Help! I think i just screwed up my PC!!

[ors]

uhm.. i don't realy know where to post this so i'm putting i here...

1st of all i don't realy know too much about computer hardware.. basic stuff mostly like how to install ram and new graphics cards.. and oh yeah i'm a first year computer science student by the way...

so basically this is what happened.. couple of days ago i got curious and opened up my pc.. i wanted to know what the p4 looked like... this is my system by the way...

INTEL D850MD motherboard
p4 1.8 (williamete)
256mb rdram

so i decided to remove the default fan/heatsink that came with the p4 so i pulled it out and the chip was taken out along with it! coz it was stuck to the heatsinks thermal paste (is this supposed to happen??) so i panicked and tried to put it back in.. not knowing how to use a ZIF socket.. (stupid stupid!) i tried to jam it back in.. as soon as i realized my mistake i saw that i had managed to bend a couple of the pins.. so i straightened them out with my fingernails.. (should i have done this with my nails??) but i couldn't put it ack in yet coz it was attatched to the heatsink.. so i pried it off (with my hands! isn't there some sort of tool for this??) in the process screwing up the thermal paste connecting them.. and put the chip and heatsink back on..

so basically my concerns are:

1. When i removed the heatsink the chip came out with it.. isn't the socket supposed to prevent this??
2. Handling the chip with my hands... is this ok??
3. Bending some of the pins and straightening them out again with my nails.. will this affect performance in any way?
4. The thermal paste thingie well basically after removing the chip from the heatsink i just but them both back in without putting any new thermal paste..

so far i haven't run into any stability issues and using the intel active monitor to check my temps after some serious 3d gaming i found this:

system temp: high 30's
processor temp: high 40's

is this ok? is it normal? i have no basis for comparison since i never checked the temps before fiddling with the p4..

any help would be appreciated! thank you!!

Please read the first post at the top of this forum. The Highly Technical Forum is NOT for troubleshooting.

AnandTech Moderator

 

[Mark R]

Considering that your PC now works fine with, no problems, and a normal temperature, I would say that it is unlikely that it has sustained any major damage. Now don't try and take your PC apart again, until you know how to put it back together again.

However, just one more piece of advice for the future, if you want to go fiddling or upgrading PCs: Touching any electronic component in a computer brings with it a risk of damage from static electricity.
High voltage static (10,000V or more) can destroy a component like a CPU (this will usually be noticable by a visible spark and sensation of an electric shock). Low voltage static (less than 5000 V) may not be noticable at the time, and may also not cause complete breakdown of the component, but instead cause minor damage that may then cause problems a year or 2 down the line.

P.S. I would have thought technical support or cases/cooling would have been a more appropriate place for this.

 

[ors]

how will i be able to tell if i have damaged it with static electricity? i did try grounding myself by touching the back of the case though...