cpu stuck to heatsink, not on motherboard

[papajesse]

I bought my computer in pieces through newegg and I wa assembling it this weekend.

>>>essential specs
>>>
>>>Antec P160 Case
>>>Asus K8V Deluxe Motherboard
>>>Athlon 64 3000+ CPU (retail with heatsink)
>>>GeForce 9500 FX 128
>>>Soundblaster Live 5.1
>>>1024 (2 x 512) generic ram
>>>Enermax 350 w power supply
>>>ViewSonic 19" PerfectFlat


I first started hoping for the best and installed everything and tried to run it...It started up but no signal to the monitor.

So I unhooked everything (power cords and motherboard connectors) except power to the motherboard, rear fan, cpu fan, and power fan. and unplugged all the cards except the video card and still nothing...

I also tried switching out the video card with an old GeForce 400 mx but that didn't work either.

So I checked out some forum posts and the only thing that made sense that was wrong was that my cpu must not have been aligned properly or something like that. So I go to take off the heatsink to check the cpu alignment and the cpu comes up with the heatsink, attached to the bottom by the thermal compound. Being my first real time working with a cpu, heatsink, and the compound I'm not sure what I should do. I can't re-attached the cpu because I need to pull up the lever on the motherboard and the cpu is stuck on the heatsink, and I'm scared to tear a $250 cpu off of it's heatsink...So do I need to find some thermal compound somewhere and force the chip off of the heatsink or how am I supposed to go about re-attaching the cpu?

Thanks!


-jesse
jesse@blullama2.com

[rmanet]

Let me make sure I understand - you went to pull the heatsink off (after taking off the retainer clips from the cpu mobo socket) and the cpu came up with it?

When that happened did you notice if the lever on the cpu socket was all the way down? Does it lift up and down, and the cpu socket move slightly in each direction when you do it?

You may not have inserted the cpu and secured the cpu lever (it's chrome and on the side of the socket) when you then installed the HSF. What thermal paste did you use? Try gently separating the HSF from the cpu - move it clockwise, counterclockwise, etc. Clean both the cpu and the HSF - install the cpu, put the thermal paste on only the center (don't use too much), then attach the HSF and try again?

Hope this helps and welcome to Sysopt

[Jarhed7276]

Get a hair dryer, set it on low, and warm up the cpu/heatsink a little. It should come off after it warms up a bit.

[papajesse]

I'm pretty sure that I put the cpu in properly...it fit in perfect, trianlge was aligned right and I had the lever all the way down and locked.

When I pulled up the heatsink and the cpu came with it the lever was still down and locked.

after talking with some people my plan when i go home (i'm at work now) is to twist the cpu lightly until it comes off of the heatsink and then remove the 'gunk' with some rubbing alcohol. Then I'm going to place the CPU into the socket properly andlower the lever...put a BB sized dot of Arctic Silver in the center and then place the heatsink.

Does this sound like the correct way to do this? I'm not sure about the rubbing alcohol but I read in a couple places that Nail polish remover and wd040 etc are bad for it because of added scents, etc

Thanks again!!

[mrrobotto]

Removal instructions at the bottom of the page.
http://www.arcticsilver.com/arctic_s...structions.htm

[chubtub]

Did you use a thermal Glue rather than a paste?

[fishybawb]

Originally posted by papajesse
When I pulled up the heatsink and the cpu came with it the lever was still down and locked.

That's not good. You should always move the lever to the unlocked (up) position before removing the CPU. You either didn't install it correctly in the first place, or you've done some serious damage.

[papajesse]

I used whatever originally came on the bottom of the heatsink....I think it's a paste it looks like thin gray clay.

the cpu looks fine...no bent pins or anything...If I had removed it improperly from the motherboard (with the locket lever down) would the damage be visible from the outside? I would think that since there appears to be no damage that I can see that I must've originally installed it incorrectly.

[leprechaun_40]

It sounds like the socket on the board is damaged and not holding onto the CPU. You may need a new mobo. Once you get the CPU and the heatsink seperated, see if you can put the CPU in and whether or not the socket will hold it. I have a feeling it won't.

[papajesse]

Well I got it working I think...

I purchased some arctic sil;ver stuff and I applied it and have the cpu and heatsink now on the motherboard properly....now I'm back to the original problem (why I took off the heatsink in the first place) where no video shows up when I boot

I had a single beep and it sounded like everything was running fine...now I have the motherboard stripped down to the bare minimum...Powersupply, motherboard, and cpu...and it's not beeping anymore but all the fans turn on like normal.

I have the fans plugged in correctly (cpu vs psu fans) and I'm not sure if I'm supposed to have memory in the machine for testing htis or not???

thanks!

[Billforce]

I've had the CPU pull out of the zif socket before. Like you said, it had the original thermal pad on the F/H when you installed it. Sometimes these pads stick like cr@p on a "marines" blanket so be very careful removing it. Once removed, providing the pad isn't damaged, reinstall being careful to check for bent pins on the CPU. If the pad is damaged, then install with a good thermal paste such as AS. I have had good luck just reinstalling the CPU, some zif sockets simply hold tighter than others.

[papajesse]

Thank you all for your help!

I got it all figured out...twisted it off and cleaned the compound with soe rubbing alcohol and q-tips.

re-installed with arctic silver and after another brush with trouble (apparently the K8V Deluxe reports "System failuare due to cpu overclocking" sometimes if you use the 1st memory slot...so when I put my 2 sticks in slot 2 & 3 it worked fine).

Anyways now I'm having trouble getting my old harddrive to connect...I have a new SATA harddrive as my bootable drive with WinXP on it and I want to connect my old IDE harddrive so that I can grab a bunch of old files off of it...so far with my sata conencted the IDE has failed to recognize. any thoughts?

[mrrobotto]

Should be a setting in bios for both types of drives. I know there is for the AsusP4P800. Not sure about yours though but it seems like there would be.

[cheekymonkey]

Originally posted by fishybawb
You either didn't install it correctly in the first place, or you've done some serious damage.

Not true - I have an Asus motherboard that I've had for over 4 years now.
I watercool my pc and I have the waterblock tightened down to the CPU pretty tight, I also have arctic silver paste in there, but not the adhesive. I've been working with PC's for over 10 years so I know how to install/remove a CPU correctly . .however . . .

Occasionally if I dont twist the waterblock enough when pulling it off the CPU on one of the Asus boards I use it can pull the CPU out of its socket with the lever still down.

I know 100% it is installed correctly and I also know it shouldnt do it but on some motherboards the securing mechanism/lever doesnt seem that tight. I have other boards with the same setup that are just fine.
It's never done any damage to the chip or the board and its done it a few times on the same board.
I dont think theres any need to panic the guy with suggestions of new mobos and all this garbage - its just not the tightest retaining mechanisim in the world, as long as he is careful and he lifts the lever to re-install the CPU there should be no problems.

In my case the mechanism does retain the CPU tight, just not tight enough that when you have the leverage of a large heatsink stuck down well that it cant come out.

I know its not how it "should" come out - but it does.
And from when I've seen it happen its been nothing to worry about. The heatsink/waterblock attach to the motherboard and apply pressure to the CPU to hold it in place once installed anyway so everything should be fine.

[Torlok2002]

I had the same thing happen to me the other day, I will never put a CPU in with a thermal pad again, a horrible, horrible idea... its like glue...