Member Avatar for Member 785086

Hello everyone,

I have a motherboard with a problem. The board was working fine when one day I tried to turn it on and nothing came on the display. Everything else worked fine, the drives started up, cooling fans run. At first I thought the processor had died, but after testing and probing around for a few hours I noticed that when I turned it on, the BIOS chip overheats. I've been looking for other problems, and trying various solutions but so far that's the only symptom I can find is with that chip. I was wondering if there could be too much power going through it but all transistors and regulators look fine.

Manufacturer: Acer
Model: Aspire ASE380-ED501A
Pocessor: AMD Athlon 64x2 Duo 2.4 GH
Power supply: 300W

Thanks for any help anyone has. I am well aware of the possibility that my motherboard may be dead.

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by SHENGTON

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The BIOS/SPI flash getting hot while the rest of the machine spins but nothing appears on screen is a strong sign of a board-level fault drawing abnormal current on the flash chip power rail. described that symptom; and have added helpful background, but the overheating IC itself points the troubleshooting toward the flash device, its local regulator/filters, or a short on that rail rather than routine cleaning or RAM swaps.

Recommended diagnostic sequence:

  • Identify the flash/BIOS IC and note the part number (look for an SOIC/SOP package with markings). Check its datasheet to confirm the expected VCC (commonly 3.3V, sometimes 1.8V).
  • With the PSU unplugged, measure resistance from the chip VCC pin to board ground. A very low resistance (single-digit ohms) indicates a shorted device or shorted power net.
  • Power the board briefly and measure the actual VCC at the chip pin with a multimeter. Compare to the datasheet. Significant deviation or a rail that sags under load implicates the regulator/VRM.
  • Attempt to talk to the chip with an external SPI flash reader/programmer (or read with flashrom on a supported adapter). A readable chip can often be reflashed; an unreadable or non-responsive chip that gets hot is likely failed.
  • If the chip is socketed, swapping to a known-good programmed chip is a quick test. If soldered, removal/replacement or professional reflow is the practical repair path.

Likely causes include a shorted flash IC, a failed local regulator providing the flash VCC, solder bridges/padic damage, or a mismatched replacement chip with the wrong voltage rating. Running the board while the flash is overheating risks further damage; keep powered-on tests brief. ESD precautions and basic soldering/rework skills are required for chip replacement—if those are not available, sourcing a donor board or professional repair may be more economical. Summary priority: resistance check, measure VCC under power, then try an SPI read.

Member Avatar for ElBigoton

First of all, the obvious one. Have you used a compressed "air" can to blow out the dust and debris? If not, please do. However, be sure to keep the system fans from spinning when you blow on them. Not doing so risks ruining the fan bearings. Seriously ungood later if you don't. Secondly, are you getting a "hard drive not found" eeor" If so, read on. My PC is an old one. In my research I found that one can get a PCI IDE Controller card for the HD. Found some on NewEgg, Best Buy and CompUSA sites. This allows HD to be recognized, etc. Cheers.

Member Avatar for SHENGTON

Hello 785086, good evening. :)

I notice that you are using a 300W Power Supply. A PC requires sufficient wattage for the machine to run properly. If it doesn't receive the necessary amount, several problems can occur. Play it safe and use at least 400-watt or much better if 500-watt power supply. This is a very common wattage and will give you plenty of extra power for boot up as well as for whatever other companies components you might add to the system in the future.

If the processor is damaged the computer won't turn-on anymore.

Since the problem is the display. The computer won't display anything when you turn-on your computer. It's likely a RAM or a motherboard problem. Aside from that, the power cable and the VGA cable are also one of the possibilities. So you better double check that one just to ensure. With RAM, try to swap other RAM to your computer to know if the RAM is the culprit. With motherboard, you should hear a beep when you turn-on your computer. That's the sign that your motherboard is ok unless you remove the speaker.

Take care and God bless. :)

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