Noob Mistake - AMD Stock CPU Cooler

[EternalSunKing]

Okay... so my pride is bruised but my spirits are still high. This is my first build after all. 

 

I have a B450 motherboard pair with a Ryzen 5 2600. My aim with the stock cooler was apparently off target. One of the posts didn't line up just right and I know how very important this is. By now, the thermal paste has taken hold to the CPU. Thankfully I immediately looked up youtube on how to remove the stock cooler I know to twist and not pull, for fear for yanking the CPU out of the socket.,

 

Here is my real question. When I do separate the cooler from the motherboard, will i be able to immediately reset the cooler in place or would I be advised to remove the thermal paste and reapply with new. 

 

Again the cooler is currently in place, I have not removed it just yet.

 

Thanks for your help.

[Raudi_]

2 minutes ago, EternalSunKing said:

Okay... so my pride is bruised but my spirits are still high. This is my first build after all. 

 

I have a B450 motherboard pair with a Ryzen 5 2600. My aim with the stock cooler was apparently off target. One of the posts didn't line up just right and I know how very important this is. By now, the thermal paste has taken hold to the CPU. Thankfully I immediately looked up youtube on how to remove the stock cooler I know to twist and not pull, for fear for yanking the CPU out of the socket.,

 

Here is my real question. When I do separate the cooler from the motherboard, will i be able to immediately reset the cooler in place or would I be advised to remove the thermal paste and reapply with new. 

 

Again the cooler is currently in place, I have not removed it just yet.

 

Thanks for your help.

If you remove the cooler clean off the old thermal paste and reapply new.

[suchamoneypit]

You could just reapply the cooler, with the same paste, but the process of removing and putting it back on disturbs the thermal paste so when you put it back on it can create uneven application or air pockets which could affect performance a bit, or barely even noticeable. If you're in a pinch, don't worry about it as long as there is enough paste for good coverage. If its easy enough, you already have the cooler off, just clean off, then reapply the paste for a proper start to finish install.

 

I think your understanding of the paste is wrong. The paste will not "take hold" of the CPU. Its not glue. Poor quality paste over years/decades though tends to harden and cure, and once this happens, then it can have a tendency to really latch onto the CPU. It that case, heating up the heatsink, or turning the system on so the CPU does it for you, will reheat and make the paste loose again. In your case, the only possible force holding it on is suction, and thats likely not holding it to the point where itll take your CPU out with it. Slightly twisting while removing is still proper procedure for a smooth removal though (especially when the paste gets to the point where its hardened and acting like a glue). Applying thermal paste is something new PC builders really get stuck up on and get worried about. Over time you will become much more "casual" with it. Even I was very worried about something like this when I first started learning.

[Imbellis]

Although it's recommended to re-apply every time, you don't really need to do it - you will probably end up with good temperatures anyways.

If you end up with bad temperatures, you can always take it off and reapply again.

 

4 minutes ago, suchamoneypit said:

In your case, the only possible force holding it on is suction, and thats likely not holding it to the point where itll take your CPU out with it. Slightly twisting while removing is still proper procedure for a smooth removal though (and it really helps if the paste is at the point where its holding the CPU and cooler together).  

3

Yeah. I'd recommend shimmying it off a bit - rotating a few degrees to the left and right while pulling up lightly.

[EternalSunKing]

Update. After walking away for 30 mins and clearing my head, I went back to my motherboard and the cooler came off hilariously easy. The paste has been disturbed but is quite even still.

 

Here is what I have noticed. The screws on the stock amd cooler are loaded with springs that click when you turn them. One of which is not clicking like the other three. 

 

At first I was concerned that the mounting plate had possibly been stripped. I don't think this is the case. 

 

Should I give it the old college try and a little more pressure hoping this one screw will start to take hold.

[suchamoneypit]

5 minutes ago, EternalSunKing said:

Update. After walking away for 30 mins and clearing my head, I went back to my motherboard and the cooler came off hilariously easy. The paste has been disturbed but is quite even still.

 

Here is what I have noticed. The screws on the stock amd cooler are loaded with springs that click when you turn them. One of which is not clicking like the other three. 

 

At first I was concerned that the mounting plate had possibly been stripped. I don't think this is the case. 

 

Should I give it the old college try and a little more pressure hoping this one screw will start to take hold.

The springs are there to keep the cooler under tension and also help to prevent over-tightening (to a point, eventually the spring maxes out in compression). Im not an expert on the stock cooler, but dont worry about clicking if the cooler is firmly mounted, thats all that matters. What might be your issue is the screw, with the spring, is too far up to thread in, the spring is holding it up. This happens a lot if you tighten down one side first and then the cooler kinda props up on the opposite side. this can happen even if you only thread it in a few turns. Just make sure once you tighten it down its done evenly. To solve this, you probably just have to push on the screw as your tighten it. This will compress the spring enough to let the screw come down enough to meet the threads and start to thread in, in which case it will thread in with the spring keeping it under tension.

 

Also, on the forum, if you dont quote people, or @EternalSunKing them, they will not be notified of your response, and they will only see it if they stay on that thread until your reply, which is very unlikely (people answer a question and hop to the next thread). I was curious of your update and figured since you were new you wouldn't know this, so I kept an eye on the thread. 

[EternalSunKing]

Update. I gave it another try after closely inspecting all threads. I was happy with what I saw.

 

I started again with a focus on the less clicky screw. It clearly began to thread properly. I even had to back up the screw before proceeding properly with an X pattern. Everything appears to be level and secure. I will be watching my thermals closely I feel great about how everything finally pulled together.

 

Thanks for the moral support.

[EternalSunKing]

@suchamoneypit I experienced exactly what you just described. A little extra pressure on the one screwed allowed it to sync up nicely. It even started to click some.

 

And thank you for the forum etiquette.

[SeptapusIV]

2 hours ago, EternalSunKing said:

Okay... so my pride is bruised but my spirits are still high. This is my first build after all. 

 

I have a B450 motherboard pair with a Ryzen 5 2600. My aim with the stock cooler was apparently off target. One of the posts didn't line up just right and I know how very important this is. By now, the thermal paste has taken hold to the CPU. Thankfully I immediately looked up youtube on how to remove the stock cooler I know to twist and not pull, for fear for yanking the CPU out of the socket.,

 

Here is my real question. When I do separate the cooler from the motherboard, will i be able to immediately reset the cooler in place or would I be advised to remove the thermal paste and reapply with new. 

 

Again the cooler is currently in place, I have not removed it just yet.

 

Thanks for your help.

ya the stock cooler isnt so good on the ryzen 5 2600 i would go with the hyper 212 for better performance or another more pricey after market cooler if you plan on doing something past that 3.9 boost clock which dont think you are cause this is not realy an extreme overclocking kinda chip and one other re consideration when reply thermal paste i would recommend isopropyl alcohol and industrial grade paper towel also i know this wast relay an reply to your main concern and question but the thermal paste most likely isnt your problem with overclocking its most likely that cooler i would expect but if you that concerned about the proper Technic not to little not too much gamer nexus covered this topic and found no difference in thermal when applying different Technics such as dot x thin spreed etc  

[EternalSunKing]

@SeptapusIV all of these are good points and I will keep them in mind. Thanks.

[hello_there_123]

The 212 evo is hard to install and loud, look at the CRYORIG m9a, Deepcool Gammaxx 400 (also a bit loud and hard to install but it's cheaper) and Thermaltake Contac Silent 12.