Member Avatar for Big Tunda

So a few months ago I took my heatsink off, and I noticed that no booting would take place; not even BIOS.

Eventually, after continuous and repetitive power ons and offs, it would occasionally work again.

I then removed the heatsink again, and the CPU from the socket to inspect it, but had trouble putting it back in (there were no indications on how to do so), and I dropped it several times on the pins, bending several of them.

I didn't think it would do serious harm, but over time everything on my OS would suddenly be slower, as if there was some problem getting worse with the microprocessor. I continued....

Now it will not work at all, and hasn't for about a month or so.

I tried desperately to straighten the pins, but can't manage it, as some are so strangely bent they won't retract in place. I tried using toothpaste as a heat dissipator, but nothing ... I removed the RAM and tried to boot to see if BIOS would catch the error, but nothing.

The heatsink still spins, so obviously the power supply and motherboard in general is still working, but the CPU seems to be the problem, and/or the socket.

Any suggestions? I also removed the CMOS battery, placed it back in, etc. Everything, but no success so far....

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by caperjack
dchrismoore commented: Being a programmer is not the same as being a hardware technician. Just because you can drive a car doesn't make you a mechanic. +0
Member Avatar for Octet

I hate to tell you but your CPU is well and truly dead. I'm suprised it has worked up to this point after the ordeal which you said it has been through.

You certainly would need a new CPU, does the system POST at all when you turn it on?

Member Avatar for CimmerianX

Bent pins in the CPU are nearly impossible to repair by hand. I'm also of the opinion that you need to replace it.

Member Avatar for i3-540

If you took off the heatsink, your CPU is probably goop. And frankly, toothpaste is probably not the best heat dissipator. Sorry, bro. Your CPU is dead.

Member Avatar for dchrismoore

The fan running only indicates that you have power, not that the system board is not fried.
Your best bet would be to take the system to a repair shop and hope that they can TEST to determine what components you destroyed and then fix it.
I have successfully straightened CPU pins before, but the problem is that they usually break if they are severely bent.
Tooth paste is not the same (not even close) as thermal paste. You should never power a computer on with the heat sync removed; it is there for a reason, not just for looks.
Normally, when you remove the heat sync, you need to re-seat the processor because the heat sync will pull the processor at least part way out of the socket.
If you are not familiar with how to remove and re-install your processor, you should watch some youtube videos on how it is done, so you don’t damage more parts.

Member Avatar for Big Tunda

i am a developer with self respect. i can not pay someone to help me. that is shameful to myself.

commented: Writing code does not make you are technician. You don't know the difference between thermal paste and toothpast. +0
Member Avatar for dchrismoore

You can claim to be what ever you want to claim to be, but you don't know hardware and that is quite plain to see from what you have already stated.
I would not try to tare down and rebuild the motor in my car because I am not a mechanic.
You should not try to tare down and rebuild your computer because you are not a technician.
Being a software developer does not make you a hardware person.
Programming skills and mechanical ability are not connected at all.
Don’t let pride cost you more money.

Edited by dchrismoore
Member Avatar for Big Tunda

i am interested in not only being a software develoer, but a hardware engineer as well. since hardware and software are both my areas of interest, it would set my skills backwards. by relying on another person who will surpass my skill level and set me back. it is also false that i do not know hardware. i am an aspiring engineer of computers and study the subjects, but the whole scoop of hardware is sometimes beyond one person, espexially of my limited skills and money and i do not learn in college or any schooling i learn from mainly disassembling and assembling myself

Edited by Big Tunda
commented: You are not learning, you are being prideful. Get someone that knows to teach you. It isn't shameful to have a teahcer +0
Member Avatar for Octet

As much as we appreciate that you want to learn these things yourself (the same way I started), it isn't enough to just guess what you're doing.

Changing a CPU is not what I would consider 'beyond one person' and to know that toothpaste is not a thermal paste to me, is trivial.

I would recommend you buy a book, or watch 'TheNewBoston' Youtube tutorial series, he does a really good set on not only programming but also the hardware side of things.

Good luck!

Member Avatar for caperjack

most of us learned the way you did ,,you mention it did not say how to put the cpu back on and you bent the pins ,rule of thumb , put things back the opsite of how you took them off ,next time make not of the little arrows on cpu and the base plug,tip : if pins are bent slitely i use to use a credit card to run through the rows of pins ,my giggle for today was the use of "toothpaste ", happy learning ,
some good info in the link in my signature

Edited by caperjack
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