WHOA! Burnt CPU pins!

So, I've been spending weeks and weeks trying to figure out what's wrong with my computer randomly crashing/freezing, going so far as to purchase a brand new power supply and new memory.

But since I was still getting freezing, I stripped my PC completely today only to find one burnt out 1156 socket pin, welded to a CPU contact pad (and not the one it was meant to be in contact with!). This is a single pin, surrounded by undamaged pins. I cleaned the CPU contacts, but the pad still looks somewhat scorched.

I built the computer in a technicians lab, with antistatic wrist-straps and careful precision, and I know for a fact nothing was dropped or knocked when building it, and the CPU was mounted immediately after removing the protective plate.

Obviously I don't want to use the motherboard, and will contact the supplier to see if they will replace it. There's no way they can convince me I somehow damaged that one single pin.

But do you think I should try and get the CPU replaced as well? Any chance it could have been damaged by the motherboard?

PS: Will update with pictures when I'm back home

Is it anything like this?

http://www.anandtech.com/mb/showdoc.aspx?i=3661

I'd try to get the CPU replaced too, sounds like the CPU will have sustained some damage in the really dramatic fiery explosion (i consume way too much sugar) but the problem is trying to convince the manufacturers that you did nothing wrong because i highly doubt they will like to replace them. keep us posted

Thought the same as blik, be intresting to see if somebody using it normally would have this problem.

Well, I've seen the Anadtech article before - it's not nearly so bad as that. It's just one pin, but 'melted' in the same way. And in the same corner location!

Those images don't look anything like a damaged pin. To me, it looks like there's a piece of solder joining the two together!

Do you have a soldering iron to hand? heat it up, and touch that piece of silver, should pull away if it is solder. Check your socket too, cos there may be solder on that.

No, it's definitely the remains of the socket pin. It melted away!

SMAndy said:

Those images don't look anything like a damaged pin. To me, it looks like there's a piece of solder joining the two together!

Do you have a soldering iron to hand? heat it up, and touch that piece of silver, should pull away if it is solder. Check your socket too, cos there may be solder on that.

Click to expand...

I would completely ignore this advice if I was you. There is clearly a bent/damaged pin that lines up with the scorch marks on the CPU. If you were to take a soldering iron to it your likely to invalidate any garuantees the manufacturer may have.
Get in touch with the OcUK and the manufacturers explaining whats happened.

To me it looks more like one of the pins has welded itself to the CPU and snapped off when you removed it from the socket.

I agree with the above poster too, trying to do anything to the CPU or motherboard is a bad idea, especially if you intend to seek replacements and/or compensation... you don't want to destroy the evidence

Fair enough to disregard my suggestion, you're probably right to do that. It definitely looks like solder to me though.

The first socket image you have makes it look like there may be enough pin left to still make contact if you were to get that welded pin remains from the cpu.

Send it back, get replacements for both. As Reaper said, you'll lose any warranty by taking a soldering iron to it. I'd only really consider the soldering option if the warranty was already gone because of overvolting the CPU or anything else. - should've thought about that before writing anything

BIGBC said:

There is clearly a bent/damaged pin that lines up with the scorch marks on the CPU.

Click to expand...

I don't see any scorch marks... All I can see is the pin being broken and the remains on the CPU. *edit* this may be because it was cleaned though.

ive been getting random freezing, have rma'ed my memory in hope its that, now maybe a good time for me to take a look at my i5 750, or dare i lol, i would consider getting in contact with trading standards first aswell as i can see there being trouble ahead

Did you try some different memory in it? Generally memory problems cause blue screens, not freezes (I do say Generally... because it does happen that a CPU problem can cause a blue screen, or RAM can cause a freeze)

Soldering a board or something else isn't as bad as it seems. I once replaced a burnt out capacitor on a motherboard, and got it working again. It's rather fiddly, and you need a good quality soldering iron, but it still works. Of course, It would definitely be recommended that you only do it as a last resort, after the warranty has run out.

@OP: Sorry for the potential damage to your warranty/chances of getting a repair by my badly written post, please let us know how it goes with the RMA and whatnot... Be good to see if this is a common problem that gets sorted without questions.

SMAndy strikes again! some of the things you say on here are funny and your an "IT Support Technician" too

Check your pins for contact like in that article, also where you running an overclock at the time?

I cleaned the CPU contacts with a little IPA, which I probably should have left alone if I knew I was sending it back with the motherboard.

Either way, the motherboard and CPU have been sent back as requested by the RMA (not to OcUK), but apparently it's "Manager's Decision" if a replacement is sent...

Have a feeling I'm going to have to fight my corner on this...

Oh, and everything was on stock timings and voltage. Never overclocked

ETNiES said:

SMAndy strikes again! some of the things you say on here are funny and your an "IT Support Technician" too

Check your pins for contact like in that article, also where you running an overclock at the time?

Click to expand...

is that supposed to mean something? and I strike "again" ? what else have i said thats funny?

If you're going to suggest I shouldn't be an IT techie, might I suggest you go back to english class, as that should have been a "you're" in your post, and the 'where' should be 'were'.

Hey SMAndy, I don't think it was meant as an insult

I work as a Mechatronics engineer in the Aerospace industry, so I do a fair amount of soldering myself. The burnt pin reflecting the camera flash does look like a solder fleck, but either way I'm not going to start messing with things under warranty. But any help and suggestions are always welcome!

Maybe it wasn't, but i took it as one. I'm definitely interested to see what happens with this thread...

Glad they accepted a return on it, it's a start at least. If it's a common problem, you may get replacements quickly. Since there's a website detailing similar things, it makes me think it may be more common than we think.

What a nightmare. They reckon the CPU is ok - I'm sure their extensive testing of post=ok covered that one. As for the motherboard, they are sending this back to the manufacturers as the board is 'damaged'...

Plus this morning I found my car lock has been smashed in with a screwdriver/hammer combination. What a great day.

Sorry to hear that man, hope things start to pick up.