Is it three strikes and your out?

[ChrisK2972]

About a year ago, I was running a T-Bird 1.13 Mhz cpu with a Zalman H/S and fan. My computer started freezing up and stuff and I could not figure it out. I tried to reload windows, everything. Nothing seemed to work. Well, one day, for no apparent reason, I took the case off to see if perhaps it was overheating (don't know why I did not think of that to begin with) and sure enough, my HS fan was not working. I was amazed that it had not burned the cpu.

Some time ago, I upgraded to an XP2100 cpu and I recently stuck that same hsf on the cpu instead of the retail one. Tonight, I was doing some general house cleaning and stuff--dusting the inside of the case and cleaning up some wires and stuff. When I got done, I hooked everything back up and I guess I did not replug in the HS fan. When I booted the 'puter, I was booting into Knoppix (live Linux cd) and noticed that I was getting errors that I had never had. After several tries, I finally got into KDE but my mouse kept hanging. So, I decided to do what I should have done in the first place and check the cpu fan. To my horror, it was not working!!!!! I imediately unplugged the machine.

It has now cooled off and everything seems to be ok. I have seen that video over at Tom's Hardware (I think that is where it is) of how fast an AMD athlon cpu will burn w/o a hsf. I believe that if it was not for this all copper Zalman hs with the long fins, it would have destroyed the cpu. I had the mobo set to shut down at 70C but it did not work. It had to be hotter than that.

So, it has happened twice now and I have been blessed. I wonder if the third strike is out for me? I think I have finally learned my lesson to check that before I turn something back on. However, I can say that it was the first thing I checked when I started to have unusual trouble.

ChrisK

[Agent_Embryo]

You're lucky that the CPU survived.

[nukes]

The THG video was based on a total loss of cooling. There will still have been air movment in the case, and a big copper heatsink probably contributed to the chip surviving. In any case, you're lucky.

[ChrisK2972]

Yeah, I was thinking about that. Right after I shut it down, I touched the HS and although is was real hot, it was not hot enough to burn me. So, perhaps it did not get above 70C afterall. I don't think that the retail HS would have faired as well.

I was just "burning in" my cpu....... LOL

[Gait_Keeper]

WOW!!!

yes you are blessed, or very foolish