Pc starts but doesn't display anything on the monitor after changing the thermal paste.

[IPaul6255]

Hi, I went to change my thermal paste and clean my pc and also put on a new intake fan ( fan was not the problem as after removing it it still didn't show anything)

For the start i am quite a noob when it comes to actually handling pc components, i've never changed the paste or even removed anything hardware related in my pc other than put a dvd drive in it so i might have screwed up. My pc components are as follows : i5 7400, asus h110-r motherboard, 2x4 gb of 2133mhz ddr4 ram,
asus gtx 1050 ti.

so i shall go into more detail here:

I opened up my pc case, i used a cotton cloth because i heard that microfiber ones can damage it by esd even tho some said to use a microfiber cloth i said that im better safe than sorry. I did tap the metal fan grille on the back of the case before i touched anything inside. I gently removed the cpu fan and then the cpu and cleaned them with the cotton cloth with some 70% rubbing alcohool ( i didnt have 99% in the house so i had to do with what i had). Now i accidentally put the pc over the cpu for 20 seconds because i forgot about it but it wasn't with all the weight of the pc and i inspected the inner pins of the cpu and they all looked alright, none bent or anything. After that i cleaned the cpu and cpu and applied the paste pretty crapply but i put it back anyway. The cpu was alligned well and all. Then i mounted the new case fan and closed it up. Hoping that everything went well.

I press the start button, the fans start and the normal beeping that i hear everytime is boots up. As of now everything is normal, but then i realise something. The monitor doesn't display anything. I turn it on and off a few times but to no avail. I then open the pc back again and scraped off the badly put paste and applied a new round of paste that i think was a lot better than the first with only one hiccup, that a small bit of paste fell and touched the green part of the cpu and i tried getting it off but it wouldn't budge so i put it back up and removed the new case fan and still no image on the monitor.

I don't think the monitor is faulty as it worked perfectly fine before this and if i disconnect the dvi cable it says it has no signal, only when i put it back on the gpu/mobo dvi port ( tested both because i thought maybe i damaged my gpu by esd but both didn't change anything) it becomes totally black and it says it is on standby.

Another thing may be the ram because i tried to take it out gently but it wouldnt budge so i pressed it and closed the tab that holds it in even tho i also tried to remove it 6 months ago and it also wouldnt move and i pressed on it and closed the tab and it worked normally.

I really hope i didn't damage the cpu even if i kinda wanted an upgrade as that would mean i can't use the pc until i get it fixed back again so guess no gaming for me if thats the case.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Bill_Bright]

First, and for future reference, you never need to replace TIM (thermal interface material, thermal paste) unless the cured bond is broken. It will easily last 5, 10, 15 years or longer as long as that bond is not broken.

If you "need" the few degrees a new application of TIM might give you to keep from crossing over thermal protection thresholds, then you have other cooling issues you need to address first - like case cooling.

Second, did you unplug the PSU from the wall before reaching in? The ATX Form Factor standard requires all ATX PSU apply +5Vsb standby voltages to multiple points on the motherboard whenever the computer is powered down, but still plugged in (or master power switch, if PSU has one, is set to "On" or "1".

Third, you never need to remove the CPU from its socket to clean or apply new TIM. So I am concerned when you say you inspected the PINs.

Fourth, microfiber is better because it leaves no lint and is better at cleaning. ESD is not a problem if you keep yourself grounded to bare metal of the case.

Fifth, one of the most common mistakes new users make when applying TIM is they use too much. Remember, the most efficient transfer of heat occurs with direct metal-to-metal contact between the mating surfaces. The purpose of TIM is to fill the microscopic pits and valleys in the mating surfaces to push out and prevent any insulating air from getting trapped between the device and its heatsink. This means any excess TIM is actually in the way and counterproductive to the heat transfer process.

the fans start and the normal beeping that i hear everytime is boots up.

What do you mean by "beeping"? When a PC passes POST (power on self-test) there should be just 1 single, short "beep". Beeping implies several beeps.

If you hear just 1 short beep, then it is likely your CPU is fine and your problem is a loose monitor cable, loose power cable to the graphics card or something else.

 

[Vya Domus]

Now i accidentally put the pc over the cpu for 20 seconds because i forgot about it but it wasn't with all the weight of the pc and i inspected the inner pins of the cpu and they all looked alright, none bent or anything.

None of this makes sense, your CPU has no pins, the pins are on the motherboard. I can't really see how putting the board upside down could have damaged the pins as there are taller components than the socket.

Only thing that I can suggest is to take everything apart including the CPU and inspect the socket, maybe clean the pads on the CPU with some alcohol and let it dry for a couple of minutes. But mostly I suspect something is not plugged in properly.

 

[silkstone]

If you hear the normal boot beep and see disk activity (red light on front), then it's not your cpu.
Check the power cables to your video card.
Unplug the monitor and plug it back in after it boots (you hear the beep)
Check the input source on your monitor.
Reseat the video card. Remove it and put it back in.
Reset your bios - check the manual there are 2 pins you can short with a screwdriver.

I have similar issues with my PCs every now and then. The above steps are what work for me.

 

[IPaul6255]

Ok guys, I did it, the pc works as normal now!

Turns out it was the ram stick i tried to remove, it wasn't seated well and probably wasn't making good contact. I removed it and put it back in and now it works perfectly, it booted me up in the american megatrends bios saying i had a new cpu lol.

Thank you all for your responses, i really apreciate your support and the fact that you took the time to respond to my noob post.
Have a great day!

 

[Bill_Bright]

it booted me up in the american megatrends bios saying i had a new cpu lol.

But does it boot normally to the OS now?

 

[kiriakost]

Good news then! one ASUS gtx 1050 ti this indeed escaped from be recycled.

Do not touch the thermal paste for the next 20 years.

 

[IPaul6255]

But does it boot normally to the OS now?

Yes, it works as it did before. I even installed the new case fan and played a round of cs go and there is a great difference in temperatures. While before cleaning the cpu fan ( which was litterally filled with dust), new paste and an extra case cooler it ran cs go in 70-75 grades celsius and now it only goes to around 50-55 max.

Thank you for your support!

Do not touch the thermal paste for the next 20 years.

I'll make sure not to
As for the 1050 ti , im really glad it didn't get damaged, I really loved that gpu as it never let me down or give me any trouble. If i'd want to ever upgrade it i would make sure it gets a loving home.

 

[Bill_Bright]

I have no doubts that cleaning out the heat trapping dust and adding another case fan did the trick. Thanks for posting your followup.

 

[John Naylor]

Glad you got it going ... after reading the 1st post ... was prepared to included "remove and reseat all components" but you solved it. We have been building / consulting / coaching PC builds for almost 30 years ... our goal is never to have a repeat "customer". In most instances we don't actually build them ... we coach, we provide the tools, resources, workbench etc . ... they make final component selections, they do actual assembly (or we show how where they intimidated), goal being that they leave with the knowledge to upgrade that box or build next one. We still get calls for advice on troubleshooting, component selection, dead systems and many still return to get help with a problem, use the workbench, tools etc and just have the "group nerd" experience. So in that vein .... Going forward, few things to keep in mind while lowering the anxiety level.

1. When putting a new box into service, I recommend establishing baselines by running CPU, memory and GPU bench tests ..., recording temps and voltages of all components. Periodically run the same tests and compare against your baseline. If you see a jump anywhere or decreased performance, that should give you an idea where to look.

2. It's somewhat rare, but yes I have seen instances where the TIM needs to be replaced. Typical reasons / causes could include:

a) Initial poor mount
b) User disturbed the cooler when adding / removing components and it got nudged a bit, breaking bond
c) Vibration during transport shifted cooler position

Of course it really doesn't matter what the cause is, but if you retest the system, and it's showing a significant increase in temps or performace is impacted, most will want to address it .... some don't case. Once had a user who wanted an SLI build and one of the cards arrived DOA ... suggested he leave it on our workbench till the card arrived but he was anxious to take it home and play. I found out cupla years later that he never did get around to returning the card.

3. My youngest son had a 2600k for almost 10 years .... It was OC'd to 4.8 Ghz and it still hold today ... box is sitting in corner as a guest PC. When baseline check was made 6 months later, CPU temps had dropped slightly ... not unusual ... and when he did his new build, final baselines check was up 0.2 - 0.4 per core. When my second oldest went away to college, his PC was packed in original box, on a pillow in the back seat of his car wearing a seat belt .... when he came back fo the summer, as often as not , it was on the roof rack of his off road jeep which has a modified (read stiff) suspension package and 35" tires. At some point he noticed higher (almost 4C) than normal temps ... a remount brought it back to normal .... was a roof rack transport to blame ? ... knowing what caused it doesn't change anything, but the remount did put things back the way they were. Also have had instances where a new build just had significantly higher temps than was observed in TPU testing ... PC componentry is mass produced and not every one comes out perfect. So while it must be recognized that this happens, it's also a rare occurrence.

4. You should always practice safe assembly / disassembly ... that means exercising safe practices by always grounding yourself before touching any component. For the person who does a build every couple of years, as long as they careful, no need to invest in special items. I started with just:

a) Make sure PSU gets a good ground to case ... at least one screw should make "bare metal contact" with case / PSU.
b) Plus PSU into 3 prong outlet to establish connection to "ground", leave PSU off and 24 pin cable unconnected.
c) I started 1st build w/ a wrist strap but found it got in the way so immediately abandoned; just make sure that you touch the case often and certainly before touching any component.

As builds got frequent, we moved to a "Mod Mat" .... Outlet to PSU, PSU to Case, Case to Mat, mat to ankle strap and we can work faster without thinking about anything

Yes, it's overkill perhaps but, especially when working with components somebody else paid for, better safe than sorry

5. Cotton sheds fibers, don't want to leave those behind. Eye glass cleaning cloths are ideal for this purpose and readily available in packets of 6-12 inexpensively. We are still using Indigo Extreme Cleaner, at least until the supply runs out or we find an alternative. Isoprophly alcohol is a very good substitue but the higher purity can be hard to find ...especially now with the pandemic. When looking at the purity %, don't think about the % alcohol difference between various concentrations ... think more about the rest ... 70% has 3 times the impurities than 90% .... 90 % has 10 times the impurities than 99%. And pricing is often weird .... at Walmart:

16 oz 99% = $9.37
16 oz 70% = $14.88

There was also a 2 bottles of 70% for $3.92 but wasn't in stock

In a recent site visit I also saw 99% in 2.3 oz spray bottles ... Id like to try those.... comes in small bottles so would fit nicely in my PC toolbox

Robot or human?

6. As for the paste on the CPU, as long as it didn't contact the electrical contact points, there's no danger.... however, there's no reason you shouldn't have been able to remove. Again Walmart carries foam swabs or you can order easily on line. Whether or not the TIM is dangerpus depends on what paste you used:

a) "Liquid metal" type TIMs tell you the risk in their name . not recommended to be used other than by experience system builders.
b) While not conductive, some TIMs are capacitive (From AS5 site):

"Arctic Silver 5 was formulated to conduct heat, not electricity. (While much safer than electrically conductive silver and copper greases, Arctic Silver 5 should be kept away from electrical traces, pins, and leads. While it is not electrically conductive, the compound is very slightly capacitive and could potentially cause problems if it bridges two close-proximity electrical paths.) "

There's no "one size fits all" solution either. many will argue that any choice is good because 1-2c doesn't matter. Well ... most 240 mm CLC type AIOs won't beat a $50 air cooler and yet flks are oft paying 3 times as much to get one... even the few that can, none by more than 2C ... so if 1-2C "don't matter, why purchase a $90 air cooler or $150 CLC typ AIO ? Secondly, if they cost the same, why not grab the best option available ?

But there are other considerations ... like when water cooling, when mounting a CPU, you have one surface to add TIM to .... with a GPU, it can be 25 (GPU, 8 memory modules, 16 VRMs). See attached water block instructions. In my experience, the workability of some compounds diminishes over time. IC Diamond and Shin Etsu G751 for example are not well suited for MoBo Monoblocks and GFX cards (where application on multiple surfaces is warranted) because their workability diminishes with exposure to cool temps (IC recommends warming the tube in warm water before TIM application) and air. So where there are large or multiple surfaces needing application, TIMs providing extended workability should be considered.

 

[Bill_Bright]

2. It's somewhat rare, but yes I have seen instances where the TIM needs to be replaced. Typical reasons / causes could include:

a) Initial poor mount
b) User disturbed the cooler when adding / removing components and it got nudged a bit, breaking bond
c) Vibration during transport shifted cooler position

Bottom line as stated above - when the cured bond is broken.

But there are a couple other reasons.

d. When replacing/upgrading the cooler.​

e. After removing the cooler for shipping PC - a requirement when shipping PCs with tall aftermarket coolers (exception: when you are personally transporting and you can ensure PC lays on right side 100% of the time (with cooler sitting on top of CPU/board and not hanging from it - as when in tower position or if laying on left side).​

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and my favorite,​

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f. After user twists the cooler to see if the cooler is loose, and breaking the bond! LOL And yes, it happens.​