Question Bent pins ?

[Scar Mountain]

All of them? Some of them? None of them?

See here.

 

[Flayed]

It does look like there may be a couple in the 2nd and 3rd pic

 

[Lutfij]

In this image;

the top right hand corner looks like you have a couple of bent pins. You actually made a mistake, use ambient light to illuminate the pins, preferably sunlight and you take a photo from above the socket, more than at an angle.

Regardless, if the pins aren't bent to the point they are overlapping other areas, you can drop in a CPU and see if the system posts. If you got the board with bent pins, I'd advise on returning/RMA'ing the board ASAP.

 

[Scar Mountain]

I get an orange QLED with a CPU, which on ASUS MBs signals a RAM issue, but I'm sure it's related to the CPU/socket, as this and another CPU of the same model were working here even a few days ago. In the meantime, the socket suffered a lot of worrisome pressure and scraping during CPU movement. While I don't believe it could be an exclusive problem of the one CPU, I did also clumsily send it flying across the room in all this.

This motherboard is itself a recent RMA replacement, hard to believe they'll accept it. (The previous one displayed a mix of orange and red QLED for a CPU socket short circuit btw.)

 

[MEMOFLEX]

I get an orange QLED with a CPU, which on ASUS MBs signals a RAM issue, but I'm sure it's related to the CPU/socket, as this and another CPU of the same model were working here even a few days ago. In the meantime, the socket suffered a lot of worrisome pressure and scraping during CPU movement. While I don't believe it could be an exclusive problem of the one CPU, I did also clumsily send it flying across the room in all this.

This motherboard is itself a recent RMA replacement, hard to believe they'll accept it. (The previous one displayed a mix of orange and red QLED for a CPU socket short circuit btw.)

There are a few things to try and understand here.

How did the socket suffer a lot of worrisome pressure and scraping?

Did the motherboard arrive with bent pins?

Did you have the issues before the cpu was sent flying? Flying onto what btw? Tiled floor? Sofa cushion?

The socket pins can be realigned if they need to be. Takes a sewing needle, a steady hand and patience. If they are only slightly out its not too bad to fix. Bent backwards in any way then very difficult to relocate without breaking them off.

 

[Scar Mountain]

There are a few things to try and understand here.

How did the socket suffer a lot of worrisome pressure and scraping?

Did the motherboard arrive with bent pins?

Did you have the issues before the cpu was sent flying? Flying onto what btw? Tiled floor? Sofa cushion?

The socket pins can be realigned if they need to be. Takes a sewing needle, a steady hand and patience. If they are only slightly out its not too bad to fix. Bent backwards in any way then very difficult to relocate without breaking them off.

To summarize, I spent last week running another CPU of the same model, dismounted it over the weekend and returned it, and remounted the original CPU yesterday, only to now get the orange POST error.

The original CPU had been in use since the winter, and the warranty replacement motherboard since the end of June, with no startup problems under either CPU.

Because CPUs accumulate thermal paste between uses, which is a real pain to fully clean, it becomes more difficult to carefully handle and place them do due to paste buildup along the sides of the IHS, which inevitably ends up on the fingers. That contributed to less gentleness around the CPU socket, although I couldn't think of any single act that should suddenly have taken a motherboard that worked with two CPUs to failure under the original.

But I didn't have more than half an hour to sit with this particular troubleshooting situation, because during one remount attempt, the CPU1 proved firmly stuck to the cooler plate, and I had to leverage it off with both hands. Despite my effort to be careful, it did end up in the air, skipping always across the edges, until settling onto the wood floor with IHS up (which saved a lot of cleaning of course). A bit later, I wound up scratching the CPU socket with my fingernail, while handling the bracket, which seems to have guaranteed a problem with the pins, although the error behavior didn't change for better or worse.

There is no way in the world I would be able to repair a CPU socket, but thankfully the RMA request was authorized, so we'll see how it goes. They aren't covering the shipping cost this time though.

 

[MEMOFLEX]

To summarize, I spent last week running another CPU of the same model, dismounted it over the weekend and returned it, and remounted the original CPU yesterday, only to now get the orange POST error.

The original CPU had been in use since the winter, and the warranty replacement motherboard since the end of June, with no startup problems under either CPU.

Because CPUs accumulate thermal paste between uses, which is a real pain to fully clean, it becomes more difficult to carefully handle and place them do due to paste buildup along the sides of the IHS, which inevitably ends up on the fingers. That contributed to less gentleness around the CPU socket, although I couldn't think of any single act that should suddenly have taken a motherboard that worked with two CPUs to failure under the original.

But I didn't have more than half an hour to sit with this particular troubleshooting situation, because during one remount attempt, the CPU1 proved firmly stuck to the cooler plate, and I had to leverage it off with both hands. Despite my effort to be careful, it did end up in the air, skipping always across the edges, until settling onto the wood floor with IHS up (which saved a lot of cleaning of course). A bit later, I wound up scratching the CPU socket with my fingernail, while handling the bracket, which seems to have guaranteed a problem with the pins, although the error behavior didn't change for better or worse.

There is no way in the world I would be able to repair a CPU socket, but thankfully the RMA request was authorized, so we'll see how it goes. They aren't covering the shipping cost this time though.

Fingers crossed that the RMA of the board goes well.

A few things of note :

I would double check that cpu if it has indeed taken a big shot and landed on the floor. I would actually prefer it to land on the IHS side than the underneath but keep in mind that there could be damage to both the motherboard and the cpu. Hopefully not.

Regarding the paste build up then I would possibly consider using a less is more approach in the future. If you are getting a lot squeezing out the sides under pressure then it can get messy. Likely no issue causes other than mess but I would personally clean up completely after each application and not apply on top of existing TIM. What TIM are you using out of interest as I have never had an LGA cpu come out of the socket with the cooler. Had it happen with AM3/4 due to the BGA approach and poor retention mechanism but never with and LGA one.

I would keep this thread open until you have the replacement motherboard and are sure everything is working. Fingers crossed

 

[Scar Mountain]

Fingers crossed that the RMA of the board goes well.

A few things of note :

I would double check that cpu if it has indeed taken a big shot and landed on the floor. I would actually prefer it to land on the IHS side than the underneath but keep in mind that there could be damage to both the motherboard and the cpu. Hopefully not.

Regarding the paste build up then I would possibly consider using a less is more approach in the future. If you are getting a lot squeezing out the sides under pressure then it can get messy. Likely no issue causes other than mess but I would personally clean up completely after each application and not apply on top of existing TIM. What TIM are you using out of interest as I have never had an LGA cpu come out of the socket with the cooler. Had it happen with AM3/4 due to the BGA approach and poor retention mechanism but never with and LGA one.

I would keep this thread open until you have the replacement motherboard and are sure everything is working. Fingers crossed

The CPU was already being prepared for RMA due to underperformance, I just wanted to make some final checks, ironically. The error behavior was no different after the tumble, so one can't really say what's gone wrong at this point.

I use the standard Arctic/Thermalright pastes. Unless one manages the exact perfect amount of paste, there will always be a smidge of overflow. But cleaning, pasting, or mounting CPUs is the absolute worst for this reason. The most correct process is very tedious and time-consuming, and expensive of TIM and cleaning materials. Remove the cooler, clean the IHS, remove the bracket, remove the CPU, replace the CPU, replace the bracket, repaste, remount, etc. In the sticking incident, to save some time I attempted one of the POST tests without securing the CPU with the bracket before mounting the cooler. It turns out that CPU brackets are much more effective in separating coolers from IHS than fingers alone...

 

[MEMOFLEX]

The CPU was already being prepared for RMA due to underperformance, I just wanted to make some final checks, ironically. The error behavior was no different after the tumble, so one can't really say what's gone wrong at this point.

I use the standard Arctic/Thermalright pastes. Unless one manages the exact perfect amount of paste, there will always be a smidge of overflow. But cleaning, pasting, or mounting CPUs is the absolute worst for this reason. The most correct process is very tedious and time-consuming, and expensive of TIM and cleaning materials. Remove the cooler, clean the IHS, remove the bracket, remove the CPU, replace the CPU, replace the bracket, repaste, remount, etc. In the sticking incident, to save some time I attempted one of the POST tests without securing the CPU with the bracket before mounting the cooler. It turns out that CPU brackets are much more effective in separating coolers from IHS than fingers alone...

Good news on the cpu going back anyway then. The drop is largely inconsequential then.

If it was done without the ILM engaged then that makes sense on how the processor got out. More for my benefit than anything else.

I always spread the TIM on rather than use the pea or a cross method for this very reason but it is a personal choice. I just find it less messy but I do feel there are any thermal benefits. Having to do this repeatedly though when trouble shooting would be a faff and I would probably take a quicker option

 

[Scar Mountain]

Good news on the cpu going back anyway then. The drop is largely inconsequential then.

If it was done without the ILM engaged then that makes sense on how the processor got out. More for my benefit than anything else.

I always spread the TIM on rather than use the pea or a cross method for this very reason but it is a personal choice. I just find it less messy but I do feel there are any thermal benefits. Having to do this repeatedly though when trouble shooting would be a faff and I would probably take a quicker option

The CPU has been replaced (AMD is as fast as they say), but as I feared, ASUS is levying a $50 fee for a bent pin. They claimed I didn't mention the damage, but I provided the photographs in the OP in the RMA submission and mentioned the possibility. Since they may not be referring to my problem description, what are the chances I pay the fee and they then send back the problematic motherboard, thinking incorrectly that was the extent of my service request, and then it doesn't work and I have to repeat the process? It's already been 2 weeks!

Maybe I deserve to pay for my mistake, but it's a steep fee, and if possible I'd like to negotiate a waiver if the testing does discover an underlying problem with the unit. Does anyone know of a precedent for that?

 

[MEMOFLEX]

The CPU has been replaced (AMD is as fast as they say), but as I feared, ASUS is levying a $50 fee for a bent pin. They claimed I didn't mention the damage, but I provided the photographs in the OP in the RMA submission and mentioned the possibility. Since they may not be referring to my problem description, what are the chances I pay the fee and they then send back the problematic motherboard, thinking incorrectly that was the extent of my service request, and then it doesn't work and I have to repeat the process? It's already been 2 weeks!

Maybe I deserve to pay for my mistake, but it's a steep fee, and if possible I'd like to negotiate a waiver if the testing does discover an underlying problem with the unit. Does anyone know of a precedent for that?

This is a difficult one as Asus have a long history of charging and sometimes overcharging for repair and remedial work. If you go onto Gamers Nexus on YouTube they have done a video dedicated to this in the past.

The issue here, and this is no slight on yourself, is that this could probably be categorised as user error and so its murky regarding costs for repair etc. Does this invalidate your warranty? Someone with a bit more knowledge of this may need to step in to help here.

If it was me then I would contact ASUS and get them to explicitly state that for the $50 what work they are going to conduct. If you pay this fee will they resolve the pin issue and provide you with a working motherboard? That is they key bit for me.

What did you put in the RMA request?

 

[Scar Mountain]

The RMA submission - unfortunately, I don't believe companies generally save them to user accounts for reference - described the circumstances in which the motherboard stopped booting, the troubleshooting steps I took, and the abrasion of the socket as I was finally preparing for RMA, and the same photos as in the OP.

As a relevant note, the predecessor motherboard to this one (which was itself an RMA from Asus) was sent in with a speck of thermal paste on the pins, as on that occasion as well I was a little clumsy setting the motherboard up for shipping. But they never brought it up, so I assume it they cleaned and ignored it during the assessment.