Poll:Have you or anyone you've known damaged an AMD CPU's core while attaching the heatsink?

[DAPUNISHER]

I ran across someone who asserts they'd "Most likely crack the motherboard before they crushed the core". The core is basically protected by the 4 pads , shims are a little extra insurance.[/quote]

So, in an effort to determine through user experience how many enthusiasts around here have seen a chipped core, in particular, that's bad enough to damage the CPU I thought I'd conduct a survey. Thank you if you take a moment to vote or post your personal experience or observations on this person's assertion about the pads protecting the CPU. :beer:

 

[Excelsior]

Luckily I have never cracked a core, etc, and Ive installed an AMD chip Id say around 10 times or so. And no one in their right mind uses shims anymore .

 

[bgeh]

never did......and i've installed and reinstalled AMD chips for around 15-20 times already

 

[stevejst]

I probably installed more than 100 times all sorts of heatsinks. I cracked one XP 1800 core (good it was A stepping). I only noticed that I could not boot the PC so when I went cleaning the chip I saw the corner cracked like a bad tooth.

 

[Shimmishim]

i never cracked a core on the 14+ tbreds/bartons i tested with a heatsink...

well... i've chipped the corner of one core of a tbred with my waterblock though but it never effected the stability... still did the 2.4 ghz @ 1.8 volts....

even the 2.5 ghz chip i have is slightly chipped in one corner and still does 2.5 @ 1.9 volts..

these things are tough!

 

[Jeff7181]

Seems to me you'd have to be one big moron to chip a core.

 

[solofly]

NO!

 

[nick1985]

Originally posted by: solofly
NO!

 

[mechBgon]

No, I've never cracked/damaged a core, and shims are the work of the devil too

 

[stevejst]

Seems to me you'd have to be one big moron to chip a core.

You seem to be even bigger making that comment.

 

[WarCon]

I have chipped the corners off several (never bad enough to hurt performance though). One with with an Alpha PAL6035 and I was installing a duct mod on it and bumped the heatsink so that it rocked on the core. And the one time I let someone on these boards talk me into trying my waterblock without a shim I chipped a corner. Shims may not be necessary for normal heatsinks, but if your running anything that has a screwdown mount I would use a shim.

 

[Duvie]

Originally posted by: Jeff7181
Seems to me you'd have to be one big moron to chip a core.

Hmmm....NO!!! If you were a member around here awhile back you would know that even some of our resident amd geniuses cracked or chipped cores....

Unlike some of the amd zealots and flat out liars may want to mislead this is still prevalent these days. I see a thread about it stil quite regularly here and at other forums I skim through.

It is this reason that I build amd computers for ppl and usually try to talk the inexperienced out of this.


Remember manuy of ppl have taken those bumpers off and then they rocked the heatsink and chippe the core. Many have removed the rubber pads and placed a incorrect sized shim and rocked the heatsink and cracked the core. Some heatsink retention clips are quite finicky and often requires too much force to clip and if you dont make sure you hold force down onto the chip perpendicular to the board you could chip and edge.....

 

[mechBgon]

The main key to not cracking the core is very simple: exert no force whatsoever on the heatsink; don't even touch the heatsink. Touch ONLY the clip, and nothing else. Force that's exerted on the end of the clip is felt by the CPU at the clip's pressurepoint, which is directly over the core (or it should be, people do reverse the clips sometimes).

There are a number of heatsinks with other potential "gotchas," of course. Thermalrights must be slid to the non-screwdriver end of their clip, and let's not even talk about Orbs

 

[DAPUNISHER]

No one likes cheese?

 

[stevejst]

The main key to not cracking the core is very simple: [the theory clipped out]

I said I made dozens of computers with AMD chips, I have installed well over a hundred heatsinks, I don't keep a count, some easy, some harder. There is no theory that can help you. It is very much different what kinds of heatsinks one uses, I've seen everything that is available on the market. When there is no enough space, the clip is hard, the fan is tricky to put in ... everything is possible. I cracked the core once and the CPU died, that is all. Not a big deal, it was $60 something at the time and I didn't go bankrupt. But to tell it is not going to happen whatever you do it is silly, like driving the car ... "accident cannot happen to me". Not up to the first time, then you'll see. :evil:

 

[mechBgon]

My theory has worked fine in practice for me so far I have two dozen nForce systems at work and I'm planning to hatch about 16 more in the next six months and of course I've installed/removed my home systems' heatsinks/fans "a few times" too, LOL

 

[stevejst]

My theory has worked fine in practice for me so far

Good for you. I had no problem either until it happened the first time.

 

[pspada]

I've installed over 100 hsfs on AMD chips, and never had a problem. Then again, I'm a professional.....

I like cheese! But not that processed crap, the real stuff.

 

[Mingon]

I had a thermaltake super orb which had such a bad retention clip design it was all to easu to chip a core, didnt stop it functioning just chipped the corners

 

[stevejst]

I've installed over 100 hsfs on AMD chips, and never had a problem. Then again, I'm a professional.....

I bet Arnold never had a car accident either. I mean professionally.

My acrylic koolance case

That is a beauty man. Seriously.

 

[DAPUNISHER]

Arnold who?

 

[Corporate Thug]

i switch processors all the time, never damaged one

 

[MercenaryForHire]

I've seen it. Then again, I deal with complete and utter morons on a regular basis.

At least they pay well.

- M4H

 

[pspada]

Originally posted by: DAPUNISHER
Arnold who?

Ya, Arnold who?

 

[INemtsev]

I chipped core once while removing old thermal paste...