Dropped CPU on floor, chance that it is damaged?

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Apr 28, 2017
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I accidentally dropped my brand new Intel CPU about 4 feet onto my hard wood floor. It was in partial packaging - basically I opened the box, turned it upside down and shook it until the contents fell out, but instead of falling onto the table, it bounced off and onto the floor. Since it's a real PITA to install, test, and remove a CPU so if there's a good chance it's damaged, I would rather just replace it now than install it in my motherboard and remove it later.

It was in a very thin plastic clamshell which was itself in a small bit of cardboard (I think) when it impacted on the floor, so it had some padding, but not much. How likely is it that the CPU was damaged?
 
I agree with the others. I would bet it's fine. The machine should at least post without a heat sink if you want to test it real fast before mounting.
 
I agree with the others. I would bet it's fine. The machine should at least post without a heat sink if you want to test it real fast before mounting.

That's a bold strategy. I have a cheap tower cooler that mounts in the stock Intel holes for testing.
 
Not that bold, the CPU will shut the system down well before any damage is done, just like if it overheats under normal use.

I also have a tower cooler that I just set on the CPU for post testing, but in a pinch bare CPU seems to work fine, as long as you just check for post and don't start playing around in BIOS.
 
It is likely just fine. Only exception would be if you see missing components like the surface mount capacitors / resistors
 
Not that bold, the CPU will shut the system down well before any damage is done, just like if it overheats under normal use.

I also have a tower cooler that I just set on the CPU for post testing, but in a pinch bare CPU seems to work fine, as long as you just check for post and don't start playing around in BIOS.

You can't always count on that. Modern CPUs should be able to start up in a safe state and protect themselves if they heat up too much during boot, but in the past I've seen CPUs burn themselves out faster than their thermal protection could kick in after booting without a heatsink.
 
Post up some pics so we can spot physical damage.

Please don't boot up your CPU without a cooler.

Oh yeah, I know from hard experience not to boot up a CPU without a cooler, I destroyed a CPU (a very old one fortunately) last year doing just that.

And there's absolutely no apparent external damage. It was inside a plastic shell inside a cardboard sleeve when it hit the ground. Physically it is apparently in factory new condition, I just wasn't sure what was going on at a microscopic level.

Anyway, from comments here and elsewhere I'm pretty confident it's fine. Reason I had doubts was from an experience about 23 years ago when I dropped a hard drive on the pavement. While there was no evident external damage, it had massive numbers of bad sectors immediately upon use. But I found out that CPU's and HD's are very different animals when it comes to dropping them on the ground. Also 23 years of progress.
 
Hard drives have very delicate moving parts and surfaces inside them that are sensitive to shock and alignment.

CPUs on the other hand do not have any moving parts. You could have dropped it bare, and it would have most likely have survived. It being still in the box... it felt nothing.
 
in a clamshell and cardboard? its fine.
yes you can run a new intel cpu without hsf to test post but i wouldnt.
and finally comparing dropping a hdd to a cpu is waaaaay off base.
 
Even if it was damaged because you dropped it, ethically that’s not Intel’s problem.
 
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Right out of left field.
Do you disagree?

Why is it “odd or strange” as that expression means, that I’d call out a chance for a fellow human to consider his options through a lens of integrity?
 
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Do you disagree?

Why is it “odd or strange” as that expression means, that I’d call out a chance for a fellow human to consider his options through a lens of integrity?
Because no mention at all has been made about making a warranty claim or returning it.
Your comment was straight out of left field, it has no place here.
 
Do you disagree?

Why is it “odd or strange” as that expression means, that I’d call out a chance for a fellow human to consider his options through a lens of integrity?

Yes, because Intel has made a history of being a very ethical company right? They deserve all their customers to be completely ethical in return... Of all the companies to take the pulpit for on ethics, you choose Intel? Wow!
 
Yes, because Intel has made a history of being a very ethical company right? They deserve all their customers to be completely ethical in return... Of all the companies to take the pulpit for on ethics, you choose Intel? Wow!

Acting ethically only those who are also ethical does not make you an ethical person.
 
Acting ethically only those who are also ethical does not make you an ethical person.

This is true... I'm just not sure why anyone would bring ethics into a conversation about anything to do with Intel. Well that is unless your goal was to share an example of how not to act ethically as a business.

In this case there could only be an assumption of ethical action unless physical damage was found. There is no way to know what the operational condition of said CPU was before the drop. Meaning you can assume the CPU was operational out of the box but there is no real way to know. This is conversation is pretty much meaningless because the chip is going to work.
 
This is true... I'm just not sure why anyone would bring ethics into a conversation about anything to do with Intel. Well that is unless your goal was to share an example of how not to act ethically as a business.

This conversation had nothing to do with Intel outside of mere coincidence.

In this case there could only be an assumption of ethical action unless physical damage was found. There is no way to know what the operational condition of said CPU was before the drop. Meaning you can assume the CPU was operational out of the box but there is no real way to know. This is conversation is pretty much meaningless because the chip is going to work.

This is simply justification of unethical behavior. Ethics would dictate that you take responsibility for the condition of something when your actions could have contributed to it until you know it didn't.
 
This conversation had nothing to do with Intel outside of mere coincidence.



This is simply justification of unethical behavior. Ethics would dictate that you take responsibility for the condition of something when your actions could have contributed to it until you know it didn't.

You should get a job with Intel, Apple or Microsoft and teach them about ethics, it seems to be your thing.
 
You should get a job with Intel, Apple or Microsoft and teach them about ethics, it seems to be your thing.

Nah, I just like to argue on the internet. Besides, I already work for the "Most ethical company" (whatever that means); so I'm good.
 
Acting ethically only those who are also ethical does not make you an ethical person.
Strong post is strong

Your Ethics and Integrity should have nothing to do with the person you are dealing with. They are a quality, or not, that you possess. It’s all you really own in this world - the only thing under your true control.

The subtle underline here was clearly ‘Should I return this to Intel because I dropped it?’ (For fear of microfracures, instability etc).

On its face that’s unethical.

Luckily, for both parties, in this instance I wholly agree that there would be no damage to the chip.
 
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If it makes you feel better, I have placed any number of CPUs in a delidding vice and essentially forced the heatsink off.

There has been no damage to the CPU what-so-ever.

You're fine. Load it up.
 
While true on the Ryzen comment. The lack of pins isn't entirely true. Just not "recently"

It's been about 15 years since Intel used pins on their CPUs. I don't think the OP was talking about a brand new Pentium 4, though I could be wrong.
 
Strong post is strong

Your Ethics and Integrity should have nothing to do with the person you are dealing with. They are a quality, or not, that you possess. It’s all you really own in this world.

The subtle underline here was clearly ‘Should I return this to Intel because I dropped it?’ (For fear of microfracures, instability etc).

On its face that’s unethical.

Luckily, for both parties, in this instance I wholly agree that there would be no damage to the chip.


Maybe my thought process was a bit naive. I didn't read the OP as inferring a return. I frequently forget many people buy from Amazon and return items half the time because they can. When I think returning a CPU I think RMA. I'm pretty sure Intel doesn't accept RMAs without testing first or for cases where someone shook the CPU out of the box and it hit the floor. Now if I re-read the OP, I do see how a return could be suggested perhaps even more so than a re-purchase. I was thinking cheap CPU with the whole shaking the box thing because who in their right mind would shake a box with an expensive CPU in it... Then again why would anyone shake a box to get a CPU out?
 
You can't always count on that. Modern CPUs should be able to start up in a safe state and protect themselves if they heat up too much during boot, but in the past I've seen CPUs burn themselves out faster than their thermal protection could kick in after booting without a heatsink.

Put your finger on the IHS to sink some heat, lol.
 
OP, This thread is ridiculous. Put the damn CPU in your system and forget about the drop. I am sure that CPU was thrown around, smashed, shaken while it was in transit from Intel, to the reseller and to your front door.
 
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