[jacobt]

Hi there, I have a defective motherboard (ASUS M3N78 PRO) with a an AMD Phenom X4 CPU seated in it. I need to get it so I can send it back, but I can't figure it out. I know with ZIF it should be easy to get out. Is there something besides the lever I have to adjust to get it out? Sorry if this is in a thread somewhere else already, I didn't see it.

Thanks in advance.

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Remove the entire heatsink from the board. Depending on the condition of the thermal paste it may pull the processor out with it.
If not, the processor is removable by lifting the lever up fully and the processor just lifts out. The whole reason it's called a Zero Insert Force is because of just that - no force needed. If you have to force anything in you're doing it wrong. Rocking the lever make help release it.

You may need to very gently use a small flat-headed screwdriver between the CPU and the ZIF socket, bearing in mind there are lots of pins that are holding it in the socket. Do not use excessive force and if in doubt, don't. Such actions may inadvertedly write the entire board and processor off.

The fact you cannot get the processor out would suggest it wasn't installed properly in the first place. Has this machine ever worked, with all due respect?

[Neil Jones]

Remove the entire heatsink from the board. Depending on the condition of the thermal paste it may pull the processor out with it.
If not, the processor is removable by lifting the lever up fully and the processor just lifts out. The whole reason it's called a Zero Insert Force is because of just that - no force needed. If you have to force anything in you're doing it wrong. Rocking the lever make help release it.

You may need to very gently use a small flat-headed screwdriver between the CPU and the ZIF socket, bearing in mind there are lots of pins that are holding it in the socket. Do not use excessive force and if in doubt, don't. Such actions may inadvertedly write the entire board and processor off.

The fact you cannot get the processor out would suggest it wasn't installed properly in the first place. Has this machine ever worked, with all due respect?

[jacobt]

The heatsink has been removed entirely. The chip seems to require a great deal of force to remove and I don't want to break it. I've removed other kinds of CPUs and they have come off with no problem. I thought maybe there was a trick to it that I wasn't aware of.
Your hypothesis that the CPU was not installed correctly may be correct.
This machine has not ever worked. It has never powered on at all. ASUS support was convinced that it is a bad
motherboard, so I never went beyond that.
I will update if I discover what the problem is.
Thanks so much for all your help.

[rshaffer61]

Sounds like the cpu was put in a quarter turn off and not in as keyed for the zif socket.

[jacobt]

So, you think it's toast?

[diabillic]

If you turned the machine on with the ZIF lever not down all the way, then yes its toast. I would go as far as saying the socket on the board is garbage now as well.

[jacobt]

The lever was down all the way.

[rshaffer61]

Your hypothesis that the CPU was not installed correctly may be correct.
This machine has not ever worked. It has never powered on at all.
This could mean cpu was not seated correctly. To check it when you get cpu out check to see if any pins are bent.

ASUS support was convinced that it is a bad
motherboard,
Have you tried to test the MOBO out of the system?