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Small metal broke off RAM chip?
- Thread starter sman591
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But if you are really good with a soldering iron, and you have the part, and it wasn't damaged (broken termination) you can put it back on.
More then likely it is a bypass cap that is used to keep your power clean to the chips. On a well designed piece of equipment, there will be plenty and thus leaving one off won't be a big deal. BUT I can't be sure unless I look at the board. It could be a termination resistor which would be bad.
You can
a) Try it and see if it works -- it won't hurt anything (unless the piece is stuck between pins somewhere).
b) Try to solder it back on.
c) Replace it
Or try all three; see which works best for you.
BTW, how the heck did you do that? They shouldn't come off easily. If it is brand new, then I'd exchange it saying it was faulty; caps don't just pop off (well with a little force they do).
More then likely it is a bypass cap that is used to keep your power clean to the chips. On a well designed piece of equipment, there will be plenty and thus leaving one off won't be a big deal. BUT I can't be sure unless I look at the board. It could be a termination resistor which would be bad.
You can
a) Try it and see if it works -- it won't hurt anything (unless the piece is stuck between pins somewhere).
b) Try to solder it back on.
c) Replace it
Or try all three; see which works best for you.
BTW, how the heck did you do that? They shouldn't come off easily. If it is brand new, then I'd exchange it saying it was faulty; caps don't just pop off (well with a little force they do).
I'm using the RAM right now, and filled up all the space on it up through After Effects with no issues. I can try sending it back to NewEgg (where I bought it), but I don't want to if I don't have to.
I'm not worried about it if it's a power deficiency (as long as it's still okay). All i'm worried about is speed/performance and capacity, which I haven't found any issues on my own with it.
The RAM chip got stuck in it's port, so I used a screwdriver to pry it out (probably the worst idea) and the screwdriver must have hit one of them when the chip popped out.
I'm not worried about it if it's a power deficiency (as long as it's still okay). All i'm worried about is speed/performance and capacity, which I haven't found any issues on my own with it.
The RAM chip got stuck in it's port, so I used a screwdriver to pry it out (probably the worst idea) and the screwdriver must have hit one of them when the chip popped out.
Been there.
Exact same thing happened to me. Exact. Work let me upgrade my MacBook to a MacBook Pro, I was swapping the 8gb of ram from the old one to the new one, apparently the chips didn't go in all the way into their sockets and got stuck at the edge near the battery. Used a screwdriver (Phillips first) to try and pry it out, that broke off the same component you broke off. Then tried a flathead to get the corners while pushing down and letting up in between. Well once it finally popped out, the ram was bowed, which was easily bent back in to place. It all shows as working and at full capacity, but I don't trust it. I ordered a new 8gb kit from amazon and had it rush ordered. Should be here tomorrow actually.
My assumption is that the component that broke off wasn't extremely crucial. Obviously important but not to where it won't function without it.
Perhaps neither of us should use screwdrivers for that purpose again...also, be sure the ram is in all the way. You shouldn't see much of the pins showing (if any at all) if they are fully in. Basically, just double check your work. That goes for everyone.
Exact same thing happened to me. Exact. Work let me upgrade my MacBook to a MacBook Pro, I was swapping the 8gb of ram from the old one to the new one, apparently the chips didn't go in all the way into their sockets and got stuck at the edge near the battery. Used a screwdriver (Phillips first) to try and pry it out, that broke off the same component you broke off. Then tried a flathead to get the corners while pushing down and letting up in between. Well once it finally popped out, the ram was bowed, which was easily bent back in to place. It all shows as working and at full capacity, but I don't trust it. I ordered a new 8gb kit from amazon and had it rush ordered. Should be here tomorrow actually.
My assumption is that the component that broke off wasn't extremely crucial. Obviously important but not to where it won't function without it.
Perhaps neither of us should use screwdrivers for that purpose again...also, be sure the ram is in all the way. You shouldn't see much of the pins showing (if any at all) if they are fully in. Basically, just double check your work. That goes for everyone.
Why should the manufacture or retailer be responsible for the end user physically breaking the part due to negligence?
Because no one is responsible for their own actions anymore. What, you didn't get the memo?
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Because no one is responsible for their own actions anymore. What, you didn't get the memo?
i was actually told to try and RMA it as well. Worth a try as it's under limited lifetime warranty. haven't looked at the details yet and i'm sure in our case, we aren't eligible, but it couldn't hurt to try.