Is your CPU damaged? You've tried several fixes but still have no startup.
Is your CPU damaged? You've tried several fixes but still have no startup.
Hey there! I recently purchased a 3600x from an Amazon warehouse, and the package arrived yesterday in a fairly damaged condition. My intention was to swap it in for my 3500x, but after doing so the system failed to boot. My motherboard is an MSI B550-A Pro, and I've tried almost everything: updated the BIOS, cleared the CMOS, verified all connections with the PSU, tested every DIMM slot, switched the GPU, changed the RAM, left it off power for a full night, and even removed the RAM. I was hoping to get a clean CMOS reset.
The interesting thing is that once I replaced the new CPU with the old one, everything worked perfectly. Another odd behavior I observed during testing: when both CPU and RAM were absent, the system wouldn't boot (CPU: None, RAM: None). But if you had RAM, it would show up as "no POST" but then switch to showing the 3500x CPU with a working RAM slot. When both were off, it went to the 3600x and worked fine. This suggests something is wrong with the 3600x detection or its initialization process. It seems like it might be stuck or bricked.
I'm really struggling and would appreciate any advice or help you can provide. Your support means a lot! Thank you so much!
Have you inspected it for any harm? Are there any missing or bent pins and similar issues?
Thermal paste can be conductive. The old cleaning might have left residues that connect pins together.
The CPU pairs with RAM as one system, a computer can't start or run without RAM.
I also verified that there are no bent pins, with only a few very slightly bent ones at the edges.
This seems unrelated and probably won't work, but you might try placing the CPU in 99% isopropyl alcohol. It could be dirty, or there might be a short, just trying something because it might help.
Could you clarify what you're referring to? I need more details to understand your concern.