Regarding cooling, interesting issue i'm having

[Pinscher]

Hi guys. I've got a doozy for you...well it is a doozy for me at least.

So, my opinion, I've got a nice computer, but it's been acting up.

I wanted to trade out my stock intel cooler so i could OC my 2500k a bit. I choose n corsair A70 since it's effective and i got it for 25 bucks, so cheap.

I've installed it with new tim, etc. everything mounts all right, and according to the directions. So here is the kicker. .. after install my computer will only post with one stick or ram in it.

I've read that bent pins can cause issues. I have removed the cpu and re installed in order to check all of the pins to see if any are bent and there are no issues that I can see. I don't believe this is the problem.

I was thinking that something was really wrong with the motherboard, and so I put the ram back in the configuration that originally work and I re-installed the stock fan...now the system boots like normal.

I'm running an asus p8z68 mpro gen3, intel 2500k cpu, and now a stock cooler.
I was installed a corsair A70 air cooler when the problem showed up.

Any ideas?

 

[the54thvoid]

Umm, logic dictates that the cooler should have absolutely no effect on the RAM. You don't even need to remove the cpu to change cooler so it can't have anything to do with the A70. Unless you took out the cpu first time to clean and got a bit of debris caught somewhere? Or alternatively you overtightened the A70 block?

Give the A70 another try. Your cooler cannot logically affect the RAM unless you're installing it poorly.

 

[eidairaman1]

If that board is flexed the ram can be affected. Thats only major drawback to a LGA motherboard

 

[Vario]

Even the worst thermal paste job shouldn't cause that problem. Is there visible damage anywhere? Any tracing exposed on the pcb?

Was the fan on the cooler plugged into the same spot?

 

[Pinscher]

Umm, logic dictates that the cooler should have absolutely no effect on the RAM. You don't even need to remove the cpu to change cooler so it can't have anything to do with the A70. Unless you took out the cpu first time to clean and got a bit of debris caught somewhere? Or alternatively you overtightened the A70 block?

Give the A70 another try. Your cooler cannot logically affect the RAM unless you're installing it poorly.

Yes, i follow that same logic, thus it's a doozy. I've reinstalled in 3 times so far.

Even the worst thermal paste job shouldn't cause that problem. Is there visible damage anywhere? Any tracing exposed on the pcb?

Was the fan on the cooler plugged into the same spot?

No dmg that I can see. I'm going to try again, but this time I will apply less pressure to ensure no flex.

Even the worst thermal paste job shouldn't cause that problem. Is there visible damage anywhere? Any tracing exposed on the pcb?

Was the fan on the cooler plugged into the same spot?

Um. I don't remember, but even if I install the radiator w/o fans it runs cooler in bios then the stock cooler and it I put more then 1 stick of ram it I get stuck with a 2 second reboot loop.

If that board is flexed the ram can be affected. Thats only major drawback to a LGA motherboard

Any idea how common this is? The A70 does have a seemingly decent back plate that mounts over the stock cpu bracket backplate.


Okay, I'm going to go and flash bios and try another install. I'm glad that the computer boots will 4 sticks of ram in w/ stock cooler, it's just... common... It's the first time I've used a stock anything in my computer since I was 14.

 

[Vario]

Could the backplate short the board?

 

[the54thvoid]

Could the backplate short the board?

That's what I'm now thinking.... or the backplate is touching some contacts?

Hey, Pinscher, can you take some pics of the A70 instal? Nice quality ones.

 

[Pinscher]

If that board is flexed the ram can be affected. Thats only major drawback to a LGA motherboard

That's what I'm now thinking.... or the backplate is touching some contacts?

Hey, Pinscher, can you take some pics of the A70 instal? Nice quality ones.

guys, so the install needs some spacers, that and if you follow the directions I think the mounting ends up flexing the board

I've put in some 2.5mm washers between the back plate and the MOBO, now the "thumb" screws, good luck getting your hand in there, are not tightened like the instructions say, but the thing doesn't move so I believe it's good.

Thanks for the quick reply guys, and thanks to eidairaman1 for the flexing information.

 

[Vario]

Thank you for the follow up, it looks good in there. I'd suggest changing the orientation so it blows across the ram so it takes cold air from the front rather than hot from the back of the GPU but its probably not really a huge deal.

 

[Arjai]

I guess I am a little late but Reading from OP, You guys pegged it!!

 

[Pinscher]

Thank you for the follow up, it looks good in there. I'd suggest changing the orientation so it blows across the ram so it takes cold air from the front rather than hot from the back of the GPU but its probably not really a huge deal.

Good points, i was going for excess video temp exhaust since my vid is OC'd. I have a smaller fan glued into my optical driver bay that blows over top of the rams and into the cpu radiator and out the top

So far the system is holding strong. the mobo has an auto OC function and with the stock cooler it managed a 100mhz oc, but with the new cooler i'm up to 4.3ghz(600mhz), which is nice gains for zero effort.

I'm not sure why I'm running 24gigs of ram though, lol ;-/

Fun computer, I'm really happy with it over my previous fx6300 build. Even though it was a sick OCer, that mobo/cpu combo I had was really unstable.