The old machine stops working after just a short time when turned on.
The old machine stops working after just a short time when turned on.
Hello! I received an old gaming setup from a family member to restore and maintain. It was quite dusty and covered in webs, which I removed afterward. Previously, it didn’t respond at all, except for the graphics card. Recently, I managed to power it on successfully. The problem is that when I switch it on, it briefly lights up for a few seconds before shutting down. After a short pause, it attempts to start again, but the cycle repeats endlessly until I turn off the power switch or press the power button. Once the shutdown happens, a blue LED flashes on the motherboard. It usually takes about 5 seconds to power on before it shuts down, though it stays on slightly longer when the GPU is connected. After reassembling, I followed the instructions for both the case and the motherboard. I’ve tested various power cables without success. Could it be that the cables aren’t delivering enough power? I’m not very familiar with the system, but I’ll share all the details below. CPU: Some Intel model, per the manual; Motherboard: MSI Z97 Gaming 3; PSU: Corsair CX600M; Case: Corsair Carbide Air 540; GPU: ASUS DirectCU II; All coolers are Corsair-branded. Help would be greatly appreciated. Edit: I found a single RAM stick that might be the culprit. Edited September 21, 2024 by Woodland586 Fixed the issue**
Ouch, that's... ancient But not totally beyond rescue! Have a further close inspection and watch for any damaged components, especially on or around the black blocks (which are chips) or a local discolouration of the mainboard . If you find something you're unsure off, post a photo here and we'll tell you if it's beyond repair. Assuming you've found none, disassemble the system and clean off the paste on the CPU (leave it in the socket for now) and heat-sink/cooler. Disconnect everything except the PSU, boot drive, keyboard/mouse and fans. Reapply new paste to the CPU and remount the cooler. Try to boot the system. If you succeed, reconnect other peripherals. If not, consider swapping out this ancient system for something more modern, like Intel 12th gen or AMD AM4 platform. Either will give you a decent platform for (light/medium) gaming, browsing and music/video playback. The Z97 platform, not so much You can still reuse the case and PSU, but frankly, I'm hesitant to redeploy that GPU again. Thing is, AMD didn't include standard onboard video on their AM4 CPU's, only a limited number got an iGPU (those have a G in their model name) so dropping the GPU means you're stuck to one of those. That's not a problem, I have the 4600G in my main desktop, but these CPU's perform a little less over their non-iGPU counterparts. but we'll get to that once you figured out if the system needs replacing or not.
I apologize for missing that detail earlier. The system comes with 16GB of DDR3 Corsair vengeance memory (two RAM sticks, properly installed). I don’t have thermal paste right now, but I’ll still inspect the CPU and other components—thanks for the advice! This should definitely be a significant improvement over my current laptop. For thermal paste options, let me know what you prefer!
I waited until you acquired some thermal paste before proceeding. Once you had it, you could move forward with whatever was needed. MX4 is a solid option for thermal paste—it’s affordable and performs well. I rely on it regularly, whether for mild or intense cooling needs like XOC or Ln2 systems, and it never fails. Since the package felt extremely dusty, there might be some debris that isn’t affecting performance. I’ve dealt with this before by running the device through a dishwasher. That process helps clear out dust that could cause power interruptions, as the system enters a self-protect state when it detects abnormal conditions such as excessive current or voltage issues. I fixed another board where all USB functions stopped working initially; it was very dusty at first, but after running it through the dishwasher, everything functioned normally again. If you need guidance on this method, just let me know and I’ll walk you through the steps carefully. Please follow my instructions precisely to ensure success, unless there’s a genuine hardware issue.