AMD FX 8350 Fused to heatsink

[CyDone]

Hi everyone.  Story is, my buddy wanted me to clean out his computer.  RIP everything out and hit it with compressed air.  Well, I go to take the heatsink off the CPU and the whole thing pops out.  Not uncommon for AM3+ CPUs, at least in my experience.  But, the CPU is now fused to the heatsink.  

 

Tried twisting while pulling.  Tried soaking some dental floss in rubbing alcohol and working through it....but after like 40-ish mins of doing this, I've gotten MAYBE a couple of millimeters under one of the corners.

 

I've read on a couple of different forums that literally soaking the CPU in 91% isopropyl alcohol to get it to pop loose....but I am leary of doing this for obvious reasons lol.  He doesn't have a heat gun and neither do I.  

 

So, has anyone tried the 91% isopropyl alcohol method?  Will it kill the CPU?  Are there any other methods that work?  Thanks guys and gals.

[Rallenhayestime]

how the fuck

[ProjectBox153]

Have you tried (I assume you have) gently prying it off? I've had to do that before. No damage. 

[CyDone]

1 minute ago, Rallenhayestime said:

how the fuck

He hasn't changed the thermal compound since he and another friend built it like 6-7 years ago LOL

[emosun]

4 minutes ago, CyDone said:

He doesn't have a heat gun and neither do I.  

hair dryer?

 

might also be able to pry it off with a precision flat head screw driver 

[CyDone]

Just now, Jamiec1130 said:

Have you tried (I assume you have) gently prying it off? I've had to do that before. No damage. 

Yeah.  Gently pulling with twisting.  Thing won't budge.  The CPU and heatsink have become one lol

[Minotaur10]

You won't have any issues with drenching the CPU in isopropyl alcohol, just ensure that it's dried off properly before putting it back in the system.

[Mooshi]

TIME FOR A SPUR OF THE MOMENT UPGRADE!

[Majestic]

Dental floss along the edge and hope you can slice it off.

[Wyzzy Moon]

maybe a long flat knife under it? with a bit of heat from something like a hairdryer or something.

Also soaking in alcohol should be fine

[Askingcarpet]

Being an fx8350, it fusing to the heatsink sounds reasonable

[CyDone]

Just now, emosun said:

hair dryer?

 

might also be able to pry it off with a precision flat head screw driver 

I've read that you don't want to apply any direct heat to the CPU because it might fry some transistors?  And I have tried a flathead screwdriver, but there is literally no room to fit it underneath the cpu

[Rallenhayestime]

put the cpu back in the motherboard and fire up prime95 for 10 mins, then shut down and remove again.

[xriqn]

2 minutes ago, CyDone said:

Hi everyone.  Story is, my buddy wanted me to clean out his computer.  RIP everything out and hit it with compressed air.  Well, I go to take the heatsink off the CPU and the whole thing pops out.  Not uncommon for AM3+ CPUs, at least in my experience.  But, the CPU is now fused to the heatsink.  

 

Tried twisting while pulling.  Tried soaking some dental floss in rubbing alcohol and working through it....but after like 40-ish mins of doing this, I've gotten MAYBE a couple of millimeters under one of the corners.

 

I've read on a couple of different forums that literally soaking the CPU in 91% isopropyl alcohol to get it to pop loose....but I am leary of doing this for obvious reasons lol.  He doesn't have a heat gun and neither do I.  

 

So, has anyone tried the 91% isopropyl alcohol method?  Will it kill the CPU?  Are there any other methods that work?  Thanks guys and gals.

Its only uncommon if you use a trash heatsink and a trash thermal compound. As for methods to remove, I have a method but its not 100% safe if you use your hand to grip the cpu like I did since I had no vice at the time. Anyways here's how I'd do it (note that this was done with a socket AM2+ sempron taken from an ancient dell dimension):

Get the cpu in a vice grip (make sure the vice is gripping the pcb and the lid is sticking over the top of the vice)

Get a stanley knife or something that's sharp and thin.

Hack away at a corner where the heat sink and CPU lid fuse (that way you've opened yourself a little gap in the fuse)

If impossible to then seperate the heat sink from the CPU lid and the CPU itself, continue hacking away with the blade until the majority of the fusing has been hacked away.

If still impossible, hack away until  you've completely seperated the CPU and heatsink.

Yes this sounds crazy but I've done it before. Had to bend a few pins back into shape in my case but that's my own fault for using my hand to grip the cpu instead of a vice.

[Majestic]

@xriqn I'd say dental floss is safer... 

[CyDone]

3 minutes ago, Rallenhayestime said:

put the cpu back in the motherboard and fire up prime95 for 10 mins, then shut down and remove again.

Can't do that as the socket retention arm is in the way of me being able to put the CPU back in

[xriqn]

Just now, Majestic said:

@xriqn I'd say dental floss is safer... 

I did say its not 100% safe, but it worked for me. The CPU wasn't killed by a few bent pins either, just had to straighten them out.

[Damascus]

Try the isopropyl

[asand1]

Remove the fan and hit the heatsink with a hair dryer. Get it hot to the touch.

[Hiitchy]

I'd remove it for you if I was near. I found the easiest way was to isolate the pins of the CPU, and applying isopropyl alcohol to the edges every 5 minutes, and then using a plastic pry tool to force the isopropyl alcohol into the small crevices. It takes a while, but I got mine off eventually.

[emosun]

pry it off with a razor blade and hair dryer.

[CyDone]

51 minutes ago, emosun said:

pry it off with a razor blade and hair dryer.

My buddy doesn't own a hair dryer and neither do I lol

[emosun]

1 minute ago, CyDone said:

My buddy doesn't own a hair dryer and neither do I lol

goodwill , 3$

 

or you can throw the cpu and heatsink away and try none of the fixes people suggested. up to you

[CyDone]

Just now, emosun said:

goodwill , 3$

 

or you can throw the cpu and heatsink away and try none of the fixes people suggested. up to you

I am waiting on my friend to get off of work before trying any of these.  No need to get snarky.

[TopHatProductions115]

5 minutes ago, CyDone said:

I am waiting on my friend to get off of work before trying any of these.  No need to get snarky.

Please do tell when you're ready. BTW, I can actually attest to the safe effectiveness of 90% Isopropyl (use dit on a smartphone - cam out just fine).