Whats up with HSF, Thermal grease and yanked chips

[Teh_Catman]

I keep hearing these horror stories about people trying to get HSF off and pulling there CPU's out. I'm starting to get a little worried, as I mentioned in the folding thread I am getting AS5 and a new HSF for comp in sig. I've read you should max your CPU to make it hot then turn it off and remove the HSF. Is this not right or are people not looking before they do this?

From personal experience I had an HP (the 2.4 Celery) that sat as a doorstop (best use for an Intel, relax personal opinion) for 3 months and the HSF came off with no effort, so I'm pretty sure my HSF will come off fine.

Just wondering whats up with all the yanked chips?


EDIT: on an unrelated subject I just noticed my HP 2.4 celery had 2 of the 4 wires on the 4pin line cut. At first I thought "Damn kitties" but its too clean and appears to be cut with wire snips anyone with an HP/Compaq celery from 4Q 2003/ 1Q 2004 seen something similar??? (it runs 10C cooler since I spliced the wires).

 

[slvr_phoenix]

Some TIMs just grab a bit like an adhesive over time, and sockets aren't designed to really clamp hard on the pins like they used to. No worries. Just be careful when removing the HSF, and if the CPU comes off with it, be even more careful so that you don't bend your pins. And even if you bend your pins, just straighten them again before you put the CPU back into the socket. It's no big deal. **shrug**

 

[Teh_Catman]

And even if you bend your pins, just straighten them again before you put the CPU back into the socket. It's no big deal. **shrug**

I can second that, I got a IBM/Cyrix 6x86(pr 166) with 4 missing pins and it runs perfect. Anyway as I said I doubt I'll have problems since HP (or any OEM) is known for quality in the Home user department. I'm just curious about home builds and since AS5 is a major recommondation I wanted to know how sticky it is (I should have phrased my first post better sorry).

 

[slvr_phoenix]

Well, in the time that I've used AS5, it really hasn't been sticky. But then I haven't had it sitting untouched on a proc for two years. **shrug** So long term I really can't say personally.

When I took my proc with the stock HSF and TIM out of my computer the CPU came out with the HSF too. I just made sure to be careful when I realized that's what was happening, and checked all the pins before I put it right back in. No big deal. Nothing was even slightly bent. But then, I was being careful.

The one thing that I don't hear people talking about is using an anti-static device when working on their PC. All of these 'my proc is dead' woes could be because they were careless and gave any number of components in their computer a static discharge. **shrug** It might not be the case, but I'd worry about static long before I'd worry about the proc coming out of the socket when you pull off the HSF, especially for those of us in the winter season right now.

 

[Teh_Catman]

I don't have AS5 on anything yet Slvr, but thanks for your experience.

Also true Slvr, Static is a major concern I think most people shrug and ignore becuase people say buy the wrist strap etc... I've been building since 1996 and I laugh at people that tell me to wear the strap unless they are paying I dont need it. I have no carpets and I always touch the case first before touching a component (unless Aluminum I dont trust that, dont ask). If theres no steal around I bring my own LOL.

 

[slvr_phoenix]

I have a wrist strap ... somewhere. But yeah, I pretty much just touch the case to ground myself. It depends on how serious the work is that I'm doing. I'd hope that everyone else is at least doing something too. But no one really talks about it. **shrug**

 

[Teh_Catman]

I have a wrist strap ... somewhere. But yeah, I pretty much just touch the case to ground myself. It depends on how serious the work is that I'm doing. I'd hope that everyone else is at least doing something too. But no one really talks about it. **shrug**

I suppose thats why most of us dont talk about it, cuz then the newbs would come and say "Oh yeah I did that" when they didnt. Which is my main reason for staying away most of the time (that and I hate Suggestions on my new build threads "DO A SEARCH YOU NEWBS" nothings changed in 2 years AMD still owns (sorry I'm addicted to rageahol /homer.).

 

[FlyGuy]

I work a lot with servers and yanking the cpu when pulling the hsf happens all the time. The stuff they use all the old P3 chips with the heat spreaders is sticky as hell. I've never had it happen with AS5 though. All the chips that were yanked with the hsf worked fine after reinsertion too.