ATX Mobo sockets... a rant.

[SteamWake]

So my desktop took a dump.

One minute playing then 'click' no power.

I have seen this before, probably a loose heat sink on the cpu.

Flop the PC on her side, ensure the heat sink is seated properly hit the power and the fans spool up, LED's on the mobo light up, nothing on the displays. Not even the splash screen for the BIOS.

Crap ! Fried another video card (I think).

Installed an old cheap GPU plug everything in and hit the power button. The fans spool up, the led's light, nothing on the displays.

Well lets try re-seating the RAM sticks... same results.

Well lets try re-seating the CPU which requires removing the heat sink. I reseated the CPU put the heatsink/fan back on (and plugged it in LOL) and hit the power button. For a moment a brief glimpse of hope The splash screen of the BIOS appears and 'click' no power. Okay maybe I dident get that heat sink on just so... I double check the heat sinks 'mating' with the cpu and hit the power. This time the power stays on but blank displays again.

Well that brief glimpse of hope inspired me to try to re-seat the CPU again this time while I had the CPU out I noticed a little bit of heat conductive grease had gotten onto the teeny tiny wire contacts of the CPU socket.

Better clean that off ! .... HUGE mistake !

The contacts in the socket are nothing more than hundreds if not thousands of 1very fine pieces of wire bent in kind of a question mark shape. There basically spring loaded to make contact with the pads on the underside of the CPU.

WARNING !!! Do not even LOOK at these contact wires the wrong way !!!

I tried to wipe up 'gently' with a paper towel the excess thermal grease and bent... quite easly... a few of the contact wires "OH NO" my wife was not pleased at these words.

So obviously my trouble shooting has come to a screeching halt. Yes I tried straightning out the wires but its like micro surgery and deemed to be a futile effort by me.

So now wether or not it was the mobo Ill never really know for sure but I'm going to have to replace it.

Oh yea I tried a known good power supply too.