Motherboard bent?

[courtney01]

I was trying to install my intel stock HSF, and the push pins were really difficult to get in. The first push was fine, it clicked as it was supposed to. But then the rest of the pins were increasingly difficult to push in, and the last one was especially impossible. I had to put a lot of force into it, and most of them except the first one didn't even click. I only realized they were locked in place when I looked underneath the board and the pins were through. And I'm not even sure it's completely locked, because for the last pin I pushed, the male and female pins have a gap between them, even though I can't push them together any more. I had to put it on and take it off couple times, and while I was twisting the pins in order to detach the HSF, I would hear creaking/friction/metal spring sounds. Is all this very bad?

And how much can a motherboard bend before it's bad? The board was bending a bit when I was pushing down on the pins really hard, but I didn't hear anything crack. I inspected the board from the side, and it's slightly curved in the middle now, but I don't know if that's how it originally came or if I did that. Are motherboards usually perfectly flat/straight or are there occasional curvatures that aren't a problem?

 

[MrLoLeR]

Due to the wait of some coolers, you can experience a tad bit of motherboard flex, which is common.

Welcome to the world of Intel pushpins. They can be difficult to get in. I have the UD3P and my stock heatsink went in relatively easily but there was a smidge of motherboard flex as i was pushing in the last pin, but not enough to cause any damage, and surely didn't stay conformed like that.

If you put it all together and get it booted up and check your temps, you'll know if the heatsink is properly attached or not.

 

[kirbyrj]

You'll get a curve to your motherboard if you install pushpins. I wouldn't worry about it unless you get really high temps. Usually I just make sure I put all the screws in the motherboard to attach it to the case to evenly distribute the rest of the force on the motherboard.

 

[courtney01]

Due to the wait of some coolers, you can experience a tad bit of motherboard flex, which is common.

Welcome to the world of Intel pushpins. They can be difficult to get in. I have the UD3P and my stock heatsink went in relatively easily but there was a smidge of motherboard flex as i was pushing in the last pin, but not enough to cause any damage, and surely didn't stay conformed like that.

If you put it all together and get it booted up and check your temps, you'll know if the heatsink is properly attached or not.

I see. This is my first time experience with this, so can you tell me which categories I need to check and what temperatures are red flags that will let me know that there's some problem from the flexing and/or crooked HSF?

 

[MrLoLeR]

What does BIOS tell you your CPU temp is under the "PC Health Status" menu or whatever its called?

And using your Easy Tune 6 application, if you installed it off the gigabyte driver cd, what does it say your CPU temp is, and we'll let you know if your in any form of danger zone.

My e7300 with stock cooling is running at about 26 C with a relatively low ambient temperature.

You could also use RealTemp just to form an average more or less, as these things arent perfect.

 

[vick1000]

As I posted in your other thread, you do not want this behaviour on your motherbaord. It can cause premature failure of components around the CPU socket area. Get a decent aftermarket cooler with backplate mounting system.

 

[Zero82z]

I see. This is my first time experience with this, so can you tell me which categories I need to check and what temperatures are red flags that will let me know that there's some problem from the flexing and/or crooked HSF?

After you install Windows, download the latest Real Temp beta from here: http://www.fileden.com/files/2008/3/3/1794507/RealTempBeta.zip

Just post your temps after that and we'll tell you if they're okay. As a general rule of thumb for Core 2 CPUs though, anything below 75C is perfectly safe. However, the chips do have built-in thermal protection, so you don't need to worry about damaging your CPU with heat since it will shut itself off before that happens.

Another general rule is that the CPU temperatures as reported by the BIOS and most other programs, such as the ones that come with motherboards, are not correct since they are not read from sensors in the CPU. Always use either Real Temp or Core Temp to monitor your temperatures.

 

[courtney01]

After you install Windows, download the latest Real Temp beta from here: http://www.fileden.com/files/2008/3/3/1794507/RealTempBeta.zip

I'm planning on booting from knoppix just for now because I'm only running through a mobo test (will install windows after I finish the test). Will real temp work from knoppix too? Just making sure: I should have my CPU, RAM, video card (because I have no onboard graphics), hard drive (it's brand new so it's blank), and dvd drive connected to use knoppix and run temperature tests right?

 

[MrLoLeR]

Well if you don't have a VGA connected i'm not sure how you'll see the temps

 

[courtney01]

Well if you don't have a VGA connected i'm not sure how you'll see the temps

Ooh, yeah forgot to mention that . Add a monitor to that list.

 

[courtney01]

By the way, what's the proper way of handling a motherboard? What shouldn't I touch and what can I touch? Is the entire backside ok to touch and hold when handling?

 

[MrLoLeR]

Yes thats okay. Generally i make sure i'm grounded by the way of touching something metal thats grounded/wearing latex gloves/anti-static wrist wrap/ and then i tend to "try" and handle the board by the edges, personally.

As long as your gentle with it and handle it with care, like you should, then it's pretty forgiving.

 

[courtney01]

Yes thats okay. Generally i make sure i'm grounded by the way of touching something metal thats grounded/wearing latex gloves/anti-static wrist wrap/ and then i tend to "try" and handle the board by the edges, personally.

As long as your gentle with it and handle it with care, like you should, then it's pretty forgiving.

I see. When you say you handle it by the edges, is it ok for your fingers to touch the front side of the board? Whenever I try to hold it by the edge, I end up pinching the edges so that only less than 1cm of the front surface is being held and avoiding all circuits running on the board. Is this too paranoid, or can my fingers touch those circuits while I'm holding the edges?

 

[MrLoLeR]

I think your just being too paranoid. Like i said, as long as your not twisting/bending anything or holding the board by a capacitor or something your not going to hurt it.

Although, i guess you could say theres no such thing as 'too' paranoid when it comes to a motherboard, it'll just make things more stressful for you.

 

[courtney01]

I think your just being too paranoid. Like i said, as long as your not twisting/bending anything or holding the board by a capacitor or something your not going to hurt it.

Although, i guess you could say theres no such thing as 'too' paranoid when it comes to a motherboard, it'll just make things more stressful for you.

Ok, cool. I guess I'm just so worried about everything because I've never done anything like this before. I always bought computers pre-made, so I have no idea what I shouldn't do. I've been so stressed this entire time I've been building my computer.

 

[MrLoLeR]

Just don't stress over it all. everything has a solution in the end, somehow or another. If you find yourself getting to tense over it just take a breather and come back to it later. Usually helps.

So aside from all of these questions. Is your computer ready to be built, or are you still waiting on parts to arrive?

 

[courtney01]

Just don't stress over it all. everything has a solution in the end, somehow or another. If you find yourself getting to tense over it just take a breather and come back to it later. Usually helps.

So aside from all of these questions. Is your computer ready to be built, or are you still waiting on parts to arrive?

Thanks for the advice.

I'm still waiting for my RAM which will come in a day or 2, and I still need to buy a video card. I'm actually waiting to see if the price on the geforce 9800 gt will come down anytime soon.

 

[magoo]

Here's what you do.

I'd take the Intel heatsink off, if you have some spare thermal paste.
Clean the CPU surface and the heatsink off throughly (ArcticClean works the best)

Replace the heatsink, after applying some thermal paste (arctic silver 5 is my choice) You probably got screwed up because you didn't push each diagonal pair in as a pair, and did them one at a time.....that's how they get all crooked.

Once the heatsink is mounted properly, put the MB on the anti-static bag it came in on top of the box it came in.

Plug in one stick of RAM in slot #1 and the GPU......then the 24 pin and 8 pin power plugs from the PSU, turn on the PSU, take a small screwdriver and short over the power switch pins on the front panel module in the lower left corner (look in the manual)

The board should start up (fans spin and all that), once you see the POST screen press delete on your keyboard and you'll be in the BIOS.
Check the CPU temp in the power management section (or hardware monitor section)

If the CPU temp is around 25-30C your heatsink is fine. If it's over 60C you'll need to reseat the heatsink.
Go into the BIOS under Boot Priority and select the CD-ROM as the first boot drive.
Power down by turning off the PSU by the switch in the back.

Plug in your DVD and HDDs now.
ReBoot and put your windows CD in the drive, restart the computer, and you should boot to the windows disc and be able to load windows.

I have a couple of soft wooden blocks that are 12" long that I elevate my MBs on when I place the heat sink, they are actually a couple of child's building blocks exactly the length of a MB and about 2" thick. This allows excellent support for the board and allows me to see that the pins went exactly through the holes as desired. I can actually put my finger underneath the board and feel the pin come through, so i know i put enough pressure on the top of the pin.
Also, as you introduce the pin you need to make sure it's straight on to the hole. If you are off by even a smidge the pin will turn to the side and not go in.

 

[courtney01]

Here's what you do.
I'd take the Intel heatsink off, if you have some spare thermal paste.
Clean the CPU surface and the heatsink off throughly (ArcticClean works the best)

Does ArcticClean remove any kind of thermal paste, or just the arctic silver brand?

Once the heatsink is mounted properly, put the MB on the anti-static bag it came in on top of the box it came in.

Where should I have placed my mb before this step while pushing the push-pins? EDIT: your last paragraph answered this question for me, although correct me if I'm wrong.

Plug in one stick of RAM in slot #1 and the GPU......then the 24 pin and 8 pin power plugs from the PSU, turn on the PSU, take a small screwdriver and short over the power switch pins on the front panel module in the lower left corner (look in the manual)

When you say turn on the PSU, do you mean just flip the switch on it, or actually get it running? My PSU is weird in that it doesn't have a switch. What does "short over" mean? The way I started up my mb for the first time yesterday was: plug in one stick of RAM in slot 1 and the GPU, then the 24pin and 8pin power cords. Then I connected the "pwr-sw" wire from my case to the front panel header. I then plugged the power cord to the PSU and the outlet, and turned on the computer using the power button. Am I doing what you're explaining or did I do something different?

The board should start up (fans spin and all that), once you see the POST screen press delete on your keyboard and you'll be in the BIOS.
Check the CPU temp in the power management section (or hardware monitor section)

Oops, I didn't press delete, so I just got stuck with a screen that had an error message saying "disk boot failure, insert system disk and press enter". I think it's because I didn't connect a hard drive since I'm doing a bare minimum test?

Go into the BIOS under Boot Priority and select the CD-ROM as the first boot drive. Power down by turning off the PSU by the switch in the back.

Since I don't have a switch, can I just hold my power button on the case to shut it down?

I have a couple of soft wooden blocks that are 12" long that I elevate my MBs on when I place the heat sink, they are actually a couple of child's building blocks exactly the length of a MB and about 2" thick. This allows excellent support for the board and allows me to see that the pins went exactly through the holes as desired. I can actually put my finger underneath the board and feel the pin come through, so i know i put enough pressure on the top of the pin.

If I don't have blocks, what's the best surface to get some stability? I was usuing the cardboard box the mb came in, and since the box is empty when I put the mb on top, whenever I press on the board, it bends down, so I really wish I had some sort of solid base.

 

[vick1000]

The push pins are meant to be installed with the motherboard mounted inthe case on the stand-offs. For what ever reason, after market coolers with a backplate are a thousand times better.

If you insist on using push-pins, I suggest a roll of duct tape. Just set the pin over the hole one at a time as you push them in. Still, a backplate is better.

 

[Zero82z]

I'm planning on booting from knoppix just for now because I'm only running through a mobo test (will install windows after I finish the test). Will real temp work from knoppix too? Just making sure: I should have my CPU, RAM, video card (because I have no onboard graphics), hard drive (it's brand new so it's blank), and dvd drive connected to use knoppix and run temperature tests right?

Real Temp is a Windows-only program. I'm not familiar with Linux temperature-monitoring apps, so I can't help you with that.

Does ArcticClean remove any kind of thermal paste, or just the arctic silver brand?

Any kind of thermal paste. It isn't necessary though; isopropyl alcohol can remove thermal paste just fine and is a lot cheaper as well.

Where should I have placed my mb before this step while pushing the push-pins? EDIT: your last paragraph answered this question for me, although correct me if I'm wrong.

You can really just put it on any surface that isn't prone to static buildup. Avoid carpets, fabric surfaces, and non-antistatic plastic, but antistatic bags and paper/cardboard is fine. I often just place boards on top of the boxes they come in.

When you say turn on the PSU, do you mean just flip the switch on it, or actually get it running? My PSU is weird in that it doesn't have a switch. What does "short over" mean? The way I started up my mb for the first time yesterday was: plug in one stick of RAM in slot 1 and the GPU, then the 24pin and 8pin power cords. Then I connected the "pwr-sw" wire from my case to the front panel header. I then plugged the power cord to the PSU and the outlet, and turned on the computer using the power button. Am I doing what you're explaining or did I do something different?

He meant to turn on the switch on the back of the PSU. That's why he said to short the power pins on the board afterward (which is the same as attaching a switch and pushing it). Since your PSU doesn't have a switch, just forget about that step.

Oops, I didn't press delete, so I just got stuck with a screen that had an error message saying "disk boot failure, insert system disk and press enter". I think it's because I didn't connect a hard drive since I'm doing a bare minimum test?

Yes. That message comes up when the computer doesn't have a disk with an operating system that it can boot from. Since you're using Knoppix, you'll have to change the boot order in the BIOS to boot from your optical drive first, and then you'll be able to boot properly.

Since I don't have a switch, can I just hold my power button on the case to shut it down?

Yes.

If I don't have blocks, what's the best surface to get some stability? I was usuing the cardboard box the mb came in, and since the box is empty when I put the mb on top, whenever I press on the board, it bends down, so I really wish I had some sort of solid base.

Just find a rigid non-conductive object. You can use a textbook as well, or just stick something hard inside the box, close it up, and put the board on top of it. Use your imagination.

 

[magoo]

The reason I use blocks is I can stabalize the board on the egdes(sides) whilst pushing those damn pins through. I can see them and hear them click.

One way you know the heatsink is secure: it won't move when you gently twist it.

Yes, a cardboard box will work just as well as an antistatic bag, but with a new board you usually get both at least from Gigabyte and ASUS.

If you press delete when prompted or when you see the splash screen, you will enter the BIOS. There are a number of screens to choose from, consult your manual. Once you select the CD-ROM as the first boot drive, on the next reboot you can go into Knoppix.
That said, if all you want to do is look at temperature the BIOS can tell you that.

I have used both Isopropyl alcohol and Arctic Clean to remove thermal paste (any kind) and I personally think Arctic Clean does a better job and smells nice too. I have the same bottles I bought three years ago, it lasts a long time.

 

[courtney01]

Can people chime in on the last couple of posts I made in this thread. Thanks.

 

[magoo]

Your board isn't bent. The heatsink in the picture has some play in it to account for expansion when it is hot during operation.

Your CPU socket looks fine.

The bottom line is......when you put the thing together does it work??? If it does you are fine, if it doesn't RMA it.

 

[courtney01]

Your board isn't bent. The heatsink in the picture has some play in it to account for expansion when it is hot during operation.

Your CPU socket looks fine.

The bottom line is......when you put the thing together does it work??? If it does you are fine, if it doesn't RMA it.

So you're saying that at least on a physical level, the mb is not defective (board not inherently bent, socket pins not damaged, that blue heat sink on the edge next to the CPU not damaged or disconnected from the board due to the bending), so I shouldn't RMA it based on this? Just wondering, why is that edge of the board still bending a tiny bit, even though I took the picture about 14 hours after removing the HSF?

Going on to whether it functions: after taking apart everything, I cleaned up the stock thermal paste with isopropyl alcohol and re-did everything (using OCZ freeze this time). This time I managed to get every pin of the HSF in completely. I then connected 1 stick of RAM, 1 GPU, 24pin and 8pin power cables, and 1 dvd drive. I turned it on, went into bios and checked the temps there. According to bios:

CPU temp fluctuates between 15 and 16 celsius (EDIT: after leaving mb on for 10 min, it rose to 18. After sitting in the BIOS for an hour, rose to 19 and has stabilized between 18 and 19 from then on)
system temp = 31 (EDIT: after leaving the mb on for 10 min, it rose to 33. After sitting in the BIOS for an hour, rose to 34 and has stabilized between 33 or 34 from then on)
vcore = 1.156v
ddr18v = 1.824v
+3.3v = 3.328v
+12v = 12.302v
cpu fan speed = 1196rpm

By the way, when I cleaned up the stock thermal paste, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't get a few spots on the HSF completely shiny. They either looked like hazy residues or scratches. Is this bad? On the IHS of the CPU, it looks kind of hazy too.

For me, even if I find my mb working fine for right now as I test it, I'll constantly be worried that something might have been damaged so its longevity would be compromised. So even though there might not be any problems right now, maybe I did something that will cause problems to crop up in the long run.

 

[vick1000]

I would exchange the board if it won't cost you too much, and get an aftermarket cooler with a backplate. Bending the board is not good no matter if it works that way or not. That heat sink is supposed to be cooling the MOSFETs under it, and if it's not making contact with them, it's going to do the exact opposite.

 

[courtney01]

I would exchange the board if it won't cost you too much, and get an aftermarket cooler with a backplate. Bending the board is not good no matter if it works that way or not. That heat sink is supposed to be cooling the MOSFETs under it, and if it's not making contact with them, it's going to do the exact opposite.

do you think it's more worth it to lose the rebate and RMA to get a better board than to get the rebate and risk using a possibly bad board?

From the pictures, were you able to tell if the heat sink is not making contact with the mosfets? Which part is the mosfets?

 

[vick1000]

I can't tell from the pics if it's making contact with the FETs. You could pull of the sink, the little plastic pins come right out if you squeeze the tip together from the back side. Then you could check and see if they still make contact. The MOSFETs are square chips that sit flat against the board and filter the power going to the socket.

My guess is in any case, if you use a backplate mounting system, it will help straighten the board back up over time, as it will essentially reverse the tension caused by the stock sink.

So if the board is working, and it looks like the sink is contacting the FETs, I would keep it and get a backplate mounted sink for it, which would probably help straighten it back out.

 

[courtney01]

I can't tell from the pics if it's making contact with the FETs. You could pull of the sink, the little plastic pins come right out if you squeeze the tip together from the back side. Then you could check and see if they still make contact. The MOSFETs are square chips that sit flat against the board and filter the power going to the socket.

Just so I know what to expect before I do this:

Is the heatsink supposed to easily come off? As in, is it just lightly sitting there, secured only by the pins?

Will there be thermal paste that I have to deal with?

To put it back on, do I just push it in and secure it with the 2 pins?

If I take off the heatsink, how would I be able to tell if they're making contact with the mosfet? Isn't it only possible to tell if it's not taken off?

What's that white, flat thing in between the board and the blue heatsink? I mention in one of my first set of photos that the gap from the bend is technically between the board and that flat, white thing attached against the blue heatsink. Is that the mosfet from the side, or is that something that's a part of the blue heatsink, and the mosfets are underneath the flat thing? If it's not the mosfets, then I don't need to worry too much about something getting disconnected (although it would mean that it's not making full contact with the mosfets because of the gap), but if it is the mosfets, then it got pulled off the board.

 

[Zero82z]

Just so I know what to expect before I do this:

Is the heatsink supposed to easily come off? As in, is it just lightly sitting there, secured only by the pins?

Will there be thermal paste that I have to deal with?

To put it back on, do I just push it in and secure it with the 2 pins?

If I take off the heatsink, how would I be able to tell if they're making contact with the mosfet? Isn't it only possible to tell if it's not taken off?

What's that white, flat thing in between the board and the blue heatsink? I mention in one of my first set of photos that the gap from the bend is technically between the board and that flat, white thing attached against the blue heatsink. Is that the mosfet from the side, or is that something that's a part of the blue heatsink, and the mosfets are underneath the flat thing? If it's not the mosfets, then I don't need to worry too much about something getting disconnected (although it would mean that it's not making full contact with the mosfets because of the gap), but if it is the mosfets, then it got pulled off the board.

You are worrying too much. The fact is, the behaviour you're observing is how the mounting system is designed. The board is supposed to bend. The heatsink that you noticed was a bit curved is not a problem, since the thermal pad (the white thing underneath it) would still be making contact with the components underneath. Just mount the heatsink properly, and don't worry about it. The entire system is designed specifically so that you can just mount it and leave it as-is.

 

[magoo]

Dude, you worry too much.

The board is fine. You've already run it for a couple hours and the temps are spot on.

Taking the blue MOSFET heatsink off would be a mistake, unless you have some heat-sink pads lying around.......just leave it alone, Jesus......I hope you don't worry this much about women, you'll truely loose your mind.

The board HAS to be flexible. It heats up to over 100F during operation and is/will be bolted to the case, if it doesn't expand and contract it would break eventually.

Use the damn thing. It's warrantied by Gigabyte for three years, right?
Send in your rebate and be happy.

 

[courtney01]

The board is fine. You've already run it for a couple hours and the temps are spot on.

I'm glad it tested fine, but the reason why I'm concerned is that I hope I didn't create any damages that would cause problems after using the computer for a while, problems that wouldn't have occurred if nothing was bent in the first place.

Taking the blue MOSFET heatsink off would be a mistake, unless you have some heat-sink pads lying around.......just leave it alone, Jesus......I hope you don't worry this much about women, you'll truely loose your mind.

I was told to take off the heatsink so I wasn't sure what to do.

The board HAS to be flexible. It heats up to over 100F during operation and is/will be bolted to the case, if it doesn't expand and contract it would break eventually.

Yeah I understand that part, but there's got to be a type of bending that's not good for the mb right? Like the excess bending that occured when I installed the HSF?

 

[courtney01]

You are worrying too much. The fact is, the behaviour you're observing is how the mounting system is designed. The board is supposed to bend. The heatsink that you noticed was a bit curved is not a problem, since the thermal pad (the white thing underneath it) would still be making contact with the components underneath. Just mount the heatsink properly, and don't worry about it. The entire system is designed specifically so that you can just mount it and leave it as-is.

Ok, that makes me feel better because I thought the bending caused the heatsink and the pad to disconnect from whatever was underneath it.

I'm getting different opinions on whether the board is ok or not, so I'm really confused.

 

[Zero82z]

Yeah I understand that part, but there's got to be a type of bending that's not good for the mb right? Like the excess bending that occured when I installed the HSF?

That isn't excess bending. Like I said earlier, the mounting system is actually designed to bend the board. It's supposed to be that way, so don't get worried when it happens .

I'm getting different opinions (http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?p=1033541000#post1033541000) on whether the board is ok or not, so I'm really confused.

Yeah, that guy doesn't really know what he's talking about. If every single Intel stock heatsink bends the board, you'd think that at some point one realizes that it's supposed to be that way...

 

[vick1000]

That isn't excess bending. Like I said earlier, the mounting system is actually designed to bend the board. It's supposed to be that way, so don't get worried when it happens .

Yeah, that guy doesn't really know what he's talking about. If every single Intel stock heatsink bends the board, you'd think that at some point one realizes that it's supposed to be that way...

Not every stock sink bends the motherboard.

How many 775 systems have you built? Have you seen what an Intel made motherboard looks like around the socket? They are different, and that's why the stock sinks often don't fit right. Have you seen the Intel instructional video? You are talking out of your ass.

The motherboard is not supposed to be bent, and several boards would not POST or would get POST errors with the stock sink installed.

 

[Space Badger]

Hah, board flex. Reminds me when I was having trouble getting a heatsink on, my hand slipped and I ripped a cap clean off.

 

[Zero82z]

Not every stock sink bends the motherboard.

How many 775 systems have you built? Have you seen what an Intel made motherboard looks like around the socket? They are different, and that's why the stock sinks often don't fit right. Have you seen the Intel instructional video? You are talking out of your ass.

The motherboard is not supposed to be bent, and several boards would not POST or would get POST errors with the stock sink installed.

I've built quite a few LGA775 systems, and every single stock heatsink I've installed has bent the board to some degree, even with Intel-branded boards. In fact, Intel's own boards often use fewer layers than the higher-end boards I've worked with, and bend just as much, if not more. I've also never had a single issue with the stock heatsinks, and I've certainly never seen a board fail to POST with one of then installed.

No offense, but I have to dispute the claims you made since they go completely against all of my own experiences, and the only thing you're doing is further confusing someone who is new to this and doesn't really know what she's doing. Your advice is being counterproductive and making her worry about things she needn't worry about at all.

 

[magoo]

I've built over a dozen S775 systems in the last year.
I've used the stock HSF, I've used aftermarket HSF and I've used watercooling.
I've taken them apart, put them back together, dropped them, dropped things on them,spit on them, spilled things on them and had coolant leak all over everything........guess what?

The computer works despite most everything I've ever done or screwed up.

I've had two boards where I could shine a flashlight between the MOSFET heatsink at the top of the board, and they were as stable as a rock.

Look, courtney, you are being appropiately anxious about your new computer,and it's got nothing to do with being a girl. But these are not eggs were takings about. The motherboards and CPUs are tested up the ass before they are released for us to use and abuse.
Some boards just fail, right out of the box.....I've had a few of those too.

But, if your board runs as you say it does; you'll be fine. The more you mess with it the greater the likelihood you're going to cause more harm than good. Put the thing together and fire it up and run it for 24 hours at stock with Orthos......if it graduates, have fun.

 

[courtney01]

Haha, that makes me feel a lot better. I really did have the impression that these were supposed to be handled like "eggs", but now I know. I hope you don't mind me asking one more question about one thing I'm worried about: so I now know that the HSF causes the board to bend, and that's "normal", but while I was in the process of installing the HSF and pushing the push-pins, the board did bend more than what the final curve looks like in my photos because I was putting a lot of my weight into it and there was an empty cardboard box underneath it. I don't think I heard any cracks or anything breaking, so you think the extra bending from the force of my push is still ok in terms of breakage or mosfets/heatsinks disconnecting?

 

[Zero82z]

I don't think I heard any cracks or anything breaking, so you think the extra bending from the force of my push is still ok in terms of breakage or mosfets/heatsinks disconnecting?

Turn on the computer. If it works, you didn't break anything. That's how we test things .