System starts for a couple of seconds, then cuts off

[RigorVK]

Hey, I've got a quick question. I've fully assembled my build hopefully correctly inside the case, but when I hit the power switch, things turn on for perhaps a second before cutting off again. About two seconds after that, they turn on again. By "things turn on," I mean the two case fans, front LEDs, and the CPU heatsink fan. I don't know what happens next because I haven't ventured to leave my system on longer than that. It seems like some sort of problem with drawing power, but I've tried it in a couple of different outlets with no change. If you had to take a guess, what would you suspect?

For those wondering what the setup consists of hardware-wise, it's exactly the one found here: http://www.tomshardware.com/2007/05/...hon/page7.html

P.S. I haven't tried an out of case build yet, but I shall in the morning. I thought I'd still throw something up here before I crash for the night to see what you guys think. Any help would be appreciated.

[EzyStvy]

Have to ask - is there thermal paste or a pad between the cpu and heatsink?

[RigorVK]

There is. I'm using the Cooler Master Hyper TX, which comes with a gray thermal compound already on the cooling unit contact. About to try the out of case build.

[RigorVK]

Did the out of case build. When I power it on, the CPU fan starts turning and I immediately get a high pitched sound from the motherboard that lasts for about two seconds, then everything shuts off. When I flip the power supply switch off to cut power, things whir to life for another half second, then stop. I've double and triple checked my connection and don't know what to do. Any advice?

Edit: Poking around MSI's (my motherboard manufacturer's) site, I found these beep codes (http://www.msicomputer.com/support/sup_tshoot.asp#1_4) that seem to suggest something is wrong with my CPU or cooling...

[flanzig1]

Would double check to make sure that the 4 locking pins are fully latched in. If even one is not fully latched, it would be enough to cause the HSU not to make full contact on the CPU and cause the CPU to overheat.

[RigorVK]

The locking pins for the cooler are definitely in all the way. That's about the only thing is this build I'm sure of.

How long will an uncooled CPU take to overheat to the point where it is damaged? The CPU in question is an Intel C2D E6600.

[flanzig1]

Intel CPUs have a built in thermal protection, they just shut down if too hot. A CPU with an improperly installed heatsink or using too much thermal compound can over heat to shutdown in just a few seconds.