Bent socket 2011 pins and CPU damage?

[cynan]

Just finished trying to put together a new socket 2011 (X79) build. Upon power-up, the PSU would start and the motherboard would receive power (fan headers functional), but it would not post or deliver a VGA signal (tested with known functional VGA card, DIMMs in various slots).

Long story short, I removed the processor and upon inspection noticed as many as half a dozen socket pins seemed to be bent. I'm thinking this is probably the culprit. I didn't notice bent pins prior to install, but, to my chagrin, I did not do a thorough inspection of the socket prior to installing the CPU. This is the last time I'll make that mistake. (I don't know why Intel couldn't have left the pins on the CPU where they belong as that config seems to be bullet-proof by comparison - must be cheaper to manufacture CPUs without pins).

Other than the huge PITA of being without the new build and potentially being out $100s for something I can't be sure was my error, I'm wondering if I may have shorted out my brand new 3930k (is that likely?). I've read that it's possible, but has anyone actually encountered a borked CPU resulting from improper socket pin contact? If it is shorted, do I run a risk of damaging the motherboard by installing the CPU when/if I get a new one? I'm thinking probably not, but anyone know for sure?

Thanks in advance. Just when I think I'm fairly experienced at assembling PCs, I do something like this...

[derFunkenstein]

Impossible to know without inserting it into another board, but if it helps at all, I did not kill either a Core 2-based Pentium on or a Socket 1156 Core i3 when I bent pins in those sockets by mistake.

[Flying Fox]

Actually, the idea there of LGA was that the CPU is more expensive than your motherboard. So in the case of bent pins you may just need to replace the cheaper motherboard.

[just brew it!]

Actually, the idea there of LGA was that the CPU is more expensive than your motherboard. So in the case of bent pins you may just need to replace the cheaper motherboard.

Hmm... I hadn't heard that line of reasoning, but I suppose it makes some sense, at least on the Intel side. Maybe that explains why AMD stayed with pins for their desktop CPUs, but switched to LGA for the Opterons...

Replacing a motherboard is a much bigger PITA than replacing a CPU though.

[thegtproject]

Well cynan, I registered just to reply to you. Suppose it's time as a long time tr reader.

I just did a 3930K build myself (evga GTX 680, 32 GB G.Skill RipjawsZ, asus sabertooth x79, silverstone tj-07, corsair H-100, corsair HX750 for the curious)

I bent 6 or so of my pins removing the stupid dust plate. This is when i realized why I keep hearing about bent pins, it was pretty easy to do. I was furious. But I also have the lowest patience tolerance in the universe, so instead of safely protecting the (lots) of money i through into the other components of the system, i spent 15 minutes repositioning the pins as best as i could with a flat head screw driver (one of the corners of the tip). They were still noticeably perturbed, but in reasonable position. After that was all said in done, system booted with no problems. Hell, this is my first build that actually clocked my RAM correctly even (2133mhz even though Sabertooth doesn't even officially support that speed).


TLDR; if you're impatient as me, try rebending/positioning the pins yourself, it worked for me.

[JustAnEngineer]

Back in the day, a 0.5mm mechanical pencil (using the hollow tube with the lead retracted) was the preferred tool for straightening bent pins.

[just brew it!]

Back in the day, a 0.5mm mechanical pencil (using the hollow tube with the lead retracted) was the preferred tool for straightening bent pins.

Yeah that works great for CPU pins; not so much for LGA socket pins.

Back in the early Socket A days, a pencil was also a useful clock multiplier unlocking tool!

[thegtproject]

Yeah that works great for CPU pins; not so much for LGA socket pins.!

Yeah, these x79 pins come out at a steep angle, diagonally. They were pleasantly easy to reposition though.

[Forge]

Only the actual tip of the pin needs to be in place, but the margin for error is pretty small. Do be careful.

I've repaired a few mildly bent LGA socket pins, and don't really care to do it again unless I have to.

[UberGerbil]

Actually, the idea there of LGA was that the CPU is more expensive than your motherboard. So in the case of bent pins you may just need to replace the cheaper motherboard.

Hmm... I hadn't heard that line of reasoning, but I suppose it makes some sense, at least on the Intel side. Maybe that explains why AMD stayed with pins for their desktop CPUs, but switched to LGA for the Opterons...

I definitely remember hearing that justification, but I don't recall if it specifically came from Intel (or if it did, if it was an official explanation rather than an aside). I wouldn't be surprised if it's simply cheaper for Intel in the sense that mishandling of components means the bent thing ends up getting returned to the motherboard manufacturer rather than them (even if there's no agreement in place for that -- eg F500 maintenance contracts -- AFAIK the recycling mandates in Europe require that arrangement). The "which part is cheaper" argument begins to fall apart when your "deluxe" motherboard and your unlocked CPU are both about $200, even before you factor in the labor involved.

[Arclight]

Am i the only one not seeing an issue here?

Just call your retailer and tell him you have a problem with the CPU and mobo and that you want to return them. Either get yo money back or ask for replacements. How the hell are they going to accuse you of bending pins if you fake that you don't know what's wrong, all that you know is that they aren't working.....

[cynan]

Am i the only one not seeing an issue here?

Just call your retailer and tell him you have a problem with the CPU and mobo and that you want to return them. Either get yo money back or ask for replacements. How the hell are they going to accuse you of bending pins if you fake that you don't know what's wrong, all that you know is that they aren't working.....

I have already requested an RMA from the retailer that I bought the motherboard from. Reading the reports on the web, it seems fairly hit or miss whether said retailer will authorize repair/replacement under warranty if bent socket pins are discovered, but I figured it was worth a shot. I also feel kind of responsible, as it is more than likely that I was the one who bent the pins. If they reject the RMA, then I will try to bend the pins back into place myself.

My main concern was in the case of a fried CPU. Am I running the risk of damaging a replacement motherboard if I try out the CPU in a new board? It seems kind of impetuous to try and RMA a potentially perfectly good CPU just in case.

I still think it would behoove motherboard manufacturers to put a bright orange sticker over the socket with some kind of warning for idiots like me who are unaware of the that the new Intel sockets are pinned and that EXTRA care is required in installation vs when the CPUs had the pins. The only time I ever bent pins on a CPU was years ago when I knocked one off my desk and onto a hard floor. However as these cpu pins were perpendicular, it was an easy fix. It still works to this day. If they reject the RMA, I guess I'll see how easy these diagonal pins are to fix...

[P5-133XL]

Am i the only one not seeing an issue here?

Just call your retailer and tell him you have a problem with the CPU and mobo and that you want to return them. Either get yo money back or ask for replacements. How the hell are they going to accuse you of bending pins if you fake that you don't know what's wrong, all that you know is that they aren't working.....

You don't see the ethical problem? It's goes bad the moment you "fake" something to get someone to do what you want them to do.

[JustAnEngineer]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fraud

[derFunkenstein]

I still think it would behoove motherboard manufacturers to put a bright orange sticker over the socket with some kind of warning for idiots like me who are unaware of the that the new Intel sockets are pinned and that EXTRA care is required in installation vs when the CPUs had the pins. The only time I ever bent pins on a CPU was years ago when I knocked one off my desk and onto a hard floor. However as these cpu pins were perpendicular, it was an easy fix. It still works to this day. If they reject the RMA, I guess I'll see how easy these diagonal pins are to fix...

My Asus board came with a yellow sticker on the socket cover, but I've seen other boards that don't.

[UberGerbil]

My Asus board came with a yellow sticker on the socket cover, but I've seen other boards that don't.

Yes, but it doesn't warn you about this particular risk (except implicitly, I guess, in that your RMA won't succeed without it)

[Arclight]

Am i the only one not seeing an issue here?

Just call your retailer and tell him you have a problem with the CPU and mobo and that you want to return them. Either get yo money back or ask for replacements. How the hell are they going to accuse you of bending pins if you fake that you don't know what's wrong, all that you know is that they aren't working.....

You don't see the ethical problem? It's goes bad the moment you "fake" something to get someone to do what you want them to do.

Look the law in my country says i can return a product in 10 working days and ask for my money and no questions will be asked. The only condition is to keep the package and all it's content in very good conditions, and that the product or accesories are all there and vendible.

I guess laws differe everywhere but if i buy a mobo and it's defective, i don't have to ask for replacement, i can just fill out a form and ask to return it. They make a quick visual inspection upon return then in another few working days they will return my money in the bank account of my choosing. The only additional expenses that they won't cover is the transport of said product from them to my house (from the original delivery) and from my house to their warehouse (upon return).

In my country even if upon visual inspection they notice the bent pins, when they ask me if it arrived like that (because when i ordered i ask for sealed products so they have no way of knowing how the product looked) when i received or if i caused the problem. Ofc i'm not gonna tell them i bent the pins, i'll just say idk what pins are, after he explains i'll reply that all i did was to carefully put the CPU inside and after finishing the installation when i powered the PC it didn't work. Thus i want my money back.

No way he could refuse my refund.....

[P5-133XL]

I said nothing about broken laws. I agree, Laws vary between places. My comment was on the ethics -- The rightness or wrongness of things. If there is no wrongness, then why do you need to fake anything?

I'll tell you why, because you are trying to manipulate the outcome. The fact that they can't prove you lie, does not make the lie any less wrong just that you can't get caught at it.

May I suggest you look up what a sociopath is. They don't accept responsibility for their actions and they don't care how it harms others. They will consider the likelihood of getting caught when choosing an action but They only really care about their own positive outcome.

[Arclight]

I said nothing about broken laws. I agree, Laws vary between places. My comment was on the ethics -- The rightness or wrongness of things. If there is no wrongness, then why do you need to fake anything?

I'll tell you why, because you are trying to manipulate the outcome. The fact that they can't prove you lie, does not make the lie any less wrong just that you can't get caught at it.

May I suggest you look up what a sociopath is. They don't accept responsibility for their actions and they don't care how it harms others. They will consider the likelihood of getting caught when choosing an action but They only really care about their own positive outcome.

O rly?

Would you accept paying $1000 bucks for a LGA 2011 board+a CPU and not having them work? Would you accept the loss and not try to manipulate the warranty?

If so more power to you, i certainly would have at least tried, matter of fact OP said he already asked to RMA it......

This is not killing people from malpraxis as a doctor and not assuming resposibility......it's about legally aquired computer parts that don't work....certainly you have different rules for different situations in your construct? Don't you?

Edit:
And even if he doesn't assume responsibility, you presume that the board once returned would be worthless and the manufacturer will bear all the costs, practicly providing 2 good boards for 1 paid. But you forget that the manufacturer can easily fix the pins and sell that board.

This is commerce and in my country there is an old saying: "Lose or win, you're still a businessman"
Meanning they might lose a little from this sale but they certainly still make profit from the other overpriced things they sold. It's not like they are doing at a loss from the goodness of their hearts.

[Krogoth]

OP, as long you don't see any scorch marks on the CPU. The chip is most likely okay.

As for the motherboard, just try to get a RMA on it. Don't bother trying to bent the pins back into position. It is not worth the trouble on modern sockets (pins are too damm small and fragile).

The worse case is that CPU will not POST on the replacement motherboard.

I had once dealt with bent pins on a CPU before (someone's Duron Socket A). A steady hand + a small, precision screwdriver did the trick.

[Welch]

Odd, I've built/replaced about 4 Intel systems (1155 and 775) in the past month and never realized that bending the pins in the socket was that easy... I literally just rip that cap off the socket without issue /shrug, didn't seem that difficult to me.

If you really want to use a good tool for bending pins back, or solder work, go buy one of those $1 metal curved tooth picks, the ones that look like the dentist tools. They have a very fine sharp point and work great for getting to small areas or cleaning solder out of a contact that's stubborn. Sorry to hear about your bad luck, i'd try patiently bending them back like someone else suggested. I have had to bend back about 6-7 pins on an AMD Athlon X3 that was damaged in shipping, worked perfectly and one of the pins was completely folded down to the point that it touched "ground level". After bending it back up carefully it appeared to be ever so slightly shorter than the others, but made perfect contact in the socket. Good luck man

[P5-133XL]

You are trying to rationalize your behavior which implies you know that it is wrong. The fact that you are lying to the retailer, also indicates you know that faking it is wrong. I am absolutely positive that if you were on the receiving end and someone else stuck you with this you'd be yelling bloody murder. So why are you arguing with me about the wrongness?

At what monetary point does wrongness no longer matter? Is a lie to save yourself $1 any different than a lie to save yourself $1000 or even a million? The fact that a retailer doesn't absorb the cost of a return doesn't matter for someone does be it the manufacturer or even another customer in a price increase.

[Arclight]

You are trying to rationalize your behavior which implies you know that it is wrong. The fact that you are lying to the retailer, also indicates you know that faking it is wrong. I am absolutely positive that if you were on the receiving end and someone else stuck you with this you'd be yelling bloody murder. So why are you arguing with me about the wrongness?

At what monetary point does wrongness no longer matter? Is a lie to save yourself $1 any different than a lie to save yourself $1000 or even a million? The fact that a retailer doesn't absorb the cost of a return doesn't matter for someone does be it the manufacturer or even another customer in a price increase.

I know it's wrong but i don't see eye to eye with you regarding the gravity of said deed. I can do it and sleep soundly at night while you would have nightmares. So let's end it here, i agree that from a moral perspective it is not right but from my "life" point of view it has shades of grey, it's not black and white. I mean worst case scenario my request would get rejected without any legal action.

[JustAnEngineer]

The worst case scenario is that you get away with your planned fraud and honest people have to pay for it.

[just brew it!]

The worst case scenario is that you get away with your planned fraud and honest people have to pay for it.

Bingo. It's one thing to RMA an item if it arrived damaged or DOA; another thing entirely if you know *you* killed it. Fraudulent RMAs result in companies tightening up their RMA policies and/or raising prices, which hurts everyone else.

The exception would be if you bought a "no questions asked replacement policy" type warranty for a piece of electronics from a retailer that offers them. (Statistically speaking, these are *not* a good deal for the consumer unless you're the type of person who tends to do things like drop your smartphone in the toilet... but that's a different discussion! )

[Arclight]

Wooowwwww

People get away with murder, others fraud institutions of millions of dollars and none see a day in prison but you guys can't take advantage of a warranty for something you paid? Am i being punked?

[just brew it!]

If someone stole $50 from you, does the fact that Bernie Madoff stole billions and didn't get caught for decades (and does not have the means to pay it back now that he's been caught) mean you'd be OK with being out the $50?

[Arclight]

If someone stole $50 from you, does the fact that Bernie Madoff stole billions and didn't get caught for decades (and does not have the means to pay it back now that he's been caught) mean you'd be OK with being out the $50?

How does your question bear any connection with the topic at hand? The OP is not being robbed of $50 and neither is the retailer. He paid hunderds of $ for a merchendise for which he has warranty. The merchandise does not work as advertise so he requested replacement/repair. If the request is accepted it's all well and good if not, the same.

If you sell me a watch and i brake it soon after i receive it, and then i ask for my money back and you know it's my fault, would you give my money back? Ofc not.

But if there was doubt, meaning you had a new boxed watch that you sold me without prior testing would you deny me reimbursment if upon receipt i reported the malfunction? I think you woudln't.

Same story here. It bears no connection to your example. Nobody is robbing anybody. A product has been bought and paid for.

[Deanjo]

Wooowwwww

People get away with murder, other fraud institution of millions of dollars and none see a day in prison and you guys can't take advantage of warranty for something you paid. Am i being punked?

Warranties cover manufacturer defects, not defective morals. But way to go admitting you are a liar and sacrificing your integrity. I'm also pretty sure your consumer laws specify that the returned product has to be returned in original condition nd accidental damage is excluded.

[Arclight]

Wooowwwww

People get away with murder, other fraud institution of millions of dollars and none see a day in prison and you guys can't take advantage of warranty for something you paid. Am i being punked?

Warranties cover manufacturer defects, not defective morals. But way to go admitting you are a liar and sacrificing your integrity.

Somehow i doubt your actions belie your belifes. But as there is no evidence you can bring forth i can draw no conclusion.

I would like to ask though, would you give to a person who stole a loaf of bread the same sentence as to someone else who took millions of $ in bribe? Well i have seen the justice system of my country give such sentences. No scratch that, the guy who stole the bread had a longer sentance in prison.

But don't tell me the justice system in the US is much better. I heard all about the Enabling Act. Also how the guy that broke that actress's e-mail account is facing 60 years in prison for it. I believe you get less for rape and involuntary manslaughter, but don't quote me on that.

I'll tell you what. In life you can fight for yourself and for your own. Why should this guy pay so much for overpriced crap from Intel? Did he bend the pins intentionaly? Is he an evil guy standing in a chair rubbing his cat and making plans for world domination?

Cut me some slack here, please.