Protecting a chipped AMD CPU core.

Well guys, I finally chipped a core. In my defense this was one prepped for pelts and had no feet on it. A victim of my stupidity and a Glaciator. I should have taken a couple of minutes to super glue some feet on it. But that's not why I posted this.

If you expose part of the core, it's possible that a thermal grease containing metal particles may cause problems. For this reason I have always recommended generic white thermal goop for damaged cores. There is another way and it works.

Clean your CPU with a toothbrush and dishwashing liquid (Dawn, etc.) and rinse with water. When dry, place some Scotch tape over the top of the die and carefully coat the damaged area with clear nail polish. BE SURE YOU DON'T GET ANY ON THE TOP OF THE DIE! Check your results with a magnifying glass. Not only will this protect the core from high performance silver grease, it will add a bit of structural integrity so your fumble fingers have less chance of damaging it further.

Thanks Colin! I cracke my first 'bird, the very first day I had it. I've been wondering ever since if it will just get worse, and worse, everytime I take the block off, or go back to air.

Now, If you could just tell me how to get it out off a silicone sealed ziff socket, I'd be dancing

Oh boy, you mean your CPU is glued in the ZIF socket?

Glued in the socket? How did that happen?

I've seen this when some guys are trying ot deal with the condensation problem when using peltiers. They "seal" the CPU to the socket to prevent the moisture from getting between the CPU and the socket thereby eliminating the chance of the pins shorting (as well as removing the CPU). Some go as far as thinning a mixture of silicone and applying it to all parts of the motherboard including the bottom.

Hey I have done three boards for pelts and never had a problem.

Thanks Colin I just chipped my duron so I'll give this a try. I thought the duron was dead but I just found out it was my motherboard. It's still under warranty so I'll be getting a full refund from newegg.com since the board isn't in stock.

ive got a 900 tbird that has three of the four corners chiped and is still running with asII without any problems... but the chips are small