Remove power connection for desoldering.
Remove power connection for desoldering.
The problem seems to be with the metal wiring, which could show signs of damage like burn marks or bent pins.
Unlikely, the 8-pin component is extremely difficult to destroy, while the VRM is much more vulnerable. It appears melted. If it remains intact, it's likely not a serious issue. For verification, use a multimeter to measure resistance between these parts. If resistance is low across all pins, the connector seems fine. A high resistance on any pin suggests a problem with the connector, though I wouldn't trust that conclusion.
Are you referring to an 8-pin EPS connector? What makes you believe it's the issue? If the CPU socket is damaged, why would that be? Is the CPU itself fried? Why would you even consider this? The only visible signs on the connector would be discoloration or melting, while the real problem usually lies elsewhere in the voltage traces and components. Anyway, it's your device—you can handle it however you like!
@RONOTHAN## @Sjaakie Here's the post explaining my issue: What I didnt add, because nobody responded to it so I didnt think to edit it, was that without the 8pin connector the motherboard wouldnt post, but would not power cycle either. plugging in the 8 pin would then start the power cycling. So i figured that was the place to start... But it seems like you guys think its my vrm...how would I go about testing or replacing that? That's under the top heatsink right?
The metal surrounding the hole functions within the ground plane.
If the socket pin is bent, you need to straighten it or it will damage the chip pad. When the heatsink pressure is applied, the clamp may cause it to move more. This issue usually happens with very small movements, but it can still ruin the board. The bent pin might be the source of the problem.
It looks like the board reacts differently depending on whether the 8-pin connection is present or not. This might indicate a faulty component, likely the board itself, though without visible damage it’s probably not worth desoldering. It could be something else entirely. For certainty, each part should be tested individually with others. Edit: The pin appears slightly misaligned; fixing it might help, but this issue shouldn’t occur in a functioning assembled PC.
Screw holes are connected to the ground plane, which made it easy to photograph. There are more than a dozen spots to check ground, but this was the first I noticed. You're verifying that the 8-pin connectors are properly linked to the ground plane—this confirms the connector is correct. The simplest test is looking for short circuits, so measure resistance across each of these three areas. Blue indicates +12V, green is ground, and red shows the VRM output. Other failure modes exist, like a dead controller sending excessive voltage to the CPU (e.g., 5V), which this won’t catch. However, frequent power cycling suggests a short is less likely. Some ASUS X99 boards have previously set the CPU VCore to 2V and immediately disabled it, causing immediate failure. New CPUs can still run, but this behavior usually means the board is faulty and should be discarded.