Are CPUs Fragile?

Every electronic component is fragile to some extent. They are usually sensitive to water, dust, and static electricity.

Today we will be talking about how fragile a CPU is and what factors can damage a CPU. So, how fragile is a CPU?

There are two types of CPUs one that has pins on it and the other that doesn’t. AMD’s CPUs use an LGA socket which means the CPUs have pins. These pins are very fragile and if they get bent, then the CPU won’t work. Intel’s CPUs don’t but can still easily break from stack shock and miss use.

CPUs can be very fragile and it is very important to know how to handle them and to know their weak points so that they last longer and you don’t accidentally break one.

In this article, we will go through the parts of the CPU that are fragile and how to handle one so that you don’t break it. It doesn’t matter if you are an experienced PC builder or if it is your first time building a PC these are some very important points to keep in mind when handling the fragile CPU.

Why Are CPUs So Fragile?

CPUs are very fragile because there are a lot of factors that can cause them to break down.

The most common factor that breaks when installing your CPU is the pins that stick out at the bottom of it.

These pins are sensitive to the touch and can easily break off or become unaligned if they are not handled right.

Even if just one pin on the CPU breaks off it will no longer become functional, so it is very important that you do not touch the pins of the CPU.

When I was building my first gaming PC. I was using an AMD Ryzen 7 1700 CPU and because AMD CPUs have pins on them I was trying to be very careful so I didn’t accidentally break one off.

Of course, me being me it took me two times to install my CPU properly, and on my first attempt, I accidentally bent one of the pins.

Now, for most people, this would mean that their CPU is not functional and won’t work. However, I was very lucky and was able to bend the pins back into alignment and finish building my computer.

I got lucky in my case, but for most people, if this happens then they will probably have to buy a new CPU.

With Intel’s CPUs you get a little more flexibility as the pins aren’t actually built onto the CPU, but instead the pins or on the motherboard.

Also, the pins installed on the motherboard aren’t as sensitive as the ones that are on AMD processors so you have less of a chance to break one if you don’t install it right.

You should still be careful with Intel processors however because if you have a little bit of dust or dirt on your fingers and touch the pad at the bottom it could result in damaging your CPU.

Another reason why your CPU is so fragile is due to heat management. CPUs are very prone to overheating if not dealt with properly, but if you want to look more into Managing Your CPU Heat I have another article on that.

Will Dropping Your CPU Break It?

If you drop your CPU on the floor chances are that it is not broken. In that aspect of physical damage CPUs are pretty durable, however, if it is dropped from a fairly high height then you might risk damage, if it is dropped accidentally from around waist height chances are that your PCU is perfectly fine.

One thing to make sure of is if you dropped your CPU on the pins then there is a possibility that the pins could’ve been bent.

After dropping your CPU you should do a thorough inspection of the processor to make sure that no physical damage has been done.

What Happens If You Break a CPU?

If you break your CPU then sorry to say, but you’re in a bad situation.

Your computer won’t function on a broken CPU which means you won’t be able it access your computer until you get your CPU fixed, or purchase a new one.

The CPU is the brain of your computer, which means the computer won’t be able to access files from your hard drive or display any information on your monitor, which means that your computer won’t turn on.

If you are worried about the longevity of your CPU life then I also wrote an article about How Long a CPU Lasts.