$250 paperweight?

Hello All,

Against my better judgement, I ordered a t9300 off ebay and to confirm my fears the seller send the chip packed only in bubble wrap. I cannot believe that someone who sells computer components on ebay would be so ignorant to the most obvious threat against components! Anyway I was hoping to get some feedback or ideas from you guys b\c losing $250 on the chip is not as bad as ruining my lappy (p6860 fx). My friend suggested testing the chip with a multimeter for resistance to confirm it was okay...? I would like to try it out but not if it is going to fry my whole laptop over a performance gain.

Any thoughts are appreciated.

 

Are you sure it wasn't an antistatic bubble bag?

Anti-static bubble wrap has a light pink colour tint to differentiate it from other bubble wrapping materials. Quote from a website that sells them.

 

Just inspect it for physical damage - bent pins, marks on the core etc. If it looks Ok just pop it in and give it a go. No need to be so worried, they're pretty tough.

 

Yes, make sure it wasn't an antistatic bubble bag.

But, i wouldnt worry about it too much. I dont think it could harm it. But im not 100% sure, wait for more replies.

 

It shouldn't hurt your system to test it.

The worst thing that happens with a bad chip is that it wont work and the system doesn't boot.

I guess there's a 1 in a million shot that some crazy random damage could cause it to fry your system. But its probably just as likely a meteor will fall from the sky and kill me as i fin....

...finish this post. Sorry i was dodging a strange rock falling from space

I agree the CPU should have been shipped better, and i would have gotten irate with the seller over the shipping method, but I doubt any serious harm will come to your system if the CPU is indeed damaged.

 

lol I remember this time in a computer store, the sales guy was showing me a video card out of the box and he drops it onto the floor , but then he says something like 'these things aren't really that physical'... I don't get it, but I remember it..

 

If it doesn't have any bent pins then it will 99.999% not fry your system. If you do find a few bent pins and you want to unbend them then you may be able to take the lead out of a very small-tipped mechanical pencil and try to straighten the pins that way, which may not work on mobile processors because of the very small pins.

-J.B.

 

Hey ahl395 is that a TT, S5 or concept? I've got an 07 TT and absolutely love it - best car I've ever owned / driven. R8 one day...

 

LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL. That is halarious!

Im not currently on my laptop, wheere the pic is, but i will be shortly. Ill PM you when i find out.

 

Do NOT hit any pins with the multimeter. First, you have no clue what you are looking for or which pins to test. Second, to test resistance, you must apply current. And that's a very very BAD idea. Third, ANY idiot with a computer can sell computer parts on ebay. It's not like passing an ESD exam is part of the sign-up process.

As others have suggested, don't worry about the bubblewrap. Install it. It will work or it won't, but it won't fry your system. Remember to use an ESD wrist strap.

 

So.. is it working or not? And agreed with fiziks, each of those pins performs a different procedure, some of the pins are connected in series within the chip, some parallel, some a series parallel.. you could really do some damage with even a little current.

Stick that be-yah in there, throw some AS5 down..and tell us.. Does it work?

 

LOL! Well, it was packed better than my old Athlon core I ordered back in 8th grade. The seller on Ebay packed the cpu in a small paper box on top of cotton.

 

Hah! That's what happens when 8th graders buy from 8th graders

 

excellent namaiki, thanks I did not realize that the pink bubble wrap was anti-static. I've only ever seen components in the clear plastic bags with the black stripes checkering the outside... Much relief hearing that! So I have ran out and got some arctic silver ceramique. Radio shack didn't have any of the thermal pads, hope I don't rip them. I was planning on using a bare wire for the wrist strap, anyone have suggestion as to where to attach it?


Thank you guys soooo much I really appreciate your help. This website has been incredibly helpful to me thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!!

 

Thats why we're here.

As to the grounding strap... anything grounded really. I personally have never used them i just ground myself on my work pad.

 

I usually wear wool pants, fuzzy socks, and nervously rub my feet across the ground as I replace internal components. Or, like Kamin.. I touch the chassis before, occasionally during, and don't really ever pay it much attention. And tying a bare metal wire around your hand isnt a good idea.. there's a lot of contact points inside that MOBO. Dont wanna ground anything out that may still have a lil current hanging in the circuitry..

 

Awesome, it is in and it works!! sweet, I'm so happy I got the t9300 for only $250 and didn't have to order from singapore, just alabama. Thanks to the good ol boy who fixed me up... haha. I have to say I haven't noticed any real difference tooling around windows, but I intend to fire up fallout 3 soon b\c it would stutter when the lappy got hot. That and crysis, that is always the make or break game, huh? Oh right I have 3dmark 06 on here, I think my old score was around 7k ish. I'll have to check that out. WOW sorry to ramble on.

I have to say it again Thank you guys! It was a cinch thanks to the suggestions and tutorial. IDK tho e-wrecked the wool socks and pants seemed to make the static electricity much worse, could just be me maybe I just didn't shuffle nervously enough (OMG LOL you smartypants)...

 

hibbs, congratulations! I'm happy you got it up and running! I think you're gonna be pleasantly surprised with the outcome. Good thing you didn't shuffle much more.. but, please.. let everyone know how much it improves your performance!

 

hey! whats that supposed to mean... just Alabama indeed

I'd be offended if my poor redneck brain didn't lack higher cognitive functions


Glad everything's working, you should notice quite a large boost in CPU intense activities. Try video encoding and see how much a difference that bad boy really can make

 

This assumes you have an ESD work pad. Most generic work pads, if they don't say ESD on them or the packaging, are actually very good insulators, but bad for ESD.

Glad you got it working.

 

What everyone doesnt have an ESD work pad?

Nope mines basically just a normal rubber mat. I ground myself to get rid of anything hanging on and then just step on the mat.

I've built a lot of desktops and replaced everything in my 6860 (not counting the screen... yet) and I've never run into any problems. But then again your mileage my vary. So you should always go with what you feel safe doing