Question Accidentally scratched motherboard with screwdriver - am I in trouble ?

[jerbae]

https://imgur.com/a/QAL9u4d

View: https://imgur.com/a/QAL9u4d


Scratched my Tomahawk X570 a bit when I tried to undo a PCIe latch between my beefy Noctua cooler and my GPU with a long screwdriver.

PC powers on, works fine, ran through OCCT power test.

 

[SkyNetRising]

Those scratches look superficial.
You'd have to make a better and higher resolution photos to see it properly.

 

[jerbae]

Those scratches look superficial.
You'd have to make a better and higher resolution photos to see it properly.

Here are some better pics:

https://imgur.com/a/qlcgMwu

View: https://imgur.com/a/qlcgMwu

 

[COLGeek]

As previously stated, those look cosmetic/superficial only and should not impact performance at all. Have fun.

 

[jerbae]

Sorry to bother again, but I think I scratched this part further down the path:

https://imgur.com/a/gdaHkA2

View: https://imgur.com/a/gdaHkA2


Seems to be some pin-like thing under a transistor, as far as I can tell. Should I be worried? Computer's running fine, but I'm scared.

 

[Dark Lord of Tech]

That last pic you posted , shows maybe you should be worried.

 

[jerbae]

That last pic you posted , shows maybe you should be worried.

How would I check? Would you replace the board?

 

[COLGeek]

How would I check? Would you replace the board?

You last picture looks a bit concerning. Is this system fully operational and seemingly running okay?

 

[sonofjesse]

Last pic is very concerning, be ready to buy new board if the machine starts to act funny.

Was this your first build?

 

[jerbae]

System passed memtest, Aida64 stressed and OCCT power tests since this happened. Not my first build, just very clumsy.

Check second pic in slideshow as well.

 

[COLGeek]

System passed memtest, Aida64 stressed and OCCT power tests since this happened. Not my first build, just very clumsy.

Check second pic in slideshow as well.

Then run it like normal. Just make sure you have a good backup plan for your data.

 

[drea.drechsler]

System passed memtest, Aida64 stressed and OCCT power tests since this happened. Not my first build, just very clumsy.

Check second pic in slideshow as well.

It would be helpful to get a clearer picture, but it does look like a chip component has been broken away.

Also helpful to know if it's worrying is a shot that shows where these components are located to be able to figure out the circuit that transistor (the three leaded device) might be located in. It might be a fan driver, for instance, so you might have one unused fan header non-functioning or not controllable, or part of the serial port circuitry that no body uses but is often included on motherboards. There are other possibilities for circuits that would only present a problem if you intend to use them at some future point.

As advised, if it works now use the board until something definitive happens (which may easily be never) but keep backups current just in case.