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Removing a CPU heatsink

I

Inquisition

Limp Gawd
Joined
Oct 11, 2003
Messages
353
Ok, so i bought Arctic Silver 5 silver goop... and I wish to put it on my CPU.. unfortunatly i dont have the skills or experience to try and remove the heatsink without damaging the core of my processor.

Someone suggested a socket screwdriver so that tool slippage will be prevented, but that only allowed me to take off only the top left part of the clip.

Does anyone have advice? suggestions ? anyhting?

FYI:
Its a Aero 7 Lite w/ aluminum heatsink on a ABIT NF7-S V2.0. The Mobo has metal strips for tool damage prevention.

is thermal paste worth it or should i stick with the default thermal tape stuff?

IS IT WORTH THE RISK?! :(
 
YES.... its definately worth it.. if u just take your time and take it slow it will pop out easier than you think and the stock tape is horrible.. good luck
 
You only need the screwdriver to take off one side, after that one side is released, you can use your fingers to unhook the other side. Then just lift the HSF off of the processor.
 
I thought you were suppost to turn on your pc for a few minutes to get the thermal paste/pad warm before powering down, release the locking mechanism (see above post), and then gently twist (just a little bit, not more than a few degrees in either direction) to break any bond that may have formed before pulling out the HSF.

Otherwise you could end up pulling the chip out of the board with the HSF and while that shouldn't cause any damage, it introduces the risk of damaging the chip.

Correct me if I am wrong...
 
^^ i woudl sya that's right.. but rather than turning on the computer for a few minutes. yo ucan try heating up the HSF with a hair dryer.. then doing what the dude before me said..
 
You don't need to heat up anything. CPU does not stick to HSF. Period. Unless someone used thermal epoxy ;)

Just use a screwdriver to push down and then out on the clip (gently) to get the heatsink off. Then clean the CPU and heatsink off with rubbing alcohol. If you get any rubbing alcohol on the CPU traces, wait a while before using it to make sure it evaporates (it does this by itself, no need to heat it up if this happens) before using it.... but you should be ok if you just put it on a tissue/rag/whatever.... and then just apply a small amount of AS on the CPU die (not HSF!), just put a small blob right in the middle that will be just enough to spread out over the whole surface (very thin) when you put the HSF back.
 
There is some truth to the heating part, though.

My friend tried removing his retail HSF that came with his 3 Ghz P4. The cheap-o thermal paste acted like an epoxy so when he pulled off the HSF, it pulled the CPU out of the socket with the retention clip still down.

All 478 pins were bent at almost a 90 degree angle.
It was quite funny.

In the process of bending them all back to "normal" a few broke. Intel RMA'ed the processor without even questioning it, though.

Just be careful when removing the HSF, more than likely you don't have to worry about this type of situation.
 
CPU does not stick to HSF. Period. Unless someone used thermal epoxy
Click to expand...
should i stick with the default thermal tape stuff
Click to expand...
You sure it's not sticking? ;)

Regardless, do not heat it up yourself, that shouldn't be necessary. Take your time and remove the HSF slowly, the tape should unpeel. You will need to use a tool to release the retention mechanism, again, slowly. Don't force anything, but it does take a fair amount of pressure to release it.
 
dandragonrage said:
You don't need to heat up anything. CPU does not stick to HSF. Period. Unless someone used thermal epoxy ;)

Just use a screwdriver to push down and then out on the clip (gently) to get the heatsink off. Then clean the CPU and heatsink off with rubbing alcohol. If you get any rubbing alcohol on the CPU traces, wait a while before using it to make sure it evaporates (it does this by itself, no need to heat it up if this happens) before using it.... but you should be ok if you just put it on a tissue/rag/whatever.... and then just apply a small amount of AS on the CPU die (not HSF!), just put a small blob right in the middle that will be just enough to spread out over the whole surface (very thin) when you put the HSF back.
Click to expand...

I've seen CPUs stick to the HSF.. it happens when you use those termal pads that come with stock HSFs. The pads are a bit waxy.. alcohol probably won't do the job in that case
 
RancidWAnnaRIot said:
I've seen CPUs stick to the HSF.. it happens when you use those termal pads that come with stock HSFs. The pads are a bit waxy.. alcohol probably won't do the job in that case
Click to expand...

Yeah, when i switched from the thermal pad to AS5 it got a bit sticky, but I just ran my computer for a while before I made the switch and got it off no problem. And cleaned it off fine with rubbing alcohol and a cloth, took me a while though. Just keep scrubbing :D
 
^^ exactly.. see that's more support that CPUs can stick the Heatsink.. i hate those thermal pads.. it would probably be easier to remove the thermal pad before you ever use the HSF, and jut add some AS5 or some of those other one's i heard aren't too bad.
 
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