Probably, many of us argued over the question: what is the main thing in a computer? Some said that it was a hard drive, because it stores all the information, others said about RAM, without which we could not manage the files that are stored on the hard drive. But the answer is very simple and obvious. The most important thing in a computer is, of course, its processor. With the help of this block, we synchronize all installed devices on the computer, and their correct operation depends entirely on the state of the processor. Sooner or later, but there comes a time when the processor has outlived its allotted time, and the time comes to replace the "brain" of the computer with a more advanced one.
Removing the processor
To know how to remove the processor, you need to carefully read our mini-instructions:
- First of all, we must disconnect the system unit from the network. Remember, you don't just need to turn off your computer; you need to unplug it from the mains by unplugging the power cord.
- Next, you need to remove the side case cover.
- Disconnect the wires going to the processor. These are the power wires.
- Before, you must first inspect its design. Usually, the fastening method is the pressure levers, which are located on different sides. By pressing these levers, we move them away from each other and free the structure from the processor. The processor itself also has a small pressure arm. We take it away and remove the processor.
- Do not forget that with the correct relative position of the processor over its place (socket), it should easily fail there. Next, secure it with a lever.
- Do not forget that before installing the cooler, you need to put thermal paste on the processor surface, which protects it from overheating.
How to remove a radiator?
The heatsink is designed to dissipate the heat generated by the processor. They also lose their properties and need to be replaced. To find out how to remove the heatsink from the processor, you must first establish the type of its attachment, and they are:
- on caps or latches (in most cases);
- using a clamping bracket;
- on hot melt glue (found on cheap devices).
If the radiator is on caps, then it is not difficult to remove it. You need access to the back of the board, squeezing the antennae of the piston and pressing on it, you release it and do this operation with all the latches. Next, remove the radiator and change or change the thermal paste. If the heatsink is pinned down by the brackets, you will need a screwdriver. The main task is to bend the bracket away from the fastener hole. This operation requires physical force, watch carefully, do not damage the device with a screwdriver, which may come off. Removing the heatsink from the glue is a very difficult operation because both the board and the processor can be damaged. The only way out is to heat the hot melt glue. However, this should be done carefully, since strong heating can be fatal for the chipset.
Removing the fan from the processor
Dust is the enemy of the computer, especially fans suffer from it. There are usually three fans in a computer. One is in the power supply, the other is on the video card. The third is a fan on the processor, which gets clogged with dust and does not cool it well, which is then displayed on the computer.
First you need to determine the type of attachment. There are two types: screws and latches. If it is a screw, then carefully unscrew it with a screwdriver and remove. When fastening in the form of a latch, you just need to pull back the two levers and remove the fan. Now you have learned how to remove the fan from the processor and the processor itself.
This article will tell you how to properly and safely remove the cooler from the processor. Trying to rip off a fan stuck to the CPU has a great chance of damaging the "heart" of your computer. How can you avoid this? I will try to describe the correct algorithm and possible situations, drove.
How to remove the fan from the processor: the sequence of actions.
1. The computer must be completely disconnected from the network before starting. This is understandable, but another matter: is it worth waiting for complete cooling?
Let the radiator cool down - opinions differ.
On the one hand, this is true: the CPU can heat up to 90 degrees, you will burn your hands. But at high temperatures, the thermal grease that is between the processor and the fan more malleable; in other words, in a dry state, removing the cooler can become a real problem. But this does not work for all types of thermal pastes. It won't work with KPT-8: it is pasty at any temperature.
I advise you to remove the fan when the radiator is still not completely cool. When you touch it, your hand will be warm, but not hot.
2. Turn off the power supply to the cooler.
To do this, pull the plug strictly vertically.
Any loosening is unacceptable. Break the needle.
3. Remove the fan mount.
The type of fastener depends on the motherboard and each specific device. Some computers use staples, others use some kind of latches. At first, it seems like a problem, but in fact - nothing too complicated.
If there are bolts, then they should be unscrewed against clockwise.
4. Above was the prelude, now we will perform the action itself. When everything is disconnected, take out the cooler with the heatsink. And then they will come. PROBLEMS.
With a 90% chance, the CPU literally stuck to cooling. Because of the thermal paste. Be extremely careful: wobble up and down, left and right, clockwise, etc. Gradually increase strength and amplitude. It is prohibited to rush or to exert excessive efforts at once.
Do not be surprised or intimidated if, together with the cooling, you remove the processor from the native socket.
P.S. turning on the computer without a fan is to kill the processor. With a guarantee and a test shot. Do not do like this. Also, do not be lazy before assembling.
Suddenly, the computer stopped turning on, an autopsy showed the presence of a swollen electrolytic capacitor along the +5 V power supply circuit on the motherboard. I had to start replacing the capacitor.
When I removed the motherboard, I was extremely surprised at its strong bend in the processor installation area. I attached a ruler and realized that if urgent measures were not taken, I would soon have to buy a new system unit.
Why does the motherboard flex?
I have already known cases of motherboard failure due to bending. Since the conductive paths on the motherboard are very narrow and thin, they stretch and microcracks form in them. From temperature drops due to linear expansion of materials, microcracks gradually turn into cracks. The track is broken and the board stops working. At first, the computer starts to freeze from time to time, then more and more often, and a moment comes when it stops working forever.
Such a motherboard cannot be repaired, as it has up to seven layers, and it is almost impossible to find a torn track. You have to replace it with a new one, and additional costs arise, since most likely the processor, memory modules and other cards installed on the old motherboard will not be installed on the new motherboard, since there are no longer the necessary connectors. In practice, you have to buy a new system unit, although the old one was quite suitable for your tasks.
When studying the device for pressing the radiator to the processor, it became clear that the deformation of the motherboard is due to its illiterate (or deliberate) design. The heatsink is pressed against the processor, and the engagement holes for creating the pressure of the heatsink against the processor are also located on the printed circuit board away from the processor installation site. Thus, the processor presses on the board in one direction, and the heatsink engagement points in the opposite direction. This leads to deformation of the motherboard.
To eliminate deformation, it is necessary that the acting and the opposing forces that are applied to the motherboard from different sides are on the same axis, this requirement was the starting point for modernizing the design of the radiator pressure device that does not deform the motherboard.
As you can see, the plastic retainers have been replaced by spring-loaded screws, but not only this difference. The design uses a metal plate and a dielectric thrust bearing. Screws are screwed into the plate, and the plate rests with the thrust bearing instead of installing the processor. Thus, the conditions for deformation of the motherboard are excluded.
Upgrading the processor heatsink mounting system
In the photo you can see the assembled modernized clamping device. Its design is so simple that it can be repeated by almost any person with minimal skills in material processing.
First, a metal plate is made of steel or aluminum alloy with a size of 85 × 85 mm and a thickness of 3 mm. The thickness of the plate is determined by the required mechanical strength. Dimensions are for GIGABYTE GA81915P-G motherboard clamping device. Four holes with a diameter of 3.5 mm are drilled symmetrically at the corners of the plate at a distance of 72 mm around the perimeter from each other and an M4 thread is cut into them.
Next, a square dielectric plate with a size of 50 × 50 mm and a thickness of 1.5 mm is made. The thickness of the plate is determined by the gap, which must be provided to prevent the metal plate from touching the solders on the motherboard. I cut out of foil fiberglass with metal scissors.
It remains to glue the plates together with any suitable glue or double-sided tape and the structure is ready. Before gluing, it is necessary to attach the processor to the soldering site and see if the protrusion of the rations or soldered radioelements will interfere. If they interfere, then in the insulating plate you need to make a sample or drill holes in the places where they touch. The plate should lie flat on the board. After gluing, you must again attach the resulting combined plate and check if the metal part will touch the places of the rations of electrolytic capacitors. There are usually a lot of them around the processor. All protruding legs must be cut with side cutters. It remains to pick up screws, springs and washers.
It was not possible to find ready-made springs for compression of the required diameter and stiffness, and it was necessary to modify the most suitable spring for tension. Of course, you can do without springs by placing plastic washers, but then it is difficult to get a perfect fit of the heatsink to the processor surface. I made the springs from one spring from the stretching of the ground wire of the monitor tube. Such springs are used in any CRT TV. The inner diameter of such a spring is 5 mm, the wire diameter is about 0.5 mm.
In order to stretch the spring, you need to thread two screwdrivers into its rings at the ends or grab it with two pliers and pull very slowly to the sides with a slight effort until you feel that the metal has "succumbed". Let go of the spring and see what happens. The step of winding the spring should be about 1 mm, if less, repeat the operation. In the event of a mistake, there are usually four springs in the CRT, so there is something to practice on. Cut the stretched spring with pliers into pieces of eight turns long.
It remains to select four screws with a M4 thread, 20 mm long.
I used beautiful screws to tighten the yoke of the deflection system on the neck of the CRTs. But any will do, you just have to put standard washers on each side of the spring.
The hardware kit for upgrading the processor heat sink hold-down device is now ready. Everything is ready to install the new mounting device, but first you need to dismantle the old one.
How to remove a processor heatsink attached to clips
To install the prepared new processor heatsink hold-down device, the heatsink must be removed. The radiator is fixed to the lugs with four plastic clips. To release them, you need to insert a flat-blade screwdriver into the slot of each clip, and turn its movable part counterclockwise by 90 °.
Then, pressing the radiator from above with your hand, pull the moving parts of the clips up in turn. The locking pins will come out of the gap between the tabs and the heatsink will slide up easily.
On the left in the photo, the pin pushed the latches apart, and they are securely fixed in the board. In the center, the movable black part of the clip is lifted up. On the right, the pin has released the latches, they no longer catch on the board, and the heatsink can be easily removed. Further, the clips are removed from the radiator mounting lugs, they are no longer needed.
How to remove a cooler from a processor heatsink
Coolers on processor heatsinks are usually attached in two ways: - using latches and screws.
How to remove a cooler from a processor
fixed with latches
After the radiator is removed, it is necessary to detach the cooler from it and clean the fins of the radiator from dust. The cooler also needs to be cleaned of dust and, if necessary, lubricate the bearings with graphite grease.
To remove the cooler from the radiator, you need to squeeze out with a flat-blade screwdriver two rather tight latches located diametrically opposite.
How to remove a cooler from a processor
fixed with screws
On some modern motherboards, the processor heatsink is secured with four long screws, as described above when upgrading the mount.
The board is not deformed, but if you need to lubricate the noisy cooler, you have to remove the heatsink as well, since the cooler is fixed to the heatsink with common screws.
For the convenience of installing the cooler and radiator, grooves are made on the screws in which figured lock washers are fixed, and in order to remove the cooler for lubrication, you must first remove them.
To do this, place a radiator with a cooler on the edge of the table so that the wine can move freely along the axis without resting on the table surface. Next, you need to put a block of wood or plywood on the screw so as not to spoil the thread, and apply a few blows with a hammer.
When removing the washers, you must be careful so that the springs do not fly away, otherwise you will have to look for them for a long time. The cooler is removed and you can start cleaning it from dust and greasing.
The cooler is installed on the radiator in the reverse order. Springs are put on the screws, they are threaded through the mounting holes of the cooler and radiator. Next, lock washers are put on the screws and set in their original place.
To put the fixing washer on the screw, you need to pick up a piece of tube or a nut that fits freely over the entire length of the screw.
Further, the vice needs to be adjusted so that there is a distance between their jaws slightly larger than the diameter of the screw. Hammer blows on the head of the screw hammer it into the lock washer until it sits in the groove.
If you don't have a vise at hand, then you can take a pipe or a few nuts. The length of the tube or the total thickness of the nuts should be slightly more than the length of the screw from the start of the thread to the groove.
It is possible not to put the fixing washers on the screws, but in this case it will be very inconvenient to install a heatsink with a cooler on the processor.
The processor heatsink and cooler are assembled and it remains only to install them on the motherboard processor, not forgetting to evenly smear the old thermal paste on the surface of the processor and heatsink (if it is not dry) or apply fresh.
How to apply thermally conductive paste
The old thermally conductive paste from the processor and the contact surface of the heatsink must be completely removed, as it thickens over time, and if you install the heatsink without replacing the paste, the efficiency of heat dissipation from the processor will be lower.
It is better not to take the processor out of the crib, but if necessary, it is enough to move the lever aside and lift it up, then open the clamping frame and remove the processor.
The thermally conductive paste is made on the basis of silicone and can be easily removed with a cotton cloth. It is enough to press the fabric to the surface and rub it well.
Before applying a new thermally conductive paste, you need to check the device for fastening the radiator, install the radiator and tighten it with screws. If everything went well, you can proceed to the final installation of the heatsink on the processor. Since the contact surfaces of the processor and heatsink have good flatness, it is enough to apply a thin layer of thermally conductive paste on them. There are no requirements for uniformity of application, since the paste has a soft consistency and spreads well when pressed.
I apply with a screwdriver blade. Thermally conductive paste can be purchased at any computer store. Served in tubes or syringes. One milliliter will be enough for application.
Installing a heatsink on a processor
Now you can start installing the radiator. Place the heatsink on the processor, orienting it so that you have access to the cooler latches, then, if you need to lubricate or replace it, you will be able to remove the cooler without removing the heatsink. The holes in the heatsink mounting tabs must be exactly above the holes in the motherboard.
It remains to tighten four screws, and the radiator will be installed in its place. To ensure even pressure, the ends of all screws must protrude the same length from the metal plate. To create the required pressure of the heatsink to the processor surface, the springs must be compressed at least half their length.
After the installers on the cooler radiator and connecting it to the motherboard, the modernization of the device for pressing the radiator to the processor on the motherboard can be considered complete.
If the system unit of the computer does not provide for cooling the processor by supplying air from the environment, then I recommend to work a little more by modifying the processor cooling system as described in the article on the site
Welcome friends to my website, today we'll talk about a cooler. We can say that every user of a personal computer knows what a cooler is and almost every user had to remove a cooler to clean it from dust or install a new one. Let's consider the process of how to remove a cooler, how to install a cooler and a processor.
A cooler is a radiator designed to cool a heated device. It consists of thin metal plates and a fan.
When the processor is under load, the platters heat up, and the fan's air flow cools these platters, thereby preventing the system from heating up.
Coolers are different: noisy, silent, weak, powerful. Basically, the quality of a cooler is judged by its noise levels. A good cooler is considered to be a cooler in which the noise level fluctuates in the range of 20 decibels, it's like listening to a person speaking in a whisper at a distance of 1 meter from you.
Cooler removal process
This article will be useful especially for beginners when cleaning the cooler from dust, which must be done at least once a month and when replacing the thermal paste.
Before proceeding, you must completely disconnect the processor from the power source. Each system unit has a removable cover on the side, we unscrew two screws on the rear panel and remove the cover.
As we said above, coolers are different not only in power and comfort, but also in appearance. Some models are attached to the motherboard with one latch, while others sit on four legs, see the picture below
In my case, the cooler is mounted on one latch. Carefully remove the cooler and disconnect the wires. In particular, when removing the cooler, the processor underneath sticks and is removed together with the cooler.
We separate the processor from the cooler carefully without any sudden movements. Make sure that the feet on the processor are not deformed in any way, otherwise the computer will not turn on.
And now you need to clean the cooler from dust. For this we need a brush or compressed air. You also need to check the thermal paste on the cooler, if it is completely dry, then you need to change it to a new one in order to avoid overheating the system.
Cooler installation process
The first step is to install the processor. Here you need to be careful and very careful. The process and the processor socket have markings to properly place the processor in place. Look at the picture
Raise the handbrake 90 degrees, insert the processor and lower the handbrake to its previous position.
Do not put pressure on the processor, otherwise, you will deform the micro-leg on the processor. If for some reason you have deformed the leg, do not panic, we will try to fix it in its original place. We take the processor and look at the row of legs where we made the deformations, and try to make sure that the leg does not stick out from the row of the other legs. We carry out such a process from the other side. If you do not understand what the speech is about, write in the comments.
Now we have put the processor in place. And now you need to put the cooler fixing the processor in the center of the cooler.
If you did everything correctly, the cooler sits down smoothly. When installing the cooler, do not press in any way, otherwise the processor will be damaged.
The final finishing touch is to connect the wires to the fan on the old connector.
That's all friends, now you have in your hands a competent instruction on how to remove a cooler, how to install a cooler and a processor.
If something doesn't work out for you or if you have any questions, write in the comments. I hope the information was useful until next time!
How to remove a cooler from a processor- a cooler is a combination of a fan and a radiator that acts as air cooling for the central processor in a computer. In the event of a cooler malfunction, the processor will quickly heat up from the power allocated by it, as a result of which it may fail. Therefore, each user needs to be able to do it right without damaging anything.
general information
In modern computers, there are several categories of coolers with different mounting systems. Here is a list of them:
Fixing with screws. In this case, the cooler is attached to the heatsink using special slotted screws for a small screwdriver.
Fastening with a special locking mechanism installed on the base of the radiator. The equipment fastened in this way can be easily removed and installed. When removing it, you just need to move the latches a little to the side.
Another design of the fastening mechanism is made using a groove. Dismantling the cooler is also quite easy, you just need to move the lever to the side. In some designs of the mount for manipulating the lever, a special clip is provided, which is included with the cooler. You can also use a screwdriver.
There are types of coolers that are made in one piece with a heatsink, and many do not know how to remove the cooler from the processor... In this case, it will be necessary to remove the radiator together with the fan. As a rule, the option of dismantling this component becomes clear upon first inspection.
We advise you to perform all these actions on a free site, where you can freely manipulate the body. Do not forget, before starting work inside the system unit, be sure to disconnect the wire from the mains voltage socket! If a laptop is supposed to be repaired, then in addition to disconnecting the power cord, you also need to remove the battery.
Instructions for performing step-by-step actions
In the event that you are working on a personal computer, it is advisable to place the case of the system unit in a horizontal plane. Since in this position it is more convenient to work and the possibility of accidental falling out of the slots of components is excluded. Be sure to remove all accumulated dust inside the case!
Now the sequence of steps when dismantling the cooler:
The first step is to disconnect the supply voltage wire from the fan. To do this, carefully remove the wire from the corresponding connector. In some models, it is absent, since the supply voltage is supplied to the connector in which the radiator and cooler are installed.
Next, we dismantle the radiator together with the fan. Use a screwdriver to loosen the screws and set them aside. After removing the screws, take the heatsink with one hand and lightly move it to the right and left, and then remove the heatsink together with the fan upwards. If the fastening is made using a lever or latches, then just move them to the side and remove the radiator.
When the radiator cannot be removed, then most likely the heat-conducting paste on the processor has dried out from the high temperature and formed a kind of scale. It is precisely this scale that prevents the heatsink from separating freely from the processor. In order not to forcibly pull out the heat sink, but to remove it in a more gentle way, for this you need to warm up the junction of the heat sink with the processor well with a hairdryer.
How to remove a cooler from a processor. Correct actions.
