Checking the CPU socket

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Craig234

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Apr 23, 2006
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To diagnose why two of four RAM slots don't work, I'm frustratingly going to 'examine the CPU socket for bent pins' on a new build, as unlikely as it seems that'd be fixable.


Am I right that means removing the Hyper 212 heatsink, taking it off the CPU, and no matter what happens having to remove the old thermal paste and re-apply it to test again?

I don't see any alternative, but what a hassle.
 
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Well I did that, and by shining a flashlight at angles I think a couple pins are slightly bent. It probably didn't help that the main one looked like it might be a particle rather than bent, so I lightly wiped a kleenex to see if it'd remove it, and that seemed to leave a tiny fiber that caught on a pin, so I tried to lightly pick the fiber off with my fingers, and think I might have bent a pin doing that. Anyway, now I think there might be two slightly bent pins. New problem: I see absolutely no way to fix them.

I don't have any tool that seems even close to appropriately small-edged to try this, I can barely see how they're bent, any attempt to do anything to one of them seems to have a high risk of bending more. I watched a video but it didn't help, I don't see how to do the precise straightening the person did.
 
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I'm planning to just call a local repair shop tomorrow unless there's a way to fix the pins here. It doesn't look possible.

They annoyed me today because they charge $35 to diagnose, but $75 to diagnose if you built it.
 
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Well it's an ASRock Z97 extreme6 selling for $160 on newegg. I'll hope to get an RMA for a year+ purchase or the local store will do this one thing for $35, but it's worth some money rather than another $160.
 
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I guess my specific challenges are:

1. Finding the right tool for these almost literally microscopic pins
2. I have two hands. Holding flashlight plus magnifying glass plus tool isn't easy.
3. I'm not seeing any way to not bend several more pins while trying to straighten one, even if I can get a good look at the one to straighten, which I can't.
4. That need for higher magnification than the magnifying glass I have, and how to use it while straightening a pin.

When I put the heatsink on, I felt I couldn't help it sliding around some and causing some damage, and I guess it slightly did. Frustrating.
 
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Well. I took some pics because why not.

The first one is my normal view, and not very helpful:

ry%3D480


The second one shows how critical a low-angle flashlight is to see the issue:

ry%3D480


And a third one marking the second to make clear the two pins I see bent:

ry%3D480


This is the issue where I'm seeing no way to fix it myself.
 
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When I look at a highly magnified version of photo 2, I can't tell whether the lower left problem is a bent pin or a foreign particle. MS paint defaults to saving it as a .PNG which won't upload to shutterfly; changing it to a .JPG makes it unreadable. So, not posting.
 
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And that is a horrible idea for me having to redo everything - and wouldn't even solve the problem, I couldn't straighten the pins anyway. So I agree - and let's hope they don't overcharge for it.

Even an RMA of the motherboard wouldn't be much of a solution if they'd do it since i'd mean having to start over on the build I don't want to do.
 
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Yikes. Asrock may fix it for you. I know its a pain, but its a cheaper pain than buying a new one.
 
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This is a bit nightmarish. I found a jewelry store who would try to straighten the pins. He felt he improved it but it's still very questionable.

That left re-assembly to test.

I cleaned the CPU and heatsink and put it back in. Re-mounting the Hyper 212 EVO has been nightmarish. There's a little post in the middle I can't begin to see with the motherboard installed and have to leave it wherever it goes.

I've spent an hour trying to get two of the four screws started and just can't. Trying by pushing the heatsink around to try to get the screws positioned has not only slid the hesatsink across the CPU all over the place but a couple times lifted it off breaking the seal. What the hell to do.

Do I remove the heatsink and CPU altogether again and re-clean and start over? With all the added friction on these delicate pins? Or just proceed? Why the hell am I trying to build this?
 
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I've just been trying to not start over re-installing the motherboard and all the parts. It took me days. I will really re-think building a PC at all.
 
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I know I shouldn't try running this without the center post in position (but I will) and only two of the four screws on the heatsink so it's barely attached. But man is it tempting. Oh, darn, I fried it, would be likely - no more of this headache.
 
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With a lot of pressure I got the third screw started. The fourth will take a huge amount - which isn't easy as the heatink is right next to it leaving little room for my fingers to turn the screwdriver while pressing down very hard feeling like I'm crushing the CPU.

I suspect that post in the middle isn't helping, but I see no way to do anything about it without completely uninstalling all the parts and the motherboard and I just do not care to do that. So I guess it's on to another long period of trying to pressure and get the screw started.
 
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Here's the side with little room to maneuver - the bottom screw is the one not in yet:

ry%3D480


Here's the side with two screws that are in and lots of room:

ry%3D480


And here's the big problem, a view of the CPU - you can see, part of the CPU is even exposed from under the heatsink. I don't see any alternative than removing the heatsink and cpu and thermal paste and redoing it all?

ry%3D480


But that doesn't solve how to do it right the next time with that post inaccessible.
 
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It's pretty simple - just put the CPU in, paste on, heatsink on, there's a post in the middle I'm supposed to line up but can't reach when it's already on an installed motherboard, then the heatsink has a structure with four screws to put onto four posts already installed on the motherboard.

But the whole thing slides around a lot actually doing it.

And somehow that sliding left it slid slightly off the CPU. So seeing no choice but just take it off and retry, but hate to do that AGAIN with the delicate CPU pins.
 
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Two more pics. In this one, you see how shifted the heatsink is, right next to one screw and far from the other while it should be in the middle.

I can still slide it around some on top of the CPU - the paste is still wet and visible hours later - but it will only slide to there I can still see the edge of the CPU, In the second photo, the bright area in the photo is the edge of the CPU in its holder.

ry%3D480


ry%3D480
 
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Would unscrewing the heatsink and trying to re-mount it on this still-wet paste instead of cleaning and applying new paste even be a good idea?

I have to guess not. Have to think re-doing it all is just increasing the risk of the CPU pin problem making me need a whole new MB though.
 
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