Thread: Intel Core 2 processor question.

One of my machines had an Intel Core 2 Quad processor, a 2.4GHz example. It sat on an MSI P35 Neo2 motherboard with a big heatsink and all the usual peripherals etc. It ran 24/7 as a web server and BOINC cruncher for some years without issue at stock clock speed.

Last summer it froze. When I noticed, may have been several days, I restarted it and it continued as it always had. Watching it a bit more carefully now, it's next freeze happened a month or so later. Long story short, the freezes starting happening at shorter and shorter intervals until at about 6 hours working on just two cores, I decided it was effectively dead. To this day, my assumption is the continuous heavy workload, from BOINC mostly, had effectivly killed the CPU.

First question, is my assumption there good, is there another possibility?

I bought another CPU chip, a 3GHz Core 2 on e-bay. Fitted it, I have been building machines for perhaps 20 years, so know what I am doing. Powered it up and it will not start, I get the BIOS messages, but it goes no further, quite repeatable. Looking around, I can't see a BIOS upgrade or anything missing.

Second question, have I bought a duff chip, or is there another possibility?

Lets leave it there, the post is becoming a novel.

I think CPU damage from running, rather than smashing, is exceedingly rare, so the PSU is a more likely bet. And to add, yes it's entirely possible that the replacement CPU you got off eBay is damaged. I had that happen once and it also booted but threw some (specific enough) error message.

I normally install a more powerful PSU than I'll need, I don't recall exactly how old it is, but it will not be the original. I doubt that would be the problem. When it is powered up, it powers up and stays up, just not doing anything, like a motherboard with the wrong BIOS or similar.

I get nothing after the BIOS.

All three of my machines operate without sides on the cases, I can see if there is any need for an airbrushing, and oddly, yes, I notice if a fan is not working.

Indeed. The concept of air cooling relies on forced air.

If you recall, my question did not relate to cooling, airflow, cases etc. Perhaps you could tell me how running with the sides off, on a just started machine can generate enough heat to cause the CPU to fail to get anywhere at all.

Cumulative on a chip which I have never been able to get started. Intruiging.

Ah. Now we are back to the question I asked in the first message in the thread. The chip is a Core 2, I was asking if there were any BIOS upgrades needed for different versions of the chip. I looked, but have not found anything. I quite agree, it may be a dead chip, but rather than just chuck it out, I wanted to explore alternatives. Unfortunately, the normal route I have shows nothing needed. It is why I asked here.

Yes, Salem, I can plug the two chips into a system. The CPU I took out to replace works, for a while, the new I got from the e-bay sale does not even start. Neither chip are suitable for transplanting into this box which has a Pentium level processor. Both machines have run side by side crunching BOINC, I do not accept the environment issue.

I have used electrolytic caps for 35 years, I know their problems, but motherboards come with the caps their manufacturers have chosen, I cannot change that. Almost all of my systems have been ASUS based,I don't recall the reasons I put an MSI in that one, I did, and must have had a reason.

Summing the situation again.

I have a CPU chip that will start and run for a while, I have a CPU chip that will not start.

The question I asked at the outset has been dodged and avoided, but I am no further forward. My plan for this season was to change out this system for an i7, but may re evaluate this.

<Off topic>
It is nice to see you are still around here. You were always one of the good guys. I resigned my mod status after a row with Kermi3.