Purchased an older boot looping build for $150: 980ti, ASUS X99-A, Xeon variant
Purchased an older boot looping build for $150: 980ti, ASUS X99-A, Xeon variant
You don’t need to discard every heat sink, the key is clearing any residue from the board. Unless you possess a fresh thermal pad with the right thickness (and sufficient quantity), keep them in place. You can toss them in a dishwasher using a standard hot water cycle (soap isn’t necessary) and let them clean themselves. If your oven can drop to a low temperature, place them inside and let it run for roughly 45 minutes to an hour, depending on how cold it gets. My unit can reach as low as 170°F/84°C, so that’s acceptable. I simply preheat the oven, put the pad in, and keep it running with the heat on for about 45 minutes to an hour. Afterward, remove it, arrange it, and test it. Keep in mind this method only works if your oven can reach temperatures similar to mine or slightly lower (definitely below 212°F/100°C). If not, you’ll need to run it under a fan for an entire day—or overnight—before testing. Either approach is viable.
Check if the board requires any extra features like EGC or special settings. The model you mentioned, Intel Xeon E5-2687W v3, should function without issues.
When power circuits ground out, it usually indicates a short somewhere. Unless you can verify the pins, you should investigate why it’s happening and resolve it if possible. This will ensure the system functions properly. Likely, the board is damaged beyond repair, so fixing the short or replacing it is your only option.
He tried to check everything on the board, reviewed the whole setup for any issues like shorts or multimeter problems. All seems okay except the two power pins on the Gigabyte GA-X99-UD4 board, which you got a used one for $69. Adding a new 16-core processor should work—though it might not show up in the official supported list.