I have never seen a motherboard that has the pins in the CPU socket not have a hard plastic cover locked in place (like a CPU). Like HB said, it's probably a return or maybe a display model and it was damaged. Even the display model should have the CPU socket cover still in place, unless the shop owner is a tool and thinks it would look cooler to show off the pins.

This is what it should have looked like when your brother/you took it out of the box.

Consumerist, or Hard OCP loves putting up a stink about this shit. Suddenly when the bloggosphere heres about this shit, companies listen, and treat you like royality.

@mac

Yeah thats the cover it had on it, when I took the cover off I saw the pins bent in random places. I tried to tell the guy in the shop this and that when I purchased the board I wanted to see the cpu socket he wouldn't take the mobo out the static bag, kind of my fault really for not leaving it when he said that.

I just ordered another make of board from ebuyer for £70 but upon reading about 1156 socket boards they all have the pins on them and its foxx conn that make the sockets for 90% of them.

The board is getting sent of to gigabyte to look at but the guy in the shop said they would say the same as him that I did it and it can't be repaired he said.

I heard they can repin board for a small fee. failing that I'll take the board back and have a go myself fixing the pins

they will most likely give you a refurb board.

Intel made the change from having the pins on the CPU to moving them to the motherboard. Socket 775, 1156, 1366 are all like that (LGA sockets).

If your brother bought that MB from NewEgg, you would have got a new board sent to you. Sometimes you can't always buy the best deal (NewEgg is usually great price). Research the return/warranty policy for the buyer you get your shit from. You can avoid problems like this.

Lesson learnt from this thats for sure I got the board from 3b systems 20 years they said they have operated wow. got a new board from tekheads another gigabyte and installed the CPU and its fine. I emailed the company to ask for a reference number they have to talk with gigabyte and a telephone them about the board but then never got back to me.

This is the latest EMail I got from the 3B systems company its a copy of an email they got from gigabyte.


Dear Jon,
All items of your RMA request: REF10309021 have been received accordingly. Please see details below:
Serial number
Problem description
Model
In Warranty?

4719331845131SN082550004166
NO POWER TO THE MOTHERBOARD TRIED 3 DIFFERENT POWER SUPPLIES
GA-MA770-DS3(rev. 1.0)
In Warranty Yes

4719331846114SN094940040346
CPU socket pins are bent. According to customer it was like ...
GA-H55M-UD2H(rev. 1.0)
In Warranty Yes

Best regards,
GIGABYTE UK RMA Team

Sounds good if it doesn't cost you anything/much.

Turns out that gigabyte tried to fix the board sent it back to the company I got it from they tried there own CPU on it and said some of the pins were still bent when it was sent back. so they are sending it back now for a replacement, not that I need this board now as bought another one.