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

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

Reply to
KenO
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On Sep 6, 8:28=A0am, KenO wrote: > Have a Dell 2350 =A0that removed the P4 CPU & Heat Sink. =A0Thought they > would easily separate but did not and both came off together with the > CPU lever locked. >

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.

G=B2

G=B2

Reply to
stratus46

Hi G=B2,

"You =A0have 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 =A0between 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

Reply to
KenO
[trouble removing heatsink from CPU chip]

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.

Reply to
whit3rd

On Sep 7, 3:45=A0pm, KenO wrote: > Agree the Dell 2350 adhesive seems like a black rubber? =A0Have you had > any experience with it? >

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?

G=B2

Reply to
stratus46

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