Been screwed over? Rant here!
I truly believe that the wild differences in voltage requirements has to do with what I think is a massive release of faulty 1156 sockets, made by Foxconn.
Others will dispute that this is a real problem, stating that the issue only becomes relevant when overclocking to extreme levels. This is not the case. After discovering that the pins in my socket weren't all making contact with the lands on the cpu, I had an interesting conversation with Intel's tech support:
Please wait for a site operator to respond.
Chat InformationYou are now chatting with 'Aldy'
me: Hello
Aldy: Hello. Thank you for using the Intel Customer Support chat service. We are glad to be of service. How can I help you today?
me: I have a question about my i5 760
me: What happens if some of the pins on the socket do not make contact with their matching lands on the cpu?
me: -assuming the installation was correctly done, and the system boots fine.
Aldy: Well, if the system boots fine, I do not think if some pins of the motherboard do not contact with the lands of the processor, Riley. Because if it does, you will encounter no boot issue or even damage the processor or motherboard permanently.
me: I have reason to believe that this was the case in my situation.
Aldy: By the way, there is a very slight chances that it will not contact since the length of the socket pins are standard unless there is a wide issue of the motherboard.
Aldy: Why is that, Riley?
me: when I removed the cpu, I could clearly see small marks made by some of the pins.
me: however, there were several lands which had no marks at all
me: and some that had 2 on one land
me: I took some pictures of it, however, I see no way to send them to you
Aldy: Are you using an Intel motherboard?
me: no
me: it's made by Gigabyte
me: the socket is made by Foxxcon
Aldy: I see. If that is the case, it would be better to contact the motherboard manufacturer, Riley. Check with them if there is an advisory with regard to the socket pins. It is a must to clarify with them before producing any damage on your system.
me: so, you agree that the lack of marks on the lands is a bad thing?
Aldy: Yes, that is correct.
me: their support dept. denied any knowledge of an issue
Aldy: And technically, all pins should connect to the processor.
me: could this problem cause voltage problems?
Aldy: We are not sure as of the moment but you might encounter issues while stressing the processor. We do not know since it is a rare one but you must prevent it.
Aldy: I suggest that you contact them again and show the pictures that you have.
me: I have
me: I've sent the motherboard back under warranty along with the pictures
me: I'm just worried that they'll try to say it's fine, or that they will send a replacement with the same problem
me: anyways, you've answered my question, so thank you for your time.
Aldy: Okay then, thank you, Riley. You can also inform them that you already contact us and the pins should all contact with the lands of the processor.
me: I hope you don't mind that I'll be printing this conversation to use as further support for my warranty claim, should it be needed
Aldy: Yes, you have an option at the end of this chat if you need a copy of this conversation, Riley.
me: thanks again.
Aldy: Okay then, thank you, Riley.
me: have a nice day/night depending on where you are
Aldy: Thank you for visiting our live chat support. We value your suggestions and would appreciate it if you would take a moment to complete the survey. The survey will appear when you click "Close'' to close the chat window. Have a nice night.
(You'll have to excuse the tech's awful English, outsourcing's a *****!)
So, here's what I think:
Many of the sockets half-work. The average user won't notice the problem right away, but chances are good that with the erratic voltage supply to the cpu, things will fail prematurely. Many cases will be past warranty. I've heard that the issue has been addressed by evga, in an official statement that said they would not be using foxconn sockets on their boards. Hmm, if there is no problem, why would they do that?
I figure these board manufacturers had a lot of money invested in these sockets, and stand to lose big-time if they acknowledge the problem. It certainly looks like it's being swept under the rug. Many have said that the problem has been resolved, and newer boards shouldn't be affected, but I'm here to tell you different. My manufacturing date is the 33nd week of 2010, and I've counted at least 35 lands with no marks on them. (The pins are supposed to leave a mark on each and every one of the lands on the cpu, when proper contact is made).
When trying to overclock, I had my vcore right up to 1.4, with llc on, and couldn't get stable at 4 Ghz.
My temps were 35C Idle, and 63C at 100% load with prime 95.
Any thoughts??
I truly believe that the wild differences in voltage requirements has to do with what I think is a massive release of faulty 1156 sockets, made by Foxconn.
Others will dispute that this is a real problem, stating that the issue only becomes relevant when overclocking to extreme levels. This is not the case. After discovering that the pins in my socket weren't all making contact with the lands on the cpu, I had an interesting conversation with Intel's tech support:
Please wait for a site operator to respond.
Chat InformationYou are now chatting with 'Aldy'
me: Hello
Aldy: Hello. Thank you for using the Intel Customer Support chat service. We are glad to be of service. How can I help you today?
me: I have a question about my i5 760
me: What happens if some of the pins on the socket do not make contact with their matching lands on the cpu?
me: -assuming the installation was correctly done, and the system boots fine.
Aldy: Well, if the system boots fine, I do not think if some pins of the motherboard do not contact with the lands of the processor, Riley. Because if it does, you will encounter no boot issue or even damage the processor or motherboard permanently.
me: I have reason to believe that this was the case in my situation.
Aldy: By the way, there is a very slight chances that it will not contact since the length of the socket pins are standard unless there is a wide issue of the motherboard.
Aldy: Why is that, Riley?
me: when I removed the cpu, I could clearly see small marks made by some of the pins.
me: however, there were several lands which had no marks at all
me: and some that had 2 on one land
me: I took some pictures of it, however, I see no way to send them to you
Aldy: Are you using an Intel motherboard?
me: no
me: it's made by Gigabyte
me: the socket is made by Foxxcon
Aldy: I see. If that is the case, it would be better to contact the motherboard manufacturer, Riley. Check with them if there is an advisory with regard to the socket pins. It is a must to clarify with them before producing any damage on your system.
me: so, you agree that the lack of marks on the lands is a bad thing?
Aldy: Yes, that is correct.
me: their support dept. denied any knowledge of an issue
Aldy: And technically, all pins should connect to the processor.
me: could this problem cause voltage problems?
Aldy: We are not sure as of the moment but you might encounter issues while stressing the processor. We do not know since it is a rare one but you must prevent it.
Aldy: I suggest that you contact them again and show the pictures that you have.
me: I have
me: I've sent the motherboard back under warranty along with the pictures
me: I'm just worried that they'll try to say it's fine, or that they will send a replacement with the same problem
me: anyways, you've answered my question, so thank you for your time.
Aldy: Okay then, thank you, Riley. You can also inform them that you already contact us and the pins should all contact with the lands of the processor.
me: I hope you don't mind that I'll be printing this conversation to use as further support for my warranty claim, should it be needed
Aldy: Yes, you have an option at the end of this chat if you need a copy of this conversation, Riley.
me: thanks again.
Aldy: Okay then, thank you, Riley.
me: have a nice day/night depending on where you are
Aldy: Thank you for visiting our live chat support. We value your suggestions and would appreciate it if you would take a moment to complete the survey. The survey will appear when you click "Close'' to close the chat window. Have a nice night.
(You'll have to excuse the tech's awful English, outsourcing's a *****!)
So, here's what I think:
Many of the sockets half-work. The average user won't notice the problem right away, but chances are good that with the erratic voltage supply to the cpu, things will fail prematurely. Many cases will be past warranty. I've heard that the issue has been addressed by evga, in an official statement that said they would not be using foxconn sockets on their boards. Hmm, if there is no problem, why would they do that?
I figure these board manufacturers had a lot of money invested in these sockets, and stand to lose big-time if they acknowledge the problem. It certainly looks like it's being swept under the rug. Many have said that the problem has been resolved, and newer boards shouldn't be affected, but I'm here to tell you different. My manufacturing date is the 33nd week of 2010, and I've counted at least 35 lands with no marks on them. (The pins are supposed to leave a mark on each and every one of the lands on the cpu, when proper contact is made).
When trying to overclock, I had my vcore right up to 1.4, with llc on, and couldn't get stable at 4 Ghz.
My temps were 35C Idle, and 63C at 100% load with prime 95.
Any thoughts??
