CPU Fried?

[basher]

I have....maybe had.....an AMD Athlon X2 4400+ CPU (in a HP Pavilion)
I was cleaning the dust out of my desktop because for some reason my computer kept freezing up, I know I don't have any viruses or spyware, so I assume my cpu was getting too hot. Anyway, I did find a lot of dust inside so I started cleaning it out. I took out the fan and heat sink that was on top of the cpu because there was a lot of dust built up inside. But for some reason when I took the fan and heat sink out, the cpu was still attached on the bottom. I've touched almost everything inside a pc before, but never messed around with the cpu. So I put the cpu back in and the heat sink and fan on top, and turned the pc on....nothing came up, no BIOS, just a black screen.
So took the stuff out again, and noticed I had bent a few pins on the cpu......I didn't know about the lever you need to put up before seating the cpu in. I'm not sure, but I might have put the cpu in the wrong way.
How did the cpu come out if the stupid lever was supposed to lock the cpu in place?!!!
So I carefully straightened the pins back into place with a tiny flat edge screw driver, put the cpu in the right way......and tried to turn on the pc, still nothing. I've tried numerous times, made sure pins are all straight, yet still nothing. Could I have killed it?

 

[MMDad]

"He's dead, Jim."

 

[basher]

"He's dead, Jim."

seriously, what can i do?

 

[runnerboy1500]

My guess, without looking at it, you need a new processor. Possibly a new motherboard.

Why the processor:
-bent pins on the processor are almost impossible to recover from
-judging that you got it out with the lever down and you bent pins, sounds like it was forced out
-poor connections could cause and overload in a section of the processor causing it to burn up.(processors are keyed so it should be a tad easier going in next time if you remember that)

Motherboard:
-if you did put it in backwards, there is chance that it sent energy down the wrong path. Worth seeing if the company has a diagnostic for it.


Is it within one year of purchase? If so manufacturers warranty could cover it. With some careful phrasing of the events that occurred.

 

[LordStanley]

seriously, what can i do?

There should be a mark on the bottom of the CPU. (a small arrow)

That needs to line up with the mark on CPU Socket. Now if you put that CPU in wrong, and or the pins were bent, then most likely the chip was fried when you powered the computer on...

Get a new one, or test the motherboard out with another CPU.

 

[basher]

My guess, without looking at it, you need a new processor. Possibly a new motherboard.

Why the processor:
-bent pins on the processor are almost impossible to recover from
-judging that you got it out with the lever down and you bent pins, sounds like it was forced out
-poor connections could cause and overload in a section of the processor causing it to burn up.(processors are keyed so it should be a tad easier going in next time if you remember that)

Motherboard:
-if you did put it in backwards, there is chance that it sent energy down the wrong path. Worth seeing if the company has a diagnostic for it.

Is it within one year of purchase? If so manufacturers warranty could cover it. With some careful phrasing of the events that occurred.

Thanks for the info. I seriously hope it's not the motherboard. If the computer still turns on, isn't the motherboard still ok? I'm thinking about ordering a new cpu for it since it's less than a $100 at newegg.com
The PC is still under warranty at best buy, I can't remember all the details, but if I open up the PC and take stuff out does that void the warranty? I hate the geek squad, they never know shi....

 

[basher]

There should be a mark on the bottom of the CPU. (a small arrow)

That needs to line up with the mark on CPU Socket. Now if you put that CPU in wrong, and or the pins were bent, then most likely the chip was fried when you powered the computer on...

Get a new one, or test the motherboard out with another CPU.

I didn't realize the arrow till the second time I was putting it in.....I don't have another cpu laying around, I guess I'll try a new one.

 

[GWguy]

Chances are when you inserted the CPU in and it was mis-aligned, you put voltage on pins that were not intended to have voltage. I'll bet the CPU has been fried.

 

[Floyd2004]

Yea AMDs are horrible for lifting out out of the "locking" thing. Intels are in a cage so to speak and ive never had one come out without me unlocking it

 

[FastCarsSpeed]

Yea AMDs are horrible for lifting out out of the "locking" thing. Intels are in a cage so to speak and ive never had one come out without me unlocking it

hrrmm thats weird as both companies use the almost the same style mechanisms to lock in cpu's just with different pin counts and such. I have no clue how the heck you could pull the cpu out with it locked. It sounds like you did not unclasp the heatsink from the cpu and did damage to the cpu or the board socket or even worse both.

Are all the pins still in the chip? Ive bent pins on cpu's before its not usually a big deal to straighten them and pop it back in. Wonder if you accidentally shocked something and killed. Being so dry lately static electricity can happen.

 

[basher]

hrrmm thats weird as both companies use the almost the same style mechanisms to lock in cpu's just with different pin counts and such. I have no clue how the heck you could pull the cpu out with it locked. It sounds like you did not unclasp the heatsink from the cpu and did damage to the cpu or the board socket or even worse both.

Are all the pins still in the chip? Ive bent pins on cpu's before its not usually a big deal to straighten them and pop it back in. Wonder if you accidentally shocked something and killed. Being so dry lately static electricity can happen.

well, there was a lot of thermal goo on the cpu, which made the cpu stay stuck to the bottom of the heatsink. I was very gentle, but I'm still baffled to how the locking mechanism let go so easily.
I did use a metal jeweler screwdriver to bend the pins back, and I just read in some other forum that it is better to use a credit card or toothpick (something non metal). Also no pins were missing.
yeah, static electricity may cause it to be damaged, but I think turning on the PC with it in the wrong way may have been worse...when I think about it more, I don't think the pins were even in because the cpu wasn't locked in the first time, thus the bent pins when I had put the heatsink on top.
when you pull the socket lever up, you see the holes open up, when you lock the lever(push it down) the holes disappear....it just seems strange because it looks like it would chop off the cpu pins when you push the locking mechanism down.

 

[Floyd2004]

Yea the AMDs have the "ZIF" zero insert force chips.
Intels now have a cage that holds them in and the chip its self does not have pins but little nubs and the board has the pins. Ive always bend AMD chips pins but after a little bending back I had no issues but obviously ive never bent the pins on the Intel because they dont have pins anymore.

 

[RadioPatrol]

Yea AMD's are horrible for lifting out out of the "locking" thing. Intel's are in a cage so to speak and ive never had one come out without me unlocking it

I have had Intel's pull up with the Heat sink as well ............ especially something that was OEM and has been used a couple yrs

P4's are good for that like socket 478's

 

[basher]

It looked like HP put a lot of thermal compound on top of the CPU, it must've glued the heat sink on top so I couldn't get it off as easy. I guess before I put my new cpu in, I will find a better cooling solution. Any suggestions? Do you have to put the thermal compound on? I could google the answer, but so many of you are so much smarter than me.

 

[Xaquin44]

To answer a question a few posts ago, if you opened your comp, you voided the warrenty.

How did it get so dusty just out of curiosity? You may want to think about moving it to a new location.

 

[basher]

To answer a question a few posts ago, if you opened your comp, you voided the warrenty.

How did it get so dusty just out of curiosity? You may want to think about moving it to a new location.

I don't know why I even bother with bestbuy and their warranties, I think I wasted $200 to insure my pc. So I voided the warranty when I even put in a wireless pci card? It's not like the PCs have a sticker that prevents you from opening it, so I don't think they would even know.
It gets too much dust most likely because I keep the PC hidden in an armoire desk.

 

[Xaquin44]

I don't know why I even bother with bestbuy and their warranties, I think I wasted $200 to insure my pc. So I voided the warranty when I even put in a wireless pci card? It's not like the PCs have a sticker that prevents you from opening it, so I don't think they would even know.
It gets too much dust most likely because I keep the PC hidden in an armoire desk.

hmmmm wait one sec. It didn't come with a sticker? You may be ok .... every comp I've seen from BB comes with a sticker. I guess I'd ask BB what to do now. I hope it works out for you.

 

[mchurchwell]

make sure all the cables are snug...it's possible that in your cleaning spree you knocked a cable loose. meaning that the motherboard would possibly not getting the power to boot up.

 

[basher]

actually the PC powers up, the lights come on, fans start whirring....just no bios comes up.
I even reseated the video card to make sure it was in, all cables are connected like there were before. I suspected it was definitely the cpu, since I bent the pins and had to straighten them out.

 

[Floyd2004]

I have had Intel's pull up with the Heat sink as well ............ especially something that was OEM and has been used a couple yrs

P4's are good for that like socket 478's

Oh im not talking about outdated P4's though. All the new 775's are in a locked cage now.

As for the thermal paste, yes if its a single core just a drop about the size of a grain of rice is all you need.