[SOLVED] help me assess the damage :(

[Quanticriver]

Hello everyone

Specs:
B450 tomahawk max and ryzen 3600

psu; 700w bequiet system power 9
rtx 2070


I have the following situation, I wanted to upgrade my cpu cooler:

I undid the screws of the stock wraith
I noticed some resistance so I slowly pulled the cooler loose, without using too much force, but once the cooler came off, the cpu was attached to it!

Probably the cooler paste (MX4) created a vacuum as I had to "slide" the cpu off the cooler as I couldn't even seperate them by just pulling on the cpu

So it was pulled from the socket while it was still in the locked position

I noticed one pin on the cpu was slightly bent, which I bent back, and inspected the pins on the cpu very thoroughly using a magnifying glass
there are no pins missing and you can't tell which pin was bent anymore

I unlocked the lever on the cpu socket of my mobo
I then put the cpu back in the socket, making sure it went in all the way, pulled it out again and inspected the pins once more

there where no irregularities

I then put the cpu back in the mobo, locked the socket and reinstalled the wraith stealth

I then powered on the system, all fans and lights came on but the cpu led on the mobo gives a steady red led, and no display

Also when i boot the system WITHOUT a cpu installed the red cpu led stays on

I tried breadboarding the system, flashing the bios with a usb stick to the most recent version, all to no avail

So now i'm stuck with the question;
Is my mobo or my cpu borked? Or both?


Thanks for reading
Any insights are greatly appriciated

 

[SteveRX4]

Did you use a magnifying glass to check every pin on the CPU?
Were none bent or missing?
Did you upend the motherboard and shake it to see if any bit of a pin fell out?

Most times, when the CPU sticks to the cooler then nothing gets damaged - as long as you are acreful in removing the cooler straight up from the motherboard.

 

[Quanticriver]

I did inspect the CPU through a magnifying glass, no pins are missing, and the bent pin was restored to its position

 

[drea.drechsler]

....
Is my mobo or my cpu borked? Or both?


Thanks for reading
Any insights are greatly appriciated

If you've checked all pins very carefully and they're straight, and none broken off, I'm more likely to think it's the mobo. Check the sockets as they too can be damaged. Look at the sockets with a bright light, looking for any that don't reflect light or look quite right compared to others. Sometimes the socket can be repaired, if you're careful about it. There are some youtube videos repairing AM3 and AM4 sockets.

 

[Quanticriver]

If you've checked all pins very carefully and they're straight, and none broken off, I'm more likely to think it's the mobo. Check the sockets as they too can be damaged. Look at the sockets with a bright light, looking for any that don't reflect light or look quite right compared to others. Sometimes the socket can be repaired, if you're careful about it. There are some youtube videos repairing AM3 and AM4 sockets.

I will try to RMA the board as it is within warranty, do you reckon they will accept the RMA?

 

[drea.drechsler]

I will try to RMA the board as it is within warranty, do you reckon they will accept the RMA?

That's hard to say, after all it is owner-induced damage. But I've seen where some companies have been quite liberal.

What might work better is to return it to the store if it's in their return window and they have a good return policy. Microcenter has a two week 'no questions' return policy, for instance.

EDIT: and in the future, if you can lift the cooler easily off the CPU don't force it.

Instead, heat the CPU up a bit by running a benchmark or something then shutdown and quickly remove it while the paste his hot and slippy. Also be sure to give the cooler a little bit of a twist before pulling up.

If it's still difficult to lift up pull a piece of dental floss between the cooler and the CPU to cut through the paste and then it lifts right off. In fact, that always works for me and is the only way I pull one off now.

 

[Quanticriver]

That's hard to say, after all it is owner-induced damage. But I've seen where some companies have been quite liberal.

What might work better is to return it to the store if it's in their return window and they have a good return policy. Microcenter has a two week 'no questions' return policy, for instance.

EDIT: and in the future, if you can lift the cooler easily off the CPU don't force it.

Instead, heat the CPU up a bit by running a benchmark or something then shutdown and quickly remove it while the paste his hot and slippy. Also be sure to give the cooler a little bit of a twist before pulling up.

If it's still difficult to lift up pull a piece of dental floss between the cooler and the CPU to cut through the paste and then it lifts right off. In fact, that always works for me and is the only way I pull one off now.

It was bought of an internet store - i have filed an RMA
I'll update on progress
I am thinking of buying a B550 and sell the replacement B450 board (if the RMA sticks)

i have my eye on a B550 MSI A PRO, any thoughts?

 

[drea.drechsler]

....
i have my eye on a B550 MSI A PRO, any thoughts?

Other than the features you may have already considered (USB ports, M.2 sockets, LAN, Audio, aesthetics, etc.) it's VRM consists of discrete FET's which makes it a bit mid-low endish in the current mix of B550's that frequently feature highly efficient power stages.

But it is a 10 phase VRM using decent FET's so it should run pretty cool with 8 core CPU's and handle even a 3950 capably. Your Tomahawk has a 4 phase VRM with doubled FET's and handles one well enough. How it fares with 5000 series CPU's is yet to be determined. We'll need to wait for reviews to see just how power hungry they are.

 

[Quanticriver]

Other than the features you may have already considered (USB ports, M.2 sockets, LAN, Audio, aesthetics, etc.) it's VRM consists of discrete FET's which makes it a bit mid-low endish in the current mix of B550's that frequently feature highly efficient power stages.

But it is a 10 phase VRM using decent FET's so it should run pretty cool with 8 core CPU's and handle even a 3950 capably. Your Tomahawk has a 4 phase VRM with doubled FET's and handles one well enough. How it fares with 5000 series CPU's is yet to be determined. We'll need to wait for reviews to see just how power hungry they are.

Thanks a bundle mate - i created a new thread for my mobo decision
THREAD

 

[ironcreeper2004]

So after you guys have come to the conclusion about what was damaged, how would you prevent this in the future? I wouldn't want this to happen when removing my cooler.

 

[drea.drechsler]

So after you guys have come to the conclusion about what was damaged, how would you prevent this in the future? I wouldn't want this to happen when removing my cooler.

Check post #7 in this thread.

 

[ironcreeper2004]

Check post #7 in this thread.

Ah! My apologies, didn't see that bit. That's what I thought most people try and do.

 

[Quanticriver]

For anyone in the future: The mobo was the culprit, once replaced, there where no more problems
Thanks to everyone for helping out