Removing SLK-900 Before Shipping?

[daniel1113]

Hey guys,

In about a month, I am heading off to college and will need to ship my computer from Colorado to Pennsylvania. A friend of mine will be the one moving my stuff since he is a pilot, and I will be the one loading and unloading my computer from the plane. However, I am afraid that the SLK-900 will break my motherboard or processor during the trip. Do you think it is necessary to remove the SLK-900 before shipping my computer? I would much rather remove the heatsink for the trip and pay $5 for some AS3 if it could damage the other components. However, this will also take some time to do, so I would like to avoid remounting the heatsink if possible. Thanks.

 

[BG4533]

I would definately remove it. The mounting system of that HS is pretty good, but the weight of the HS is enough to crush the core of your processor. If your friend were to hit some turbulence or something and the computer bounced around you could say goodbye to your processor. It is unlikely that things would be damaged, but I would rather be safe than spending more money on new components.

 

[beatle]

Personally I don't think you'll have a problem if the computer is on its side with the heatsink facing up. It's your hardware, however.

 

[huesmann]

It's not the U version that's bolted down, is it?

 

[INemtsev]

Ha ha funny post...Well I would remove no matter if it holds on clips or screws this thing weighs like half a pound if not more...

 

[daniel1113]

Although I think the processor and motherboard will be fine during normal travel, there is no way to guarantee that the computer will not shift, so I better be on the safe side. I am pretty sure I have enought AS3 left from mounting the heatsink 2 months ago. Looks like I get to clean everything off again too... woohoo!

huesmann - I am not sure if mine is the "u" version or not... what is the difference? I mounted mine directly to my motherboard with the screws and I have a P4 processor.

 

[BG4533]

You have the U version then. The U version has the pin mounting system that screws into the motherboard. The A version has a 3 pin clip like most traditional heat sinks. I think only the U version is available for the P4.

Brian

 

[chocoruacal]

Removing the heatsink should take what....all of 2 minutes?!?! Yes, take it off! Those 900s are heavy suckers

 

[Peter D]

eh, its a heavy heatsink so id say take it off but then again, its bolted on, and its a p4 with a heatspreader which protects the core quite well. still, take it off

 

[sharkeeper]

IF forces are strong enough to cause damage related to the mass of your heatsink, your computer is going to be trashed anyway. Leave it on! The bolt-through heatsinks will be the last thing to fall off! Swiftech's heatsinks are heavier and they threw the whole system out of a second story window! Trashed the case big time but the CPU was fine. This was an AMD CPU at that!

-DAK-

 

[Davegod]

Effort of removing HSF vs perceived risk to cpu ?

Just take it off, its not like its more than a 5min job.

 

[m1ke101]

I just left it on the couple times I transported my computer. That heatsink isn't going to go anywhere or do damage to your motherboard if you pack properly.

 

[MDE]

Better safe than sorry, IMHO

 

[khayyam]

i'm in the same boat, except i'm driving mine and not flying it. and i'm still removing the HS. motherboards should not be subject to that much torque.

of course, i have a zm80a-hp on my 9800 pro, which absoulutely has to come out, so taking the system whole isn't an option anyhow.

 

[Thump553]

Remember he has the bolted on version, so this is much more than a five minute job. He will have to completely remove the motherboard twice, and probably have to disconnect or connect every wire and cable each time. Basically he'd have to completely reassemble his computer when he got to college.

Personally, I'd pack the thing the best I could and hope for the best. I think the absolutely worst that could happen is the cpu gets crushed, and that's pretty unlikely.

 

[daniel1113]

Actually... with the bolt on version, I can remove the heatsink with four screws without having to remove the motherboard. I just leave the brace on the back. The reason I don't want to remove the heatsink is that I will need to clean the thermal paste off, and that takes some time. Maybe I should just fill the entire case with packing popcorn... lol.

 

[GAZZA]

Originally posted by: daniel1113
Actually... with the bolt on version, I can remove the heatsink with four screws without having to remove the motherboard. I just leave the brace on the back. The reason I don't want to remove the heatsink is that I will need to clean the thermal paste off, and that takes some time. Maybe I should just fill the entire case with packing popcorn... lol.

That's not too bad of a suggestion really, but I'd use some bubble wrap instead as those peanuts get everywhere !

 

[BG4533]

I think the peanuts rubbing against each other would create static which would be far worse for the computer.

 

[MDE]

Stuff it with newspaper?