Question Help Removing AMD 3700x heat sink

[Take]

Hello!
I was new to building my PC a few years ago and its now overheating. Silly question but I have no experience and need to apply new thermal paste but haven’t got the CPU manual.

 

[Math Geek]

https://www.amd.com/en/support/kb/faq/cpu-7

this shows how to remove the 2 types of heatsinks you will find. pretty easy really. either some screws to loosen or a latch to flip to release it.

 

[Misgar]

There are many videos on YouTube showing how to repaste a CPU, but before you consider this task, have you checked if something else is causing the overheating?

Where I live we're having a small heatwave. Not particularly hot, but if your system's cooling is not ideal, it can overheat in hot weather.

Remove the side panel from your computer and shine a torch (flashlight) down through the fan blades on your CPU cooler(or radiator) and check for dust embedded in the heatsink vanes. If the heatsink looks dusty, get rid of the muck.

Also, consider increasing the speed of your CPU cooler's fan, by changing the profile in the BIOS.

If you must replace the TIM (Thermal Interface Material), otherwise known as heatsink paste, run your computer for 10 minutes to warm up the CPU. It can make removing the heatsink easier and soften up the paste.

If the heatsink doesn't come away from the CPU easily, try gently rotating the heatsink back and forth through a few degrees. I have ended up with the CPU coming out of the socket, still attached to the heatsink, when the paste has refused to let go. Not a good idea.

Clean the TIM with a lint free cloth or paper towel plus a splash of IPA (alcohol) off the heatsink and CPU. Squirt a small pea-sized blob of TIM on the centre of the CPU. Re-attach the heatsink and tighten screws on alternate corners. The small blob of TIM will spread out over the CPU, creating a nice thin layer. Do not use too much TIM. It reduces cooling. If TIM oozes out around the edge of the CPU, you've used too much.

 

[Take]

The old pre-applied paste was crusty. I wiped and applied a small blob on the centre of the CPU.

I mounted the heat sink and fan in the same position but only one side clamped with the retention clips. The other under the switch cannot reach the motherboard to slot in.

The switch isn’t locked and it does not appear to be lopsided but it’s not even close to reaching the motherboard. If I press any harder I may bend the CPU pins

 

[Misgar]

It's essential that both latches on the AMD heatsink are hooked under their associated plastic retaining pegs on the motherboard. Failure to engage both latches will result in the CPU overheating.

There's a knack to fitting AMD heatsinks with a latching mechanism.

Remove the heatsink and pre-engage the latch on the most difficult side. Extend the latch on the "easier" more accessible side by rotating the handle on the latch through 180 degrees, until the latch extends to its full extent.

Heave down on the side of the heatsink with plenty of force until the rectangular hole at the end of the free latch engages with the plastic peg on the motherboard mount. Rotate the handle on the latch to tighten the heatsink down on to the CPU. Be careful, the latch may spring back if you release it before it reaches 180 degrees from full to open.

Be brave and you should be rewarded with a correctly installed heatsink. The worst that's likely to happen is you break the plastic peg off the motherboard mount, but they're easy and cheap to replace. Have fun.

 

[Misgar]

Bearing in mind you've got a 3700X and by the sounds of things, you're using a standard (small) AMD heatsink with side latches (supplied with the CPU?), have you considered fitting a bigger third-party heatsink? These tend to use four screw fixing instead of two opposing latches and are often much easier to mount, plus they provide better cooling.