Can you give an explanation of what causes bent motherboard pins when installing the CPU.

R

ronmurphy

New member
I'm terrified when making my new build and I'm seeing horror stories that people have to RMA their boards due to broken sockets. In your experience with your motherboard pin issues, what causes bent motherboard pins the most? Is it typically caused by dropping the CPU, or perhaps is it the case that just placing the protective plastic cap back incorrectly on will also cause damage? My using a LGA socket and those pins are looking incredibly fragile. love some tips as to how I can get the CPU to come out right the first time, I'm way down $ 300 on a nice paperweight. Is it worth using a magnifying glass of some sort to dip into them before I start?
 
The latter is the most prevalent reason of CPU jitter during installation. Individuals become anxious, their hand trembles and the edge of the CPU slides over the pins. To prevent such a thing, always carefully place the CPU in the hands by holding it at the ends and lower it down to the ground in a straight line. Find the golden triangle on the corner of the CPU and correspond to it to the triangle on the socket. Regarding the plastic cap, the thing is that you must never attempt to push it back on manually, it is supposed to pop off by itself when you lower the tension arm in the actual installation.
 
Oh, it's easy! You only need to huff past it or approach it with the slightest amount of a judgmental look. LGA pins are simply composed of spider silk and anxiety. Even considering stopping your CPU, the pins will bend themselves involuntarily out of terror even before you can think of it.
 
Socket dragging is another great offender besides physical drops. LGA pins are angled and therefore serve as mini springs. Without ensuring the CPU is firmly seated in the notches and simply pressing the load lever, the pressure is not applied at the CPU equally, and the pins will slide together instead of pushing apart. It is in fact a professional level move, using a magnifying glass, I always ensure that the glitter on the pins is seen clearly under bright lighting before installing. When the light is reflected in a uniform manner, it means that the grid is straight.
 
The only time in adult life when you can hear yourself beating your heart in your ears is when you are actually installing a CPU. At one time I had inserted a thermal paste cap into the socket. I was doing it with a needle and a prayer three hours. My advice? Wear glasses, switch off the ceiling fan and make everyone stay in the house not to move until the lever is pulled down.
 
I believe that the fear about the plastic cap is somewhat over-rated. You can hardly bend them, unless you are literally putting the cap in the pins with your thumb. The actual threat is the t-shirt factor - when individuals are bending over their board and have a loose shirt or a string of a hoodie trailing to the socket. One snag and it's game over.
 
The thought of the magnifying glass is brilliant! I had a jeweler on my last one but got a small lint on the jeweler loupe that would have given me a memory channel failure. Another trick is the two-finger drop technique: you just have to hold the CPU by the sides, with only 2 fingers and get it down as low as possible, being careful not to touch the pins, then simply drop it. When it is set to the notches, it will be right into place!
 
I can completely relate to the stress. One year ago I broke a pin on a 500 board of Z790 that I had, and the cat just leaped on the table just as I was getting the chip down. If you do bend one, don't panic. It can be occasionally pushed further with a mechanical pencil tip (with no lead in it). But do not rush, just take it slow. You have to crunch when you close the lever--no, that is the way it should be!
 
The horror stories are primarily those of individuals that are in a hurry. By simply taking 30 seconds to ensure that the notches of alignment are aligned, then it is not possible to bend the pins physically when closing the door. The reason why people bend them is that they attempt to correct the position of the CPU, which they have already placed on the pins. No need to slide it, when it is wrong, just pick it straight up and repeat.
 
The LGA socket is an engineering miracle. Thousands of minute gold contacts that vibrate together. That is only respect of the technology. As soon as that lever snaps into place and the plastic top comes off, you will experience some relief that no other component of the build can offer you. It is the PC building heart surgery stage.
 
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