Tips How to Reinstall P4 CPU & Heat Sink or Separate P4 CPU from Heat Sink?

[KenO]

Have a Dell 2350 that removed the P4 CPU & Heat Sink. Thought they
would easily separate but did not and both came off together with the
CPU lever locked.

Have not figured out how to reinstall with the CPU lever locked and am
unable to easily separate so I can reinstall the normal way.

As a result I am very interested in any tips to either reinstall a P4
CPU & Heat Sink as one unit or how to easily separate them so the CPU
can be installed first and then install the Heat Sink.

Thanks

Ken

[stra...@yahoo.com]

You have no choice but to separate the heat sink and processor so you
can release the lock lever on the socket. I would warm the heat sink
up with a hair dryer which will likely soften up the thermal
'adhesive' so yo can pry it apart. It is IMPERATIVE that you do not
put any force between any layers of the processor as that will
destroy it. An Xacto knife or razor blade between the processor top
and the heat sink can crack it loose. Clean off the residue and use
heat sink grease (arctic silver if you have OCD) on the processor. BTW
why did you want to pull the heat sink? I have removed heat sinks more
times than I can remember usually for installing a faster processor.
When I release the heat sink retainer clamp I rotate the heat sink a
little to get it loose as the thermal pad on the sink can be a little
stubborn. Since I have OCD I use arctic silver.

G²

G²

[KenO]

Hi G²,

"You  have no choice but to separate the heat sink and processor so
you can release the lock lever on the socket. I would warm the heat
sink up with a hair dryer which will likely soften up the thermal
'adhesive' so yo can pry it apart. It is IMPERATIVE that you do not
put any force  between any layers of the processor as that will
destroy it. An Xacto knife or razor blade between the processor top
and the heat sink can crack it loose."

Thanks for the tip!

"BTW why did you want to pull the heat sink?"

It was accidental I needed to get to the P4 Heat Sink Retainer and
thought the Heat Sink would just pop off when pulled up on it.

Instead I pulled off the Heat Sink and P4 CPU!!!

So may have already killed it?

"I have removed heat sinks more times than I can remember usually for
installing a faster processor. When I release the heat sink retainer
clamp I rotate the heat sink a little to get it loose as the thermal
pad on the sink can be a little stubborn."

Agree the Dell 2350 adhesive seems like a black rubber? Have you had
any experience with it?

Thanks again for your help!

Ken

[whit3rd]

On Wednesday, September 7, 2011 3:45:15 PM UTC-7, KenO wrote:

[trouble removing heatsink from CPU chip]

> Agree the Dell 2350 adhesive seems like a black rubber? Have you had
> any experience with it?

Some thermal compounds are adhesive, some are greasy, and the one
you have sounds like a waxy adhesive type. I'd sharpen some toothpicks
and shove 'em into the crack. A few seconds with a hot air gun
(or just a hair dryer) won't hurt anything, either.

You'll need to replace the compound, lots of variants are available.

[stra...@yahoo.com]

On Sep 7, 3:45 pm, KenO <kenithol...@yahoo.com> wrote:
<snip>

> Agree the Dell 2350 adhesive seems like a black rubber?  Have you
had
> any experience with it?
>
> Thanks again for your help!
>
> Ken

I've never bought an assembled computer with a heat sink. The 1986 PC-
AT clones back then needed no cooling - probably because they didn't
do much work. The AMD processors came with heat sinks with thermal
pads already attached. When these melt into place they get slightly
ornery at removal time but clean off easily with alcohol. Then I use
either plain white heat sink compound or the Arctic Silver.

Have you gotten them separated yet?

G²