Ryzen Stealth Cooler remains firmly attached to the CPU despite high temperatures.
Ryzen Stealth Cooler remains firmly attached to the CPU despite high temperatures.
For those facing similar issues later, if your motherboard design permits, I managed to insert a knife between the CPU and the cooler, which helped me extract it safely. Avoid bending pins and be cautious not to strike your motherboard with the tool to prevent damaging traces.
It seems tricky to take the screws off the Ryzen stock cooler. I thought about doing it, but it really depends on the adhesive. Sometimes it feels tough to remove them completely…
I've been applying the paste from my MX4 paste on my heatsink repeatedly because I don't want to discard high-quality paste every time I swap the CPU (sometimes multiple times a day when I enjoy tinkering). Just add another bit of thermal paste onto the CPU and it works fine, keeping temperatures around 65°C at 4.2GHz 1.408V on my e5400. I've noticed MX4 is quite straightforward to remove, though it can be frustrating when used on my homemade VRM heatsinks since they tend to slip off easily when touched, requiring constant readjustment. -.. Although I've only used MX4 and no other pastes, I'm planning to try GD900, NT H1/H2, and GC Extreme next.
I've tried a similar method before using fishing line and gently pushing the cooler between the cooler and CPU, moving it back and forth. It's best to have a third hand ready or use foam to cover the board since the cooler can fly away due to the force :p.
NT-H2 is amazing, just got it on my GPU. Will try on CPU today.