[Kal-EL]

Hardware:

EVGA E762 4-Way SLI Motherboard
Perfect Storm ddr3 2x3
Intel 980x ES
Intel 980x Retail
Intel 3580

Problem:
Motherboard posts straight to "F3" and locks

Troubleshooting:
-Ram stick rotation
-clear cmos/battery removed
-CPU Rotation, none of above 3 cpu's resolve F3 lock

EVGA Tech Support "Shammy":
Clean board thoroughly
Especially small chips around socket area
F3 freeze is motherboard locked at smbus check, something locking smbus

Board Condition:
- Numerous sub-zero runs
- Socket contained vasoline
- Art eraser all over the board from head to toe
- Back of socket vasoline'd and eraser'd

FIX:
- Removed all heat sinks from board
- Removed TIM from chips
- Removed Battery from board
- Removed Bios Chip from board
- Started very hot shower
- rinsed motherboard front and back under hot shower water
- spinkled Joy dishwashing soap on front of motherboard
- dowsed with shower water
- lightly brushed with soft brush to lather up motherboard, pcie/dimm slots/socket
- BE CAREFULL IN THE SOCKET NOT TO BEND PINS - THEY BEND EASY!!!!!
- Lathered up backside of motherboard
- Rinse under hot shower water till all soap is gone
- Lay motherboard on large towel
- Cover top of motherboard with top of towel and wrap
- Place motherboard into clothes dryer atop shoe drying rack (SO IT DOESNT TUMBLE)
- Dry on high heat for two 30 minute sessions, let cool between sessions
- Replace heatsinks w/fresh TIM, replace Battery and Bios chip
- Setup to run
- Clear cmos again and run

RESULTS:
Motherboard is very clean and working like normal so far.

THANKS:
Thank you to Shamino for sparing yet another noob rma.

[punx223]

hahaha sounds like what I had to do to my old P45....

[Chuchnit]

Epic info right there. Shammy is the best!!!

[Hondacity]

hot shower also removes vaseline

[Buckeye]

What a pain Kal but happy to hear its all working fine now. Seems even our motherboards need a bath every once in awhile LOL

I just used our local car wash to get that hard to get off gunk. Don't hammer the socket very hard using this method, but it cleaned out the grease very good

Then I put it in the easy bake oven for an hour on low after I used a blow dryer on it.

[Patch]

Wow Supes. That's a lot of work. Gratz on it working.

[Hondacity]

he made it sound hard...

all he did was put it in the dishwasher...LOL


jk

[HITandRUN]

Maybe this would help my classy! It was the FF and F3 sickens and occasionally freezes at stock.