While replacing a mainboard in a desktop machine (see related question), I did something stupid. I inserted the CPU into the new mainboard, but didn't check for the right position. When it didn't immediately lock in, I pressed slightly before realizing what was wrong. The result was a number of bent pins.
I tried every tutorial that popped up when Googling "CPU bent pins" - using credit cards, sewing needles, and a hunting knife to get the pins back into position - but to no avail: For every pin I get straightened out, two others are bent.
I have no problem getting individual pins straightened out, but my many attempts have led to many pins being slightly askew - enough for the CPU not to fit into the socket (An AMD X3 one). Maybe I just lack the motoric finesse. What I would need is some sort of a grid to fix all pins at once.
It's a €50 processor so the loss is not catastrophic. But I thought before I go buy a new one, I thought I'd check here whether anybody knows some magic trick, or a cheap generally-available tool to fix this.
Update: it turned out that the CPU was beyond salvaging: A pin broke off in the end, which made me give up. I bought a new CPU. Still, thanks a lot for the great input, and I think this is a useful reference for future generations.
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Answer
Mechanical pencil is what I've always found to be best for this job. If you leave out any graphite and use the hole at the end you would normally write from it should fit snugly round the CPU pins.
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