Busted contact patch on i5-750...does this mean I'm SOL?

So I got a TRUE for my i5-750, and I didn't change anything else in my system. All I did was take the cpu out of the socket, clean it, place it back in the socket, lock it into place, apply TIM, and put on the new heatsink.

Failed to POST. The computer would go into a reboot loop, on for a couple seconds, all fans spinning, then turn off for a second or two, then back on again.

I try remounting the heatsink several times, no luck. I try resetting the CMOS, no luck. I take out the CPU to look for bent socket pins and what not, everything looks fine. I try putting on the stock fan, nothing. I try putting on the stock fan and resetting the cmos, I get a boot. After this, I immediately try to swap to the TRUE, didn't take out the CPU, just cleaned it while it was in the socket. Reapplied TIM, and mounted the heatsink. No POST. I try resetting the CMOS, still can't POST. I take the CPU out of the socket, and I notice something stuck to one of the pins. I try to blow it off, it won't budge, and then I push at it with a toothpick. It's a small piece of metal. I look at my cpu, and one of the contact patches looks like it was scratched off.

I never thought that too much pressure would cause something like this, looking at the 1156 socket it looks very secure. It could have maybe been the little bit of push on the top end of the CPU (where my cpu was damaged) from when you lock the bracket in.

I'm not sure what I should do next, I haven't tried the cpu in fear of damaging anything more. Can I get a warranty replacement? Intel tried to reduce the number of cpu's returned by broken pins by putting the pins in the motherboards, and letting the motherboard manufacturers deal with it. I guess I can give it a shot, but this really sucks because I was very careful in taking the cpu in and out of the socket.

Pictures please. Having a hard time imagining you broke a pad on a CPU.

I just tried to take pictures, but my camera is really horrible, you can't make it out.

I can assure you though, it's like 80-90% of the pad is just gone. Like it was scratched off. The pictures I have it just looks like a hole because that pad didn't reflect any light. I'll see if I can get my hands on a better camera.

This is really unbelievable, I did everything carefully, even the pins on my motherboard socket look to be fine.

Find the pin that corresponds to that pad, you may find the pad attached to it.

Did you call Intel yet? maybe they will replace the CPU.

Here's some pics, you can see on the right side (it's actually the top of the cpu if you're looking at the mobo socket) that the contact was basically split by the socket pin and most of it came off.





I have sent these pictures to Intel RMA, they said that although they do not cover physical damage, that this was a bizarre case and they are granting me a replacement. Hopefully it clocks well =D

Bobnova said:

Find the pin that corresponds to that pad, you may find the pad attached to it.

Click to expand...

Yeah, the pad was stuck on the motherboard pin, that's how I discovered it was gone in the first place. It first looked like a piece of dust got stuck in the pins, but it wouldn't move if I shot air at it. I had to take the end of a ziptie and push it enough to blast it away with air.

Congrats on the replacement.

That's strange... is that pin on the board bent or anything? I don't see what would cause enough pressure for that to happen...

Wow, that's goofy. Don't think I've seen that one before. My money was on conductive TIM grounding something after I read the OP, good thing I'm not a betting man

Very nice that they're granting the RMA.

The pins on the socket looked fine to me, like it said it was the top of the cpu, which is kind of the last place the socket latch pushes on. Even after prodding at the pins pretty hard to get the broken contact patch off, the pins still look on the level. Maybe it had been out of place while the CPU was mounted, but there wasn't any evidence of that in the socket.

I didn't have any problems with my Xigmatek heatsink, which has similar spring/screws to the TRUE with the backplate I got. The springs on the TRUE mount definitely get compressed a bit more though. I wonder if I had tried the washer mod, if I might have done more damage than I did.

Yeah, I'm glad they're giving me the RMA, I guess it's just not the typical CPU abuse they're used to seeing. The email I got said that this was a "very unusual situation."

Glade intel replaced it for you, it's just a rare product defect.