You might think it’s game over if you bend your CPU pins. However, it is not the end of the world. If handled very gently you will be able to straighten the pins out.
I know this from personal experience. The first PC I built I didn’t install my CPU right I took it out and I ended up bending a few of the pins. After some time I was able to straighten the pins enough that they worked and I had a fully functional PC.
Will The Bent Pins On Your CPU Affect The Computer?
You cannot use a CPU if the pins are bent. First, you won’t be able to install the CPU because the bent pins will be blocking you from inserting the CPU right. This can cause the pins to fully break off, which will cause irreversible damage to your CPU.
In some cases, the pins might be slightly bent and you will be able to insert the CPU properly into your motherboard. However, you might not notice it right away, but this can cause computer errors over a long period of time.
Most of the time you will pick up on a few errors right away such as your computer not booting up properly, or your screen randomly freezing or turning black while you are in the middle of using your computer.
However, these issues might not happen right away and you might start to only notice them weeks or even months after installing the broken CPU.
How To Avoid Bending The CPU Pins
When working with the CPU you always want to be extra careful with how you handle it because CPUs are very fragile.
Make sure to place it somewhere where it won’t be touched by anything. Clear out an extra space just for your CPU.
Leave it on the CPU box, use an extra desk for it, etc.
Try to keep the CPU away from other components and tools until you actually install the CPU.
Try to avoid rubbing it against your clothes or other surfaces as this can easily bend the pins on the CPU, this is actually one of the most common ways of bending the pins on the CPU.
When removing your CPU from the motherboard be very careful and make sure you lift the CPU straight up with two fingers and try not to twist the CPU.
This is actually how I bent the pins in my CPU. My CPU was stuck in the motherboard socket and instead of being patient I started wiggling the CPU out of the motherboard socket and in the end, I ended up bending the CPU pins.
How To Fix Bent CPU Pins
There are a few different tools that you can use to fix your bent CPU pins. These include tweezers, flat head screwdrivers, credit cards, razor blades, mechanical pencils, and even your finger. you can use these tools to slowly push back the pins until they are straight.
All tools will work, but in some situations, some tools will be easier to use than others.
How to Fix Bent CPU Pins with Tweezers
The first thing to note if you are using tweezers is to make sure you are using a pair of anti-static and non-magnetic tweezers as this can harm your CPU if it comes into contact with it.
Once you have the right pair of tweezers it’s time to start.
Use the tweezers by grabbing onto the bent pins one by one.
You want to be very gentle because the tweezers can very easily tear off the CPU pins.
One thing to note with tweezers is that you have to make sure that you are straightening the whole pin by grabbing the exact pint of the bend and bringing it back.
If you aren’t doing this then you will just create another point on the pin that is also bent. Making it harder for you to fix your CPU.
How to Fix bent CPU Pins With a Credit Card and Razor Blade
This method is in my opinion the best method to use especially if you have multiple bent pins.
I would recommend that you use a credit card over the razor blade, but if the razor blade is the only thing you have right now then it will work.
First, start by placing your CPU on a hard, flat, and stable surface.
This is very important because you don’t want the CPU to move while you are doing this or else you will risk bending more CPU pins.
Next, you take your card or razor blade and place it in the crack beside where all the bent pins are.
Once there, slowly start to put pressure on the pins in the direction that they are bending.
Make sure to have a lot of patience and not rush the process so you don’t cause further complications.
When you think you are done inspect the CPU to make sure the pins are completely straight.
If they are then your CPU is ready to use. If not repeat the process above until the pins are completely straight.
How to Fix bent CPU Pins With a Mechanical Pencil
The mechanical pencil method is used to fix individual pins at a time.
Make sure your pencil doesn’t have graphite inside of it that way you can use the little hole in the pencil to grab on and move the pins.
You have to be very careful though when using this method because I have had cases where I accidentally pushed too hard and ended up ripping off one of the pins.
When using this method make sure to be very patient and push very lightly so that you don’t accidentally break the pins.
How to Fix Bent CPU Pins With Your Finger
The final method I am going to show you today is how you can fix your bent CPU pins with your finger.
This method is quite simple and is actually the first method I used when I bent the pins on my CPU.
If you choose to use this method please note that you should only use this method if the pins are only slightly bent.
This is because if multiple pins were bent and had a really big bend to them using your fingers will not work.
This method will only work if the pins are slightly bent.
In order to do this, you need to grab the CPU and slowly start tapping the bent pin into place. Do this until the CPU pin is straight and back into place.
Please do not press so hard as your finger is very strong and can easily break the pin or make the bend worse.
How to Tell if The CPU Pins Are Bent
You should be able to tell if your CPU pins are bent right away just by looking at them.
If you hold the CPU straight and look down parallel to the CPU pins you will be able to see if the pins are bent, damaged, or out of place.
If you still aren’t sure if your CPU pins are bent, then try looking at them from different angles to see if the pins are straight from all sides.
Bringing the CPU up to your eye level will probably be the best way to spot a bent pin, but using a magnifying glass might also help, although it is not necessary.
Can You Reattach Broken CPU Pins?
You can’t reattach a broken CPU pin to the CPU as it has already broken off and the CPU won’t function right even if you try to reattach the pin.
There are some cases where a pin or two break off the CPU and they try to reattach it. However, this doesn’t really work because over time you will start to see problems with your CPU.
People think this works because the CPU works fine after, but the reality is that some CPUs will still be usable if one or two pins break off, so reattaching the pins actually do nothing.
