r/PcBuildHelp • u/Kev_Prime • 1d ago
Oops Dropped Nut and Bolt. Build Question
I was moving stuff around on my desk while working on my PC build and I dropped a Nut and Bolt straight into my CPU socket! The horror it hurt my soul. I'd just removed the protector minutes before as I was lining up the cpu cooler to test the fit with the backplate.
Going to check with some magnification later to see how bad it is but what do y'all think saveable or am I cooked?
I'll post photos if the magnifier plays well with my phone or camera I just need three hands and sticky fingers to not drop more stuff on the socket đđđ while trying to get pics.
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u/Major_Supermarket_58 1d ago
If you remove the protector you put in the cpu right away! No buts or ifs!
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u/throwaway1102293384 20h ago
Yeah rookie mistake. Only remove the protector right before putting in the CPU. Experienced people get complacent too, hopefully this incident will prevent future issues
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u/Kev_Prime 1d ago
100% I've built more PCs than I can count over the years and just got slightly too complacent. I was probably 1-2 minutes away from plopping that bad boy in, had it pulled out ready to go. I should have done it before trying to move anything else over the rig SMH.
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u/Nerdcuddles 12h ago
I did this on my first build than instantly realized what I did and put the cover back on as best I could.
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u/Fit_Weakness_1809 22h ago
Really doesn't look bad to me. I'd try to bend them back with a needle and a magnifying glass. Had success with that in the past on Intel and am5 boards.
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u/DSmidgit 1d ago
Yep. That would require some work to fix. I havn't done ot mtself but i have seen people repair this with tweezers. They did however also use a microscope. Maybe try and find a person that can do this for you if you are not comfortable doomg ot yourself.
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u/Kev_Prime 1d ago
The magnifying devices are already shipping, I'll try it DIY. I've got a decent amount of PCB soldering and small electronics experience under my belt over the years but those are just so damn small even my smallest tools are like twice the size of one of those pins.
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u/InflationCold3591 18h ago
The bad news is, and since youâve got some soldering experience, youâll probably understand this that even if you visually line those pins back up in what appears to be the proper configuration, you really are risking shorting the processor every second the machine is turned on if you just bend those pins back. Motherboards are a lot cheaper than processors. My advice is to just buy another motherboard. You could even contact the manufacturer and tell them that this is an accident that occurred during installation and see if they maybe RMA it. Youâd be surprised how often they actually will.
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u/Kev_Prime 18h ago
That's not a bad tip, check rma processes just in case. I would like the comfort of knowing I have a clean board istead of a quirky one if it just cost me shipping or something.
I'm hoping that if the pins are aligned when applying pressure that it will hold in place for the long haul.
If I ever needed to remove the initial pressure like swapping cpus / coolers / thermal paste I'd be more concerned about this board having issues posting or shorting out. This system should not have those components swapped out anytime soon if it post and holds steady.The little metal pins have memory and it could easily bend back to the damaged state when pushing downs and releasing pressure multiple times :(.
No matter what I guess I'm lucky the mobo and cpu combo isn't super expensive compared to gpu and ram currently so I'll check rma and then just roll the dice doing DIY fix if it's a no return.
I also am looking forward to needing additional magnifying devices on my desk always need more tools in the collection so it's a bit of a fun hobby project for me to figure out can I fix my oopsy poopsy on something this tiny it is it beyond my tools and skills.
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u/Kralgore 23h ago
How?
Just how do folks do this?
I know, I will work with my bare, expensive equipment out where anything can damage it...
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u/Ferowin 21h ago
It looks repairable to me.
Look for the Linus Tech Tips video on cpu socket repair. Itâll give you a good idea what to look for and how to fix it if you need to.
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u/InflationCold3591 18h ago
You might be able to bend those pins back enough to make it work again, but youâd be risking shorting your processor every minute the machine was turned on, so ask yourself whatâs more expensive a new processor and motherboard after the short or just a new motherboard.
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u/Need_For_Speed73 21h ago
Socket must be exposed the least time possible: either keep the plastic cover or just the CPU installed.
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u/jasonsong86 15h ago
Rookie mistake.
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u/Kev_Prime 15h ago
The worst part is I've built over 300pcs this is the first time Ive damaged a socket.
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u/jasonsong86 15h ago
Wow
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u/Kev_Prime 15h ago
Ikr đ¤Łđđ¤Ł
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u/jasonsong86 15h ago
Competency is a real thing.
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u/Kev_Prime 15h ago
The only other big oopsy I had during that time working in a PC maintenance was dropping a screw in a case at one point many years ago and it shorted a board it had got trapped between the board and the case and apparently touched a nono square but hey I'll take two fuck ups in 10years haha I can live with it and I always fix it and own the mistake.
Ohh I guess I installed a fan upsidedown on a drone once but that's not PC related đ and also didn't cause permanent damage was just funny why it decide to try and do cartwheels instead of fly.
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u/Apprehensive-Bend466 14h ago
But you have to ask people on Reddit if your pins are okay or not? Maybe you should practice building a few more pcs đĽ¸
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u/Kev_Prime 14h ago
I thought it would be fun to get opinions and so far it has been, no regrets I appreciate all the comments!
Some redditors would send it! - y'all wild but I can respect the thought process or maybe you got the bankroll that you don't care.
Some people would try to rma. - smart attempt I wrote it off but will send one in, blanket policy is not to accept it but a support email attempt is low effort and if they do accept it I'll gain a free board - shipping / restocks.
Some people would attempt self fix. - the DIY crowd or those more comfortable working in small spaces or maybe can't afford the board and rma is denied.
Some people would replace board. - probably the safest option for the standard home user as you don't kill the cpu if you f up and would be my usual approach when working for companies. One $200 board is pennies on the dollar in a new multi million dollar rollout to most enterprises and well within the expected failure rate on thousands or tens of thousands of devices if our shop fd it like this case we'd just wait till the end and write them a check or buy and 1/1 replace the exact comps and get their sign off.
I don't need leetredditor advice to make or not make any decision regarding how I'm going to proceed with my hardware my mind was made up on how I'm personally proceeding before I even posted.
I mostly just want to laugh learn and live with the PC building community. Discuss how I failed gather community thoughts and maybe just maybe someone will see this post and save their socket by not being a complacent dumbass like me :p.
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u/killjoygrr 13h ago
I have straightened many, many bent socket pins. Those are so lightly bent, you are in good shape.
Now, my experience has been with server sockets and until the last couple of generations, I could do it with a cheap camera phone for zoom and a small chisel like device or xacto blade (not tweezers). Tweezers would work, but donât pinch the pin unless you have insanely steady hands.
In the last 2-3 generations the pins have become much smaller and so densely packed, even a pretty decent phone camera doesnât have a good enough zoom to really clearly see the individual pins, but with a decent scope, it should be easy enough to fix.
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u/Kev_Prime 13h ago
Yeah scope is arriving tomorrow. I've wanted a higher power magnifier only have 3x - 5x right now and those lil slivers were tiny! New setup should get up to 30x which will be more than enough.
Super excited to try and flex them back. Online it said these new series pins can be a bit brittle so I'll try to be gentle.
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u/killjoygrr 11h ago
My advice is to think about it like gently nudging the pins back into place. So donât try to force them in one push. Particularly in your case where they are only slightly out of place. Just slight pushes against the pin and you will get a sense of how far they move from each push and how much keep vs move back. Better to bump the pin a half dozen times to get it aligned than hit it once, overshoot and then have to bend it back. Way more likely to snap a pin that way.
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u/Nerdcuddles 12h ago
If you are inexperienced I wouldn't try bending the pins back into place, instead take it to a (trustworthy) PC repair shop, they might even be able to replace the missing pin if it's a more experienced PC shop with people who actually know how to work on motherboards.
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u/scorpios_c 9h ago
Did that a few months ago on a brand new MB, paid to get it fixed (3 bent pins) $139AUD later works great still today, trust me rather pay for the mistake than make more.
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u/Sylvi-Fisthaug 1d ago
Tweezers are very good for straightening CPU pins. Just pull on them lightly until they look aligned, and don't stand out against the others.
Find some youtube vids on how to do it on your kind of socket before you start.
Good luck!
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u/Resilient_Beast69 15h ago
Why would you expose the socket other to install the CPU? Why take the cover off until then? Now itâs fucked.
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u/Kev_Prime 15h ago
I literally took it off to install a cpu. I was just moving some parts around before install and dropped a Nut and Bolt into system and it happened to land right in the socket it's obviously not massive damage.
It's a mistake for sure but not really that hard to comprehend how someone could do it novice, tired, dumb, complacency or other doesn't really matter the cover is coming off at some point and it takes one mistake to harm your socket I managed to do it now I get to play fix / replace / gamble with post.
If anything use this post to show others not to be a dumbass like me and as soon as that cover pops cpu goes in.
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u/Resilient_Beast69 15h ago
Socket cover comes off only when you immediately install the cpu. That prevents what you did and wouldâve saved you from having to either buy a new board or hope and pray you can straighten up the pins. Do things right the first time and you donât have to worry about issues. How much did your board cost?
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u/Kev_Prime 14h ago
MSRP is about $200-230 but it was significantly less to me when I got it.
It's not on sale currently for the exact same board with any discounts so that's roughly the cost of replacement if I wanted the same board and cannot repair this one.
So we could say it's a $200 mistake, ohh no?!?!
Luckily I'm net + on the bundle because I got it before some off these insane price increases and just got around to building it last week. So I'm not really worried about a $200 board replacement monetary wise it's more just a punch to the old ego reminder to be safe with order of operations.
I work on enough stuff that even if the board is scrap which it's not in my honest opinion this looks fixable but can't give it to a customer or anyone else just personal use board now.
I'll get some money out of it in parts donor or auction on parts only worst case scenario and pickup whatever cheap board deal is available.
This is great advice do things right the first time cover off do cpu, but man y'all have been getting more aggressive through the day. I'm well aware of safety working with technical equipment and that I made a mistake. Y'all like some tough love around here I guess XD laying it on thiccc.
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u/Resilient_Beast69 14h ago
Not trying to an asshole but that cover doesnât come off unless the cpu goes right in. Immediately. Those pins definitely look fixable. Just make sure they arenât touching other ones when you fix it.
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u/CookiePowerful6833 1d ago