Socket 478 CPU.... Stuck?

[stevo1210]

Hello Everyone,

I have a curious question.... i have a few socket 478 computers around here and theres one i want to remove the Pentium 4 processor from.
Well im a bit concerned about my CPU sticking to the heatsink on removal.... i wonder how i can stop that from happening.
Before i replaced the processor in one of the computers and went to pull off the clamshell Pentium 4 HSF then my processor yanked itself out of the socket and was stuck onto the heatsink.... even though the socket was still in lock mode!!. Well i did remove the processor off with a flat head screwdriver.... but i want to prevent this from happening again.
It just scares me that those pins may break if this happens again.... i had one solution and that was to use the PC and get the CPU hot so removal could be easier.... i wonder if that was a good solution.

Anyone got any other ideas so that i dont pull the CPU with the heatsink on removal?

Also just another little question.... I have a Pentium 4 2.4GHz Socket 478 CPU thats just lying around on my table, anyone got an idea to a good place i could store it so that the pins dont break and that static doesnt kill it. I could only think of a Cardboard box.... I bought the processor with a layer of foam covering it.... i cant find that piece of foam anymore so i have to find a better place to put it. Any ideas to a good place it can be stored?

Thanks.

[willawake]

Re: Socket 478 CPU.... Stuck?

was the stuck one using arctic silver 5? i have experienced that
just have to do it very slow and try to wiggle it a bit.
if you hear an odd sound you know the whole thing is coming out.......just make sure you are pulling it all up not up and down

i just store procs in little cardboard boxes that jewelery comes from the store in (chicks are great sources for these, they have tons). never experienced static probs....

[Galvanized]

Re: Socket 478 CPU.... Stuck?

I think you're worrying too much about how the CPU gets stored. Put it in an anti-static bag that a HDD came in = done.

Pre-heating is the way to go, just run a stress test for awhile. If the board is out of the case or a stress test can't be run, for whatever reason, pre-heat it with a hair dryer set on low fan/hi heat. Putting a cardboard dam around the HS really helps to contain the heat and keep it off the caps. Then just twist or rock back and forth while tilting the sink.
Any bent pins can be straightened with a .5mm mechanical pencil, as it will fit the pins just right, and a stiff creditcard.

[dood]

Re: Socket 478 CPU.... Stuck?

I run into this all the time on Dells. Preheating is a good idea... softens the thermal pad.

[stevo1210]

Re: Socket 478 CPU.... Stuck?

Thanks Everyone,

The processor was stuck to the original paste/thermal pad that came with the original Intel heatsink and fan. For now i'll just put it inside the cardboard box i bought my graphics card in.... i guess that will work.

Thanks.

[MD Willington]

Re: Socket 478 CPU.... Stuck?

I run into this all the time on Dells. Preheating is a good idea... softens the thermal pad.

Yep, Prime 95 that sucker for a while and it softens right up...

[stevo1210]

Re: Socket 478 CPU.... Stuck?

Well i've got a little question concerning the socket 478 CPU

[stevo1210]

Re: Socket 478 CPU.... Stuck?

Hello everyone,

Well i've got a little question concerning the socket 478 CPU. I had a 2.4GHz processor stuck to a heatsink a short while ago and i used a screwdriver and pried it off in one go.... it was one of the medium size flathead ones, all it needed was one twist of the screwdriver and it came straight off.
I was wondering if i could have damaged it in any way.... The metal bit on the top (i'm guessing this is a die) still sticks to the green PCB and i can't find any break or scratches in the area where the PCB meets the metal die (That black glue substance around the die is all intact).

The processor still works fine and boots fine too. Been gaming with it too. I heard that i may have cracked a solder joint or something like that?.... i wonder if thats true.

Thanks.

[Spacedye69]

Re: Socket 478 CPU.... Stuck?

The metal bit is a heat spreader. It makes contact with the die in the center with super glue like thermal compound. If the chip works, then it should be fine.

[stevo1210]

Re: Socket 478 CPU.... Stuck?

Oh so it's called a heat spreader. I heard it was held together with epoxy....
Theres something that kinda scares me.... Could that epoxy have come loose in small areas and broken any traces by ripping wires of the PCB? ( I believe epoxy is very strong and could have ripped some traces) while i got a screwdriver and twisted it to seperate the chip from the HSF?

Albeit from that it still works fine so are there any possibilities of small broken traces under the glue?

It wasn't my idea to screwdriver it off.... a website showed me that it was the quickest option, apart from using a blade and heating the heatsink up.

I think i'm starting to worry a bit too much now?



Thanks.

[stevo1210]

Re: Socket 478 CPU.... Stuck?

Forgot to add....

CPU boots and runs well in two PCs.... One with a HSF clamped down, the other with the HSF unclampped and just sitting on top of the chip....
Can i guess that everything should be OK now?

Thanks.

[kc8adu]

Re: Socket 478 CPU.... Stuck?

if you had damaged it you would know.
i have seen overclockers remove the spreader and expose the die .
that way the die is directly on the hsf removing the thermal resistance of another joint.
btw if a cpu sticks to the hsf i heat it with a heatgun and very gently pry an edge.

[stevo1210]

Re: Socket 478 CPU.... Stuck?

I have an unrelated question now....
Do i need to apply any thermal contact compounds to the processor? right now i'm just using a bare heatsink with no thermal compound and the temperature is on 35 degrees celcius at idle. It maxes out at about 55 degrees celcius when gaming.

I was wondering if that cheap $3AUD white thermal stuff would work....

Thanks.

[willawake]

Re: Socket 478 CPU.... Stuck?

thermal compound is used to fill in the defects in the heatsink. it is usually less thermally conductive than metal which is why only a thin layer is best. i think you should add some but get some good stuff liike a little tube of arctic silver, its not very expensive.

[stevo1210]

Re: Socket 478 CPU.... Stuck?

Arctic Silver? is that the stuff that the really conductive silver stuff inside a small syringe thing? I see it all the time at my computer supplier's place.

Would Arctic Silver be wise on a Pentium 4 socket 478 processor? Theres this hole on the heatspreader.... i wonder what happens if some of that stuff goes down that hole....

I've heard a few stories where people wreck thier computer components by putting too much of that stuff on....

[linuxguru]

Re: Socket 478 CPU.... Stuck?

Arctic Silver is not conductive - it consists of silver particles suspended in a non-conductive oil. However, it is mildly capacitive, so you should avoid spreading it near traces, etc. In any event, you only need a very tiny quantity of it, spread in a thin film on both surfaces.

[willawake]

Re: Socket 478 CPU.... Stuck?

apparently ceramique is neither conductive or capacitive
http://www.arcticsilver.com/ceramique.htm
i have been using this recently

here is the other one
http://www.arcticsilver.com/as5.htm

not sure which is best

[stevo1210]

Re: Socket 478 CPU.... Stuck?

lol.... They look to be much better than the $2 tube of "Heatsink Plaster" that my father bought for his computer.

[gonzo0815]

Re: Socket 478 CPU.... Stuck?

Hm, i am not convinced about AS paste, as it tends to move and make uncovered spots realy soon. I switched completly to the AS ceramique, as this paste should not do that (or was it the AC Alumina?...any way, Ceramique was that, i could obtain). Weel se how it works. But both pasts are realy sticky.
BTW, has anyone tried the liquid metall? iam interested in the long therm stability of this solution, as some people reported that the metall will form a kind of alloy with the metal of the cooler, and this will harden over time.

[stevo1210]

Re: Socket 478 CPU.... Stuck?

Hmm.... I'd like Some Arctic silver though.... havent used it before....
Liquid Metal? that sound kinda like quicksilver/mercury?