Possible CPU socket problem

[tntsk8er2005]

I just got my new motherboard in the mail today, and when going to put my CPU in i noticed the CPU socket looked different than usual. My question is, are the two raised squares supposed to be there? Looking at pictures on google ive found examples of the same model with and without them. Below is a link to my motherboard model.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131631

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[trents]

That doesn't look right to me. I'd be afraid of two things happening with that configuration:
1. Poor contact with the CPU pins to the outside area
2. Damage to the CPU die from uneven pressure by the heatsink, especially with an aftermarket, bolt-down style heatsink

 

[QuietIce]

to OCF!


That seems odd to me as well, though I also can't see how it could be a defect. I mean, what process could create that by accident without it looking a lot rougher than it does? I can see where cooling might be a hair better that way but I have the same misgivings as trents issue #2, uneven pressure from a heatsink.

I'd drop ASUS Tech Support an e-mail so they can try to explain it.


PS
And if they do happen to respond would you please share? In the mean time I'll do a little digging to see if I can come up with some information. Maybe the AM3 socket spec will shed some light on the issue?

 

[TheQuadFather]

woah never seen that before, defiantly give asus i call i wouldn't try running that motherboard.

 

[QuietIce]

Here's AMD's AM3 socket spec. From what I'm reading the socket pictured above does not meet this specification.

http://support.amd.com/us/Processor_TechDocs/40523.pdf


I would not run any CPU in that board and I would definitely contact ASUS tech support about it. If you got it from Newegg I would also contact them. Maybe they will go so far as to check current inventory to see if other boards (same model) have this same problem.


Edit:
This may be a "sneak peek" of things to come but until you know for sure what's going on ...

 

[trents]

The pictures on NewEgg don't seem to show this pattern.

 

[TheQuadFather]

Edit:
This may be a "sneak peek" of things to come but until you know for sure what's going on ...

hmm am3+ design maybe? but i have no idea why they would ship it on a board like this?

 

[QuietIce]

ASUS should already have the AM3+ socket in-hand if boards are going to be on the shelves by mid-April. Assuming that's an AM3+ socket who knows what might have happened at ASUS? Could be someone put the wrong box in the AM3 parts bin or it could be ASUS used up all their AM3 sockets and instead of re-ordering decided to run with AM3+ early. Or it could be something else entirely like a bad batch from the socket maker.

 

[Bobnova]

That's not AM3+, it's AM3.
It's also got issues.

I've seen pictures of a decent number of boards with the larger rectangle pattern, but the inner square is a broken socket. I bet if you poke that inner square it moves.

 

[QuietIce]

That's not AM3+, it's AM3.
It's also got issues.

Well, duh! I should have thought to look at the space pattern.

 

[Bobnova]

It's a nice easy one, unlike the am2 to am3 change that requires a bunch of that counting stuff

Of course, I am assuming that the one (1) picture of am3+ I've seen is the final version.

 

[QuietIce]

That dark brown (dk. gray?) one someone posted a few weeks ago? That's the only one I've seen as well. No way to know if it's the final version ...

 

[trents]

Of course! Why didn't I think of it before? The new AM3+ standard is actually the AM3- standard! It only needs 25 pins (5x5). With this new standard miniaturization has taken a huge step forward. Wonder what the fab process is? And see, the rest of the socket is for backward compatibility with AM3. And we thought mini CDs were cool!

 

[QuietIce]

 

[Bobnova]

lol, it's just like sata and usb!
Massively serial data connections!
Such low TDP that you only need two VCC and two VSS pins!


Or some doofus at the factory dropped something on the socket

 

[tntsk8er2005]

After looking at it again, the square in the middle is raised only as high as the four small squares on the corners of the socket that the corners of the processor rests on. Which means the middle square shouldn't matter since the processor doesn't need to go any lower that that anyway.

 

[trents]

I saw that too but still it makes me wonder if the pins to the outside of the CPU will make good contact with their female counterparts in the socket.

 

[TheQuadFather]

After looking at it again, the square in the middle is raised only as high as the four small squares on the corners of the socket that the corners of the processor rests on. Which means the middle square shouldn't matter since the processor doesn't need to go any lower that that anyway.

well i still wouldn't use it, RMA it and get a nice new one.

 

[DSM4Life]

I wouldn't use it.

 

[ChanceCoats123]

lol, it's just like sata and usb!
Massively serial data connections!
Such low TDP that you only need two VCC and two VSS pins!


Or some doofus at the factory dropped something on the socket

It's not broken at all... if you look that the side facing us, you'll see the clearly raised edge...

Me thinks this is something far beyond our ability to comprehend... a message from the Amd gods.