Fried CPU or PSU???

[unclechoochoo]

Hey guys, I need some help!!! I am new to the whole building the computer thing and I think I just fried something in my tower. I think I have it narrowed down to either the CPU or the power supply. I was running Prime 95s torture test for a hour or so when my comp shut down and I smelled a faint oder of electrical smoke. When I hit the power button, the computer comes on for maybe half a second then shuts down. I was thinking that it maybe might be the PSU as it was a super cheap one. But I took the CPU heat sink off and there seems to be no white thermal paste on the core. The heat sink had the thermal past already applied on its base and now there is none on the spot where the CPU core meets the base of the heat sink, just all around it.

So either way its going to cost me $50.00 to fix it. Fifty for a new CPU or fifty for a new PSU. So what do you guys think? CPU or PSU?

Here is my system

Sempron 2200 overclocked to 2ghz
AsrockK7S41GX
512 megs of ram
ATI 9800-pro (AIW)
super cheap 450 watt PSU (came with the case $20.00)
20 gig Quantum fireball
30 gig Maxtor
2 80-mm case fans

I can get photos of the cpu and heat sink if that will help.

Thanks for the help, Chuck T

 

[4keatimj]

I would say CPU. If you've burned off the thermal paste, you've made it pretty hot. The fact that it turns on and then off means that it is the CPU, but it probably isn't fried, rather overheating, and thats what is shutting it down. The Prime test can do that to a computer.

Some photos could help, but my money's on the CPU. I would suggest putting more thermal paste on there, unless anyone else disagrees, because without it it will keep shutting down due to overheating.


BTW, I didn't know that Semprons OC'ed that well. Thats a pretty good effort to get the 2200+ to 2ghz, but obviously overheating is an issue there.