Question Solder CPU Heatsink mount back onto motherboard

[fallout2077]

I made a thread nearly a week ago regarding the heatsink mount that separated from the motherboard in my MSI GT70 2PC. I tried epoxy, which failed to resolved the issue as it couldn't adhere to the surface of the PCB. My other option now is to attempt to solder it back to the board, which judging by the other mounts for the CPU and GPU, is closer to how they were originally attached. The thing is, I'm clueless as to how to tackle this, as this would be my first time soldering. I bought a soldering iron to practice on other electronics with before I mess with my laptop. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Prostar Computer]

I don't think epoxy/resins are usually designed for adhering to PCBs(?). I recall mentioning one that was more ideal for plastics, guessing that your broken spacer screw or standoff was from the chassis and not actually affixed to the board.

Have you pulled the board out by any chance? There may be a bracket affixed to the opposite side of it that the mount is a part of. If you can repair it, great, or you could replace that bracket if it comes with the standoffs.

I'm not an expert when it comes to soldering, so I'll leave any advice there up to more experienced users. ☺

 

[fallout2077]

I don't think epoxy/resins are usually designed for adhering to PCBs(?). I recall mentioning one that was more ideal for plastics, guessing that your broken spacer screw or standoff was from the chassis and not actually affixed to the board.

Have you pulled the board out by any chance? There may be a bracket affixed to the opposite side of it that the mount is a part of. If you can repair it, great, or you could replace that bracket if it comes with the standoffs.

I'm not an expert when it comes to soldering, so I'll leave any advice there up to more experienced users. ☺

Hey there... I returned that soldering iron as I was repeatedly receiving advice against soldering the mount to the board. And I'm pretty sure there's nothing on the opposite side of the board that fastens that mount to the board. I have many pictures here of the area: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/vudn8qm8s8zuvjt/AAAQaOqDE-9GhjLAEn_nJ4sra?dl=0

I also have thought about scraping away the top surface of the PCB around that mount so the epoxy has a better surface to adhere to. What are your thoughts on that?

 

[Prostar Computer]

I don't know what MSI used to secure the mounts, but now that I see they're secured to the cutouts in board, that might make repairing or replacing them difficult.

If it helps at all: http://www.myfixguide.com/manual/msi-gt70-disassembly/

You might need to defer to MSI or a local, competent tech. Honestly, though, I couldn't see much of a contact issue in your pictures. The TIM spread looks like there's enough mounting pressure going on. You can maybe swap thermal pads out for something slightly thinner to help with that, but the mount I think is going to be tricky if it is indeed the problem.