Motherboard flexing / breaking

  • Thread starter Thread starter hdtv guy
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hdtv guy

Have any of you guys ever damaged a motherboard so that it wouldn't
work anymore when you had to install a heatsink or RAM and you had to
push those down, causing the board to flex? Is there a big risk of
damaging the motherboard like that way? Can the circuits and solder
points break?
 
hdtv guy said:
Have any of you guys ever damaged a motherboard so that it wouldn't
work anymore when you had to install a heatsink or RAM and you had to
push those down, causing the board to flex? Is there a big risk of
damaging the motherboard like that way? Can the circuits and solder
points break?
Click to expand...
No, I've never done it when upgrading in situ even with the hardest to
fit ones. When assembling a new computer, I put RAM and CPU in the
motherboard on the workbench before installing in the case to releive
stress.

--
Conor

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against terror because if they'd not funded the IRA for 30 years, we
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No, I've never done it when upgrading in situ even with the hardest to
fit ones. When assembling a new computer, I put RAM and CPU in the
motherboard on the workbench before installing in the case to releive
stress.
Click to expand...

I've never broken one that way either, but it is a potential risk. Mobo
manufacturers list the maximum weight of a hs/fan that can be mounted but
few people check that out. I've seen boards cracked from either
over-aggressive tightening of the hs/fan onto the CPU or perhaps just from
gravity as the computer case with the mounted motherboard has been driven
across town over bumpy roads, etc. So yes, it is possible. Use common
sense and when the machine has to be driven make sure the motherboard is
parallel to the ground (the case should lay flat) in the car.
--
Michael Cecil
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Chuck Norris: Afraid of NOTHING, except John McCain's 95 year-old mother
 
Have any of you guys ever damaged a motherboard so that it wouldn't
work anymore when you had to install a heatsink or RAM and you had to
push those down, causing the board to flex? Is there a big risk of
damaging the motherboard like that way? Can the circuits and solder
points break?
Click to expand...

No, but I am careful as the major loading areas seem unsupported. RAM is
the obvious one, then CPU (just for cooler etc.) and also the rear I/O
could do with more.
The mATX box that I built in May needed, IMO, about twice as many supports
as it has. PCBs, especially multilayer, are a bit eligarf.
 
Have any of you guys ever damaged a motherboard so that it wouldn't
work anymore when you had to install a heatsink or RAM and you had to
push those down, causing the board to flex?
Click to expand...

The amount of force required to insert and seat memory modules shouldn't
matter to the board. What's always been scary is the application of a
processor heatsink and fan.

The 370-pin CPU's used a very cumbersome clip arrangement that carried the
risk of slipping and scratching the motherboard. If you never had to
attach a heatsink/fan to a 370, be glad you never had to.

The 478-pin CPU's used a beefier heatsink/fan combo. When the dual levers
are moved to clamp down the assembly, the motherboard flexes. On Intel
motherboards there's no reinforcement under the board. Asus motherboards
include support under the board to reduce stress and flexing.

I have a big complaint with Intel on the instructions they include with
their 775 processors. Intel says to mount the motherboard in the case and
then install the heatsink/fan assembly. If you follow Intel's directions
you run the risk of cracking the motherboard, damaging the heatsink, or
both. The amount of force required to engage the mounting pins and then
lock the whole thing in place is too much for the motherboard.

My procedure is to mount the heatsink/fan on the motherboard BEFORE the
motherboard is installed in the case. In this way you can visually see
that the mounting pins have projected all the way through the motherboard
before you push down on the locking pins. It's best to use a criss/cross
pattern to lock the pins down. By gently holding the motherboard in your
hands you can apply opposing force to both sides to minimize flexing. Note
that my procedure requires attention to detail and extreme caution so as to
not damage any other parts of the motherboard. But after one bad
experience using the Intel procedure, I believe my way is better.

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hdtv said:
Have any of you guys ever damaged a motherboard so that it wouldn't
work anymore when you had to install a heatsink or RAM and you had to
push those down, causing the board to flex? Is there a big risk of
damaging the motherboard like that way? Can the circuits and solder
points break?
Click to expand...

Never ran into this problem. First, heatsinks and RAM are mounted on
the workbench. Second, heatsinks used are those which have screw-down
anchors/locks instead of pushpins. Third, high-quality RAM sticks are
finished better and insert better than cheap ones.
 
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