I just wanted to add a comment on my success with the credit card / tweezer method. (Actually I used a plastic card that is thinner than a credit card and needle nose tweezers.. and my motherboard / processor is different)... THANKS A LOT EVERYBODY!
I have an ASUS p9x79Pro an and Intel Core i7-3930K, which was a pain to fix because the pins on the motherboard don't stick straight up. The pins are bent diagonally and then the tip of the pin bends again to go straight up... Just like the OP's. (BTW, I don't know if all mobos are like this since this is the first time I've ever bent pins on one).
Anyhow, with the methods in this thread, I was able to straighten out the pins, just enough for them to work properly, although achieving perfect straightness seems impossible! Nonetheless, it worked!
But let me tell you how I had this problem in the first place!!! Maybe my story might help someone...
It was all (most likely but I'm almost certainly sure) caused by installing the Zalman cnps12x cpu fan / cooler. Someone may have had success, but with this configuration, I was unable to install the video card in the first slot and only 2 memory modules would fit only if the 2 slots on either side and furthest away from the processor were used. Some say it works with low profile memory, but it doesn't work with G.SKILL Ripjaws memory modules... and besides, it does make your first video PCI slot useless!
But that's not the worst part! The clamp that attaches the fan unit to the two brackets that then attach to the motherboard's processor mount is totally flimsy! The fan ends up not being very secure and slides all over the place on the processor! Adding the weight of the fan to the sliding problem is most-likely the reason the pins on the motherboard were damaged / bent!
Anyhow, just be warned if using this fan with an Intel x79 board (at least my exact model, but perhaps other mobo's), because it will hinder your memory options by up to 75%, not allow you to install a video card in slot 1, and can easily damage you motherboard's pins!!!
I was excited to get the fan because it looks awesome, cools great, and is super super quiet, but Zalman really messed up on the design. Fix the brackets! Make the fan / heat sink be a bit further from the mobo to give more clearance like other fan / heat sinks do! Most of all, PUBLISH MOBO CONFIGS THAT ARE INCOMPATIBLE TO SAVE CUSTOMERS AND RETAILERS FROM HAVING TO RMA STUFF! (not everyone is going to bust out a credit card and do what I did...)
Anyhow, the Zalman sure was pretty... And it might work with other configurations... But I strongly do not recommend it for this motherboard (no experience with other boards). Now I have to figure out another way to make my system look good...
Tags: p9 x79 Pro Deluxe Sabertooth Intel Core i7-3930K Sandy Bridge-E 3.2GHz (3.8GHz Turbo) LGA 2011 Zalman cnps 12x cpu fan / cooler