My stock Ryzen cooler is stuck

masto · 8 Oct 2021 at 13:14

Hi,

I'm wondering if anyone has any advice for me.

I have a Ryzen 1600 that's been running for around 4 years. I installed the stock cooler, with whatever paste/pad it came with at the time. Recently, I've wanted to replace the cooler with something quieter, as it has been getting noisier over time. Problem is, I cannot get the existing cooler to move at all.

I've tried running prime for an hour to heat things up, but the cooler just won't budge. I've tried twisting it / sliding it, but it doesn't move and I'm worried I'm going to apply too much force and rip the CPU out of the socket.

Anyone had a similar experience who could share how they got around the problem?

Cheers.

masto · 8 Oct 2021 at 14:51

Thanks for the comments, all. Think I'll give it one more go, after running it maxed out for a while again. Any issue with removing the backplate / loosening the retaining screws, then laying it horizontally and firing up prime? Stops things cooling while I spend time disconnecting things, which may mean it comes off.

(the cooler is the one with screws and a backplate, not clips)

Haz123 said:
If you do dmg the pins getting it out then it is a good excuse to upgrade to a 3600.

I was thinking a new motherboard too, in the event of damage, which would mean a 5600X, which would then mean new RAM.

masto · 8 Oct 2021 at 17:14

Well, I ran it for 100 minutes at 54 degrees with the screws loosened, turned it off, and immediately tried twisting the cooler. Still wouldn't budge.

Looks like I'm stuck with it permanently. Never had thermal paste act like glue before.

masto · 8 Oct 2021 at 18:23

Joxeon said:
Attach a Gclamp to the cooler as that should give you more leverage.

Wouldn't that just rip the CPU out of the socket? I could have used more force with just my hand, but didn't as I was concerned I'd end up breaking something.

masto · 10 Oct 2021 at 11:13

Tried running it without the fan connected and got it up to 90C. Still no movement at all. I am twisting, not pulling.

Think I'll just leave it as is.

Thanks for all the suggestions.

masto · 10 Oct 2021 at 13:21

Great, I'll take that approach when it comes to me having to remove it.

And I won't be using the pre-applied stuff again, that's for sure.