Removing A Heat Sink

[Gary Brown]

Hi,

What is the best way of removing a heat sink? This is a standard AMD
heat sink on a AMD 2800+ CPU. The motherboard is an ASUS A7N8X.
A 1/4" dowel has worked twice before (doesn't gouge the board when it
slips). Now it just slips off.

Thanks,
Gary

 

[kony]

Hi,

What is the best way of removing a heat sink? This is a standard AMD
heat sink on a AMD 2800+ CPU. The motherboard is an ASUS A7N8X.
A 1/4" dowel has worked twice before (doesn't gouge the board when it
slips). Now it just slips off.

Thanks,
Gary

I use a regular screwdriver. I also have an older forged
screwdriver opposed to some of the modern cast ones, which
was bent at an angle near the bottom to help get it into
tight spots.

If the tip isn't good try a different screwdriver to lessen
chances of slippage. You can also tape down a piece of
plastic under the area or a few layers of foam tape or
whatever you have handy. A dowel slipping could be as
dangerous as a screwdriver if it hit a surface mount part as
some are fairly brittle.

However, we don't know what heatsink you have, some are a
bit harder than others or might require a different *tool*.
Maybe you can cut the end of the dowel so it's easier to
use. Maybe you have a thick piece of plastic that would
work, or due to the orientation and position of the socket
on that motherboard, it might help to move the power supply
out of the way first if possible. If it's stuck in there
because the heatsink is too close, sometimes you can get
enough clearance by taking out the optical drives and
sliding the PSU forward some. I hate to do all this which
is why I bent up a screwdriver to get into the tight places.

 

[jameshanley39]

Hi,

What is the best way of removing a heat sink? This is a standard AMD
heat sink on a AMD 2800+ CPU. The motherboard is an ASUS A7N8X.
A 1/4" dowel has worked twice before (doesn't gouge the board when it
slips). Now it just slips off.

Thanks,
Gary

Almost all the AMD Athlon XP processors all have a Heatsink for a
socket A processor.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_AMD_Athlon_XP_microprocessors

Ideally, you want a flat head screwdriver whose head is the right size
that it doesn't slip out of the thingy. (thingy- the thing in the
retention clip for the screwdriver to be placed)

You push down and lever out.

If the screwdriver is too small to fit, (I had this recently) , it
slips, then, you could just use it to push down. But don't lever out
with it 'cos it'll slip.
Get another instrument (Screwdriver or finger) and push the end of the
clip off. The other instrument or finger would be parallel with the
MBRD. The screwdriver pushing down would be perpendicular to it.

 

[kony]

Almost all the AMD Athlon XP processors all have a Heatsink for a
socket A processor.

Well yes, they have a heatsink, but not necessarily all the
same AMD retail heatsink. Come to think of it, none of the
Athlon XPs I bought were retail, I didn't particularly like
the small (thin) fans that came with AMD's sink.


Different heatsinks may require a bit different methods even
if it latches to the socket lugs instead of being
through-board mounted.

 

[ProfGene]

Hi,

What is the best way of removing a heat sink? This is a standard AMD
heat sink on a AMD 2800+ CPU. The motherboard is an ASUS A7N8X.
A 1/4" dowel has worked twice before (doesn't gouge the board when it
slips). Now it just slips off.

Thanks,
Gary

There is a small slot where you are supposed to put a screwdriver so it
won't slip. If you have a small enough screwdriver so it fits in that
slot it should not slip. I know what you mean before I discovered the
little slot I think that I hit the board more than once.

 

[kony]

There is a small slot where you are supposed to put a screwdriver so it
won't slip. If you have a small enough screwdriver so it fits in that
slot it should not slip. I know what you mean before I discovered the
little slot I think that I hit the board more than once.

The original message was posted on May 11th. The OP
probably has the problem sorted out by now but even if not,
I doubt he'd still be rechecking the thread 3 months later.

 

[CBFalconer]

The original message was posted on May 11th. The OP
probably has the problem sorted out by now but even if not,
I doubt he'd still be rechecking the thread 3 months later.

There is a definite plus to a news-server that only holds messages
for about one week.