My CPU pins are bent :(

[AznSensation]

When I tried to remove my Zalman heatsink, the CPU came right off the mobo socket. Now the CPU pins are bent. I tried to straighten out with toothpick but no luck. I tried to force it in and now more pins are bent.

Any advice? or shall I just buy another processor for $80?

 

[Twista]

This happens to abunch of people (including me about 4 times) Get a pair of twizzers and try to straighten them out. Some people even broke off acouple and the cpu still works lol.

 

[Gigantopithecus]

I've found the mechanical pencil tip method works well.

 

[MrCodeDude]

I tried to use tweezers and ended up breaking it off. I sent it to a guy for $35 for him to replace my pin, he did it and it worked fine.

 

[bendixG15]

Try running a credit card down the rows.....worked for me

 

[dfuze]

I second the use of a mechanical pencil tip. Opening is just the right size so that you fix the bent one, but don't disturb those surrounding it.

 

[Seekermeister]

It depends on how badly they are bent, but a thin bladed knife or perhaps a nail file might work. If they are really flattened, then the tweezers would be best, at least to raise them enough to work with. In any case, the tools need to be slim enough to prevent collateral damage.

 

[trOver]

doesnt bending pins back and forth make them lose their conductivity enough to a poitn to make the cpu not work??

 

[Ruptga]

As long as the pins are connected it doesn't matter, it's still gold and it'll still conduct just fine. Actually, you don't need all of the pins, even if one is broken off entirely, the CPU still might work.

 

[Seekermeister]

Originally posted by: trOver
doesnt bending pins back and forth make them lose their conductivity enough to a poitn to make the cpu not work??

As long as you don't break it, I doubt it. I have even heard of people with pins broken off that used a stub of a fine wire inserted in the socket, just proud of the top enough to contact the processor, that worked okay.

 

[Gautama2]

Never force it.

This guy http://motherboardrepair.com/ can re-pin it for $35

 

[TOPACTION]

When I changed mother board I bent 1 pin to on my amd 4400 + and stopped working since I dindn't want to pay for a new cpu that still cost some money, I asked an RMA request at support.amd.com and said that I bent one pin when trying to remove the fan that was stuck on the CPU because of the paste.


and guess what amd said... sent it back, if it pass our test we will replace the cpu!!!!

I was in chock.... I sent my cpu with express post canada to amd ( cost12$) then 1 week later I got a brand new amd 4400 cpu that overclock 4 x time more.... they said they guaranty to 5 brocken pin!!

Even if Intel is beeating amd with the coroduo 2 damn AMD is still kicking some ass. I really REALLY pray that they beat intel again... want to buy my next cpu with amd on it...

 

[Confusednewbie1552]

Hi, this exact thing happened to me a few years ago lol, i got a toothpick and tried to straighten them and then accidently broke one off and lost it. So i found an old pentium 4 and i took a pin off it and welded it back to my amd and it managed to fit in the socket (with some coaxing =) ). It has been working fine ever since! The moral of this story is: so long as you have some metal connecting the cpu to the socket, you should be fine.

 

[Zap]

I recently fixed this CPU (warning huge pic). It's an FX-55, now working fine. I've straightened pins on a number of CPUs and only once has one broke, on a P4 3.4GHz Prescott. It was a ground pin, so I figured it would be okay... and it was. AFAIK if a broken pin is a ground or power pin, should be fine since there are a bunch of those all connected to the same place internally. Any other pin broken, probabaly not fine. Intel/AMD offers PDF documentation on their CPU pinouts - just dig around on their sites.

 

[Roguestar]

Originally posted by: Zap
I recently fixed this CPU (warning huge pic).

Holy crap, batman, what happened it?? Did someone stand on it :Q?

 

[Markbnj]

I tried to force it in and now more pins are bent.

I wish you the best of luck, but why the heck would you try to "force it in?" The only way to fix this situation, other than relying on AMD's good graces as another poster suggested, is to treat the thing like the delicate mechanism it is and very carefully straighten each pin using whatever tool is handy and appropriate. If you can't do this, or don't trust yourself to do it, then don't handle the thing at all.

 

[Roguestar]

Not everyone knows what ZIF stands for .

 

[Stiganator]

Zero Insertion Force just in case anyone was wondering.

 

[Zap]

Originally posted by: Roguestar

Originally posted by: Zap
I recently fixed this CPU (warning huge pic).

Holy crap, batman, what happened it?? Did someone stand on it :Q?

Supposedly it "arrived" in that condition. Looks like someone dropped it or stepped on it, but I really don't know. I took the risk to purchase it "as is" after seeing that picture and after about an hour or so fiddling with it, it goes in the socket really nice and can even clock to 2.9GHz. And of course it was cheaper than a new one from Newegg.

 

[GalvanizedYankee]

2.9GHz or 3.9GHz?

 

[Zap]

Nah, 2.9GHz on air. 3.9GHz on air would be some kind of record for A64 class chips.

 

[rasczak]

nice job on the save zap!

 

[phisrow]

Assuming the pins aren't bent too far for that, the mechanical pencil method is probably the safest.