Hey guys,

Okay, so i am building a new computer from scratch... and the CPU is correctly positioned but for some reason the heatsink won't lock into place.

This is a link to the heatsink i bought (which shows you the grommets which don't work)

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Heatsink-Cooli...QQcmdZViewItem

It physically won't lock into place at all.

I'm wondering if you guys more expert than me know of this being a common problem or any way of routing around it?

Thanks in advance,

Joe

A "new" computer but with a 478 cooler? That does not sound that new to me. What motherboard are you trying to mount this on?

By the way, those are not grommets - these are grommets. What you see there are mounting brackets (or tension arms) and they are to be positioned as shown here:

It's new in the way that all the components are new. It's certainly not running a quad or anything like that!

The board is an ASRock P4VM890 PCI-E Vid/Snd (Socket 478) mATX Motherboard - and will only be running a P4 CPU.

Thanks,

Joe

Did that picture help?

Unfortunately, the manual for your motherboard is not very helpful. You may need to get one of these.

Hey thanks for your reply.

The picture doesn't help all that much due to the mounting brackets being different.



This is what they look like. The manual, as you say, doesn't help at all.

I'm afraid that within the next 5 mins the heatsink will be at the bottom of my stairs in pieces

The brackets are the same - or close enough anyway. Note they do take some force to get them to clamp in.

Thanks for your replies but still it refuses to go in.

What's strange is that you can actually get one side to clamp in, but when that side is clamped in okay, the whole thing lurches to that side, and then you can't get the other side clamped down.

I'm not sure what to do.

Is it because it's a 99p job from Hong Kong?

Thanks,

Joe

Is it because it's a 99p job from Hong Kong?

Could be. If it takes that much force, you could crush the CPU die. You could try pre-bending the brackets outside the case to reduce the force required, or go for a new HSF assembly - making sure it is designed for your CPU. Nevertheless, it does take some finesse to get those securely fastened so I can't say you will not have similar problems with a new fan. You may have to attempt to attach both brackets at the same time to apply equal forces to either side. And there's always a danger your insertion tool (screwdriver) will slip and gouge a canyon across the motherboard.

While we are at it, you are applying a nice thin layer of TIM (thermal interface material) before attempting to mount the fan, right?

Thanks for your advice.

I'm still stuck though - this is a real weird one. No matter what you do... it's being a pain.

Funnily enough, i haven't applied any paste - i only have a very small amount and thought that it'd be wasting it seen as it won't go on anyway.

Will it actually affect it being locked into place? Or does it purely provide a method of heat transfer for the CPU into the heatsink?

Thanks,

Joe.

Funnily enough, i haven't applied any paste

That's not funny at all! You must use TIM to ensure all the microscopic pits and valleys in the mating surfaces are void of heat trapping air. If you only have a little, then once you get this mounting problem sorted out, pull the HSF one last time, clean the surfaces of old and apply a fresh layer before applying power.

There are adhesive types of TIM, but they are not for CPUs.

Below is my canned text on TIM:
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An often misunderstood and sometimes overlooked critical hardware component is thermal interface material or TIM. TIM is typically seen as a thermal pad on a CPU heatsink fan (HSF), or in paste form. It may also be called thermal grease, silicon grease, heat transfer compound, thermal paste, heat sink compound, or goop.

Sadly, three common mistakes made by beginning PC enthusiasts are:

1. They neglect using any type of TIM
2. They apply way too much TIM
3. They do not remove the old and apply a new application of TIM after removing the HSF

The purpose of TIM is to only fill in all the microscopic pits and valleys on the CPU die and heat sink mating surfaces in order to push out any heat insulating air trapped between the surfaces, maximizing surface to surface contact. Any excess is too much and gets in the way, and can actually be counterproductive to the heat transfer process.

Materials Needed: One clean plastic shaft Q-Tip (cotton swab), acetone or 91% Isopropyl alcohol (note - most rubbing alcohol is 70% and leaves a film, 91% alcohol can be found at your local drug store), clean scissors, can of compressed air, and the TIM. I recommend using a silver or ceramic based compound such as Arctic Silver 5 or Arctic Silver Ceramique.

WARNING: Keep yourself grounded with the case to ensure there is no static buildup and discharge that might destroy any electrostatic discharge (ESD) sensitive devices. It is important to realize that the "threshold for human awareness" for a static shock is higher than the tolerance of ESD sensitive devices. In other words, you can shock and destroy a CPU, RAM module, or other sensitive device, without even knowing there was a static discharge! Use an anti-static wrist-strap or frequently touch bare metal on the case to maintain your body at the same potential as chassis (case) ground.

Preparation: Power off and unplug the computer from the wall. Cut off one cotton swap near the end. Bend the plastic shaft about 1/2 inch from the cut end to make a nice little hockey stick. Clean the die and heat sink mating surfaces with a soft, lint free cloth dampened (note dripping wet ) with acetone or 91% alcohol using. Do not let any fluids run down the sides of the CPU did. Blast the surfaces with a quick blast of compressed air to ensure no lint or dust remains behind, and the surface is dry.

Application: Apply one "drop" of paste on the corner of the die and spread it out across the die with the Q-Tip application device, like spreading icing on a cake. Spread the paste as thin as possible while ensuring complete coverage. It is easier to add more than remove excess.

Note: Depending on the type of TIM used, it can take 2 - 5 days or longer (depending on the power/heat up-cool down cycles) for the TIM to cure and reach optimum effectiveness. A 2 – 4°C drop in average temperatures may be realized after curing.

Note: A new HSF may come with a thermal interface pad already applied. Those pads consist of mostly paraffin, which is supposed to melt and squirm out of the way when the CPU heats up for the first time. Thermal pads are certainly better than no TIM at all, but they are not as effective as silver or ceramic based compounds. Do not use a sharp or metal object to remove the pad. A fingernail will work fine, removing any residue with acetone or alcohol.

Note: Do not reuse a thermal pad or paste once it has cured. Remove the old TIM, clean the mating surfaces, and apply a fresh application of new TIM.

Note: Thermal adhesive is a specific type of TIM used to permanently or semi-permanently glue heatsinks to devices that have no other heatsink mounting mechanism. Thermal adhesive is NOT intended to be used between a CPU and the CPU heatsink.