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Tiny Motherboard Cracks After Fight With Heatsink

N4g4rok

N4g4rok

Senior member
I was putting together a build for a friend, and had some issue getting a stock LGA 1155 heat sink to lock in properly. After a little force i got it to lock in, but i got a look at the back of the board afterward, and there are some small cracks on the backside where i had been pushing the heat sink in.

The system booted up, installed windows, and is working fine after a day, albeit some funny readings on the temperature sensors.

The particular board is an EVGA P67 Sli, my question is to what extent the motherboard can have these small cracks and function just fine. They aren't deep, from what i can tell, but they have a little texture to them, so i can't imagine they're completely harmless.
 
I wouldn't think having to force the heat sink in place or the cracks are good for it. I would check it over real good with a magnifying glass and see if you can tell how deep the cracks really are.
 
Well, i took a look, and there's no real discoleration in the cracks. Just some texture whenever you rub your fingers over it.

The rig is still running strong after a round of prime95, time will tell if it's going to hold up or not.

Let's see if EVGA lives up to thier price tag. 😉
 
2is said:
If you need that much force, you're doing it wrong.
Click to expand...

Yep. Lesson learned.

Top-right hole for the 1155 heatsink wasn't cooperating, as if it was too small. wasn't getting the same 'click' that i did with the other contacts to the heat sink. Odds are it was fine, but i get paranoid with coolers not being attatched right.
 
N4g4rok said:
Yep. Lesson learned.

Top-right hole for the 1155 heatsink wasn't cooperating, as if it was too small. wasn't getting the same 'click' that i did with the other contacts to the heat sink. Odds are it was fine, but i get paranoid with coolers not being attatched right.
Click to expand...

I've had that happen too and it was because the black locking pin was not fully retracted, so in fact, the hole would be too small in that case.
 
Chances are if it passed prime 95 then you didn't do any lasting damage, learn your lesson though, the words minimum insertion force are your friends.
 
This is one of the reasons why I always put the stock HSF (heatsink/fan) on before I mount it on the case. It helps to be able to check to make sure it is locked in place and I really don't have to worry about bending the board to make sure it is seated well.
 
Unclear if he put on HSF out of case or not, but either way clamped/forced down the stock HSF on which has no backplate to counteract resistence to clamping force
So the mobo curled up, stretching the backside (epoxy coating)
Then clamped it to Case standoffs, or let up on bending pressure
Squishing together stretched coating (ridges)
 
Last edited:
Probably just cracks in the clear coating(whatever it is)they put on the mobo. I just put together an Ivy Bridge build using a Gigabyte "ultra durable" mobo and I must say that it is super thick and stiff compared to anything else I have ever used, it had no flex at all.
 
IntelEnthusiast said:
This is one of the reasons why I always put the stock HSF (heatsink/fan) on before I mount it on the case. It helps to be able to check to make sure it is locked in place and I really don't have to worry about bending the board to make sure it is seated well.
Click to expand...

This is all vastly wrong. Different boards flex at different rates, and trying to install an Intel HSF on a flexy board can do all kinds of bad things to it.

The best procedure is to install the motherboard into a chassis, using all available hardware...meaning the back plate and screws.

Make sure the CPU is correctly installed first. 😀

Examine the Intel HSF. Make sure all rotation posts are set to the locked position, and that the black expander nubs are retracted. Carefully place the HSF over the CPU, aligning the HSF in the motherboard holes, then place even, light pressure on the posts opposite each other. One small audible click followed by another. Reverse the orientation and do the same. Now, place a bit more pressure to push the seating nubs through the expanders and you are done...well, after you hook up the fan power header.

I should make a video that explains all this. Video would be 20 seconds long and would show all anyone needs to install an Intel HSF without worry of misalignment or weak pressure on the CPU by the HSF here and there.

And it works. I could hang a VE Beetle by that HSF and it would stay. 🙂
 
The stock heatsink on my LGA775 CPU was garbage. I don't know what Intel was thinking when they made the screw bits out of plastic and the pieces that actually keep everything locked in place out of even cheaper plastic. Trying to remove and reseat the heatsink is totally awesome on top of the fact you flex the board while trying to install it.

I'm so used to using a screwdriver to force a clip down that what seems cheap and flimsy seems pointless. I know part of the point is to help prevent cracking the core but I never cracked the core on a Pentium III or Athlon/XP.
 
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