****UPDATE as of 10/27/2017****
 
Little update for everyone.
 
New mobo = same issue.
 
-Went to BestBuy and bought a new PSU just because why not? Same issue.
-Cleaned bottom of CPU (Gold contacts). Same issue.
 
CPU has been RMA'd and Intel has sent me a new one (should be here tonight).
 
Discovered that the waterblock on my Swiftech H320 X2 Prestige is leaking at the bottom in 2 of the corners (ONLY if held at certain angles. The way it'd be mounted on my CPU it doesn't. I held it up and tested.) They gave me an option of getting a new waterblock which means I'd have to flush/fill the loop so I'm currently deciding on just doing my first custom loop since I'd essentially be doing that anyways.
 
Thanks for the help during this fiasco everyone.
 
 
****
 
 
Hey all,
 
Well, I decided that since I've had my PC for a little over a year now, it'd be good to do some dusting, reseat/repaste my CPU cooler, etc. though it sure didn't go as planned. To prep, I obviously powered down my computer, unplugged all USB/display connections + power cord to the PC, held the power button to discharge any remaining bits of power. After this, I gently laid my case down, grounded myself, and removed RAM and GPU to prep for reseating of my CPU Cooler.
 
Here's where the fun begins. Removed heatsink (Swiftech H320 X2 Prestige) from motherboard. I cleaned both the CPU and heatsink with 91% isopropyl alcohol and let them air dry for probably about 10 minutes or so. Repasted CPU (Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut - not conductive), placed cooler on + screwed it down just until I got resistance/when the threads stop (if you look the cooler up, the threads on the screws match up with the depth of the ones on the mobo socket), plugged everything back in.
 
Go to turn my PC on, motherboard starts throwing POST Codes, the last ones being FF then C and constantly rebooting. In addition to this, when switching the PSU switch from the I for "on" to the O for "off", the PC will attempt to restart itself again at least once (but can't obviously due to no power so it's essentially discharging what's remaining).
 
Motherboard is currently being RMA'd (cross-ship) for testing and I personally wasn't able to see bent pins (doesn't mean there aren't any). Held the CPU up and it looks flat as the day I got it (wafer-wise) so it doesn't appear curved/bent either. What's the more likely scenario? CPU randomly died which is weird because I JUST was using it earlier that day OR maybe I pushed too hard when keeping the waterblock in place and possible damaged the mobo socket/board? Or something else?
 
The PC trying to restart itself when PSU is switched off after being on is definitely wonky too. Tried with PSU from my old PC and the same thing happened so I can rule that out.
 
Thanks in advance. Posted in Gen Hardware because although it pertains to my X99 board, it's a general question about motherboard hardware and not about this model specifically (features, parts, etc.).

Sajin
Definitely cpu/cpu power related.
 
https://www.evga.com/support/faq/afmviewfaq.aspx?faqid=59687
 
https://www.evga.com/supp...mmain.aspx?faqid=58590
 

I have reseated the cooler and CPU itself now probably about 4 times now. Cabling was never changed since then so that shouldn't be a factor. And note: this PC has been working fine without issues for over a year. Maybe I'll try the just resting heatsink on the CPU later tonight. Maybe it's getting dirty power from a power strip? Although like I said the only thing changed between working and NOT working was removal and reseating of the heatsink.

somethingc00l
FYI it is not necessary to re-paste yearly. 
 
To fix/test you gotta start from the basics. Reset BIOS, one stick of RAM, boot drive only, re-seat power cables Maybe pull components out of the case and test there.

I repaste like every 3 years.  Maybe that's way too long, but I constantly monitor my temps and just go off of that

SethH

EVGATech_LeeM
It's quite possible that nothing is damaged; the system may be grounded.
 
As Sajin noted, it's likely CPU, CPU power, or power related.  C will show with a bad CPU, bent pins, wrong CPU, or missing power connectors in the 8pin EPS port(s).  FF can also be something similar, can be grounding related, or a dead CPU.  If there's an issue with your power supply, or the cables are not plugged in properly, then you can also get these codes.
 
For that reason, I would definitely test barebones - or a test bench, as mentioned earlier.  Barebones basically means that you pull the motherboard out of the case, test on a non-conductive surface (cardboard, styrofoam, wood table [beware of scratches], and obviously nothing metal).  Use a single stick of memory and PSU.  Rest your heatsink on top of the CPU without tying it down.  Test, and see if you get past C and FF.
 
It's possible you got some extra alcohol somewhere that hasn't dried, but it may also be that the board is grounded.  That's one of the main reasons to pull the motherboard from the case.  If successful, then you should be able to just plug the board back in and have it work fine.  If not, then we may be able to tell you if it's more likely your CPU or motherboard (or PSU!) at that point.

I think I'm going to try to put it back together tonight as if there were any remaining alcohol it should be dry by now (almost 3 days). My CPU, RAM, and GPU were placed back in their boxes/protective casings while I wait for the cross-shipped motherboard to get here. Maybe even unscrew the mobo, remove it, then reseat that too.

I would pull the entire psu and check your motherboard and make sure you don't have a short somewhere.  Make sure one of your motherboard is sitting in their properly without touching any metal it shouldn't.  This way you will also be forced to plug in all PSU connections and make sure they are in correct.  At least, that's what I would do

the_Scarlet_one
Alcohol dries/evaporates near instantly, so that shouldn’t be the problem at all.

That's what I thought too. In order to have physically damaged the CPU I would've had to press incredibly hard on the CPU with the heatsink while it was in the socket, right? They're not that fragile that a bit of pressure would break them I hope.

I had something similar one time was the 24pin power plug on motherboard wasn't seated all the way down had to push hard with needle nose to get seated good luck!!!

Cool GTX
Do you really bottom the CPU cooler screws ?  Tightening all that you can will cause issues if the spring goes into coil bind.
 
--> 1 to 2 turns past the point of contact is plenty.  The "spring pressure" keeps it on the CPU.
 
--> Also, its very important to tighten in small steps, moving across the CPU in an "X" pattern, keeping Cooler and CPU aligned and Flat
 
I agree with those that mention - Check everything - especially power connections

 
Yeah @ your question. Hasn't been an issue at the past. Maybe I will try that too though, not going all the way (though when you screw these down there isn't much thread to begin with). I DO use the X pattern.
 
Within the next few days I will remove the mobo completely, then reseat it and all connections to and from, including PSU side as well.

looks fine but its hard to tell from that angle. are you assembling outside of your case as well? if so i would say the new mb should fix you up.

Check to see if there is a way to tighten the screws that seal the block. They may just need a little bit of love to reseal the block.

the_Scarlet_one
Check to see if there is a way to tighten the screws that seal the block. They may just need a little bit of love to reseal the block.

I've tried with a small screwdriver I have but I need to find a smaller one. The screws at the bottom are very tiny.
 
 

somethingc00l
Maybe next time you will bother to check your components before randomly RMAing things. Doing that just drives up the costs of parts for the rest of us.

Kind of an ignorant thing to say considering the motherboard was the only thing RMA'd besides the obvious broken processor. The leak of the waterblock isn't noticeable and as stated before it takes a while for a small drop to form on one of the corners so it'd be like watching paint dry if you were to stare at it. It was discovered whilst moving my case to re-run wiring through it (changing of mobo) and the movement/angles the waterblock moved made the leak apparent because I heard a drip on a piece of Styrofoam I had to protect components on the motherboard from the free-hanging waterblock mount (case is on its side so it's resting on the foam rather than the metal on the mobo directly). Positioning it as if it were mounted on my CPU doesn't show any signs of leakage. The amount is negligible but nevertheless enough to cause issues if it were to get onto components.
 
Not to mention the cross-shipped motherboard will be returned to EVGA as it's obviously not the motherboard that had the fault, so I'll be keeping the original. But thanks for your expert opinion.

 you really need to pull that block apart and check the o ring. the o ring may be pinched or folded and re-tightening will make the leak worse. until then you wont know what the issue is. being that your loop is upgrade able i would ask swiftech to hook you up with a apogee skf heirloom block as a replacement! ;)