basic question: OK to reuse heatsink after it was on burnt out cpu?

[gloontjens]

Sorry, just a basic question. A simple heatsink/fan combo (volcano 6cu+) was on an AMD when it burned out completely (installed wrong, I think). Is it safe to reuse the heatsink (after careful cleaning of the copper base, of course)? I thought I saw elsewhere a while back that heatsinks shouldn't be reused after being on a burned out cpu. Could the copper base actually have been damaged in ways that a thorough cleaning would not take care of sufficiently?
Thank you to anyone who takes a second to answer a question from a beginner....

[Christoph]

There's no such thing as a stupid question (unless you're asking why the foot pedal for your comp doesn't work).
It'll be just fine. Just make sure you clean it off first (preferable with the inside of a ziplock bag so you konw that you're not leaving anything extra on the HSF.) Just be more careful next time!
Also, Welcome to the forums!!!!

[ButcherUK]

The best way to clean it is to lap it clean, if not acetone or alcohol and a lint-free cloth with do fine.

[gloontjens]

Thanks for your answers, don't worry, this time I've prepared and know what I'm doing now....

[Christoph]

Originally posted by gloontjens
Thanks for your answers, don't worry, this time I've prepared and know what I'm doing now....

It sucks to learn that way, but you won't forget the lesson.
May the odor of a freshly sacrificed chicken be a sweet smell to your nose, and may the goddess of OCing smile on your efforts. (You get a little wierd after 1000 posts here.)

[Neco]

I'd make sure the reason it died was from a faulty installing tho..


nothing like killing 2 CPU's with a dead heatsink..


tho I think thats prolly a rare thingy. Just a thought tho ;)

[The Overclocker]

just make sure you have all the gunk removed from the base of the heatsink before you use it again, also invest in a good shim (non copper) to help the heatsink sit right

[Thelemac]

Originally posted by the overclocker
invest in a good shim (non copper) to help the heatsink sit right

Shims aren't really all that great. It's really only useful if you want to make sure that you don't chip the core....which *I* haven't found to be a problem on any of my chips...and I swap hsfs fairly often.

[Wa11y]

Originally posted by Neco
I'd make sure the reason it died was from a faulty installing tho..

nothing like killing 2 CPU's with a dead heatsink..

tho I think thats prolly a rare thingy. Just a thought tho ;)

There's really no such thing as a "dead heatsink." As long as the connecting surface is clean and smooth, and there's thermal paste between the CPU and heatsink, it'll keep it decently cool.

[gloontjens]

Thanks, y'all. New CPU arrived, installed it, and nothing. Turns out the motherboard was bad all along (even thought it was new), just had it tested. At least I haven't burned out this CPU trying to get the #$%*($@ thing to work. Now I just wait for the replacement mother board.