Is it safe to use a motherboard with a "loose" PCI-E socket?

[CakeMonster]

I have an old motherboard lying around that i "ruined" when pulling out a graphics card and the plastic thingy came lose. So now the metal threads it was attatched to are sticking right out of the motherboard (the primary x16 slot). It runs just fine, because I used the graphics card in the other slot for a few weeks afterwards while waiting for a new motherboard.

Now I am considering building another PC for a friend. Will it be safe to use this motherboard?

 

[LTC8K6]

I wouldn't use that slot because the pressure of the connector fingers is necessary for good low-resistance electrical connections.

If the board is otherwise okay, and I couldn't replace the board, I'd probably put some electrical tape on it to make sure nothing gets shorted out.

That's assuming I am correctly understanding what happened...

 

[CakeMonster]

Sorry if I was a bit unclear, the slot completely unusuable since the plastic slot is gone and there's just hundred metal threads sticking out of the circuit board.. My worry is just if these are any danger since they touch each other.

 

[LTC8K6]

Yes, I would think there is danger there with short circuits.

Maybe cut a piece of cardboard to fit in there as insulation down the middle? Then maybe use electrical tape down the outside edges?

Or break / cut all the pins off the board?

http://cdn.overclock.net/4/47/900x900px-LL-475bc522__IGP6308.jpeg

https://www.amazon.com/Hakko-CHP-17...t_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=A0B8CY17FVHYR0YQ5R5M

 

[Sheep221]

cutting them would be safer I guess

 

[CakeMonster]

I'll see what kind of tools I have. There are so many threads that its going to be very hard to assure that none touch each other. Any idea what kind of power runs through that slot when its not active?

 

[LTC8K6]

I would get an angled flush cutter and snip the pins off. There's quite a bit of power available through a PCI-E slot should a short circuit occur on certain pins.

If the data pins get shorted, it will likely FUBAR the bus for everything, if it doesn't fry a board component.

 

[.vodka]

You're not going to find a replacement PCIe x16 socket and somehow put it in place again and reuse the slot, so yeah just cut the pins out.

 

[CakeMonster]

^ Yeah, I won't even bother with that. Will check with some friends and see if I can get my hands on tools that will cut it at the board level. If not, I'm leaning toward getting a new mobo since I already have the CPU. Not really worth risking a short circuit..