How do you take a heatsink off?

[Zacmaniac]

For Christmas I am getting the Zalman CNSP7000A heatsink and some OCZ thermal grease/paste/whatever its called for my 2.6C. What I want to know is, how do I take off the current one? I don't want to damage anything.

 

[myocardia]

From what I hear, if it's a P4, you're probably gonna need either some C4 or some dynamite, unless you took the little black sticky thing off before you intalled it (assuming you have the Intel retail hsf on it). Which heatsink are you running now?

 

[Zacmaniac]

Originally posted by: myocardia
From what I hear, if it's a P4, you're probably gonna need either some C4 or some dynamite, unless you took the little black sticky thing off before you intalled it (assuming you have the Intel retail hsf on it). Which heatsink are you running now?

Er...the stock one... What black sticky thing?

 

[genro]

The best thing to do to help u get the stock HSF off. First thing is to run a program like prime95 or some 3D game that is pretty new for like 1 hour or so. Then take the stock HSF and slowly remove it and wiggling it around some. It may pull the cpu socket which i have done many times and never damaged a cpu before. But be very careful thougha nd take your time.

 

[Zacmaniac]

But, how do you get it off??? Pull?

 

[genro]

Release the tension clips of course, then just pull straight up real slow, make sure the HSF is warm

 

[mindwreck]

Are you trying to take if all the mobo or is the heatsink attached to the cpu itself?

 

[myocardia]

The heatsink is squeezed onto the processor's core by the clips. Also, I hear that instead of running Prime95 for awhile, you can just use a hairdryer to heat up the heatsink. That's more than likely what I would do.

 

[Zacmaniac]

Why does the heatsink have to be warm?

 

[genro]

Because the black sticky thing that is on the HSF will pull the spu right of the socket if it is warm it will make it easier to get it off

 

[Zacmaniac]

But I was planning on putting everything in my new case, putting the new sound card in, putting the new hard drive in, putting the video card cooler in, and the hsf all at once. This would still work, if...does the hairdryer thing actually work?

 

[WobbleWobble]

Originally posted by: Zacmaniac
But I was planning on putting everything in my new case, putting the new sound card in, putting the new hard drive in, putting the video card cooler in, and the hsf all at once. This would still work, if...does the hairdryer thing actually work?

I've never done the hair dryer thing on a CPU, but I've used it on video cards. It's easy to control and heats up the unit pretty well, enough to melt the thermal pad.

 

[RussianSensation]

Originally posted by: Zacmaniac
But I was planning on putting everything in my new case, putting the new sound card in, putting the new hard drive in, putting the video card cooler in, and the hsf all at once. This would still work, if...does the hairdryer thing actually work?

Its impossible for a human being to do All Things at Once, therefore regardless of whether you want to or not your assembly will require steps. So if you do everything step by step you should be fine. Also you are not required to remove the motherboard from the case when installing the zalman.

Now since you want to put a cooler on the videocard and u want to install new hard drive, and change the cpu heatsink on the socket you want to remove everything from your pci slots as to not interfere (besides its way easier to install videocard heatsink with the videocard out)

The concept the guys proposed to you is simple, the warm air from the hair dryer does the same thing that Prime95 does, that is it heats up the suface of the heatsink and with that the "black thingy" or the thermal pad of sort at the bottom of the heatsink. Now the advantage of using the hairdryer is that it will probably warm up the heatsink faster (dont forget to turn your computer off while you are doing this)

Like everyone said once the heatsink is warm move it slowly left and right by rotating it and slowly breaking the bond between the heatsink and the cpu die created by the pad. then once its moving enough try pulling lightly until you remove the heatsink vertically up (you should have your motherboard placed parrallel with the floor).

Here:
Visual Instructions on How to Install the Zalman CNPS-7000A

Now once you've installed zalman, change the cooler on the videocard. Then plug in the new hard drive. Then the new videocard, and the soundcard. Restart your computer, disable on-board sound. Done. Let the new Zalman with new thermal paste that comes with it (or Artic Ceramique or Artic Silver 5 whatever you used when you set it up) get 'warmed' up for 200 hours, then off you to go overclock.

 

[Zacmaniac]

Wow, thanks, that helped a bunch. Except...200 hours?! Does it really take that long?

 

[myocardia]

Originally posted by: Zacmaniac
Wow, thanks, that helped a bunch. Except...200 hours?! Does it really take that long?

I could have sworn that it was only somewhere in the neighborhood of 6-8 hours. I thought you were supposed to change it about every 200 hours!





j/k

 

[VIAN]

I heard to that after applying the thermal paste to let it run for about 2 days for it to settle. Make sure you apply it correctly, there is a method. Applying it correctly could be the difference of 5 degrees.

 

[Zacmaniac]

Originally posted by: RussianSensation

Originally posted by: Zacmaniac
But I was planning on putting everything in my new case, putting the new sound card in, putting the new hard drive in, putting the video card cooler in, and the hsf all at once. This would still work, if...does the hairdryer thing actually work?

Its impossible for a human being to do All Things at Once, therefore regardless of whether you want to or not your assembly will require steps. So if you do everything step by step you should be fine. Also you are not required to remove the motherboard from the case when installing the zalman.

Now since you want to put a cooler on the videocard and u want to install new hard drive, and change the cpu heatsink on the socket you want to remove everything from your pci slots as to not interfere (besides its way easier to install videocard heatsink with the videocard out)

The concept the guys proposed to you is simple, the warm air from the hair dryer does the same thing that Prime95 does, that is it heats up the suface of the heatsink and with that the "black thingy" or the thermal pad of sort at the bottom of the heatsink. Now the advantage of using the hairdryer is that it will probably warm up the heatsink faster (dont forget to turn your computer off while you are doing this)

Like everyone said once the heatsink is warm move it slowly left and right by rotating it and slowly breaking the bond between the heatsink and the cpu die created by the pad. then once its moving enough try pulling lightly until you remove the heatsink vertically up (you should have your motherboard placed parrallel with the floor).

Here:
Visual Instructions on How to Install the Zalman CNPS-7000A

Now once you've installed zalman, change the cooler on the videocard. Then plug in the new hard drive. Then the new videocard, and the soundcard. Restart your computer, disable on-board sound. Done. Let the new Zalman with new thermal paste that comes with it (or Artic Ceramique or Artic Silver 5 whatever you used when you set it up) get 'warmed' up for 200 hours, then off you to go overclock.

Wait, one last thing, on the 9800 stock cooler, do I do the same to get it off to put the Zalman heatpipe on? Warm up the stock heatsink, take it off, then follow the instructions on Zalmans website to install the heatpipe?

 

[WobbleWobble]

Is that a Built by ATI Radeon 9800?

If it is, unhook the 2 plastic push pin locks and then use a hair dryer to heat up the heatsink. It should come off fairly easily when it's hot enough. Use 90+% rubbing alcohol to clean off the left over thermal pad on the chip and install the Zalman heatpipe.

It's actually a PITA to install, so I hope you have patience

 

[Zacmaniac]

Yeah, its built by ATI. Do I have to use the rubbing alcholhol on the cpu too? And if it gets on the actual video card circuitry, could it hurt it?

 

[mindwreck]

Originally posted by: Zacmaniac
Yeah, its built by ATI. Do I have to use the rubbing alcholhol on the cpu too? And if it gets on the actual video card circuitry, could it hurt it?

no

 

[Zacmaniac]

No to which question?