cpu with scratched contact points

I recently bought an used core i5 2500 cpu from ebay. On receiving the cpu i found that there were some scratch marks on some of the gold contact points under the cpu(please check the attached image). I haven't tested it on my motherboard yet as it appears to be damaged and i am afraid it might ruin the mobo itself.
Is this cpu defective? Should I ask the seller to replace it? As it was quite an expensive purchase, i don't want to take any risks, therefore please advise what i should do.

B

Can't see the image dear. Since you have got it, test it in your system once.

Unfortunately i couldn't upload the image from my phone, but i am still trying-plz bear with me .

I don't want to risk using the cpu without being absolutely sure that it wont cause any irreparable damage to the motherboard itself.

here is a link to the image:
Imgur: The most awesome images on the Internet

W

I say get a refund or a replacement:
Used i5 3570k scratched gold "pin"

If CPU pins are scratched, slightly bent, or fail to make a firm contact with mobo, you can get unexpected results right from PC not starting to PC starts and shuts down or just mobo fan spins but nothing gets initialized, or even freezes or anything or that sort.

W

Those are not actually pins.Intel processors don't come with traditional pins since core2duo era.These are more like "golden pads".

Thanks a lot whitestar and patkim,i have uploaded a better shot of the cpu that i have received.

As you can see,there is a fairly deep scratch on the upper left corner of the cpu and some minor ones on 2 other places.I have decided to reject it and so i informed the seller accordingly and also raised a guarantee claim on ebay.

However within minutes after raising the claim i got a call from the seller-he appeared to be a really obstinate fellow and kept on saying that it was perfectly ok for an used cpu to have scratches and i should just accept it for what it is and claimed that it wont cause any problems.This was really ridiculous-how can someone say that its "normal" for an used cpu to be scratched?! I have bought some used cpus from ebay earlier but none of them had any scratches on them.Once i had a problem with a core 2 quad cpu but the seller eventually replaced it.

When i said that i didn't want this cpu he told me that it was not possible for him to replace it-he could only give me a refund if i agreed to send it back to him.As i had no other choice,i had to agree to this.It seems buying anything from ebay is always a risky affair!

(in case anyone's wondering,the seller's name is quickshopping12).

whitestar_999 said:
Those are not actually pins.Intel processors don't come with traditional pins since core2duo era.These are more like "golden pads".

Yes I understand, I am just giving an indication of what might happen if there's no firm contact between the two for whatever the reasons. In fact scratched contacts might even generate minute level ESD (Electro Static Discharge)

W

See the above overclock.net link I posted,these "golden pads" are actually "micro components/circuits" that handles various tasks & are not there just for the purpose of "contact surface".

Thanks for the detailed explanation,whitestar and patkim.

I have decided to return this processor,but i need a similar lga1155 socket based processor as its replacement.A friend of mine has a i5 3570s that he is willing to sell to me but i have heard that the performance of the s series i5 cpus is somewhat inferior as compared to their non s counterparts.

Is the performance of the i5 3570s comparable to i5 2500/2400?if not how much of a difference is there between the 2?

W

PassMark - CPU Performance Comparison
It should be similar,maybe even a bit better than i5 2500.

^ok,thanks a lot for clearing it up.

The ebay seller asked me to send the defective cpu back by courier-he stated that he will approve my refund once he gets it back.However i have still received no word from ebay's guarantee claims team as to what i should do-should i wait for them to call/msg me or should i just return the item to the seller right away?The claim status has not been updated and it still shows that its "in processing".

W

I am not familiar with ebay India T&C but there should be something about it in there.Logically,ebay should be kept in loop while a buyer returns an item to seller because in some cases seller may claim he never got the returned product & as ebay was not in loop,it may not be able to do much.Instead of waiting you should contact ebay CC & tell them about this so that they can update your claim status or ask you for some further info.

Thanks whitestar,i received a call from the claims team yesterday and they asked me to return the cpu to the seller via courier-You are right in stating that it would have been a risky move to proceed with the return before ebay confirmed it from their end-if the seller was deceitful by nature,he could have simply claimed that he didn't receive the item!

Now that it has been returned,it remains to be seen what they are gonna do.I for one,am anxious to get my money back-this is the 3rd time that i've had a negative experience after buying an used cpu from ebay-lets hope it will be resolved soon.

B

EBay's customer support sucks. I ordered a product exactly a month back. It was supposed to be imported from USA and delivered within 15 days. The seller kept on increasing the time limit and then gave a fake tracking id. Despite of all these things, eBay's reply is to give the seller a chance.

W

I think quikr/olx in one's own city is much better for buying used processor/mobo/ram as you can meet the seller & even check its condition before buying.Second place to look for used pc parts is techenclave/erodov forums old/known/reputed members.Ebay should always be the last choice for used products.

^^that's really annoying-was there any way you could cancel the order because its delivery was being delayed too much?Have you still received the item?if not,what is its current status?

W

billubakra said:
EBay's customer support sucks. I ordered a product exactly a month back. It was supposed to be imported from USA and delivered within 15 days. The seller kept on increasing the time limit and then gave a fake tracking id. Despite of all these things, eBay's reply is to give the seller a chance.

Anything that needs importing,especially from USA,is risky if done through an ebay seller.Various issues like customs/logistics etc can delay the process.Always try to look for imports from China/Hongkong as they are easier compared to USA.If money is not an issue then Amazon global sale on amazon India is also an option(you will have to pay extra in form of import deposit usually equal to customs duty on that product & also ID proof is required but delivery is much more reliable).

B

whitestar_999 said:
Anything that needs importing,especially from USA,is risky if done through an ebay seller.Various issues like customs/logistics etc can delay the process.Always try to look for imports from China/Hongkong as they are easier compared to USA.If money is not an issue then Amazon global sale on amazon India is also an option(you will have to pay extra in form of import deposit usually equal to customs duty on that product & also ID proof is required but delivery is much more reliable).

Actually the seller had good ratings and I confirmed from eBay customer support before ordering and they assured me that the product will be delivered within 15 days and now they are like we are in touch with the seller, we will get back to you.

W

Just forgot to add earlier, @quicky008 you have quite a bad luck to got both processor & mobo in damaged condition that too from 2 different sources(ebay & local shop).

lol-very well said.That mobo was intended for use with this cpu actually-but as the cpu was defective i had to return it and get another working cpu from someone else.The mobo was also replaced,albeit after much struggle that soured my relation with the store owner.And also i think i should thank you for dissuading me from not buying the mobo from some online store like itwares-had i bought it from there and by any chance it turned out that its cpu socket's pins were damaged,then i think there was no way in hell that they would have replaced it!

Now lets hope this deal with ebay works out as expected and don't lead to any further troubles down the line.

W

Actually itwares has not that good reputation anyway compared to mdcomputers,vedantcomputers,primeabgb or theitdepot.

@quicky008 - I've some questions - please answer :

1. after you sent the cpu how long it take to get refund ?
2. Who was the seller of the cpu ?

It took around 2 weeks for the refund to be credited to my bank account after the cpu was received by the seller.According to ebay,they had released the funds on 9th of december but the delay was caused as my bank(axis bank)took some time to process the transaction and update my account balance.The refunded sum was finally credited on 19th dec.

And the seller of the cpu was quickshopping12.

Bought from him 2 times- experience has been good so far.

did u buy processor or any other component?i noticed he has a whole lot of older stuff for sale(eg older mobos,cpus etc)that are not easily available elsewhere.

quicky008 said:
did u buy processor or any other component?i noticed he has a whole lot of older stuff for sale(eg older mobos,cpus etc)that are not easily available elsewhere.

Only processor so far but bought motherboard on ebay before and every one of them was good but only one has minor usb port issue so did not bother sending it.