16:04.474045700Z" />
<EventRecordID>45797</EventRecordID>
<Correlation />
<Execution ProcessID="4" ThreadID="8" />
<Channel>System</Channel>
<Computer>Katie-Desktop</Computer>
<Security UserID="S-1-5-18" />
</System>
<EventData>
<Data Name="BugcheckCode">30</Data>
<Data Name="BugcheckParameter1">0x0</Data>
<Data Name="BugcheckParameter2">0x0</Data>
<Data Name="BugcheckParameter3">0x0</Data>
<Data Name="BugcheckParameter4">0x0</Data>
<Data Name="SleepInProgress">false</Data>
<Data Name="PowerButtonTimestamp">0</Data>
</EventData>
</Event>

-System
- Provider
[ Name] Microsoft-Windows-Kernel-Power
[ Guid] {331C3B3A-2005-44C2-AC5E-77220C37D6B4}
EventID 41
Version 2
Level 1
Task 63
Opcode 0
Keywords 0x8000000000000002
- TimeCreated
[ SystemTime] 2012-06-29T21:16:04.474045700Z
EventRecordID 45797
Correlation
- Execution
[ ProcessID] 4
[ ThreadID] 8
Channel System
Computer Katie-Desktop
- Security
[ UserID] S-1-5-18
- EventData
BugcheckCode 30
BugcheckParameter1 0x0
BugcheckParameter2 0x0
BugcheckParameter3 0x0
BugcheckParameter4 0x0
SleepInProgress false
PowerButtonTimestamp 0

 

[abekl]

Well, the heatsink not being firmly attached, and the compute running slow are related. The CPU is overheating and throttling it's spped to thermally proptect itself.
The first thing I'd do, is buy a new CPU cooler/fan assembly and install it and see if that doesn't cure your ills. We can then go from there.

 

[littlecupcake]

OK, I will do that tomorrow morning first thing.

Is there any software or process of elimination I can try to figure out what the problem is? If I had to guess, i'd say CPU or RAM. The BSOD I got sounded like a potential power issue though, so I'd really love to see if I can narrow this down somehow, especially while I have the time do deal with it this weekend! Thanks!

 

[phyco126]

Download RealTemp. This will allow you to monitor the temperature of your processor. If it gets very high, then you know its a CPU issue.

For RAM, I would download Memtest86+ and run it one stick of RAM at a time. Each stick I would run the program for a few hours. If there are any errors that come back, then you know its a memory issue.

If temperatures are fine and there are no errors in your memory, then I would say it is an issue related elsewhere, such as the HDD.

 

[unksol]

you need to clean the heatsink, reapply the paste, and probably replace the mount. shipping a PC with ups is not a great idea but if you have to heatsinks and heavy VGA cards should be removed for exactly this reason. we all know ups isn't exactly gentle, but even if they were it doesn't take much to knock a heavy part loose

 

[littlecupcake]

Well, I cleaned the thermal paste with a coffee filter and rubbing alcohol, put on a new heatsink that screws and and just checked my temps and they are fine. My computer is still running super slow.

I can run Memtest, but I have 8GB of RAM installed. If one them was corrupted, shouldn't I still have 4GB and my computer should still be running fast? I mean, my laptop only has 4GB and a slower processor and it is running faster than my desktop right now.

Are there any tests for CPU performance so I can know if the CPU has been damaged?

 

[georgekn3mp]

Any test you ran now, you wouldn't be able to compare from before.

However, you can look at your Windows Performance Index score and it should have the "old" CPU score "1.0-7.9" under Control Panel / Performance Information and then re-run the index score....if it goes down on anything that may help.
PC Mark 7 is a good CPU test, or AIDA 64 is much more detailed.

Did you unplug then re-seat the RAM modules?

 

[littlecupcake]

Yeah, I now wish I had benchmark software that I kept running. I did go to performance.toast.net and compared loading times on their largest picture from my i7 8GB desktop to my Phenom II 4GB laptop. The difference is astounding. Desktop: 55.897 seconds. Laptop: 6.343 seconds. That is insane. Surely something is wrong.

I tried to update my Windows experience score (score from March 2012 is 5.9 -- every category 7.6 or above, except HDD was 5.9) and got an error message toward the end: "Windows Experience Index for your computer could not be calculated. Could not measure storage performance. Error: Failed to properly assess the disk. The parameter is incorrect." It cycled through Direct 3D 10, media encoding, CPU performance, memory, then said the assessment was complete and the error message.

I did indeed unplug my machine and re-seat the RAM. I can indeed run Memtest tonight. Should I try to run CHKDSK on the drive too? Any other tests? I downloaded AIDA but not sure what I'm looking for. Should I run a report and post it?

Thanks for the help. This is so annoying!

 

[arthurh]

Could not measure storage performance. Error: Failed to properly assess the disk. The parameter is incorrect."

This would indicate something is wrong with your hard-drive.

Download the mfg utility for your hard-drive and run a check on it. Be careful you do not erase it unless that is what you intent to do.

 

[littlecupcake]

It passed all the Seagate tests and SMART is healthy. But after running CHKDSK, it seems to be running fine. Guess, despite my heatsink falling off, it was the hard drive. Is there anything else I need to check on the hard drive? Could there be any long-term issues, or can it be as simple as some silly errors from the hard drive getting knocked around or experiencing static?

 

[arthurh]

Tough call here. Especially with it passing those utlilities.

You say your HSFU came off your CPU? If that is the case then it could have damaged something on your motherboard, or cracked/broken a data connector on your hard-drive. That is a lot of heat sink bouncing around in there during the shipping process.

Guess at this point I would thourghly inspect everything inside your case for any damage, however slight, that may be causing your problems.

This really opens a whole new can of worms for you IMO sorry to say.

 

[georgekn3mp]

Well looking at all this, you are lucky it booted at all. But yes, a bad sector or 4 on the hard drive from being bumped could easily have caused the symptoms...if CHKDSK was repairing bad sectors in the background like it was supposed to do. if it was a static issue, probably would not have booted at all.

BUT...to keep it interesting if the bug check part pointing to a CPU issue

Source: Microsoft-Windows-Kernel-Power
Date: 6/29/2012 4:16:04 PM
Event ID: 41
Task Category: (63)
Level: Critical

That could mean a failed overclock, not enough voltage, a loose CPU, or like you said it may not be seated correctly now. Kernel Power errors may also cover a heat issue which could be related...

Did you get Realtemp for checking the temps?