Bent/Broken CPU pins

[Arya]

A week ago I had a terminal motherboard failure. After a few weeks of underperforming the system refused to boot and showed a RAM warning light. I've had an autopsy done on the board and it seems to be a CPU pin problem. What I want to know is, how did I manage to bend the pins and how can I avoid doing it in future builds.

How much force does it actually take to damage the socket? And how can I install CPUs more safely in the future? And finally - if this was something I did, how come the CPU itself wasn't damaged?

[Bad 💀 Motha]

It couldn't be much safer or easier with the Intel sockets.
If you open/close the socket properly and handle the CPU by the edges, you should be fine.
The pins are on the Motherboard-side, not the CPU.

[Arya]

Publicado originalmente por Bad-Motha:

It couldn't be much safer or easier with the Intel sockets.
If you open/close the socket properly and handle the CPU by the edges, you should be fine.
The pins are on the Motherboard-side, not the CPU.

Hence my confusion. I've done this process several times before without any problems, and I didn't do anything differently this time. I didn't drop the CPU onto the socket or force the heatsink down onto it, I held it by the edges and mounted it as the instruction manual dictated.

I'm starting to suspect it's a manufacturing problem. A small detail I almost forgot with everything else going on, was a couple of improperly installed pins elsewhere on the board which I had to fix myself.

[Bad 💀 Motha]

The thing I usually find is, if it is a "pin" related issue on Intel Motherboard, it was usually a defect that was already there.

Best bet is when you go to fully open up the Intel Socket/Bracket; take a moment to inspect the pins. Might require a magnifying glass and flashlight; but it is a good idea to do this.

If you were to buy any AMD for example, best to always take a moment to look at those CPUs and ensure no bent pins, prior to install.

Either way, best to spot if there is a problem, before installation.

[Arya]

Noted. I'll do that with any boards I buy from now-on.

It's been an expensive lesson, but at least I've learned from it and will have a working PC again some time early next week.

[Bad 💀 Motha]

Anything that has contacts, I inspect it first; CPU, Motherboard Sockets, GPUs, RAM, etc.
If it has contacts, those should be looked at to ensure of no defects. There have been a very small # of times over the years, but there is always that chance of getting hardware that has a defect right at the gold contacts. Like the PCIE contacts of a GPU, or the DIMM contacts on RAM. But overall those are rare. Its much more common to see an issue regarding CPU or CPU Socket Pins then those other components.