Motherboard bending, is it normal?

[ravenjedmanicdao]

So I've just taken my PC apart to perform cleaning maintenance, and only now I have noticed my motherboard has been bent, mostly at the side where the I/O ports are. And yes, I do have the standoffs properly installed. The motherboard is Asrock H81M-DGS R2.0 with an i7 4770, and the cooler is a Deepcool Gammaxx 200T. The cooler used might contribute to the bending of the motherboard?

My question is; is this normal, or not normal, for the motherboard to be bending like this? And with the ROG GTX 1080 on the way, will this bend my motherboard even further?

FYI, this board has been running for 1.5 years now, and I use the PC at least once a day for around 1-5 hours.

Help, please

 

[4745454b]

The last time I heard of an issue with boards bending was the Asrock Z77 Extreme 4.

https://www.hardocp.com/article/2013/02/06/asrock_z77_extreme4_lga_1155_motherboard_review/6

One of the first things that caught my eye about the ASRock Z77 Extreme4 was the wavy PCB and just how thin it was. When I put it on my top deck station for testing and put RAM modules into it I heard a crack and had one of those "uh oh" moments. Fortunately the system fired right up and went through testing without any problems what so ever. In all the years I’ve worked with computer hardware I’ve never in my life seen a more fragile and flexible motherboard PCB. If it wasn’t so sad it would almost be funny. Naturally some PCB warping is expected to some degree given the pressure surface mounting of components exerts on the boards during manufacturing. That by itself isn’t a cause for concern. But the 2-layer PCB bothers me a bit. It’s about as bendy as a Gumby toy.

It might be something Asrock does on purpose with their boards to save costs. Some bending is ok, and if it's still working then don't worry about it. My guess is you are fine. Treat it well.

 

[13thmonkey]

I've seen it with intel psuh pin coolers, the pressure that you need to engage the pushpins dishes the board slightly.

 

[ravenjedmanicdao]

I've seen it with intel psuh pin coolers, the pressure that you need to engage the pushpins dishes the board slightly.

So is the pressure applied on the motherboard not enough to break it?

 

[13thmonkey]

you'll know if it is... as it will break. The cooler specifications are very well defined and very tight so that there is pressure, boards must conform to this. I see little problem with it. May last one might have been an asrock dual vsta.

 

[ravenjedmanicdao]

That's the problem, I don't know if it breaks until it's too late. I just ordered the CM Hyper 212X so hopefully their mounting mechanics isn't too much for my motherboard.

 

[13thmonkey]

Those are screw on, and so there is more control of the tension.

 

[ravenjedmanicdao]

I see, thanks for the info. I heard a lot of good thins about CM's Hyper 212x/evo so I'm hoping it's good.

 

[13thmonkey]

there are better available now, oldy but goody, TDP's have gone down since it was first popular, so it's still handy.

 

[ravenjedmanicdao]

Yeah, my i7 has 84w TDP, which is pretty much the same as my i5 4440, but it runs hotter since it has double the threads and a higher clock. But some of the reputable websites like this one, show that the 212x has pretty good performance/dollar.

 

[drea.drechsler]

So I've just taken my PC apart to perform cleaning maintenance, and only now I have noticed my motherboard has been bent, mostly at the side where the I/O ports are. ....

SOME flexing is normal and OK but excessive flexing can lead to solder joints stress fracturing over time, especially with thermal cycles it's likely to see around a CPU. At least home computers aren't subject to high environmental vibration as are automotive and aerospace!

Did your socket have a backplate? If you can, a full coverage backplate (designed for your socket, of course) would be best to support the mass of the HS/F or cooler and spread the mounting stresses.

Also check the mounting height of your motherboard (you said you have standoffs, but they could be too tall) and the mounting brackets of your graphics card. If the attachment flange of the bracket has too large a gap to the case then the two screws used to attach it (assuming it's a double-height GPU) will push the GPU into it's socket and put a lot of downward stress on the motherboard.

Good Luck

 

[ravenjedmanicdao]

Hey, thanks for replying. My current cooler uses a plastic bracket that clips on to the socket holes (Pretty much the same as the stock Intel coolers), and then I install the heatsink on the bracket.

The cooler I ordered which is the CM Hyper 212x has a metal bracket which will be a refreshing change.