About an AMD Athlon x2 240 put under extreme physical torture.

[Transfusion]

Im practically laughing at this now.
My foxconn mobo was fried yesterday night due to a lightning strike. I woke up in the morning to find my mobo emitting a nasty smoke smell-immediately unplugged the power to see what was frying. However, I couldn't pinpoint the exact source-no char marks, no blackened spots, looked as good as new. So I plugged in the power again, to find that it wouldn't turn on. Not even a sign of life.

My first reaction was to salvage the CPU, of course. So I unlatched the CPU fan, and pulled. It wouldn't come off. I applied a little more strength. It wouldn't come off. Being the stubborn donkey I am, I eventually ripped the entire fan out, in the process ripping the CPU out of the socket because the thermal paste was as sticky as epoxy.

About all of the pins were bent-quite a few were bent to the degree that they were touching the board. I spent 45 mins straightening them out with a sewing needle-a lot were bent halfway and/or snapped off halfway. 2 pins even dropped off in the process. The CPU was still attached to the heatsink/fan, and I couldn't get it off.

So I went over to my friends house to see what she could do with her soldering iron-I had tried everything to get the CPU detached from the heatsink-even my hairdryer and saliva wouldn't do anything. She heated up the soldering iron without solder and plunged it in between the crack that I made after half an hour of sawing with a kitchen knife. That didn't work either-the CPU thermal paste didn't budge one inch.

I figured I had nothing to lose-I submerged the thing in a bowl filled with AXE detergent and then put it into the microwave after a few minutes-the CPU came off after repeating the process three times. I Hallelujahed my heart out.

So I rush over to my friend's and she gives me a msi nForce 630a MCP61 chipset AM3 mobo. I put the CPU in. Black screen. Sh*t. I was just ready to chuck it away when I noticed that the socket AM3 voltage pins were different from the AM2 ones. So she goes out to get a cheapskate AM2 MCP68 board. IT WORKED!!! I'm typing this from the computer in question, and I want to ask you all two questions:

1) Why do manufacturers make so many redundant power pins? previously my CPU-z max TDP reading was 60.5 watts, it is 59 now. And I noticed that I am now able to achieve a stable overclock of 235 x14=3.29 GHz with the same voltage. Any Ideas???

2) Are all the precautions for handling electronic equipment overrated? I mean-Caustic solution-Extreme heat-physical damage-etc. and my CPU still works. And is faster than before.

[BC_Programmer]

1) Why do manufacturers make so many redundant power pins? previously my CPU-z max TDP reading was 60.5 watts, it is 59 now. And I noticed that I am now able to achieve a stable overclock of 235 x14=3.29 GHz with the same voltage. Any Ideas???

They don't  have redundant power pins. From the sounds of it you are now pumping higher voltages through fewer pins. Welcome to the happy world of electron tunneling.

2) Are all the precautions for handling electronic equipment overrated? I mean-Caustic solution-Extreme heat-physical damage-etc. and my CPU still works. And is faster than before.

They aren't. You just got very lucky. Even a stopped clock is right twice a day.

[Transfusion]

I am NEVER using CoolMaster thermal paste again.
http://www.coolermaster.com/product.php?product_id=5405

http://www.brighthub.com/computing/hardware/articles/30524.aspx differences between AM3 and AM2

the athlon x2 240 in question used to work in AM3 motherboards, but it only works with AM2 motherboards now...

They don't  have redundant power pins. From the sounds of it you are now pumping higher voltages through fewer pins. Welcome to the happy world of electron tunneling.

I see where you are going, but I do not understand why I am able to achieve a higher, stable OC than before  ... PSU is the same.

[thiemeje]

I figured I had nothing to lose-I submerged the thing in a bowl filled with AXE detergent and then put it into the microwave after a few minutes-the CPU came off after repeating the process three times. I Hallelujahed my heart out.

1) Why do manufacturers make so many redundant power pins? previously my CPU-z max TDP reading was 60.5 watts, it is 59 now. And I noticed that I am now able to achieve a stable overclock of 235 x14=3.29 GHz with the same voltage. Any Ideas???

2) Are all the precautions for handling electronic equipment overrated? I mean-Caustic solution-Extreme heat-physical damage-etc. and my CPU still works. And is faster than before.

[thiemeje]

you put it in detergent, then in the microwave? think much??

anyway as all semiconductors go they change states,voltages,etc,etc,etc, as they degrade and they degrade do to heat.  you got lucky.

and, precautions are always the companies SAFE zones, all compents can be run beyond those states but they will degrade at a quicker rate and eventually stop working all together.