How can I test my CPU to make sure its working?

A while back my computer died. I assumed it was my motherboard because I bought a slightly cheaper model, whereas I had spent a little extra on the CPU.

I've bought two new motherboards since then, RMA'ed the first. Wouldn't post. Assumed I got a bad motherboard. Ordered a new one, which just came in yesterday.

Now I've hooked everything back up and this one won't post either. I can't believe that I keep getting bad motherboards, though I'm sure it can happen.

Is there some way to test my CPU? The only way I could think of would be to transfer it onto another board that I know works, but I don't have any other computers with the same socket type.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated before I just buy another CPU.

Does it make any beeps at all? Does the CPU Fan spin or even flinch? Triple check all your cables and make sure they are snug. It's more likely to be a Power Supply issue if there's not any noise or movement at all in your case...

All my fans power up. No beeps.

Put another CPU into the(se) motherboard(s)? If they do boot with another CPU it's your CPU, if not, my guess is that it must be your motherboard. But to check that you'd have to have a motherboard with the right socket, which you don't.

Do you have nay friends of who you know they use a pc with a motherboard with your socket? If so you could ask them if you could lend their motherboard so you can test your CPU.

Without reading the thread, I can tell you that a dead cpu hardly occurs. I'm pretty sure its cable/mainboard/memory/gpu related.

Without any friends or spare parts, you can't troubleshoot your computer. If there are no beep codes, something critical is wrong:

-PSU unable to power motherboard properly
-Motherboard is critically flawed

Those are the only two scenarios causing your problem. Well, either that or your motherboard doesn't have a speaker, in which case you should get one asap.

Found a friend with a CPU I could borrow.

It definately was the CPU, which sucks. I've changed power supplies, memory, and tried two different motherboards. I've practically built a whole new computer again. Most of the extras were used to upgrade my wifes Dell XPS 420. So shes not too upset about all the money I've spent.

Well at least the spare parts found a good home. XD

good to hear you fixed it, sad to hear it was the cpu because they very rarely fail, hell id even go as far as to say they cant fail in a system unless you send a huge amount of voltage through them, they just shutdown otherwise.

A CPU that is DOA is pretty rare, probably less than 1%, and a CPU that works fine and then one day randomly stops ... I've never heard of that happening before.

Actually, although relatively rare, cpus can and do fail. However, the failure is most often caused by an external issue, such as overclocking, or poor voltage regulation on the motherboard, or, particularly, a cheap power supply with poor regulation and/or bad noise filters which let voltage spikes through to the cpu/mobo.
before you said it was the cpu, I was going to suggest that you make sure the reset switch on the case wasn't stuck. I spent many hours trying to get a motherboard to boot once, only to have it work fine after I unplugged the reset switch. :/

For future reference though - here's the way to at least narrow things down. Mount the cpu on the bare mtherboard. Connect the cpu fan. Connect the power supply connector(s), connect the speaker. Don't install anything else - no RAM, no video card, no drives - nothing.
Clear the cmos in the BIOS - check the mobo manual for how to do this - it usually involves moving a jumper from one set of pins to another and back. Short across the power button leads on the front panel header (or connect the cases power switch) - if the cpu is ok, the cpu fan should run, and you should get a series of beeps out of the speaker (telling you that you have no RAM and/or video, duh). If you get no beeps, the cpu or the power supply (or the mobo) is probably bad (even if the fans are running, one section of the PS could be bad)

CPU failure only really happens from the following:

Extreme heat causing SiDeg
Horrific amounts of voltage, typically resulting in silicon arching and subsequently, SiDeg.
Magnetic or ES discharge.


The damage typically results in ALU or Register damage, which is catastrophic in almost all cases, as a CPU can't compensate for the huge mathematical errors. This causes catastrophic failure in the OS environment, resulting in a no OS load, or critical errors in OS operations.

Interestingly though, a no boot CPU failure is indicative of massive L1/IS damage.... I have only heard of that happening under extreme circumstances. Typically you will get the BIOS to at least attempt to post.

The only other type of failure I have seen (and is most likely the case here) is bad pin assembly or damage during transfer.

Glad you got it worked out either way. My geeky post will end now.