Question Scratched motherboard with screwdriver - potential issues?

[buster108]

Hi,

Went to install a new nvme and had trouble pushing down the pcie tab to remove my GPU. Very tight gap thanks to big CPU cooler. Stupidly tried using a screwdriver. Slipped and managed to take a small but significant chunk out of my motherboard. Install nvme anyway and boot up. Everything seems fine. Run cinebench no problems or oddities, heaven is running now seems fine. Will do memory stress test soon. Anyway.

Everything seems to work fine. In the photos you can see the mark. Took out three traces. In the photo with the arrow you can see where abouts on the board it hit. In the third photo this is the general area where the trace ran to. It's hard to know specifically. Have I been extremely fortunate and taken out like RGD LED headers or something else I'm not going to use probably?

Wondering have I dodged a bullet here or is this going to be an issue down the road?

My motherboard is a B660M DS3H AX DDR4

Thanks!


Photo of chip: https://ibb.co/hgqQwLx

Photo of chipped area: https://ibb.co/Nr0N01J

Photo of where it leads to: https://ibb.co/jkcxDWf

 

[drea.drechsler]

Hey so did a load of checks.

Small pcie with wifi card worked, which used usb 2.0 cable to power it so tried that on the two headers - worked fine.

Reset switch worked fine.

Also got a usb 2.0 internal to female usb and tried a wired mouse on both headers - worked fine
Switched the m.2 SSD to slot 2, its not formatted yet but speccy showed the capacity and brand as it does in slot 1 - seems fine

Bought both the 3 pin and 4 pin (5v and 12v I think) LED/RGB strips respectively. When I plugged in the 3 pin there was a slight noise from the PSU I think but I could not replicate it again from numerous power ups. I think just a coincidence really, it wasnt a bad noise kinda just sounds like power snapping on. Think ive heard that before. Anyway, that RGB and the other both lit up.

Though didnt try changing colours and such. Similary with m.2 2nd slot, pcie or usb headers, didnt get longevity/change in functionality tests out of them. But I figure if an issue were to occur due to this sliced trace it would make itself apparent almost immediatley with these components? They all powered on and were recognised.

If im right and these components are in the clear, it seems the likely hit ones were the seriel ports or the q flash. Not sure I want to try the q flash.

What are your thoughts?

Thanks!

What those traces are for is still a mystery and there's a definite possibility they're for functions that particular board model doesn't have implemented...meaning it's never going to be a problem. Bare PWB's are frequently used for multiple finished motherboard models, with more or different components installed and unique silk screening to differentiate, so that can make sense.

At this point, it appears everything you use or might likely use seems to be working and you have flash updated the board. I think it's time to go ahead and start using it like you want want to. I'm not sure if you've installed the OS but definitely do, if not, and your apps or games as well. If anything crops up, deal with it at that time.

I agree: don't ever mess with the QFlash. And there's really no reason to since it has an updated BIOS that fully supports your CPU, and likely any upgrade CPU you could put in it.

 

[buster108]

What those traces are for is still a mystery and there's a definite possibility they're for functions that particular board model doesn't have implemented...meaning it's never going to be a problem. Bare PWB's are frequently used for multiple finished motherboard models, with more or different components installed and unique silk screening to differentiate, so that can make sense.

At this point, it appears everything you use or might likely use seems to be working and you have flash updated the board. I think it's time to go ahead and start using it like you want want to. I'm not sure if you've installed the OS but definitely do, if not, and your apps or games as well. If anything crops up, deal with it at that time.

I agree: don't ever mess with the QFlash. And there's really no reason to since it has an updated BIOS that fully supports your CPU, and likely any upgrade CPU you could put in it.

Just to make double sure I've ordered a pcie X1 extension. So will just make sure that the one hidden under the GC is also operational.

Oh yeah I should say I've been using this pc for like a month or two. This all started as I only had sata drives from my previous pc and wanted nvme. Havnt moved everything over to the nvme yet but since the chip incident I've done loads on the pc, including multiple stress tests and lots of demanding games etc. No issues.

I figure if I'm in a position where I have to use qflash anyway, the boards a write off either way now hahah.

Also you mentioned nail polish. Do I not have to be careful to get that on the seemingly unharmed traces right next to it? Won't that insulate them?

Is there also a chance I've not cut across the traces here and just chipped the material (fiberglass?) Off the motherboard surface? Hard to tell with my low quality photo I spose

 

[drea.drechsler]

...

Also you mentioned nail polish. Do I not have to be careful to get that on the seemingly unharmed traces right next to it? Won't that insulate them?

Is there also a chance I've not cut across the traces here and just chipped the material (fiberglass?) Off the motherboard surface? Hard to tell with my low quality photo I spose

You don't have to worry getting it on other traces; they're probably coated with a gel coat or silkscreen coating anyway. Just do not get it on any connector contacts.

You are onto something: it's entirely possible you just crushed the board with the screwdriver and pushed the traces a little bit into the fiberglass layer without actually breaking them. That just makes it even more important to encapsulate the area with something like fingernail polish. It's even more fragile now and that will protect it a little bit.

 

[buster108]

You don't have to worry getting it on other traces; they're probably coated with a gel coat or silkscreen coating anyway. Just do not get it on any connector contacts.

You are onto something: it's entirely possible you just crushed the board with the screwdriver and pushed the traces a little bit into the fiberglass layer without actually breaking them. That just makes it even more important to encapsulate the area with something like fingernail polish. It's even more fragile now and that will protect it a little bit.

Hey so also tried the pcie 1x slot thats under the gpu via an extension and that worked too. Thats pretty much every connection down there tested, at least ones that i would feasibly use in the future. So after that applied a little bit of nail varnish over it and pc is as good as normal. On closer inspection with an intense light it really does seem ive chipped the protective material off it and somehow not cut the traces. At least I think. Will never fully know but regardless really do seem to have gotten away with it.

Thanks so much for your help with all this, truly invaluable information!


Edit: gigabyte got back to me said that the ite it5701e chip there is for q flash. So definitely not going to try use it