OMG What the $&@*$*?!

[PieIsAwesome]

So I was going to swap motherboards...and as I pulled the heatsink off it pulled the CPU off with it...and since I took the heatsink off at an angle...one side first...I was worried of mauling the pins. Of course I was horrified, though its just a 3800 x2. A couple of the outer pins were bent, but I bent them back with a knife, but...

How the devil did it get stuck to my heatsink? Its from the same tube of arctic silver 5 I've been using before and haven't had this happen.

Update- Removed it by twisting the CPU off. The AC wasn't hard, it was soft but had a really good grasp on the CPU. Some pins were bent and it took some work to get the CPU into the socket. I did and so far so good...installing windows...hope there are no issues...

 

[corkyg]

Originally posted by: PieIsAwesome
How the devil did it get stuck to my heatsink? Its from the same tube of arctic silver 5 I've been using before and haven't had this happen.

Probably too much Arctic Silver. It is supposed to be a very thin layer - just enough to fill the microscopic pores of the heat sink and CPU surfaces.

 

[PieIsAwesome]

Yes, it looked like it was, the entire surface of the heat spreader on the CPU was covered. Thankfully everything seems to be fine now.

 

[Cutthroat]

Perhaps there were some small air bubbles in the TIM creating some suction?

 

[vanvock]

It usually helps to heat it up a bit with a hair dryer then gently twist to break it loose. Be carefull as it will get hot pretty quick.

 

[zVp]

I've had this happen to me with my blistering hot P4. It was so stuck onto the heatsink that as a last resort, I had to do the following:
1) Boil some water in a kettle.
2) Get a large bowl.
3) Put heatsink with the CPU facing upwards (don't get water onto it, obviously)
4) Pour boiling (or very hot, whatever) into the bowl so it submerges the heatsink. If you're paranoid, just put a bit, but I just filled it half way
5) Wait a few minutes and the cpu should come off. Just be careful not to knock it into the water.

If anything, just leave it for 5 minutes in the hot water, then carefully grab the heatsink (using like.. oven mitts or whatever) because that thing is HOT as hell. put it on the table THEN you can try to detatch it.

It worked for me, as the hair dryer didn't work for me, unfortunately...