Purchased 7960x with damaged pads...
Purchased 7960x with damaged pads...
I purchased a 7960x from the seller mentioned in the video titled "This HAS To Be Fake - New" eBay Intel Extreme Edition CPUs. It has three damaged pads, and I reached out to the seller who replied that they bought an x299 motherboard. They asked if it’s worth testing the CPU or if it might harm the motherboard. They also clarified whether three damaged pads are considered cosmetic. I’m feeling uncertain about the next steps. Thank you for your help!
It seems like soldering might be the right approach, and you can actually take it off with a soldering iron and wick, using isopropyl alcohol. Just keep in mind, be careful because you're placing a hot tip directly on the CPU, and the substrate isn’t very heat conductive, so there’s a risk of damaging it if not done properly.
Uh, that looks like a hardened solder to me a hardened solder on pads is not cosmetic damage. I think also see a thin pin beneath the solder bridging those 4 pads. Minor thin scratches is cosmetic damage. Deep scratch that torn off the PCB coating or the pads (that green/black/blue color) is not. Hardened solder on pads is tamper / mods, not cosmetic. Removing solder gonna be a pain in the arse and risky endeavor, you can take all the solder off using a wick, but yeah, solder wick needs to be REALLY heated up in order for it to work well. And most usually you won't get ALL the solder off with only 1 time wicking.
I don't believe it's solder. I tried a plastic pry tool—it felt soft and slid easily. I've taken some photos from different angles. I have an old i7-950 nearby and am thinking about lightly scratching it to check for similar damage. If I'm confident it won't harm the motherboard, I'd like to test it.
Oh no, that PCB looks damaged. It seems to be just the top layer, not the actual board. The photo made it look solid, but it’s probably just a thin metal sheet. It should be okay to proceed. The material is hard like glass, so scratches are still possible.