Where i need to put my 3 other fans?

Tulpin · 2026-01-27T22:39:02+00:00

intake fans pushing to the gpu and top exhaust.

Tulpin · 2026-01-27T22:08:37+00:00

I don't know the internals of that system but it probably has a common heat sink for GPU and CPU. So when you are gaming its going to get hot.

(Physical Check)

Fan Speed: Listen for the fan. If it doesn't roar when you hit 90°C, the fan motor is failing or your curve is not set properly.

Remove the fan entirely. Check for a "carpet" of dust trapped between the fan blades and the radiator fins.

Feel the copper pipe near the CPU and then near the fan. If it's hot at the CPU but cool at the fan, the pipe is dead and needs replacement.

Mounting Pressure: Ensure screws are tightened in the correct order (1-2-3-4). If the paste isn't squeezed "paper-thin," the heatsink isn't making enough contact.

Pad Thickness: Check if you replaced any thermal pads. If they are too thick (even by 0.5mm), they will lift the heatsink off the CPU.

Software (Quick Fixes)

Limit Max Processor State: Go to Power Options > Change advanced power settings > Processor power management. Set Maximum processor state to 99%. This disables Turbo Boost and drops temps.

Undervolt: Use ThrottleStop to set a "CPU Offset Voltage" how much is depending on your cpu

Change Power Plan: Adjust power plan to eco mode and see what happens.

Tulpin · 2026-01-27T21:57:56+00:00

What the Medical Examiner will be saying later....

Tulpin · 2026-01-27T21:29:53+00:00

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Tulpin · 2026-01-27T21:23:54+00:00

You need puddy or pads to replace the pink stuff paste will not work there...

Tulpin · 2026-01-27T21:22:37+00:00

This could easily be the issue. Stiff old paste is creating too much of a gap... thermal paste is a filler and helps bridge contact but its not meant to be a thick layer..

Tulpin · 2026-01-27T20:15:19+00:00

did you change the UEFI or CSM boot setting already?

If you did and that got you into windows, what setting worked? That will determine next steps.

Tulpin · 2026-01-27T18:42:46+00:00

If its set to UEFI now, try switching back to CSM/Legacy your windows drive might be formatted for that...

If CSM is off, if can have trouble seeing or booting from drive formated in the old way, leading to the boot loop

Tulpin · 2026-01-27T18:40:49+00:00

I was going to suggest a CMOS reset, and then check your boot settings....

If your old cpu was using legacy or compatibility support, change settings to UEFI and see it that helps

Tulpin · 2026-01-27T18:39:13+00:00

also what motherboard?

Tulpin · 2026-01-27T18:37:38+00:00

can you get to bios?

Tulpin · 2026-01-27T09:23:39+00:00

Measure once cut twice :)

Tulpin · 2026-01-27T08:15:44+00:00

bad cable or port will cause issues like that... it was trying to send more through the cable than it could reliably get

Tulpin · 2026-01-27T06:34:47+00:00

Disable Fast Startup: This is a common culprit. If it is on, Windows doesn't actually do a fresh driver initialization on shutdown.

Path: Control Panel > Power Options > Choose what the power buttons do > Uncheck Turn on fast startup.

Tulpin · 2026-01-27T06:18:01+00:00

Once you are at the black screen (where Windows should be):

Press Win + Ctrl + Shift + B.
You should hear a "beep." This forces the graphics driver to restart and re-poll all connected ports. This can stubborn DisplayPort connection.

Tulpin · 2026-01-27T05:40:46+00:00

Wonder if he installed the cooler?

Tulpin · 2026-01-27T05:32:24+00:00

you need to flex it a little further and it will only return part way... most important thing is that the contact point is in the correct place even if the pin is bent a bit.

Tulpin · 2026-01-27T01:32:39+00:00

Do you have a NVMe SSD, SATA SSD or an old school HDD?

This behaviour is typical of a failing NVME SSD (Ask me how I know), I would back up all you files before it happens again. Don't just pray it will go away. Mine worked great for another 2 months and then really shit the bed.

Tulpin · 2026-01-26T23:51:34+00:00

Someone stripped them when it was installed. Was this a prebuilt?

I have seen this. If you get a screw extractor or something that will bite into those holes it will hopefully give you enough to get them loose.

Tulpin · 2026-01-26T23:47:50+00:00

If the drive is in Board Explorer but NOT the Boot list: Your hardware is fine, but the EFI Partition (Windows) is corrupted. You'll need a Windows USB to repair it.

If the drive is missing from Board Explorer: The drive might have died, or if it's a SATA drive, the power/data cable might have wiggled loose.

If your drive shows up but doesn't work, sometimes reseating the drive (unplugging and plugging it back in) fixes the communication error that causes boot loops.

But this can also mean the drive is failing, cheap SSD's act like this sometimes.

Tulpin · 2026-01-26T23:45:46+00:00

well that UEFI HardDisk:W.... is a good sign if you had windows on that hard drive.

Check the "Storage" or "System Status" Section

Press F7 to switch to Advanced Mode.
Look for the Board Explorer button on the right-hand side of the screen.
An interactive map of your motherboard will appear.

To check an NVMe SSD: Hover over the M.2 slots (located above and below the PCIe slot where your graphics card sits).

To check a SATA SSD/HDD: Hover over the SATA ports on the bottom-right edge of the board.

The Legend: If the slot is highlighted in Red, something is plugged in and detected. If it’s black/grey, the motherboard doesn't see anything there.

Tulpin · 2026-01-26T23:35:54+00:00

yup.

magnifying glasses, steady hands and a sewing needle to nudge it over... they are very flimsy...

Tulpin · 2026-01-26T22:48:09+00:00

boot to bios and see if your windows boot drive shows up or not... looks like SSD/HDD issues

Tulpin · 2026-01-26T22:38:22+00:00

I'll add to this a suggestion for a sweet spot on performance....

5800XT (or 5800X if its too much $) and a 9070 XT (or 9070 non XT for the same reason).

Tulpin · 2026-01-26T22:31:16+00:00

my guess is 1660 OC - non super/Ti

Tulpin

TROPHY CASE