Removing a socket 478 chip from a mb

smackie · #1 02-07-2006, 01:13 PM

Hello,
I have an old p4 1.8 gig chip I'd like to use on a different board than the one it's currently on... is there a way to get the chip out of the old board and into the new one? I was messing around with it, and found two levers on the cpu's cooling fan, raised those up, thinking maybe I could lift the chip out of it's socket, but it didn't give.

Is there anyway I can safely remove this chip and put it in another board?

Thanks for any responses in advance.

ANZAC_ELITE · #2 02-07-2006, 03:10 PM

There is a single retaining lever that locks the cpu into the socket, usually silver in colour and looks like stiff wire approximately 2mm in diameter that lays alongside of the cpu socket, you will need to disengage this to remove the cpu. First run the pc until it is warm then switch off (this is to loosen the thermal paste between the heatsink and the cpu chip, sometimes they bond really well causing the heatsink to become attached rather firmly to the cpu) ...... once you have the case open undo the two clips you previously undid (this releases the heatsink / fan from the bracket, depending on how attached the heat sink is to the cpu you may need to lever the four legs out of the retaining bracket to remove the fan, this will leave the heatsink still attached to the cpu but should allow you access to the cpu retention lever. Release the lever and lift the cpu and heatsink from the socket, then with a Q-tip soaked in isopropyl alcohol run around the edge of the joined surfaces to allow the isopropyl to soften the thermal paste allowing seperation. Once this is done clean both surfaces up, place cpu in the new board, reapply thermal paste/ heatsink and fan assembly.

ANZAC_ELITE · #3 02-07-2006, 03:43 PM

here is a related Intel article that may be of some help to you ............. Intel article link

Scroll down to figure 12, it shows the cpu retention clip etc and has removal instructions lower down still

smackie · #4 02-07-2006, 09:10 PM

great, thanks for the help

ANZAC_ELITE · #5 02-07-2006, 09:43 PM

np, hope it all goes well for you, sometimes they can be a bitch to seperate though, just be careful you dont damage any of the cpu pins, if they do get bent a little straighten them with a soild knife blade so they return to their correct row orientation. I had one pull out of the socket bending a few pins once, then straightened them and all was well.

smackie · #6 02-07-2006, 10:02 PM

Hmmm.. I just detached the heatsink and fan from the cpu chip, so I have easy access to getting the chip out of the mb now, but get this.. the chip wasn't sealed to the heatsink at all... the two just seperated from each other like they weren't even glued together. Basically there was no glue left at all. Shouldn't the chip have burned up long ago? lol

ANZAC_ELITE · #7 02-07-2006, 11:05 PM

Not necessarily, the thermal compound is not a glue and doesn't have to be thick to work, sounds like all is going well for you so far.

Have a read of this guide to applying thermal compound, for your next step, reattaching the heatsink to the cpu in the new board.

How to apply Arctic Silver 5

Scroll down to line #9 instructions for a P4