How can pins get bent?

[celeb520326]

How can pins which are very small get bent down in the CPU socket. The tech guy at gigabyte told me to check for bent pins. I told him I had no idea how to really check them. Just clueless how they can get bent. Appreciate an explanation about this.

 

[COLGeek]

Improper insertion into sockets, dropping the CPU, etc. It is easier than you might think.

What make/model of CPU and motherboard are we talking about here?

 

[sirstinky]

I've seen them get bent before. All modern cpus (except AMD) use LGA type interfaces (pins in the socket not on the cpu) and that has helped minimize the chance of bending them, but they are still extremely fragile. The most common way they are bent happens when installing the cpu in the socket. To check them grab a magnifying glass and a good light source (desk lamp) and check them over. Move the light source around as you inspect them. You'll be able to tell if one's bent as it will look different than the others. It only takes a tiny ding to the cpu pins to kill the whole motherboard.

 

[fudgecakes99]

If you have an intel chip. Check the mobo. If you have an amd chip. Check the cpu/apu.

 

[DougLYX]

i've seen a few answers for bent pins..one is gently using toothpick or sewing pin to guide it back upright with somebody else holding the lamp and magnifying glass. very rarely is the damage done by the actual owner, most of the time it's done by pissed off techs in the rma process and they resell u a refurbished board as new. i've seen some posts of motherboards with bent cpu socket pins..and the pattern is identical to mine that i got back from asus rma. somebody told me to take pics before u rma a montherboard if it looks pristine condition(no bent pins)...but this was after i checked this site for help. got ms1 mobo new ..took picks before even opened the bag, took pics after i opened the bag. got 1yr extended replacement warranty from newegg..so they can't claim bs on it. still haven't installed the win 8.1 on it yet...having wierd issues on install.