8RDA+ .... and northbridge question

[Shimmishim]

how do you remove the northbridge heatsink on the epox 8rda+?

i'd like to add some arctic silver 3 to it if possible

 

[Insane3D]

Just pop out the two little spring mounted push pins that hold it on. Turn the board upside down, squeeze the the bottom of the plastic pin together and push it out. Pull the HS off and clean off the pink goo, finish it up with some alcohol, apply AS3, and reinstall.

 

[k1114]

I better do that tomorrow, gonna remove the mobo to put my new chip in (heatsink removal is dangerous in the case)

 

[Shimmishim]

Originally posted by: Insane3D
Just pop out the two little spring mounted push pins that hold it on. Turn the board upside down, squeeze the the bottom of the plastic pin together and push it out. Pull the HS off and clean off the pink goo, finish it up with some alcohol, apply AS3, and reinstall.

i've tried.. it seems a lil more difficult then that...

 

[Insane3D]

It's probably because that goo acts like adhesive sometimes if the board has been run for awhile. You may need to use a bit of force to pull it off the northbridge once the plastic pins are released. If that still doesn't work, let me know. I've got something else for you to try.


I've done the same thing with two 8RDA+'s in the past few days and it was pretty simple.

 

[Shimmishim]

Originally posted by: Insane3D
It's probably because that goo acts like adhesive sometimes if the board has been run for awhile. You may need to use a bit of force to pull it off the northbridge once the plastic pins are released. If that still doesn't work, let me know. I've got something else for you to try.


I've done the same thing with two 8RDA+'s in the past few days and it was pretty simple.

I meant getting the plastic pins out.... maybe i should try harder ... .... once i remove the pins, the heatsink i guess just doesn't pop off... what after i add AS3 to the heatsink, will i need something else to keep the heatsink in place besides the pins like epoxy of some sort?

 

[Insane3D]

Yeah, sometimes those pins can be a real PITA.. Here is how I get the pins to come out. I use a small needle nose plier to squeeze the gap closed. Be careful when doing this not to scratch the boards PCB with the pliers. I have a pair that I wrapped the jaws with electrical tape to avoid any damage from slipping. Once I've go the pins ends squeezed together, I use the plastic end of a screw driver to pop it through the board.

This method should work for even the most PITA pins. Once you have AS3 on there, the pins will be sufficient to hold the HS on.

 

[Shimmishim]

cool.... i''ll try that

 

[Bagheera786]

Removing the heatsink seems to require more force...you mentioned something else to try, Insane, is it a solvent of some sort? btw, I've got the plastic pins out...


on a second note, is this operation necessary and/or advisable? I'd heard of 8rda+ northbridges overheating somewhere (actually, to be accurate, only one mobo...I doubt that it's a widespread problem)...will replacing the current goo w/ AS3 prevent this problem? btw, I have yet to turn this mobo on...

 

[Insane3D]

Removing the heatsink seems to require more force...you mentioned something else to try, Insane, is it a solvent of some sort? btw, I've got the plastic pins out...

There is some pink thermal compound between the HS and the NB and you need to pull sort of hard to get it off. I have found rocking it back and forth slowly releases the goo's hold on the HS. Once you get it off, scrape as much of the goo off the HS and the NB with your fingernail, then remove the rest with some solvent. I personally use regular carb and choke cleaner from the local Wal-Mart.

Once all the pink stuff is off, finish it up with some alcohol to remove any residue left by the solvent.

 

[lumen]

 

[Bagheera786]

Well, I got the heatsink off, and since alcohol itself didn't seem to be effective, I scraped it off with a credit card as much as possible, and then lapped the heatsink itself a little bit, but I couldn't get the goo's residue off of the northbridge itself...I just went ahead w/ AS3, I'm just hoping for the best, whenever my heatsink arrives....