Can I Turn Dead CPUs into Money?

[@himarei]

In my experience the hardest part of computer repair isn't computer repair, it's dealing with people. I had a computer repair business in my small town, I ended up spending less than 2 hours a day repairing computers and more than 8 hours a day answering the phone, explaining the most basic of concepts to prospective clients.

[@TK199999]

Yeah humans, can't live with them and they don't shut up about being locked in your basement.

[@Warrax22]

@@BlakeHelms Eh it doesn't matter, they pay the bills and the extra hours.

[@Rescel1]

XD same with webdesign/Graphic Design you spend so much Time Fixing issues for the Customer or explaing to him that the design you created is better for the market its insane T-T

[@richard-davies]

This is why I stopped fixing friends and family members computers a few years ago. Too much bloody hassle.

[@chio987]

@@BlakeHelms I had a client that had a 2 month old HP Omen desktop, I think it was the 45L the one with the AIO rad in the top of the case separate from the main chamber, he paid $2100 for (we'll ignore that part). He told me he was cleaning it out and was just taking a look at it and it stopped turning on. Finally got him to admit he at least took the RAM out since I noted it wasn't fully seated and then got the truth after i checked the CPU. As soon as I took off the cold plate, the CPU fell onto the GPU. The dam hold down wasn't even latched and 20-25% of his socket was toast. Turns out he took a bunch of Xanax one night and decided to disassemble his desktop. Had to buy a new from HP $500 motherboard, they actually wanted to try and warranty it. It's crazy what people will conveniently leave out.

[@ImFrantic]

Linus used to sell and repair tech and started KZbin as a side hustle (even tho back then there wasn't any money to be made, I know) and now that his side hustle has become his main job he goes back to repairing and selling tech as a side hustle. Truly the circle of life

[@Keepskatin]

life Stalker

[@TroublesomeOwl]

He didn't start youtube as a side hustle. He was employed and ran the channel for his employer (NCIX - it was originally NCIX tech tips). He later bought the channel off them when he branched out on his own.

[@c.james1]

@@TroublesomeOwl NCIX Tech Tips was a seperate channel (and is still available on YT), Linus Tech Tips was like NCIX Tech Tips's second channel, which just had Linus on it because he was popular on the NCIX Tech Tips channel, but yes both channels were owned by NCIX (until he bought it off them). On the main channel there were several other hosts, like Riley for example, and Esther (Yvonne's sister).

[@TroublesomeOwl]

@@c.james1 regardless, it wasn't started as his "side hustle", which was my point

[@ARandomInternetUser08]

@@TroublesomeOwl always that guy...😐

[@DeathstroketheTerminator]

"I'm better with tech, than i am with organisms" - Linus, father of three

[@Konarcoffee]

Remember when years ago the internet collectively agreed it was scummy and weird to use your kids for content? Well anyway sorry to jet, but I'm in a hurry!

[@lasarousi]

Did he just called his wife a non organism?

[@Metal_Maxine]

also, Linus owner of five cats

[@Thornq1]

and owner of many cats

[@piggletimpact]

@@Konarcoffee yea but having your kids in an occasional video is different than having an entire channel about your kids personal lives with them in every video

[@JerryDodge]

A missing pin could also be part of a memory channel you're not necessarily using. I found that out the hard way. Decided to clean my LGA board one day, was careful around the socket, put it back together, and everything worked fine. Ish. It took me like 2 weeks to realize it was only registering half the RAM I had installed. Tried different combos in the slots, and concluded one of the memory channels no longer functioned. But everything else worked just fine and dandy. Come to find out, I bent a couple pins on the board (and left char marks on the CPU). Using a magnifier / ring light, tweezers, isopropyl and the good part of an entire day, I finally managed to get it working again. I've since given it to my bro, and he uses it to play Cities Skylines.

[@steelerfaninperu]

I think the real lesson here is that next year's scrapyard wars will be a lot more interesting

[@segiraldovi]

I know that taking Luke and Linus' time is quite expensive but it would be great if they had more time than last time. I imagine that with a smaller budget and more time they might be more willing to go down one of these paths.

[@ydfhlx5923]

It won't be because they don't have time for that and it would be too random.

[@dtemp132]

Would be funny if Linus spent the next year training to fix mobos and CPUs and then he asks Luke to compete with him on it

[@AIKineticNRG]

All broken parts challenge Scrapyard Wars! Let's Go!

[@Marc.Google]

WORD! 🙌🏼

[@asingh_yt]

16:09 one of the smoothest segues by linus

[@Asyq]

Pins of an i3-2350M make for great replacement AM4 pins, much easier to solder down cause they don't have a rounded base like AM4 CPU pins have. These old i3s can be had for like 3 USD.

[@BH4x0r]

i literally still have an i5 2450M laying around

[@tobiwonkanogy2975]

If you are really in a pinch they make wire that small and it can be cut to exact length . i would worry about compression but the cpu cooler applies slightly more force to the socket. i wouldn't change mor e than 1 or two this way.

[@eldukedrino]

i want to hear the story of how you got to know this titbit!

[@rrq]

pins of any 2nd/3rd gen intel mobile chip would work too

[@ej_tech]

Will 1st gen Intel laptop chips also work as pin donors?

[@keithM7]

I have no CHOICE, I'm kind of broke, need to get a PC asap, any rec?? I also need Windows and Office. Help pls

[@JohnJacobson555]

Man, try to get Ryzen 5 at least really, and for the rest BNH Software, good luck!!!

[@scoldingwhisper]

if you're not gaming just go on some local marketplace and try to find a mini PC with a newer i5 or i7.

[@SubtotalAnt8185]

Get a used system. If you're using something like Office, which is replaced with Notepad, you do not need much more than 512 MB of RAM and can re-use your homebrewed gaming console or other system, or even a mobile device, and therefore a new system is unnecessary for your use case.

[@SomeFreakingCactus]

Grab a used laptop; Chromebooks are cheaper, but Windows can run more programs. Google Docs will likely meet your needs, but if it doesn't, you can get a Microsoft Office license from a secondhand license code website.

[@MatthewWathen]

I worked at Staples before they shut down in my area. My manager was cool, let me take home any tech people dropped off for recycling. I'd fix up tablets, phones, and computers, and give them away to those in need. I miss that job.

[@3zGz]

Shame, I work at Staples and our manager is NOT cool with it which really sucks to see almost good tech just go to waste by the pallet full.

[@jacobgames3412]

​@@3zGzagree, I would want that tech

[@packerfan10]

@@3zGz Not Staples I worked at another spot with a dude who was super by the book. He would make sure 100% of the stuff went to the trash. A lot of it could have been fixed or reused.

[@benwu7980]

@@packerfan10 A relatively decent reason would be any product with storage that could be recovered, or just not even deleted before going into the e-waste bin.

[@Mdoodoo]

@@benwu7980 Yeah, huge liability issue if an employee gains access to customer data when they only consented to recycling.

[@RealMrRobinson]

15:43 "not too bad" as he's makin $1623usd/hour 😅

[@pawa-cu1dv]

The average salary needed to owe a home nowadays 😂

[@danifurka6790]

When did he say that?

[@trban8r]

Between this video and the motherboard repair one, whoever is procuring these parts is the real MVP. Please teach us your secrets!

[@Phushywillow]

I wouldn't be surprised that some of these aren't extra stock they had on the shelf that was either slightly damaged by LTT, or they had multiple of and could take a few and quietly bend some pins in the backroom.

[@Deja117]

I have a few tips. *Soldering:* Flux helps solder flow and stick to metal, this is especially useful when soldering small things, as well as picking the correct size iron to adequately get into it and still see what you're doing. You also should tin the pads BEFORE you shove the pin on. You can now heat the pin and let it sink the heat to the solder. We also have cheap 3D printing services today. The smart designer can print a part for around 10 bucks that can be used on a variety of different CPU's to hold pins straight, since that's half the battle with this kind of repair. *Buying:* If not shown already, ask the seller for images of the front, side, and bottom of the CPU. This way you can easily inspect the damage, and as a bonus it will tell you if they're actually selling you a real product. So you don't end up not receiving an item you ordered, like in this video. I have 0 experience with CPU repairs, but these things just seem blindingly obvious as I do have lots of soldering experience. :)

[@sebastianjost]

They should definitely count the time it takes to find and buy these parts to their total time though. With some of these, that would decrease hourly rates significantly.

[@okolepooka9919]

I just checked ebay after watching this. In 15 minutes I found 4 Ryzen 5 5600x's with images that didn't look like the pins were too bad.

[@Nelo390]

@@Phushywillow In the wanshow, Linus and Luke claim to be very much against intentional destruction for the sake of content. they could be lying of course, but it seems like a stretch.

[@salty-9]

4:40 *ANDY CLIMBS UP A LADDER CENTER OF THE SHOT* bro I'm f***ING dead 😂😂😂💀💀💀

[@AAShenaifi]

Same 😂😂💔

[@Metal_Maxine]

That is dedication. Linus showed off a picture of them at the Framework factory where Andy was standing on a wheeled work bench unit to get a shot into a pick-and-place machine. Above and beyond.

[@flamingburitto]

I used to do part time work in my uncle's local computer repair shop during summer in school. And while this can be a good side hustle, like another commenter pointed out, the worst part is people. Our shop was usually punished for our quickly we did things compared to others so we had to artificially delay repairs to make the customer think "Its worth my money." Which is weird. I'll give you an example. A guy's PC wasn't booting up properly. Couple other shops he took the PC to couldn't figure out the issue, my uncle did. he fixed it in a single afternoon and when came the time for payment the guy said "Yeah but you didn't do anything complicated. It took you so little time and effort its not worth it paying this much money. All you did was clean some dust." They argued for a while and at the end my uncle had to settle for getting less money than owed cuz he didnt want to make a scene. Another example, a customer's laptop wasn't charging properly. Same story, he had gone to a different shop before us, they said they fixed it but they hadn't but they still took the money. My uncle figured out that one of the components on the motherboard of the laptop was overheating. Because he figured that out, the repair was simple enough for him, order the part, get the replacement and install it and done. But then, same story happened, the guy didn't want to pay us the full amount cuz we did it too quickly. Although he didn't argue as much as the first guy, it definintely took effort to get the money we were owed. After these situations happened again and again it got really frustrating and so for customers like these my uncle would delay the delivery by a day or two. Ironically tho when he did that, suddenly they started to value time again and asked why did it take so long 😂😂

[@420Cris]

Computer repairs are a lot like locksmiths, you pay the premium for their knowledge and speed. I've seen a common response used by locksmiths when someone doesn't want to pay because they did it so quickly "you're paying this amount because I was able to get you into your car/house in less than half an hour vs the multiple hours it would've taken if you had called a cheap amateur, as well as doing so without any damage to your property". It's the exact same for computer repair except instead of the half hour vs a few hours, it's a day or two vs multiple weeks if not months without a working device. For that first guy I would've said "well if you brought it to me first then you would've saved the time and gas you spent trying to get an amateur to fix it for cheap". Louis Rossman had the same issue with people when he had his shop in NYC, for a city where people are always in a rush, they still don't seem to value their own time if they had to wait longer for a repair.

[@greggv8]

The easiest "repair" I ever did on a PC was one brought into the shop with the entire right side of the tower covered with magnetic business cards. While steel does shield against magnetic fields, a thin sheet of it just 1cm away from a circuit board operating at several hundred Mhz (this was before CPUs hit 1Ghz) isn't going to be able to block a magnetic field completely saturating it. The guy had taken it to other shops who couldn't find anything wrong. The difference was he was in a hurry the day he brought it to where I worked, and the boss came in after hours to take it in. When I came in the next morning the boss said "There's a PC on the bench for you to look at and the owner wants it done as quick as it can be fixed." acting all serious. I went in the back, saw the box and busted out laughing. The boss laughed too. I peeled off the magnetic cards and the system booted up and did everything without any problems. We told the customer what the problem was, advised he should stick his cards to his refrigerator, and didn't charge him for the "repair". It's the one and only time I've ever experienced magnets causing a problem with a PC.

[@kiki83607]

no full payment for service, you keep the computer/laptop, simple, you need to be assertive if you want have a good business

[@flamingburitto]

@@kiki83607 our shop was in a small town. there was some real risk if he had done this : (

[@umutneo]

The amount your uncle charges may make him right or may make customer right. It is an important thing to leave out. There is a resonable price for every fix, if you need to ask more; simply it would be more economical to buy new part or a new system. I am telling this because some technicians behave like they are boss and asks absurd amounts for repairs.

[@braveknight6008]

11:25 "Bonus Tech Tips" is a masterful double entendre (at least verbally).

[@davestradamu]

As a former technician, I used to have access to tons of old PCs that were cycled out every few years on contract. I formatted many of them and gave them away to a local head-start education program in my area. Those were good times. It made more financial sense for the company to remove the drives and "recycle" them. Tech can be fixed, and doesn't need to be trashed!

[@nocturn9x]

I misread PC as CPU and was about to ask you what there is to format on a CPU. Ahh, these eyes...

[@pipeninja4741]

Yeah...you and tons of other techies. I used to give ex-corp machines away to pensioners etc etc after refurbing/repairing...but the supply has been drying up over the past few years as corps are refreshing less frequently because of cost and the perceived "waste"...there are a lot of people out there going into "tech poverty" because of "green" initiatives...some are switching to those cheap sub $200 mini PCs you can get...which is an eco nightmare because there is now shipping where there previously wouldn't have been and after a few years the kit is useless because it's mostly soldered onto a single board and is non-repairable so more stuff actually ends up in landfill...best thing for the environment is for corps to refresh frequently, keeps the local pool of used gear topped up so we don't have to ship cheap tat from China to plug the hole.

[@Tyler-z8r]

@@nocturn9x you need to format the CPU registers. Once I sold my old CPU that had a a 1kB nude photo of myself loaded into the CPU registers

[@MRblazedBEANS]

People just want the newest and "best" these days and don't even bother fixing a broken screen on a phone that cost 1200 they just get a new one. It also sucks when technology is made so its very hard or impossible to repair.

[@plektosgaming]

On the other hand, I rescued the CPU I'm typing this on from E-waste and a slight bit of bent pinnage. Still working 9 year later. For a good CPU like a 7, 9, or Zeon series, it can be a huge savings.

[@WiresComputing]

LTT bought the ryzen cpu pins from us! We sell them on our ebay store. We also repair cpu's in the states as well.

[@rezanurrahman3213]

no replies super sad

[@avizandum5770]

Now it's time to fix broken GPUs.

[@benjaminhayden8484]

They did like a week or 2 ago

[@PoliPantev]

there are 2 videos that are about fixing gpus one is of alex geting 6 gpus tryinmg to fix them and another one for baking a 780ti

[@Gavn735]

@@avizandum5770 they have done a video on this before

[@AcidSugar1414]

Louis Rossmann already entered this chat quite a few years ago

[@nickkk420]

They do that all the time

[@mahtjo8642]

You’re using the wrong tools to bend the pins back. Try using a 5 ml syringe and a nail file. Remove the tip of the syringe, and you’ll have a great tool to slide the bent CPU pin into. You can easily bend it back using the syringe needle. With some practice, each bent pin will take around 3 seconds to get back to its factory position.

[@cptwhite]

Method for fixing AM4 CPU - sewing needle, slide it parallel between the rows of pins next to the PCB, then lift up at an angle, do this for both the X and Y directions in all the rows needed. That way you're not trying to force a gap from the top, the seperation is already present at the base of the pin

[@greggv8]

I use a syringe needle. With the tip ground off, smoothed, and hole deburred with a pointy knife, it's perfect for putting over and straightening edge pins bent outward where sliding the needle between the rows can't do anything.

[@Jopic]

If it’s only a bit bent, the best tool is the tip of a mechanical pencil.

[@techgroveusa]

It's remarkable how with a few tools and some patience, you can turn someone's discarded tech into a profit. Though the skill and time required might be daunting for beginners, the potential benefit is certainly enticing.

[@pastygroove]

Appreciation comment for Andy and the team for getting the shots so clear and full of information!

[@Metal_Maxine]

I was impressed as soon as I saw him wrestle the ladder into shot

[@Phushywillow]

I have been extremely impressed by the camera and editing crew lately.

[@MordeKa0s]

Linus made a comment on the last WAN show about the quality of the videos they have been doing in the last few months and I agree that they have been really good content to watch. I think the team are hitting their stride pretty hard right now and we the audience are the benefactors of it.

[@bionicgeekgrrl]

​@@MordeKa0syeah, linus has said he's not as afraid to send a video back to the editor to give it more time compared with the previous pump and dump methodology. The quality should hopefully improve with time. Perhaps the only negative impact currently is luke having to do double duty managing floatplane and labs, they really need a new head of labs and hopefully they have enough good people to promote internally now.

[@bigman3]

Hats off to the camera team here. Watching the struggle to keep james' work in the shot, getting up and down a ladder to get that 👌 perfect angle for us.

[@SleepySavior]

fun fact, small zap straps are the exact thickness as the space between AM4 pins, so you can gently slide them between the rows to realign pins. I've fixed several CPU's at work this way

[@sylviastone7951]

What's a zap strap?

[@Nyxnir]

@@sylviastone7951 cable ties

[@wiggypop]

What size zap strap?

[@SleepySavior]

@@wiggypop I use the small ones that usually come with cases for cable management

[@thorvaldspear]

This fixing things series has a very scrappy vibe and I dig it. I was locked-in watching the mobo repair video and I'm locking-in to watch this one. Quality!

[@gat8979]

The work is not just fixing it mate, you have to find it, fixi it, list it, pack it, post it, deal with returns dead stock etcetc

[@himarei]

Fixing it is the easiest part of the whole process...

[@KManAbout]

Bop it

[@Jirodyne]

That's what pisses me off. It's only showing "POTENTIAL" Profits. No no Linus. Go actually SELL IT and tell us how much money you made, without using the Linus Brand. I am willing to bet, they wouldn't make a single penny, and it would all be net loss, as I doubt ANYONE would buy used, subpar, parts when they can just easily buy the full working product.

[@samsowden]

tech-no-lo-gic

[@AgentTexas_]

Beat me buy 6 mins 😂​@@samsowden

[@ryangerber2735]

Pro tip - In addition to the mechanical pencil trick. A small Philips head screwdriver works well if you can find one with the correct spacing and deep enough slots. It helps set the spacing between pins and the other pins can be used for very light leverage to bend a bent pin back.

[@bossevanderkrogt7178]

10:40 Slim shady Linus singing lose yourself wasn't what i expected

[@H3R0_]

I love how this video was edited. I don't normally comment but things like the summary for each person along with the music I think was a very good choice. Good Video!

[@NonLegitNation2]

0:53 did someone really list a broken R7 1700 for 140.00 CAD when you can buy a unbroken one on ebay for like 50.00 CAD?

[@D3nn1s]

Well they can try haha

[@MrRafagigapr]

@@NonLegitNation2 take it or leave it I know what i got

[@AlleonoriCat]

Sometimes I browse used parts marketplaces and there are definitely some delusional people there. Listing your used gpu for a price of new? Really?

[@marvnch]

​@@AlleonoriCat the worst is people listing used earbuds for almost new pricing, like wtf. also some people who just have no idea sales exist - saw someone listing used smarttags for more than the price of new.

[@joeyf504327]

good for money laundering

[@jeffreybongos4837]

I love Linus' discourse with Jordan. The way he calls him and exclusively him "brother" is super cute and endearing, idk why. Love Jordan, man's so funny in his own way and seems like a joy.

[@WireHedd]

Over the past 3 decades I've worked on PCs I've found the absolute best tool for fixing bent pins is a mechanical pencil with no lead to torque the pins upward. A shimming guage for gapping spark plugs is the best for running between rows to correct a bent run of pins. Excellent tips guys.

[@killerkip1]

Im so grateful for this video, as an electronics technician, its nice to see repairs on generally "impossible" stuff. Even though you clearly have shown its not, a lot of people think it is.

[@elden446]

I would love for LTT to make this the next version of Junkyard Wars. Take 2 (or more) people, give them X amount of total hours (so it's fair), in which they have to research, buy, fix, list, sell and ship things that they bought as For Parts/Not Working.

[@bionicgeekgrrl]

Make it a real scrapheap of broken and mangled equipment and give them time to come up with a custom case from the junk.

[@420Cris]

That would be a great series! Though they'll have to make a rule of no reselling so they can't just buy easy fixes to flip for better items (like a fixed budget for all purchases). I think a rule for only buying items that have visible damage would be good too, so that it's a matter of skills and confidence rather than getting lucky like Linus's CPU.

[@JoeyDoesTech]

Love what's going into these fixing videos lately, awesome to see more channels spread awareness also 😁😁

[@Oxytropis1]

Looking for more ways to please Sally in season 2? 🤨😝

[@spectresoul0]

It was much nicer having the resell value rather than the MSRP

[@almc8445]

Yeah like reselling Elijah’s busted CPU for $100? Totally gonna happen man… 10/10 realistic…

[@kuebby]

I would have been curious to know the msrp too to see what the spread was

[@Kyle_Duffy]

These values are still high

[@Shirazzikkdh]

On older processors, credit card trick was always a lifesaver for me. It has enough give to let the pins bite into the card, but still stiff enough to apply pressure.

[@smashed_penguin]

0:11 What am I to do 😖🐧

[@gamestechvideos]

Relatable

[@kepler656]

Smashed_penguin calling out socially awkward penguin Linus 😂

[@gamestechvideos]

@@kepler656 hey! He’s not A penguin! He said he hates Tux(Linux)

[@Apple_Beshy]

😮

[@JohnSmith-b4w]

14:20 James's profit: ($135 - 75) - $2 = $58, not $64

[@BluePriest]

If you combined all of these, and then put in 10 minutes a piece for research, 20 minutes a piece for switching out the benches (assuming you have to change them for each one), 10 minutes for packing, 10 minutes for setting up the listing and 10 minutes for shipping (setting up a local pickup, printing off the label, and setting it out), then that means the combined time to work on ALL of them would be 460 minutes (or 7.8 hours). That makes the total a much more realistic 19.24 an hour. That's also assuming you manage to flip the one that was only partially working. If you don't manage to flip that one then you are only making 69$ after you cover the loss, and are making $8.84 an hour. If you hypothetically could cut that extra prep time in half, then it gets a bit better taking a total of 5.3 hours to do everyone, which changes your hourly rate to $28.32 am hour of you flip Elijah's piece, or $13.01 an hour of you don't

[@adsadsasdasdasdasdda]

You should obviously try to buy multiple of the same cpu for easier listing and no need to switch the bench. Even if you buy different sku's you should buy cpu's compatible with one kind of motherboard, after all it's not a good investment to buy multiple motherboards. Still, I see this more as saving money by buying a broken cpu and using it, maybe making custom builds for friends and family, rather than a business oportunity.

[@jamestaylor9887]

Pretty sure all the cpus were am4 which means they didn't have to change anything on the test bench. As for packaging they have clear plastic CPU holders that more than likely you'd receive the CPU in to begin with. Packaging one at that point takes a minute at most. Then it just depends on how you sell it. Most of the time if you mail it the consumer pays for shipping and handling which covers any packing materials. Otherwise it's local pickups/drop offs. As for additional motherboards you just get ones that are popular and support the highest number of cpus. Not like you need anything fancy.

[@Theanimeisforme]

If you're taking ten mins for packing/listing each, either your refusing to template or somehow preparing any package the same size object 100s times the same way.

[@BluePriest]

@@Theanimeisforme If you are using the packaging you recieved it in, which im assuming you are unless you want to add time and money in other ways, then your items will all be in different size boxes, and will need to be marked accordingly unless you want to risk losing money on shipping. And listing isnt just posting it once and forgetting about it, especially if its for 100s of items, because you will need to go back on all of your listings that dont sell and readjust prices to ensure they sell. All of that adds into the time you spend on the listing itself.

[@BluePriest]

I also want to note, the price point he is giving for these items, are very optimistic for the current market. They are also all listing "free shipping" which is not actually free for the seller. The ryzen 5 3500, for example, is selling for between 30-60$ WITH free shipping, which means the seller is eating the cost of the shipping, lowering profit margin even more.

[@GregoryShtevensh]

Your segue to sponsors are so charming that I almost always watch them... You've really figured out how to make a viewer smile while preparing for an ad

[@sharpdressedmeme5952]

Watch him make a pc from entirely broken parts

[@clevermusicbox3630]

That's what Yvonne said

[@denverboyd9953]

The content that has come out lately has been absolutely fantastic.

[@notSALTY.]

10:12 Me trying to convince my wife that the curve is normal:

[@phille8176]

@@notSALTY. 😆 😭

[@theodoros_1234]

LMAO

[@davidroberts9099]

Mechanical pencils work best for straightening bent pins. They support the pin entirely which reduces metal fatigue. That reduces the chance of breaking a pin off.

[@rhodrambles3943]

I would love a "repair shop" style video where you give teams a budget to buy broken items and repair them. Highest profit wins.

[@greggv8]

I've posted this many times before. The best tool for straightening bent pins is a syringe needle. Find one the right diameter to just slide between the rows of pins. When it's all the way in, lift it our. You'll feel resistance from bent pins as they're nudged straighter. Usually a few times of that gets the pins straight enough. Hit each row from all for sides of the CPU. For pins around the edge that are bent outwards, find a needle with an inside diameter that just fits over the pin. Grind off the needle's point then sand the outside of the end and use a sharp knive to deburr the hole. Slide it over the pin and gently nudge it straight. I've straightened a lot of bent CPU pins with "this one simple trick".

[@AbsolutionArmament]

I've actually thought about this before. But as you said the supply being the largest hurdle for risk. Most of the Damaged/bent/no post listings are not individualized orders on eBay. Sellers usually post up X amount of CPUs and only take a photo for one of them. So it becomes a grab bag of chance.

[@roundboywarm]

The music during the scoring page is really satisfying. Loved it!

[@AbyssWalkerLW]

Someone messed up the math ar 14:40. If they paid $75 and sold it for $135, it'd only be $60 profit before consider the tool/supply cost which would make it only $58. Making for a $6 difference from the $64 presented.

[@poochyenarulez]

@@AbyssWalkerLW doesn't include time finding the CPUs

[@ouroesa]

For missing pins, we used to either use donor pins from another CPU or in very dire cases - cut down sewing needles and just put them in the holes on the Mobo where you are missing the pins. Works most of the time

[@gniludio]

11:00 The "potential hourly rate" should have included the time required to buy/sell the cpu.

[@EMPeter]

also testing it

[@DodgerX]

If you're getting that technical, you probably won't be only buying one at a time. Maybe 5, 10 or even more, who knows.

[@gniludio]

@@DodgerX Just like they did for the video...

[@stitchfinger7678]

@@DodgerX How is "more time it took to make money in return" getting technical? If selling it takes time and work, that needs to factor in.

[@maksymisaiev1828]

@@stitchfinger7678 depends on time. if you buying with delivery and sell with delivery, such time is splitted amongst all of them. But the biggest issue with calculation is making hourly based profit ignoring the main point - sellability. Yeah, they may be recovered, but if they are sold not frequently, chances are big you just lose time and money.

[@fallenphoenixfilms]

As an added tip perhaps, when looking for things to repair try and get a sale history of that model/type, just because you bought one and saw another one listed doesn't mean your repaired one is selling at a good volume.

[@unknown_4206]

10:35 eminem saying an eminem lyric is crazy

[@potardo9851]

Fixing bent cpu pins has been a part of my life multiple times. The first two gaming computers I built (one for me and one for my dad) were both am2 athlon 62 x2 cpus with bent pins. I never attempted that task before so I took a shot of whiskey to settle my nerves so my hand was still. I used a pair of tweezers, my eyes, and the light of a table lamp to straighten both out enough to use the socket to fully straighten them successfully. After that I knew I could do it again. I fixed several other processors that same way. When I built AM4 systems for my family I had 2 used Ryzen 5 3600's get nocked around in shipping due to poor packaging by the sellers. Using the same method I fixed them by hand as well. I've only had a couple of broken pin scenarios happen to me. Once it was because someone did something to a phenom that made a corner pin corrode or burnt. It just fell off and happened to be a data pin so it was useless. The other time it was on a Tri Core Phenom and it was fortunately just a ground pin that appeared to not affect it even when overclocking. Don't be afraid to give this a shot especially if someone assumes the cpu is dead and will give it to you for free because they've mentally written it off. If you can't see the pins too well with your eyes alone you don't need a fancy microscope. Grab up a cheap jewelers glass online. They make little plastic framed ones you can use grip with your face or ones you can wear like glasses.

[@Maeggs]

14:43 I don't get the potential profit. You paid 75$, paid 2$ in tool cost. So you're 77$ in the negative. Now you sell it for 135$. 135-77 is not 64 it's 58 - that would lower the potential hour rate to about 160$.

[@cobble616]

Yeah I think they just messed that one up because those numbe4 definitely do not add up

[@dunebasher1971]

Why do people write prices with the dollar symbol after the number? It's been established for hundreds of years that the currency symbol comes first, so you write $77, not 77$

[@dsgrenjyer]

@@dunebasher1971 yep

[@Hunter1st]

​@@dunebasher1971Right, people are just ignorant.

[@Hunter1st]

Dollar sign before amount

[@muldfox]

Jordan is so chill, love that guy.

[@Withing_]

6:35 That cut off laugh was perfect

[@Behemoth33]

A tip. Use a flat tip(not sharp) syringe needle slightly bigger than the pin. Works great and better control than using a big tool, even to solder the pin back on the syringe needle helps to keep it on place when using a hot air station

[@CheltonGraham]

thank you for this linus! I fixed a socket pin yesterday and now it works!!!

[@oluskloc]

11:40 sometimes you can by something listed as "faulty" just because they can't use it correct and the thing itself it's working as designed.

[@JCglitchmaster]

You can't ignore the fact you'd need a known, working motherboard within whatever socket it is of the CPU you're fixing to add to upfront costs.

[@MrSousuke87]

That's the reason for them going with AM4 I would say. A lot of possibilities without even change your motherboard.

[@jamestaylor9887]

​@@MrSousuke87yup. At least 3 generations of cpus on one platform. Plus you could feasibly make enough money off 1 CPU to buy another board opening up your options.

[@bionicgeekgrrl]

​@@MrSousuke87plus pretty cheap boards existing. Pins are really a thing of the past now am5 is lga.

[@clevermusicbox3630]

Well, he's the offspring of a working mother with socket for whatever, and I heard with upfront costs too.

[@JayRabxx]

I’m loving this series of videos. Making money repairing broken parts is great for every reason.

[@CoolDeathLight]

What I would do when they were bent a bit, is put a razor between the row and push to one side or the other so I could also make sure its at the same angle as the others if that makes any sense

[@CoolDeathLight]

nvm they did that 15 seconds after I commented

[@b-hawkgaming]

I have been fixing these for a few years now. It definitely took some practice and its not for just anyone. Best tools for this. Remove the sliding tray from an old board so you can check the pins and clearly see which ones are not aligned. Then use a reball stencil, slide it between the whole row of pins and wiggle it, this lines up the whole line at once. Missing pins, a fine tips solder iron and air station to remive the foot that is always left. Then hot air to seat a new pin.

[@psychonauts0]

I work in ewaste so I've done this a bunch of times, my tools of choice are a super small flathead screwdriver for manipulating the pins, and a pair of reading glasses (something which I normally don't use, but I just use them as a magnifying glass that's stuck to my face).

[@mbak7801]

Fixing bent pins is easy with a hypodermic syringe. Find a needle where the internal hole is just larger than the pin diameter. Slide over the pin and gently push until the syringe is vertical and the pin is straight. It really is very simple. Some needles used for applying glue or other liquids and are blunt often have wider internal channels.

[@harshps1317]

I am pretty sure Linus enjoyed fixing old PC parts in the previous video so was just going for a reason to do it again. Well I am not complaining .

[@gtleshow]

Super interesting experiment! Love seeing you guys dive into these repair challenges.

[@BobSockTwo]

2:03 - it always cracks me when I see one of those photos in their videos 😂

[@Fryepod3628]

When I started in the at the bottom of the vacuum semi conductor industry, learned alot about these small fixes right away, helped me with my own home PC building too, just opener up more options.Sodering at this level can be hard if you had alot of coffee/ shakey hand 😉 but still not bad. Measuring out, crimping, and slotting your wires into whatever pin/ head peice also comes in handy, too.

[@phil_j_c]

Some people bend the pins on burnt out cpu's and advertise them for sale has just bent pins.. Not worth the chance. You are also forgetting you need the motherboard to test them..

[@HHalcyon]

It's always nice to have such people around.

[@yousefslimani99]

😠😠😠😠😠😠😠😠😠😠😠😠

[@CaptainVideoBlaster]

Also, this should have been test on tens of CPUs so that it would provide at least somewhat useful information in some business sense.

[@spicy_mint]

Y'all are thinking way too deep about this, side hustle doesn't mean laying out a 5 year business plan or living off the earnings. It means making a couple extra bucks here and there when convenient.

[@ericrosen6626]

Sure, but something you can't just ignore. Driving Uber isn't a good side hustle if you have to buy a car that you don't otherwise need. To do this as a side hustle takes more than just time and having a mechanical pencil and a razor blade.

[@patrickcardon1643]

Straighten pins using the little hollow tubes used to desolder through hole electronic components. You get them in a box with 10 different diameters. Pop them on and adjust, easy peasy. Check alignment of the pins with the CPU at an align under a light ... the reflected pins should look like a raster with uniform color, if any pin is off it'll reflect differently and show a darker or lighter patch in the pin matrix

[@mauzen_]

I could see some people being mad that their side hustle is getting attention but to be honest less e-waste because people know about this is in my opinion a good thing

[@bionicgeekgrrl]

Also means potentially more people having a go rather than binning a cpu they mangled. Less wasted chips is a good thing given the materials in them.

[@swahkennison7116]

What I have always done to fix bent pins is to take a cotton swab and cut one of the cotton ends off of it then you can use the hollow part of it to gently pry the pin back into place by slipping it over the bent pin and since it is softer than using metal there is less chance of the pin breaking.

[@sidneyf00]

1:00 140 CA$ for a broken Ryzen 7 1700???

[@igorbriskin7746]

dont lowball me i know what i have

[@SkylerB17]

I feel like ceramic tipped tweezers would be really good for bending pins back into place. not because you need to isolate from current or anything, just because they thin yet solid, and may not be as damaging to the pins as metal pliers/tweezers. At least maybe for a couple bent pins. if its a row of them, something long, straight, flat, and non-metallic might be best.

[@fatfurie]

@8:08 i like this dudes vibe

[@gjkrisa]

that cpu does not look flat

[@Theboss95781]

I love this video seeing different people trying to fix cpus and seeing how it goes! Loved the motherboard video too!!!!!

[@BoringTammam]

10:38 You only get one shot , One opportunity . Slim Shady Linus is Real

[@andreigeorgescu4397]

What you're missing in the calculation is the market volume variable (big challenge) if we look at the (admittedly extreme) case of the 1.623 hourly rate, that operates under the assumption that you would actually find about 70 CPUs to fix per hour and also 70 potential clients to buy the fixed ones. Extrapolating to daily and monthly (since we're talking about a side-hustle) values, that leas to an average of 560 CPUs per day and approximately 11.200 per month. Now, as i said, admitting this is an extreme case, just by considering an average of all the CPUs fixed in the video, and also by eliminating this outlier, you will still need to fix around 5 CPUs/hour (rounded down) so approximately 40 per day or 800 per month. Is there enough (consistent) supply for this and is there also a big enough market?

[@piemon22222]

Hey Linus long time listener first time caller here it seems like at about 14:48 you said Elijah had a 5800X and he actually had a 3500X according to the on screen graphic so for that reason I am going to sue you see you in court

[@Scar32]

9:00 it's just the worst when pins over lap like that, they are just so small hard to manipulate and also the fact that there are multiple sorounding pins

[@minusmyza]

1:08 - Unbeleafale? Feel like they forgot a 'B'..

[@z20_Aleth]

This is a really good competitive video idea, love the compare and contrast of skill to difficulty for how bad these CPUs are

[@abijeetrs6522]

Another use for the razor blade which the inventor would have never imagined 😂

[@june_senpai9846]

@@abijeetrs6522 as a person who knows technical people. They use hammers to fix pcs.

[@BlueberryJamPie]

I LOVE that the AM4 still has the pins on the CPU because the motherboard has those holes/sockets for each pin. Some mobos have squared holes so you only need to debend about 80-90% of the way and the holes help the pins align straight. I would use a mechanical pencil to debend. Best bet for that is keep the CPU on the table and "stick it" so it doesn't move and only the pencil does. Sadly AM5 doesn't have those holes anymore, so it really screws up any DIY ease.

[@jellylovin42]

11:18 ayy yo??🤔🤔🤔

[@uiopuiop3472]

i usually use a trapezoidal utility knife blade and place it between the rows and start bending it until they all get straight

[@igoresque]

14:30 the math doesnt math

[@WidgyAinz]

14:48 Would've been great if you estimated how many of these jobs it would take each person to pay off their tools, as well as some other averages and graphs presented as 'some fun graphs to give you an idea about how realistic this could be for you, just keep in mind this won't be very accurate...'

[@tsirakura1684]

I thought this would be a re upload

[@HiltonHeslop]

I use a medical needle a 21G, push in between the pins at the PCB and pull it up (vertically) to make then straight then do small adjustments to align all the pins if needed

[@DDB964]

i feel like ive seen this video already

[@GreyHoliday1]

he made a video where he fixed motherboard socket pins

[@d3stiny117]

@@GreyHoliday1thank you jonkler

[@flusel8290]

true that

[@BrightsunSingh]

​@@GreyHoliday1thank you jonkler

[@BrightsunSingh]

true that

[@Splarkszter]

Please keep uploading educational content like this. Although it had a bunch of time-waste filler I enjoyed it for the most part.

[@Cooper-sCreations]

12:44 THEORY: Linus is soooo old, the blonde hair is actually just covering up the white hair. He must have used a hair blending mixture.

[@Magickmaster3]

Very happy with the recent 'Reduce >Reuse< Recycle' videos. I'd be interested in an 'Inter-Generational' review video where you look at older hardware and look at what's still pretty good - Everybody is always jumping on the latest and greatest, but there's gems hidden in ebay second hand listings!

[@graemepennell]

I used to straighten bent pins with feeler gauges. The width is manually set, so u can fit it between the pins BUT it was always super easy to keep them straight in the lines.

[@Vampyratus]

@@graemepennell I was actually wondering throughout if that would be a viable option to make it work. Thank you for confirming it before I even had to ask! :)

[@rellikai945]

7:32 Poor Elijah, he honestly looked genuinely so disappointed and dejected there. I just wanted to reach thru the screen and give him a hug lol

[@SnoipaH999]

It'd be a cold day in hell before I would pay 70 dollars for a broken 2 generation old cpu (5700x)

[@realzyxtomatic]

I really like these videos resuscitating dead hardware and making it useable again. It makes me glad to know it's one less piece of tech waste at the landfill.