[GTASanAndreas12345]

Hello,

I am running a Pentium E5200 with the stock LGA775 heatsink (you know, the ones with the black pushpins). I want to remove the heatsink to clean it out and apply new thermal paste, but when I try to remove it the white grips remain stuck in the motherboard. Although I have rotated the black pins 90 degrees (in the direction of the arrow) and pulled them up, the white grips don't bulge when I try to pull the heatsink out. I can lift the heatsink about 5 mm off the CPU with the pushpins unlocked, but the white grips don't let me lift it off completely. I don't want to use excessive force because I am worried that I might damage the pins and/or motherboard. I've seen videos of other people pull the white grips out with ease, but for me they seem to be "locked" in place.

Any help will be greatly appreciated.

[Stinky12]

Stock LGA775 coolers has a 4 black knobs that secures the heatsink in place. To remove the cooler, you need to turn the knobs into the unlock position. The unlock position is opposite position of the arrow. Then pull each black knob upwards. After that, the cooler can be easily removed.

[Slamman]

I've commented on my distaste with regard to the push pull pin design, Some of the screw-in variety should work, but are just as much a PITA at times. I like the idea, but pulling it off in actuality has been rather lackluster, but I've never really seen them stick. Turning the upper portion to lock them down basically pushed a plunger down on top of the pin central to removing resistance I believe, so with it up, the top thumb screw section, they should wobble and feel loose to some degree
If you can see the pin from the bottom, try a paper clip or dowel of some sort to push it up from the bottom, don't use excessive force, just keep pressuring and you'll get somewhere with it.

Pliers are recommended for these projects if you use them with care, minimal forcing is always recommended!!

In the typical white Mobo stands (used to mount mobos to cases without screws) that lock through holes in the same fashion, a plier is used to squeeze opposing sides toward the center, or where the hole is that you must extract, if they are unable to squeeze back in, it would prove locked in the method that the HSF uses, as an example that's related

In Stinky's post, you just turned the locking mech to lock and tried to remove the heat sink, which is a simple correction

This post has been edited by Slamman on Thursday, Apr 26 2012, 18:03

[Stinky12]

Turning towards the arrow is in lock position, that for installing. He needs to turn opposite of the arrow to remove the cooler.

[Slamman]

I think they emboss wording on the HSF, I know mine is from Intel, came with the CPU, I wound up buying an 1156 HSF with no use for it! Rather upsetting

[GTASanAndreas12345]

I've managed to remove the white grips using pliers (nothing broke).

[Slamman]

Is yours Intel? If there's a whole where a pin moves, as a dowel itself, you can poke it in the opposite direction to, less stressful then pliers, but the down side is that there's not much to grip when applying needed opposing force, as in a paper clip for example. I try and use precision screw drives, but often they can be too large in diameter. I assume it removed?

Another area of concern is always the thermal paste, it can harden to a cement like grip between CPU and HSF. For this normally the best procedure is gentle side to side twisting, as it become pliable, you can pull with added force in both directions