Should I be worried for placing the CPU the wrong way?

[gman_97]

Today I started building my first PC and when it was time to place the CPU on the socket, I accidentally placed it a bit sideways. So I gently took it off and placed it back on, this time correctly, and it went in perfectly (I think). Is there any chance that I've damaged the CPU? Keep in mind that I was doing this slowly and gently (when placing and taking off the CPU), I didn't apply any force. By the way, the CPU is a i3-6100, if that helps.

 

[gokitty199]

what do you mean by a bit sideways? if it wasnt perfectly squared then it wouldnt have gone in the slot at all to bend any of the pins on the motherboard(i would think, i dont have a 170 board to see) so your more than likely fine

 

[Supahos]

Likelyhood of damaging the CPU is low. Bending board pins is possible. If you didn't try to latch the holder you're probably fine I'd you attempted to latch it you probably did hurt something

 

[gman_97]

what do you mean by a bit sideways? if it wasnt perfectly squared then it wouldnt have gone in the slot at all to bend any of the pins on the motherboard(i would think, i dont have a 170 board to see) so your more than likely fine

Well, it didn't really get in the slot, I was still holding the CPU chip when I noticed it. I didn't apply any pressure and took it off gently. Are the pins really that sensitive? Thanks for the fast answer btw.

 

[weberdarren97]

Today I started building my first PC and when it was time to place the CPU on the socket, I accidentally placed it a bit sideways. So I gently took it off and placed it back on, this time correctly, and it went in perfectly (I think). Is there any chance that I've damaged the CPU? Keep in mind that I was doing this slowly and gently (when placing and taking off the CPU), I didn't apply any force. By the way, the CPU is a i3-6100, if that helps.

If this is a PGA type socket (seen on AMD hardware), the CPU going into the socket on the second try is usually proof that it's not damaged.

If this is an LGA type socket (seen on Intel hardware), it's possible that you've bent some of the pins on the motherboard socket. Doing this would still allow the CPU to fit into the socket when placed correctly. It often seems to work perfectly until all of a sudden something goes wrong and cripples the system until the issue is taken care of. I call this the "almost working condition".

Well, it didn't really get in the slot, I was still holding the CPU chip when I noticed it. I didn't apply any pressure and took it off gently. Are the pins really that sensitive? Thanks for the fast answer btw.

If you didn't apply any pressure at all and held the CPU level in respect to the socket, it's likely that you didn't damage anything. However, the pins are very sensitive and are bent so easily that you might not even feel that the CPU has touched them until you've already bent them (I've done this).

 

[gman_97]

Likelyhood of damaging the CPU is low. Bending board pins is possible. If you didn't try to latch the holder you're probably fine I'd you attempted to latch it you probably did hurt something

I noticed my mistake the moment I made it, so the holder was still idle.

 

[weberdarren97]

Likelyhood of damaging the CPU is low. Bending board pins is possible. If you didn't try to latch the holder you're probably fine I'd you attempted to latch it you probably did hurt something

I noticed my mistake the moment I made it, so the holder was still idle.

Likely not damaged, but damage is still a possibility.

 

[gman_97]

Today I started building my first PC and when it was time to place the CPU on the socket, I accidentally placed it a bit sideways. So I gently took it off and placed it back on, this time correctly, and it went in perfectly (I think). Is there any chance that I've damaged the CPU? Keep in mind that I was doing this slowly and gently (when placing and taking off the CPU), I didn't apply any force. By the way, the CPU is a i3-6100, if that helps.

If this is a PGA type socket (seen on AMD hardware), the CPU going into the socket on the second try is usually proof that it's not damaged.

If this is an LGA type socket (seen on Intel hardware), it's possible that you've bent some of the pins on the motherboard socket. Doing this would still allow the CPU to fit into the socket when placed correctly. It often seems to work perfectly until all of a sudden something goes wrong and cripples the system until the issue is taken care of. I call this the "almost working condition".

Well, it didn't really get in the slot, I was still holding the CPU chip when I noticed it. I didn't apply any pressure and took it off gently. Are the pins really that sensitive? Thanks for the fast answer btw.

If you didn't apply any pressure at all and held the CPU level in respect to the socket, it's likely that you didn't damage anything. However, the pins are very sensitive and are bent so easily that you might not even feel that the CPU has touched them until you've already bent them (I've done this).

Well, then I guess the only thing I can do is pray... Thank you for your answer.

 

[gman_97]

Likelyhood of damaging the CPU is low. Bending board pins is possible. If you didn't try to latch the holder you're probably fine I'd you attempted to latch it you probably did hurt something

I noticed my mistake the moment I made it, so the holder was still idle.

Likely not damaged, but damage is still a possibility.

I hope my luck doesn't fail me. Thanks for the help.

 

[weberdarren97]

Likelyhood of damaging the CPU is low. Bending board pins is possible. If you didn't try to latch the holder you're probably fine I'd you attempted to latch it you probably did hurt something

I noticed my mistake the moment I made it, so the holder was still idle.

Likely not damaged, but damage is still a possibility.

I hope my luck doesn't fail me. Thanks for the help.

Did the retention arm lower and latch properly and did the cooler seat without issue? Annoyingly poor quality mounting hardware doesn't count as a seating issue in my opinion.

 

[gman_97]

Likelyhood of damaging the CPU is low. Bending board pins is possible. If you didn't try to latch the holder you're probably fine I'd you attempted to latch it you probably did hurt something

I noticed my mistake the moment I made it, so the holder was still idle.

Likely not damaged, but damage is still a possibility.

I hope my luck doesn't fail me. Thanks for the help.

Did the retention arm lower and latch properly and did the cooler seat without issue? Annoyingly poor quality mounting hardware doesn't count as a seating issue in my opinion.

Everything went in smoothly, I'm just worried about the pins.

 

[weberdarren97]

Likelyhood of damaging the CPU is low. Bending board pins is possible. If you didn't try to latch the holder you're probably fine I'd you attempted to latch it you probably did hurt something

I noticed my mistake the moment I made it, so the holder was still idle.

Likely not damaged, but damage is still a possibility.

I hope my luck doesn't fail me. Thanks for the help.

Did the retention arm lower and latch properly and did the cooler seat without issue? Annoyingly poor quality mounting hardware doesn't count as a seating issue in my opinion.

Everything went in smoothly, I'm just worried about the pins.

Give it power and observe its behavior. If something went wrong, it's common for the CPU fan to exhibit erratic behavior like screaming to life at full speed for no apparent reason or stopping and starting multiple times during POST. If this happens, quickly unplug the machine (you've got about ten seconds before permanent damage if you're lucky), take the CPU out of the socket and observe any damage.

 

[Chicano]

Everything went in smoothly, I'm just worried about the pins.

If the CPU didn't go into the socket, it probably didn't come in contact with the LGA pins. You'll know for sure if the computer boots normally.. or doesn't

 

[gman_97]

Likelyhood of damaging the CPU is low. Bending board pins is possible. If you didn't try to latch the holder you're probably fine I'd you attempted to latch it you probably did hurt something

I noticed my mistake the moment I made it, so the holder was still idle.

Likely not damaged, but damage is still a possibility.

I hope my luck doesn't fail me. Thanks for the help.

Did the retention arm lower and latch properly and did the cooler seat without issue? Annoyingly poor quality mounting hardware doesn't count as a seating issue in my opinion.

Everything went in smoothly, I'm just worried about the pins.

Give it power and observe its behavior. If something went wrong, it's common for the CPU fan to exhibit erratic behavior like screaming to life at full speed for no apparent reason or stopping and starting multiple times during POST. If this happens, quickly unplug the machine (you've got about ten seconds before permanent damage if you're lucky), take the CPU out of the socket and observe any damage.

Will do. Thank you for the advice.

 

[gman_97]

Everything went in smoothly, I'm just worried about the pins.

If the CPU didn't go into the socket, it probably didn't come in contact with the LGA pins. You'll know for sure if the computer boots normally.. or doesn't

If it did, does that mean I'll have to get a new motherboard?

 

[weberdarren97]

Everything went in smoothly, I'm just worried about the pins.

If the CPU didn't go into the socket, it probably didn't come in contact with the LGA pins. You'll know for sure if the computer boots normally.. or doesn't

If it did, does that mean I'll have to get a new motherboard?

Yes. Trying to bend the pins back to straight usually ends up with snapped pins, at which point the manufacturer will know you were fooling around in the socket and may not allow your RMA.

 

[Chicano]

Many people have managed to straighten the LGA pins using tools like jeweler's tweezers, an empty mechanical pencil, a pin/needle, etc. and a good magnifying glass. But hopefully you won't have to either buy another motherboard or straighten pins if the CPU didn't go into the socket. And even if it did, I doubt much damage can be done by the CPU as the CPU BGA (ball grid array) is the same on any position.. and if you were as careful as you said, damage is unlikely. Pin damage is more likely when people touch the socket LGA.

 

[gokitty199]

Many people have managed to straighten the LGA pins using tools like jeweler's tweezers, an empty mechanical pencil, a pin/needle, etc. and a good magnifying glass. But hopefully you won't have to either buy another motherboard or straighten pins if the CPU didn't go into the socket. And even if it did, I doubt much damage can be done by the CPU as the CPU BGA (ball grid array) is the same on any position.. and if you were as careful as you said, damage is unlikely. Pin damage is more likely when people touch the socket LGA.

i like using coffee straws, i used it to bend pins back on my usb3 header that was literally smashed against the end

 

[Chicano]

Many people have managed to straighten the LGA pins using tools like jeweler's tweezers, an empty mechanical pencil, a pin/needle, etc. and a good magnifying glass. But hopefully you won't have to either buy another motherboard or straighten pins if the CPU didn't go into the socket. And even if it did, I doubt much damage can be done by the CPU as the CPU BGA (ball grid array) is the same on any position.. and if you were as careful as you said, damage is unlikely. Pin damage is more likely when people touch the socket LGA.

i like using coffee straws, i used it to bend pins back on my usb3 header that was literally smashed against the end

LOL... yeah but mobo header pins are huge when compared to socket pins.. so coffee straws are probably to large for them.

 

[gokitty199]

Many people have managed to straighten the LGA pins using tools like jeweler's tweezers, an empty mechanical pencil, a pin/needle, etc. and a good magnifying glass. But hopefully you won't have to either buy another motherboard or straighten pins if the CPU didn't go into the socket. And even if it did, I doubt much damage can be done by the CPU as the CPU BGA (ball grid array) is the same on any position.. and if you were as careful as you said, damage is unlikely. Pin damage is more likely when people touch the socket LGA.

i like using coffee straws, i used it to bend pins back on my usb3 header that was literally smashed against the end

LOL... yeah but mobo header pins are huge when compared to socket pins.. so coffee straws are probably to large for them.

true, i didnt think of that