Tip of a CPU pin snapped off

harri2097

harri2097

harri2097

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I've just been assembling my brand new components for my shiny new PC and turned the PC on for the first time. It kept powering up and then cutting out ofter a second or so in a loop. Strange, I thought so I took all the non-essential components out one by one until I was down to the mobo (Gigabyte GA-EP45-DS3), memory and CPU. At this point it was still doing the same thing.

Thinking that I maybe hadn't seated the CPU properly (a long shot I know) I removed the HSF and cleaned the thermal paste from the thermal surfaces. Only then, before replacing the CPU did I notice, to my horror, that the perfect little grid of pins in the CPU socket wasn't so perfect. It seems that on trying to fit the plastic shield on the CPU socket to keep it safe from dust while I cleaned, I'd forced it too far and it'd snapped one of the little gold tips off the end of one of the pins. There's no way in hell it'll rech now so I'm essentially left with £100 worth of useless components.

My question is, I know I can't RMA this back to overclockers because it's my own fault and nothing to do with them. Do you think it's possible for me to return it back to Gigabyte for a refurbishment or have I just thrown all that money down the drain?
 
No, I knackered my Shuttle but you haven't wasted your money you just got to be a lot more careful next time at the end of the day it's only money you'll get some more then try again! Think it of a lesson to be learnt and all your other components, they aren't wasted!!!
 
some tips ive looked up for you:

gold melts at 1000+c they say,soldder @ around 184 c

you can try using a method known as the dip and place method.

try taking it to your local jeweler, they might be able to solder a piece of gold wire to it. It shouldn't cost much at all.

The backyard version of cpu repair involves trimming conductive pins to the appropriate length (you can usually get a pair of needle-nose pliers and extract pins from used/salvage ethernet card connectors or other cable/connectors) then push them into the socket in the CORRECT placement. If they are trimmed to the correct length, installing the CPU and mashing the cpu atop of them can often times make the needed connection and work. I wouldn't move the PC around while using it if your pin length measurements aren't very good.
 
You could just try it. The pin might be a non-essential one like power or ground, of which there are several on each CPU.
 
Nah tried it already, the board won't power up for longer than a second.

I'm just going to sell the board as faulty on an auction site or classifieds or something. At the end of the day I think I'd rather have a fully working and intact board that I can trust rather than one that's been haphazardly repaired.

I just put an order in for another one so hopefully I can manage not to kill it.

Thanks for the ideas everyone, there were some good ones but my hands just aren't steady enough to repair it myself and I don't want to risk it getting further damaged by taking it to a jewellers (but I never would have thought of doing that!)
 
If your at uni, find an electronic engineering lecturer and see if they have the kit and the time to help you.
 
man why sell it as faulty?!
just take it into a jewelers (probs not a commercial one) but like a little one.
that or as the above said if your at uni that would be cool.
failin that sell it too me for a fiver and ill take it down the jewelers lol :p
 
Hmm, Gigabyte replied to my support ticket to ask me to send a picture of the damage, so all may not be lost! I'll take a picture and send it to them tonight and see what they say.

May actually have to do it at work tomorrow though, not sure you can upload photos with a PSP, which is what I'm currently using to browse the internet with.
 
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