Thread: How do you reinstall a processor thats stuck to the heat sink?

I'm trying to reinstall a Socket 478 processor. I removed the heat sink to clean it out (really filthy) and I noticed that the processor came out with it. How do I put it back in the socket (w/o removing it from the heat sink)? Since it's stuck to the heat sink, it's really hard to know if all of the pins are aligned with the socket or not. I managed to get the heatsink on with the processor. I'm pretty sure it's secure. I put those two pins back into place (the ones that snap into place and hold the heat sink in place. Once I get the fan installed, is it ok for me to power up the desktop again? Are there any risks to powering it up now? Will the processor be ok?

Thanks

I don't think there's a way we can tell from here whether the cpu is seated properly or not. Perhaps these photos will help you decide before you power up.

If it's not seated properly and I do power up, will the cpu be damaged at all? Would I be taking any risks?

If you are not certain, remove the cpu from the heat sink (alcohol, nail polish remover, anything in small quantities that will loosen glue), clean the surfaces, insert the cpu, apply thermal material, and reattach the heat sink.

But that's the problem; I don't have any thermal material. How do I know if the processor is properly seated? I already checked that link you gave me, but it doesn't help since the pics in that link work under the assumption that you have a processor that's not stuck to the heatsink. I need to know how to insert the processor with it already on the heatsink. If I insert it properly, will the heatsink still move around a little bit? Or will it be locked in place?

you can't touch your left elbow with your left hand, and I cannot tell you from here whether you've got the insert right.

If you cannot *see* that it is aligned if you cannot feel it and *know* that it is aligned then you must remove the heat sink and go buy some thermal material.

Otherwise, power it up and find out.

I tried powering it up and I have an orange light on the power button. Nothing happens then I try to turn it on (except for the fact that the power button is orange). Does that basically mean that it's not seated properly? If so, I guess I will have to get that thermal compound.

If you have refitted while CPU is still stuck to heatsink it will NOT be fitted correctly!
If you cannot fit CPU while ZIF locking lever is up, it will not fit. Remove the CPU & HS. Lay them on a firm surface and use a penknife or similar to separate them. Then you will need nail varnish remover, isopropyl alcohol or TIM remover to clean the CPU and heatsink. Then follow the advice on the link given earlier.

A better prevention is, if you find yourself in that position is to twist the heat sink clockwise then anticloskwise to break the attachment between them.

It happed to me once. The processor was stuck on the heatsink on an s478 as well and i ended up with 3-4 bent pins that i had to straighten. There is no way to re-sit the processor in there with out removing in form the heatsink. If you have secured the heatsink on without putting the processor on with the lever open you probably have some bent pins.

Pulling a processor out of the zif socket with the heatsink can ruin the processor. You must get a magnifying glass and look at all the pins carefully.

Make sure they are all there, and none are bent. If you tried to reinstall it, with the heatsink still stuck to it, you have most likely bent pins for sure, and might have even ruined the processor.

When you remove a heatsink, you must twist it left and right firmly, but gently until the heatsink breaks it's bond with the processor, so you don't pull the processor out of the socket....bad, bad, bad if you pull the processor out with the heatsink as you have just did, especially if the zif socket is still locked! Some older processors with small heatsinks you actually could raise the lever while the heatsink was still on, and pull them out together. Newer processors, you cannot do this, the heatsink is too big and prevents you from lifting the lever to release the processor. If you don’t' unlock the processor, you are very lucky if you don't damage, or even pull some pins out of it. You do that, it is toast.

The only thing you can do now is use a sharp knife, and be careful or you will cut your finger off, or stab yourself, and work it under the edge of the processor and pry it off the heatsink. Hopefully none of the pins are damaged. If they are bent, you can take a mechanical pencil and slip over them and straighten them. All of this is tedious work, you must be careful. Do not damage the processor. Work very slowly, very carefully, and gently until you break the bound.

You will need to clean the top of the processor, and the bottom of the heatsink, reapply new thermal paste.

Last but not least, there was absolutely no reason to remove the heatsink to simply clean it. You could have removed the fan, which should have came off easily by taking out 3 or 4 screws on the top, and then a few blasts of compressed air from a can would have done the job nicely.

I managed to get my hand on some thermal material. I will try to separate the heat sink from the processor. I already tried doing the hair dryer trick, but it won't come off at all (keep in mind, this thermal material is about 7 years old). I also heard that isopropyl alcohol will get the old thermal material off. Is there a special manner in which I should apply the isopropyl alcohol? Is it ok it alcohol actually gets on the pins?

It may help to know that to ease separating the processor from the heatsink; you can warm it with a hairdryer. Hand-hot only, don't heat it so much that it's uncomfortable to touch.