What happens if you touch the little copper spots on the cpu?

[CatchPhrase]

If you lightly touch them?

 

[JustaGeek]

These are contacts for the motherboard pins.

Do NOT touch them, or they might not acquire the proper contact with the pins, causing potential problems.

 

[nefariouscaine]

Originally posted by: JustaGeek
These are contacts for the motherboard pins.

Do NOT touch them, or they might not acquire the proper contact with the pins, causing potential problems.

*if* you already touched them

get some kinda lint free cloth (coffee filters work) and use 90% or higher content alcohol to clean off the oil your finger left - don't make the "pin" wet

then use some canned air for good measure

the oil on your skin can mess up the contact as JustaGeek said - big no no

 

[Idontcare]

The landing pads on the back of a CPU are contacted under a rather good deal of pressure when you lock it into the socket. Any amount of dirt or grime that would come off your fingers and remain on the CPU will be rather easily penetrated by the pins in the socket during this contact period. In fact they are already designed to punch thru the native oxide that forms from exposure to air.

So while being paranoid about leaving "residues" is an OK thing, it is not something that will actually cause you to rue the day you touched your CPU where the sun isn't supposed to shine.

Now bad things can happen from inappropriately touching your CPU. If your fingers contain excessive amounts of static electricity then you can cause ESD (electrostatic discharge) to the CPU when you inadvertanly molestered it. The damage is irreversible in this case so again there is no point worrying about it, just try and keep you fingers off it and you'll decrease the odds of having fubared the chip.

(Note I am the paranoid type, so I too clean my CPU's backside with 91% isopropyl alcohol before risking contaminating my socket with a dirty CPU)

 

[VirtualLarry]

Originally posted by: Idontcare
The landing pads on the back of a CPU are contacted under a rather good deal of pressure when you lock it into the socket. Any amount of dirt or grime that would come off your fingers and remain on the CPU will be rather easily penetrated by the pins in the socket during this contact period. In fact they are already designed to punch thru the native oxide that forms from exposure to air.

They're gold plated. There's no oxide layer there.

 

[Idontcare]

Originally posted by: VirtualLarry

Originally posted by: Idontcare
The landing pads on the back of a CPU are contacted under a rather good deal of pressure when you lock it into the socket. Any amount of dirt or grime that would come off your fingers and remain on the CPU will be rather easily penetrated by the pins in the socket during this contact period. In fact they are already designed to punch thru the native oxide that forms from exposure to air.

They're gold plated. There's no oxide layer there.

No metal will have unterminated bonds at the surface no matter how noble of a platinum group element we are discussing, its only a question of how thick the oxide is which forms.

Do you know what I mean when I use the term "native oxide"?

 

[Tempered81]

do you mean like gas out of a grenade?




:laugh:

jk

 

[Zap]

Originally posted by: CatchPhrase
If you lightly touch them?

You can control the lights in your other room. Serious!

 

[aigomorla]

Originally posted by: Zap

Originally posted by: CatchPhrase
If you lightly touch them?

You can control the lights in your other room. Serious!

ROFL!

i thought those gold circles were really mini quiji board circles. You should see what letters your fingers hit!



Anyhow, yes there gold plated. If you touched them, use a lint free cloth, aka coffee filter, and some rubbing alcohol and wipe it clean gently. Dont apply too much pressure. But you want to keep them as clean as possible.