Northbridge heatsink removal...

stan03 · Jul 31, 2003

Well i took the stock heatsink off of my northbridge yesterday and i don't exactly know what was there originally, it is this pink goo... and its not a thermal compound. Its almost like a foamy substance. So i tried some alcohol to remove it, and it didn't work, i ended up using my nail to scrape some of it off, but there is still some of whatever it was left on the northbridge. What else can i try?

Strida · Jul 31, 2003

You could try a razor, if you are really careful.

stan03 · Jul 31, 2003

im to scared to do that

this is my first time doing this...

Tekime · Jul 31, 2003

Try 99% isopropyl alcohol, regular stuff is usually tough. It takes some work to get that pink gummy stuff off, and I usually resort to the razor method. If you are slow and careful you won't hurt anything, just use the tip of the blade to scrape the edges of the goo up. You might be able to get it off okay with just the 99% and a credit card, though.

stan03 · Jul 31, 2003

Tekime said:
Try 99% isopropyl alcohol, regular stuff is usually tough. It takes some work to get that pink gummy stuff off, and I usually resort to the razor method. If you are slow and careful you won't hurt anything, just use the tip of the blade to scrape the edges of the goo up. You might be able to get it off okay with just the 99% and a credit card, though.

ok, umm how fragile is the chip?

wannaoc · Jul 31, 2003

Akasa makes some stuff called tim cleaner or something like that, you can pick it up a frozencpu.com. It is made to remove all kinds of thermal stuff.

stan03 · Jul 31, 2003

awsome, and im just about to order some stuff from them too

thanks

UberBlue · Jul 31, 2003

WD-40 works like a champ. The pink goop literaly dissolves. It leaves a residue, but it's cleaned up with alcohol.

stan03 · Jul 31, 2003

won'd damage my chip? I got some of that sitting around here somewhere.

The_Jizzler · Jul 31, 2003

lighter fluid, aka naptha works like a champ. just moisten a rag and wip away.

Freezermug · Jul 31, 2003

Ive gone through this already, so I know your pain. The stuff is like pink bubble gum and takes forever to get off. Especially if under the chip is anything like the ic7 and has a sponge type thing around the outside, acting like a shim and your trying not to mess that up.

Dont have anything useful to add other then patience is key. I pulled as much off as I could then worked it with 97% rubbing alcohol. Replaced the gum with arctic ceramique since it isnt conductive like AS 3.

The gum stuff is thick as youve seen already. So if you leave the white border foam on there be sure when you place the heatsink back on the heatsink is still in contact with the northbridge. Both AS3 and Ceramique is alot thinner and may leave a space about the size of a sheet of paper. Hate to see you kill it after all that work.

q149 · Jul 31, 2003

What kind of NB is it? Sounds liek the bubblegum they put on EPoX boards. If it's an nForce2 you can lap it and it will not only get it off but it will make the chip flat. The chips are not fragile like a XP core or anything though so you are pretty safe scraping it off if you want.

stan03 · Jul 31, 2003

Freezermug said:
Ive gone through this already, so I know your pain. The stuff is like pink bubble gum and takes forever to get off. Especially if under the chip is anything like the ic7 and has a sponge type thing around the outside, acting like a shim and your trying not to mess that up.

Dont have anything useful to add other then patience is key. I pulled as much off as I could then worked it with 97% rubbing alcohol. Replaced the gum with arctic ceramique since it isnt conductive like AS 3.

The gum stuff is thick as youve seen already. So if you leave the white border foam on there be sure when you place the heatsink back on the heatsink is still in contact with the northbridge. Both AS3 and Ceramique is alot thinner and may leave a space about the size of a sheet of paper. Hate to see you kill it after all that work.

thats the stuff, but im trying to get it off of the chip... because i got a new northbridge cooler.

its the canterwood chipset... you mean i can take it off of the board? Im such a noob at this

EDIT: so what else besides wd-40?

Freezermug · Jul 31, 2003

No you cant take the chip off. On the IC7, in addition to the pink gum thats on the northbridge die, there is a white stabalizing foam type thing around the edges. At least mine had it when I took the heatsink and fan off. Which is what I was talking about.

If your chipset came off You would be needing a new board cause you killed it.

stan03 · Jul 31, 2003

no it did not come off... my foam peice was on the nb heatsink... and the chipset does not have an integrated heat spreader right? it should look kinda like an amd core?

stan03 · Jul 31, 2003

ANYONE ELSE??? i need the answers.... quickly Sorry

TheGr8s1 · Jul 31, 2003

I removed the pink goob off my ASUS P4C800 NB with rubbing alcohol. Took some time but I got it all off eventually anyways. I heard from many friends that lighter fluid works wonders.

Tycho · Jul 31, 2003

I usually bust out one of those rectangle block erasers to remove the hard to get pink goo.

UberBlue · Aug 1, 2003

Rubbing alchohol will not dissolve the pink stuff; that's why you guys are saying it takes forever. You're mechanicaly removing a sticky substance, it doesn't go fast. WD-40, naptha,and brake cleaner will dissolve the stuff in seconds. It took me all of 30 seconds to clean all the pink stuff of my A7N8X NB with WD-40. Yes WD-40 leaves an oily residue but thant cleans up quickly and residue free with rubbing alchohol.

bjgood · Aug 1, 2003

I have the same problem as the original poster, and this has been very helpful, but I have one extra question. Can I remove the white foam around the perimiter (so I can lap it) and put the heatsink back on with just AS3 on the core? Or does the shim serve a specific purpose?

Northbridge heatsink removal...

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