Damn Frys!

[Paul2]

Well, my brother bought a $75 (tax not included yet) of a motherboard and CPU combo from Frys Electronic.

the CPU is AMD Athlon XP 2200+ like the one i am running right now which i bought in June of 2003.

Well, this black employeee recommend us to buy a $25 dollar CPU fan (heatsink), or a $30 one, or a $40 one.

I was like no way, the heatsink in the one i am running now only cost $10 and it runs at a speed of 5,200 RPM.

So, we didn\'t buy any heatsink.
we came home and i connect everything except a heatsink.  And i try to turn on the compute without heatsink to see if the computer work.  I know the CPU could be burnt without one, so I turn it off immediately after checking to see if the computer is working.

The next day, my brother bought a crappy $20 heatsink with an RPM of 4,500 from BestBuy.

After he connected it to the CPU.  The computer does run, but it didn\'t boot to Windox XP.  It show a blue screen with an "Error Message."
We try everything like changing different Video Card that my brother just bought to see if it works, took the Hard Drive and try to reformatted and  reinstalled window xp on the computer i am running now.

After pretty much every attempt, the computer doesn\'t work.  Still show blue screen with errors messages.

So, my brother return the CPU and motherboard.  the employee acccept the motherboard but don\'t want the CPU because she said it was burnt.  So, the motherboard return with a $30 refund and we lost about $45.

This makes me wonder about several things:

- Did Frys sell us a CPU lemon?  Like the same of the store imply, Frys probably means frys the CPU.

- I told you before that i try to turn on the computer once without a heatsink to check if the computer is working, but i turn it off immediately.  could this several seconds of turning it on burn the CPU

-The Bestbuy heatsink that my brother bought it from, have a dry crappy clay on the bottom of the heatsink instead of thermal grease.  Could this crappy dried crap that looks like clay burnt the heatsink.  And oh, could the 4,500 RPM isn\'t fast enough to cool it.

- The Ram my bro bought is a 512 MB DDR with PC3200 Or (400 Mhz).  i check the Bios in computer because instead of showing XP 2,200 speed.  it shows 1350 Mhz.  After i change the CPU? speed from 100 Mhz to 132 Mhz.  The computer start to act up and wouldn\'t boot to window.  i realize i need to connect a pin in the motherboard to make it runs at 133 Mhz.  After properly connected the pins, the computer finally read it as Athlon XP 2200 instead of 1350 Mhz.  But the boot just show message error.  Could improperly putting the speed of 132 Mhz instead of 133 Mhz burnt the CPU.  I kinda doubt it.

So, does anybody here knows.  Look at Soulgrind and other for help.  Its suck we lost $45!

[§ôµÏG®ïñD]

Originally posted by Paul2


This makes me wonder about several things:

- Did Frys sell us a CPU lemon?  Like the same of the store imply, Frys probably means frys the CPU.

Donno.

[
- I told you before that i try to turn on the computer once without a heatsink to check if the computer is working, but i turn it off immediately.  could this several seconds of turning it on burn the CPU

Sure can, as soon as you power your machine, theres volts goin through your cpu. Without a heatsink they "can" fry. But its very odd for it to happen these days. Motherboards have there own themal diodes that detect a rapid rise in heat on the cpu. If it was going to fry, the machine would have shut off or not even booted at all. So i\'d say it wouldn\'t have fried. You did get a new motherboard, unless they sold u a outdated shitheap.

-The Bestbuy heatsink that my brother bought it from, have a dry crappy clay on the bottom of the heatsink instead of thermal grease.  Could this crappy dried crap that looks like clay burnt the heatsink.  And oh, could the 4,500 RPM isn\'t fast enough to cool it.

the grease would have been fine, its still a thermal gel. Not as good as Artic Silver 3 (which i use) but it wouldn\'t have been bad enough to allow your cpu to fry.

- The Ram my bro bought is a 512 MB DDR with PC3200 Or (400 Mhz).  i check the Bios in computer because instead of showing XP 2,200 speed.  it shows 1350 Mhz.  After i change the CPU? speed from 100 Mhz to 132 Mhz.  The computer start to act up and wouldn\'t boot to window.  i realize i need to connect a pin in the motherboard to make it runs at 133 Mhz.  After properly connected the pins, the computer finally read it as Athlon XP 2200 instead of 1350 Mhz.  But the boot just show message error.  Could improperly putting the speed of 132 Mhz instead of 133 Mhz burnt the CPU.  I kinda doubt it.

NO, in NO WAY can underclocking anything fry a component, if anything it will make it last longer.
Only if u set it to 166 could u stand the chance of frying it (which is unlikely). Even then your machine would have probably not booted anyway.

Although i have heard of people killing cpus when it was set to 100mhz and they\'ve increased it by the overclocking settings, rather then jumper settings.  But i still doubt u fried the cpu.

What was the error u were getting?

[Paul2]

With the heatsink and the RAM not a problem as you said, then it could be Frys may sell us a lemon or it wasn\'t burnt.

What really makes me curious, how could someone tell if a cpu is burnt?  Because my brother try to return it and the employee look at it and said it was burnt.  Is she talking lemon or does she have a crystal ball that said so?

Oh back to the RAM, the jumper cable was inserted in a 100 - 132 Mhz selectable position.  After the bios acting up when i set it on 132 Mhz, i reset it and connect the jumper wire/cable or whatever on the 133 - 165 Mhz select position, and i select 133 Mhz.  By doing this, the bootup correctly read it as 2200 + instead of 1350 Mhz.  But, you are probably right about improper RAM frequency causing any CPU problem if any.  So, I agree with you on this one.  And i will take your word that the heatsink didn\'t cause the CPU to burnt.  if the CPU is heating up, like you said, it might automatically shut down to prevent burn.

The motherboard is the ECS version and it looks pretty new like 2003 model or something.  So when i turn it on without a heatsink, i turn it off immediately.  This may have cause it to burn the CPU.  But if this motherboard did auto shut down and i only turn it on for like 5 seconds max and turn it off.

So my biggest suspicion so far about the CPU is:

-Frys sell us a lemon or the employee is speaking bs (baloney sauce) that it was burnt.

$45 isn\'t that much of a money.  But i hated to spent extra money to buy another CPU/motherboard combo.  So what should i do?  Go to Frys and break the employee crystal ball or shove down the bs (banana sandwich down her/his throat?

[Paul2]

Originally posted by §ôµÏG®ïñD

Although i have heard of people killing cpus when it was set to 100mhz and they\'ve increased it by the overclocking settings, rather then jumper settings.  But i still doubt u fried the cpu.

before i connect the jumper settings to 133- 165 Mhz selectable version.  The default is at 100 - 132 Mhz.  So, because i couldn\'t find 133 Mhz.  So i select 132 Mhz.  And that\'s when the Computer starting doing strange things.

So i shut it off and look at it and properly connect the jumper cables to 133 - 165 selectable setting.  And i chose 133 Mhz.  And i am not sure the earlier method of 132 Mhz may overclock the setting and kill the CPU.   Can it be?  Shrug?  But i think its still underclock since my motherboard could runs at 2,200 XP.

What was the error u were getting?

Ummm, when i turn on the computer, it show, you know it check the RAM, CPU speed, any internal connections like DVD/CD/Floopy drive before it boot to Window.

AFter it check those things, instead of booting to window.  It shows a blue screen with white texts.  I only read the Message Error.  I didn\'t bother reading what it said.  Not sure why, probably it show some kind alien language that i couldn\'t understand or some sort of virus like language.

But i still believe its not really my fault.  I still suspicious Frys sold me a lemon or a faulty CPU.  If that\'s the case and that\'s how Frys make money out of customers, screw frys.  their employees are rude and aren\'t helpful and now trying to make money like that.

What does it matter that he/she was a black employee?

[§ôµÏG®ïñD]

lol i never noticed that he said that.. i don\'t think he meant anything by it. atleast for he\'s sake, i hope he didn\'t..

[Paul2]

Nothing at all.  the black guy that recommend me to buy the expensive fan, i was kinda upset about it.  Yeah, i know i am a jerk for saying he\'s a black employee, is just that this employee try to sell me an expensive fan.  I ask him if this fan will be fine which cost less than half of what he recommend and the fan that are in $25 - $40 price range was specificially made for Pentium 4 and stuff.
The $12 heatsink support  AMD up to 2800+ and its pretty quiet fan too.  I ask him if this is good enough, he said no and said its only support to XP 1800+.  But i check the box and it said, RPM 4800 and noise level is about 32 dB or something like that its pretty quiet.  I check the net again and its said supports AMD athlon XP 2800+.  Man, i should just bought the damn $12 heatsink.  Oh well, that time, we came to Frys pretty late and its about to close (on Sunday at 7 PM).  Otherwise I would ask someone else if this $12 heatsink if it is good enough.

And what do you know, the next day, my brother went to bestbuy without me knowning and bought a fan with only 4500 RPM but cost $20.  What can i say.  Since I don\'t want him to drive too much, i just use that $20 heatsink.  But being a cheapass i am, i think buying the $25 fan may have save me the trouble of CPU burn and driving around too many times to return and buy....
But i still think the woman that my brother return the CPU is talking lemon.
Shrug.  Tomorrow, there will be ads on the newspaper (Friday).  Let\'s see what we can do about our computer with a missing motherboard and a working CPU.

[videoholic]

Just like them black folk.  Always trying to sell expensive fans..  He was probably eating fried chicken too.

[Living-In-Clip]

At least he wasn\'t a Spanish fellow. I\'ve never bought a decent item off of the spanish.

[§ôµÏG®ïñD]

Fan rpms mean nothing man.. Don\'t be confused by them. I have a 2900 rpm fan on my cpu with the stock sink (nothing is worse then a stock sink) and i don\'t have any problems at all.
Fans are only for moving air, wither they are 2200 or 5500 rpm, it won\'t make much difference in temp 1 or so degree C.

It\'s the quality of the heatsink that makes the difference, or the size of the fan can make a difference too. High RPMs can improve temps on the smaller fans, but most hardcore pc users tend to have lots of 8cm low rpm fans rather then a few high rpm fans.
More = better air flow and lower rpm = quieter

[Paul2]

LOL Videoholic.

ummm soulgrind, what do you mean more = better air flow?  More RPM?  Scratch head.

Anyway, what heatsink would you recommend me for an Athlon XP 2200+?  I am planning on computer shopping tomorrow.  Any good recommendation?  Not sure if i can actually return the damn "fried chicken CPU" tomorrow...hehe...

You fried your processor

[§ôµÏG®ïñD]

Originally posted by Paul2
LOL Videoholic.

ummm soulgrind, what do you mean more = better air flow?  More RPM?  Scratch head.

Anyway, what heatsink would you recommend me for an Athlon XP 2200+?  I am planning on computer shopping tomorrow.  Any good recommendation?  Not sure if i can actually return the damn "fried chicken CPU" tomorrow...hehe...

 more fans at lower RPMS will beat less fans at high rpms.
Thats why most pc case suppliers are making their high end cases with around 4+ 2200rpm fans

damn black people should stick to playing basketball and leave the computer stuff to white folks and asians!

Heh, nice change of subject. From computer hardware to.. "damn, I just plain don\'t like *insert race here*!"