Bending the pins

[Executor]

I have an athlon xp 1900+ and I noticed a couple of the pins were bent just enough so that it wouldnt fit in the socket (slightly bent). I straightened them out and put the processor in with my HSF. I dont have a vid card right now, and I am kind of anxious to see whether or not I have a trashed processor. Anyone know if it will work when I get my computer built and running? Any previous experiences? Thanks in advance.

 

[OfficeDude]

I was in the same situation as you, mine was an AMD Athlon XP 1.33GHz. I would definitely not recommend bending the pins so it will fit.....I'm friends with a tech guy from Staples(he actuallys knows what he's talking about, unlike some employees that work at BestBuy, Staples, etc.) and he said it would definitely be best to send the CPU back for a new one. Bending the pins could possibly damage the CPU, you need special equipment to make sure you don't damage anything when fixing the bent pins.

 

[OfficeDude]

Are you still planning on trying to use the CPU or are you going to send it back? If you do try to use it, please let me know how it goes for you. Good luck.

 

[Executor]

Im gonna try. I hope that it works. I hate waiting for parts.

 

[OfficeDude]

Yeah, I had to wait two weeks for my replacement CPU I had everything I needed to build my new system but I had to RMA the CPU, was a bummer having to wait so long to build my new system. I'm kinda curious to see if bending the pins causes any ill effects...if not, then if I get bent pins on a new CPU again I might just try bending them so it fits

 

[ShawnReeves]

Personally I have fix dozens of cpu's with bent pins. I even got a used K6-2 350 that had a corner pin broken off the cpu, and yet it ran super stable. In your case If I payed for a new cpu I would send it back and get what I payed for. As far as bending them back...your ok if you take your time but thats your call.

My .02
Shawn

 

[Jerboy]

<< Yeah, I had to wait two weeks for my replacement CPU I had everything I needed to build my new system but I had to RMA the CPU, was a bummer having to wait so long to build my new system. I'm kinda curious to see if bending the pins causes any ill effects...if not, then if I get bent pins on a new CPU again I might just try bending them so it fits >>



Its totally fine to unbend bent pins on CPU as long as its not bent too much to start with. You can get away with breaking off one or two ground or Vcc pin, but better not break any signal pins. You can check which pins is what on AMD or Intel(depending on which one you have) site.

 

[EdipisReks]

fixing a couple of bent pins is no big deal. just use your fingernail and straighten them. there is absolutely no need to send the thing back. computer hardware tends to be MUCH tougher than people make out (just don't break the ram contacts on a video card, trust me ). ever tried to break a PCB? it's very hard. i have scratched motherboards, and thumped hard drives accidentally while they were reading, and they still hum away just fine. my current athlon had a pin on the side bent 90 degrees when i recieved (who knows how just one pin got bent like that *shrug*). i bent it back and it's fine. the 400mHz overclock i got from it seems to indicate that it suffered no permanent damage. just like other people, i have seen cpu's operate fine with pins missing.

--jacob

 

[Mitzi]

I've done it loads of times with Pentium and Pentium Pro processors - no biggie. I wouldn't suggest using your fingernails though - try a non-magnetic screwdriver or something and be VERY careful about over-bending the pins!

 

[EdipisReks]

no, your fingernail is fine, believe me. static is VERY VERY overblown with computer components. besides, you have much more control with your fingernail than with a screwdriver, or other tool. i would rather risk the close to nil chance of my fingernail killing the cpu than to risk breaking a pin or scratching the processor with an awkward tool. the screwdriver has a pretty good chance of scratching or scoring one of the pins while you bend it back, and as cavalier as i am with computer components, i would prefer not to scratch any pins.

--jacob

 

[darktyco]

A friend of mine once had a PIII that had nearly every single one of its pins bent and twisted. He spent a hella long time straightening them all out with just his fingers, and although the end result wasn't pretty, the pins all fit into the socket and the proc worked fine.

 

[Workin']

I recently got a 1GHz tbird from newegg and almost every pin was bent - they smashed them down in the packaging so they were all kind of just laid over. After the hysterics died down and I thought about it, I found a really simple way to get them all back in PERFECT alignment. Fingernails are definitely not the way to do it, it's impossible to straighten pins in the 4th row using your finger! I used a single-edge razor blade - it worked great placed between the rows. Using just a little pressure, it was easy to control the direction and amount of force applied to make the pins line up PERFECTLY. A couple rounds around the chip with the blade to make sure the pins were standing straight up, a few test fits in the socket, and now you would never be able to tell the pins were ever bent. It took about 5 minutes to get it fixed, of course after about 1 hour of thinking about RMA'ing it and wasting a week or 2 of my time.

 

[FlipSide]

Workin' nice trick.

It happened once to me when I was pulling a 486DX66 from a Mobo to move to a dual system. The locking levers were not on those systems before. As I was applying upward pressure with a chip remover the chip suddenly got loose and flew to the desk bending numerous pins. After hours of straightening rows and rows of pins using a twiser, put the chip on the dual system and worked like a charm.

 

[TunaBoo]

Sending it back is bull, further proving that staples comployees are idiots