Member Avatar for Viper55666

Hello,
I'm having an issue with my desktop. It's a custom build and has been running perfectly for a couple of years. Last week whilst playing a game the machine died... Completely. As it died I smelled a brief but strong burning smell.

After this the machine would not boot at all. I hit the power button, the lights come on and then instantly turn off. Try the power again and I don't even get the lights. Unplug it, plug it back in and then I get the lights again but nothing more.

I've replaced the PSU...no change.
I've replaced the motherboard... No change.
Now before I go and spend even more replacing my next guess... The CPU, has anyone got any other ideas what it could be?

Spec
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Intel q6600 2.4ghz core2 duo quad
Asus P5Q pro turbo motherboard
4Gb (4x1) corsair dominator RAM
Nvidia 9800 gt
Hyper type M 630w PSU

Any help would be massively appreciated

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by Viper55666

Dani AI

Generated

Following 's follow-up (multiple core parts failed) and the early suggestions from and , a concise, durable troubleshooting and prevention note for “dead” desktops with no POST, no drive spin and a burning smell.

The practical diagnostic workflow:
(1) Safety and visual inspection — mains unplugged, locate smell, look for scorch marks, melted plastic, or bulging/leaking capacitors around the CPU/VRM and PCIe areas.
(2) Eliminate simple shorts — remove the motherboard from the case and bench-test on a non-conductive surface to rule out standoff/screw shorts.
(3) Minimal boot (breadboard) — fit only CPU, cooler, one known-good RAM stick, speaker, and PSU; try POST with onboard video (or a single known-good GPU). This isolates whether the system can initialise.
(4) PSU verification — use a known-good PSU or an inline PSU tester and measure rails (12V, 5V, 3.3V) under load; the paperclip test is only a basic check and can be misleading.
(5) Cross-test components — if possible, test suspect GPU/CPU/RAM in another working system to confirm which part failed.
(6) Data safety — remove any drives before further bench-testing; attach drives to a separate machine or USB-SATA adapter for recovery.

Root-cause and prevention notes:
When multiple core components fail at once the most likely causes are a catastrophic PSU failure, a motherboard VRM/short, or an external surge. Ordinary surge strips can fail silently; consider a quality PSU, a UPS with AVR, or whole-house surge arrestors. Check warranties/RMA before discarding parts.

Caution: PSUs and motherboard capacitors can hold lethal charge; live-rail probing or internal repairs should be left to qualified technicians.

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Member Avatar for Pjieter

I would start by replacing the RAM. Probably not the cause of your problem, but it's worth a try isn't it? Replacing the CPU is pretty expensive indeed..
Or, maybe if you're 'lucky', check your wiring?
If the problem is as you describe it ('dead, no beep, no head spin') I would conclude that your PSU is dead, or your BIOS isn't working (motherboard), are you sure that's not the cause of your problem?

Member Avatar for mjdodd

Not oinly the wiring, memeory but also the Hard disk, if that has failed it wont start unless you try to start from a different boot system. As you do not appear to be able to get to the first screen even to get access to the bios it seems to me that here is a major power supply problem and it is possible that a connector / connection at the motherboard is at fault. you may need high tech equipment to trace this unless there are obvious signs of burning.
M

Member Avatar for Viper55666

I found the problem(s) in the end. borrowed and bought components until I got it working again. Turned out the CPU, MOBO and graphics card were all shot. Don't know what happened to blow all 3. The rig is plugged into a surge protection extension lead and there was no visible damage to any of it. Very weird, very expensive to sort out. Just wish I had of known it was all gonna be screwed as I could have upgraded for the same price as the replacement parts!! Oh well. At least she's working now. Thanks for the input guys.

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