Symptoms of a Bad CPU

It's very difficult to determine if a failure is caused by the CPU because

many other components can cause the same symptom when they fail.
1. System fails to boot
2. System re-boots intermittently
3. General Protection Fault
4. Illegal Operation
5. Stop Error, or BSoD (Blue Screen OfDeath)

Actually, CPUs rarely fail, and about the only way to determine if the
CPU is causing the failure is to swap it out with a known working CPU of
the same type and speed. Since this is difficult, the best bet is to first rule
out every other possibility.

Before suspecting the CPU, rule out all the possibilities listed below.
1. The Operating System
2. A peripheral port device
3. A bad memory module
4. The hard disk drive
5. The power supply
6. The motherboard
If you have ruled out out all the other possibilities, investigate the
items listed below.
1. Overheating
2. A short circuit
3. ESD

The Primary Killer of CPUs is Heat
Check the items listed below.
1. The CPU fan is operating
2. Case exhaust fans are operating
3. No fan or vent is blocked with dirt
4. CPU fan air flow is not blocked by cables
5. There's sufficient space around case fans and vents for proper air
flow

Visual Inspection

Visually inspect the CPU for mechanical problems. Some of these inspections may
require removal of the CPU fan and CPU.

CPU with Fan
1. The CPU fan is securely fastened to the CPU
2. The thermal compound between the CPU and heat sink appears sufficient
3. Dirt or spilled liquids are not causing a short between pins or traces
4. The pins of the CPU are making positive contact with the circuit board


BIOS Beep Codes

A computer's BIOS (Basic Input Output Service) contains code that performs a POST
(Power-On Self Test) every time you start the computer. If the POST determines that
the computer is damaged to the extent that it can no longer communicate through the
display, it will attempt to communicate information about the fault through "beep
codes". A computer that emits more than a single beep at power-up is trying to tell you
something.

To decode the beeps, you'll need to determine what kind of BIOS your computer
contains. You can learn this from the information that came with your computer or you
can read the information printed on the BIOS chip itself. For example with most AMI
(American Megatrends International) BIOS, 5 or 7 beeps means a bad CPU.

What to Do About a Bad CPU?

If you have ruled out all other possibilities and you are confident that you have
a bad CPU, then you can replace it with a new CPU of the same type and speed.
Sometimes you can upgrade your motherboard with a more powerful or faster
CPU, but make sure that your motherboard and system memory are
compatible with the new CPU. Make sure that you mount the CPU heat sink
and fan and properly and use adequate thermal compound between the CPU
and heat sink. Consider upgrading to a new motherboard/CPU combo.