Need some PC advice. What would YOU do?

[xphen0m]

Hi guys, my Gateway PC with an i7 3770 CPU recently bit the dust. I suspect it's the motherboard, but because the PC not POSTing is the main symptom, it could also be a dead CPU. I've been advised by several techs (including one I know personally that's awesome with computers, been at it for almost 30 years) that dead Intel CPUs are actually extremely rare (and they'd be it's the mobo before they suspect the CPU), especially when it was just working fine a few hours earlier.

However, my line of thinking is fearing that this is a rare case of an Intel CPU dying. I've asked some of my TRUSTED Facebook friends if they can put me in contact with someone that'd let me test the CPU in their motherboard and see if it boots. If I'm going to pay for an adequate Intel processor, I might as well just save an extra 100-200 dollars and buy a new machine. I don't want to wind up buying a motherboard and a new case (had an accident with my current last night) and wind up having it be the CPU that's dead and bam, I can't return the new parts for a refund. That's my main fear right now as just like all of you, my money is not infinite and does not grow on trees. This is especially complicated that my main computer stores in the Chicagoland area have closed down. TigerDirect closed down all four of their Chicagoland locations this past May. There are literally no computer stores in my area except for Best Buy, which isn't a good place for computer parts, if anything. the Best Buy up the street from me actually closed down two or three years ago, so I have to travel to get to the next one.

So I'm asking: What would you guys do in this situation? I've thought about saying "F*** it" and just build a custom AMD FX 3580 centered system (not an EXACTLY the same performance, but it should get me acceptable results in music production stuff), which is something I've been wanting to do for a long time. I realize I'm going to have to potentially buy windows, but I have a valid Windows 7 disc and serial that will hold me over for a month until I can buy Windows 8.1, and upgrade that to 10.

This whole situation especially blows hard because this happened while trying to install Spectrasonics Trilian (on Windows 10) that I had purchased earlier the day, and had been waiting to buy since I decided to about four months earlier.

As far as trouble shooting the Gateway PC, I tried LITERALLY EVERYTHING under the sun that suggested to me over the course of five days and nights while I was on a small vacation from work.

 

[He's Dead, Jim]

First, try posting on the Tom's Hardware forums, because they can probably diagnose it better than anybody here.

Second, have you tried the power switch on the mobo itself, or if it doesn't have a power switch, manually booting by touching a screwdriver to the little power prong things? Even if it doesn't POST, most mobos have a flashing light or two that could at least indicate whether it's the board itself that's dead.

Third, I'm assuming you tested the PSU? When things just don't work, that's almost always the root cause- not the CPU.

Fourth, it's a bit dishonest, but Amazon literally never questions you if you return something and say it was defective and offers full refunds. Make sure they do that with CPUs too, but I'd just buy a cheapo Pentium Anniversary processor or something and see what happens when you plug it in. Best case scenario, it's the CPU, so you can return it and decide what to do afterward. Worst case scenario, you're out like $50.

 

[xphen0m]

First, try posting on the Tom's Hardware forums, because they can probably diagnose it better than anybody here.

Second, have you tried the power switch on the mobo itself, or if it doesn't have a power switch, manually booting by touching a screwdriver to the little power prong things? Even if it doesn't POST, most mobos have a flashing light or two that could at least indicate whether it's the board itself that's dead.

Third, I'm assuming you tested the PSU? When things just don't work, that's almost always the root cause- not the CPU.

Fourth, it's a bit dishonest, but Amazon literally never questions you if you return something and say it was defective and offers full refunds. Make sure they do that with CPUs too, but I'd just buy a cheapo Pentium Anniversary processor or something and see what happens when you plug it in. Best case scenario, it's the CPU, so you can return it and decide what to do afterward. Worst case scenario, you're out like $50.

I tried all of this. This went on for five whole days of trying to save it. My mobo doesn't have a light bulb. If it did, that would help immensely in diagnosing the problem. PSU is good, I tried it another machine and vice versa.

I think I'm just going to say "fuck it" and do a custom build. Thinking about selling off some music software (a DAW and some VSTs) that I haven't used in a while.

 

[He's Dead, Jim]

I would still highly recommend buying a cheap CPU to test it- no sense in throwing away money, but if you're jonesing for a new rig then that's your choice. Definitely do a custom build- I did mine in July and I adore it. I spent about $900, could have gotten it down to $700 if I had spent a little less on the case/RAM/CPU.

 

[Plendakor]

I've had trouble with my computer in the last 3 months, it would just stop working after a while, sometimes not even post. I passed the compressor in it, repasted thermal paste, cleaned everything with alcohol and took the graphic card appart (since the screen would go off first but the computer kept running / but was not responding). I cleaned everything, got an SSD, etc. It was better but still failing. I suspected the PSU.

I took the graphic card out and re-cleaned but it was already super clean.
I pushed it really hard in the slot, even tho I thought it already was (been running fine since 2009). Well, to my surprise and after 2 months of agone, it's running perfectly... 1 month with zero issue.

I'd say check the connections !