How can I take off those really stripped screws from the CPU heatsink?
How can I take off those really stripped screws from the CPU heatsink?
It's definitely sketchy but you don't exactly have a choice at this point, it's either using pliers, drilling or putting everything back together and forgetting about repasting.
I’m making a few changes here. It’s not clear what you’re trying to convey, so I’ll try to rephrase it in a clearer way. There was one screw before that felt like pure luck—it just came out easily while I was using the nail clip. Both items were on the GPU. That was a long process: six hours total, four hours at night and two more this morning after getting a good rest. The second one popped out completely. Spoiler: it didn’t budge even with the plier. I was really frustrated. I used a pipe saw to create space for the minus screwdriver, but it didn’t work because the screw base was too thin. I had an idea—scraping the side of the screw to increase friction. Surprisingly, that scrape on the middle I did earlier just bent away, which is why it’s easier now. The third one? A capacitor and the SATA interface on the disk drive were interfering with my saw method. I managed to cut some of the screw, but it still didn’t move much. I wondered if they used threadlocker, but it turned out not. I got creative—rotating the heatsink using the screw base as a lever. It moved until it stopped. I placed paper underneath to keep things tidy and tried again with the nail clip. Eventually, it worked. For the sake of being done with this hassle, I just rotated them with my finger. That caused a scrape on my finger after hours of strain. Spoiler: the paste is drying. Old paste came out, and MX-4 arrived. The temperature stayed between 36–40°C before it started to drop to 7% at 30%. Before, during a seminar I used Google Meet, it handled up to 60°C. Now it only charges for the first calibration of a new battery—probably refurbished, but I’m using it just in case during brownouts. At least it’s saving my work. Thanks for sharing, and please accept this as a small thank you for your effort!
I understand you've already got this resolved, but just to be thorough, the crew extractor operates at low speed in reverse. It cuts through the screw without drilling, and when it reaches the right position, it removes the screw or bolt. Both functions are combined effectively, and I’ve tested a few sets myself for those challenging cases.
I watched some videos about those extractors, and even managed a bit with a tiny drill bit. Sadly, my dad’s drills that spin counterclockwise (he has two) were the ones he bought for this job. Probably I should be more cautious now when taking them off.
hye. I know this is an old post but if somehow you do see my reply, may I know from what video on youtube that you found the comment about using the nail clip and plier? or if you can describe to me how you actually do it yourself removing those screws using those 2 tools I would be very thankful for you.