New build horror stories

[imported_Hamlet2000]

Just got done with my first build - a AMD 3200 socket 939 chip on a Epox 9NAP Ultra with a XP-90 heatsink and a Connect3D X800XL card.

I do my fist POST boot to make sure everything is kosher and I have massive artifacting on my POST and BIOS screens - after hours of struggling to update chipset and graphic drivers and BIOS flashing the problem still exists - took my X800XL card to a local computer store, $10 later my thoughts are confirmed that I have a bad card.

Now I have to ship it back to Monarch and wait for a replacement, when all I want to do is game with my new computer on my birthday :frown:

Also had problems intalling a slightly bent XP-90 - couldn't lock down the fourth arm to the mobo, had to remove it, clean up the thermal paste, bend it the arm into the correct position, and start over.

What stories do the rest of you have?

 

[imported_whatever]

I bought an NF7-S and XP/M 2500+ from a friend of mine, with an SP-97 bolted on. Used it for a while that way, but then wanted something more. So, I bought parts for water cooling. However, I didn't realize that there was a pin mod in the socket, so I managed to kill the mobo when the little wires got moved around into the wrong places .

 

[Elcs]

Originally posted by: whatever
I bought an NF7-S and XP/M 2500+ from a friend of mine, with an SP-97 bolted on. Used it for a while that way, but then wanted something more. So, I bought parts for water cooling. However, I didn't realize that there was a pin mod in the socket, so I managed to kill the mobo when the little wires got moved around into the wrong places .

What Id ask is why pin mod on an NF7-S with a mobile? The NF7-S does everything you need it to apart from overclock the chip for you itself.

I remember seating my SLK-900A on my 1700+ DLT3C on my NF7-S. Random reboots at the overclocked speed I had with my Volcano 7+. Random reboots at stock speed, just less frequent. Took a look at it... looked fine, problem reoccurs. I notice 'oh, the large copper paperweight is on backwards'. Sorted it out and dropped about 5C idle/load and things were once again stable. First build I did solo without my dads help.

 

[bamacre]

I got a bad motherboard, thought I was doing or did something wrong.

 

[Mrvile]

When I reseated the CPU once (after bending a few pins, then fixing them) the mobo stopped POSTing, I pissed my pants thinking I broke it. Turned out I didn't seat it down all the way I'm never touching my CPU ever again.

 

[lxskllr]

I got my oem heatsink from Newegg and it had about 40 bent pins. I very carefully bent them back, I'm not sure how malleable they are and was terrified that I would break one off. After getting everything together I couldn't get my optical drives to work right. They would partially work and then stop. I couldn't get Windows to install. After trying 2 brand new cables, I pulled one out of my old Dell and then it all came together :^). The whole process took about 3 days to get it all figured out.