Spark

[Spicker]

well i am building a AMD for my dad's friend

AMD Athlon 2500+ Barton ofcource
512DDR@3200
Fx5200
MSI KT4AV

well i put it all to together all nicely and stuff...

put the power cable in and then push the power button...

then...
















BOOM! i hear a noise and i see a big spark beside the PSU (yes the case was open and i was like 50cms away from it) and then after the spark the computer just turns off... and im like SHYT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

because i know what a spark could mean... (power surge) which can result in to damage parts so i took out all the main hardware... (hdd, memory, video card) and checked it on my computer and they all worked fine!

then i plug in my spare psu which i had lying around here and there and it won't turn on.... now i thought the MOBO was dead and it probably took the cpu with it...

but i could check if the motherboard or the cpu were gone because i have a P4 and that mobo and cpu were AMD

so now im just freaking out :helpsmile: then i remember there was something in the troubleshooting section in the mobo manual so i went to the page and it said to do a couple of things; reset cmos, loosen screws so the motherboard isnt touching chasis... and i did that plugged in MY p4 psu in (dual Fan) and guess what?

IT STARTS working!!!

i almost had tears in my eyes (of happiness)

well that is what i did today...

also the reason the spark came out was the damn PSU i think it was a really cheap one... it was 400W max. and came with the case...

i hope i never see a spark in a computer again... its quite STRESSFUL... i havent had lunch and its almost 5pm and i dint have a good breakfast because i was to excited to build the computer

i just thought id share this with you...

what should i do next time to prevent this?

[Spicker]

i just installed windows and went in to system properties and the speed says AMD Athlon XP and underneath it says 1.10Ghz

its a 2500+ isnt it suppose to run at 1.8 its all stock


EDIT:
NVM i checked the bios and it said FSB @ 100mhz so i increased it to 166mhz and its 1.83 now

[Spicker]

damn the cpu is running too hot...

its at 44 Degrees C idle...

i put thermal paste and have 2 Case Fans

what am i doing wrong? :helpsmile:

[Sasage]

Where do you live? A hot room will increase PC temperature. How are your fans setup? Are you using stock cooling? Did you use a minute amount of Artic Silver?

[Spicker]

i live in canada...

its a cold day today i think its 20degrees with really cold winds... brrrrr

im using the stock heatsink/fan for cpu

one case fan at the back taking the air out

one at the front pushing the air in but the one in the front has the hdd in front of it

also i didnt put too much thermal compound on it just put a little bit and spread it across...

also am i suppose to remove (scratch it out) the pad thing they have attached on to the Heatsink with the cpu? :helpsmile:

[Virtualbody1234]

I don't think you are doing anything wrong. Give the thermal paste some time to spread and see if the temps drop. Also remember that some motherboard don't report the right temps. I have heard that some report 10 or even 15°C off.

I'm curious, did you find out exactly what caused the short? Did you perhaps pinpoint where the board was touching?

[Virtualbody1234]

Originally posted by jaigandhi5@5 August 2004 - 15:18
also am i suppose to remove (scratch it out) the pad thing they have attached on to the Heatsink with the cpu? :helpsmile:

Just noticed your edit.

Yes, you are supposed to remove the pad if you are using paste.

[bigdawgfoxx]

Originally posted by Virtualbody1234@5 August 2004 - 17:53
Did you perhaps pinpoint where the board was touching?

Where would the board touch that would hurt it?...need to know for future refrence lol

[Z-95]

Sounds kinda like what happened to me. I tried to mod a PS/2 port for the mouse into an old mobo, and I miswired one thing, so once I turned the comp on, the ribbon cable freakin melted! I ripped that crap out, then turned it on, to see it working fine (except for the burn mark on the PSU now ). But thats my non-used Mandrakelinux box now anyway .

[Spicker]

Originally posted by bigdawgfoxx+6 August 2004 - 01:08--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (bigdawgfoxx @ 6 August 2004 - 01:08)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin-Virtualbody1234@5 August 2004 - 17:53
Did you perhaps pinpoint where the board was touching?

Where would the board touch that would hurt it?...need to know for future refrence lol [/b][/quote]
if you tighten the screws too much the mobo starts touching the metal chasis and the tiny thingies at the back of the mobo hit the chasis....

but i dont think that was the problem for the spark...

i think it was the PSU and it damaged the bios... so the computer wouldnt boot i just loosened the screws just to be sure and cleared the cmos..

also if i want to remove the HSF now do i have to take the mobo out again?

because i have to remove that thermal pad thing


btw this is my first time with an AMD

i returned the psu and got a new one but its exactly the same as before so im scared to put it back in