Socket 939 woes

[Russ]

My damn heatsink mounting tab just came apart....

I heard this click then a thud. Then everything went dark. I tried rebooting thinking maybe it was just a hdd tripping. It didn't even make it to post and it shut off again.

I left it off for about an hour thinking my burning madness was the cause of a heat related failure. Unfortunately it wasn't fixed by letting it cool down.

When I inspected the case I saw my heatsink lying on top of my video card and so I tried to reinstall it and noticed the tab was missing. I did manage to get my computer to boot without the heatsink but wasn't able to do anything because I guess the processor got too hot before Windows finished loading.

So last night I tried super gluing the tab back on but I am thinking that the type of super glue that I used was the wrong type because it wouldn't hold and the tab tore right off. So, I am trying again tonight to get the adhesive to hold. If it doesn't hold tomorrow then I will have to try another adhesive. It is funny how a stupid little plastic tab will ruin your day.

For the time being I am stuck using my laptop. I never realized how much I really hate LCD's. I much prefer standard monitors. This little 15" LCD sucks. My 21" flat CRT is way better. I am also hating the heat that this laptop is putting off. No wonder it was kept in my truck for emergency use only. The keyboard sucks too. I just don't feel like unplugging everything from my tower and connecting to this abomniation of a computer. I did transfer my Razer mouse though because that little nub pointer between the keys really sucks big time.

If I can't get the stupid tab glued back on rigidly I am looking at having to replace the heatsink and fan or the motherboard. I am thinking that a heatsink might be the cheapest solution if I can't get the tab to stay put. I just don't get it. The adhesive I am using is good for up to 400F and over 3,000psi. The little springclip that I can defeat with a fingernail tore it off at room temperature. Hmmm, good glue....

 

[Storm]

I think only a new motherboard will fix the problem. The sockets can't be repaired by any glue - it just doesn't work as the heat sink clip uses quite a bit of pressure.

Ciao ...

 

[Russ]

I might have to get to Fry's to check out other heatsinks that use the outer two plastic clips as opposed to the OEM one that AMD uses that uses the center one only. I am thinking that would be the cheaper route. Plus, I kind of dig my current motherboard. I really don't want to upgrade it yet because I am using a pretty high dollar AGP card that I know I wouldn't be able to use if I upgraded. My next motherboard upgrade will be to Dual SLi. I quit gaming so I can deal with my somewhat antiquated card for now but I just know that if I upgrade and get the Dual SLi going I will be gaming again just to take advantage of the new system for a while.

I still think it is strange that the little tab would just all of a sudden just snap off all on its own. I mean I wasn't moving anything. I was just sitting here burning some stuff for the 16 year old. I guess it was just time? I know it used to get somewhat hot because of the hours of gaming. I used to see temps get up pretty high to the point that I would have to shut down for a while. I also used to leave my machine on for weeks at a time only powering down to get a fresh boot.

If 3000 psi is less than that little clip's spring pressure then I have some hella strong fingernails. I think I might try to melt it back on if I can't get any adhesive to mend it and if there are no other heatsinks with mounts using other than the center tabs. What's the worst that could happen then? I would be forced to buy another motherboard? I suppose I could find an A+ guy that has the parts that could replace it but the cost would defeat the purpose.

Ugh...

 

[Russ]

I checked out some heatsinks online looking for one that might use the outer tabs but found that better heatsinks avoid the tabs altogether and actually ditch the lame plastic mount. It looks like this is something I will be doing. I guess not having had the problem until now I haven't needed to look for a solution. It appears that others may have had similar problems with the mount themselves or the removal of the mount would not have been part of a newer heatsink design. It just sucks that such a low cost part can be attached to a highly used and critical part of a computer that can render it useless without what would originally entail replacement of the entire motherboard. I am glad that heatsink manufacturers are watching our backsides. Now, I just have to go find one at my local retailers without spending too much. I saw one online for about $20. That is almost half the cost of a new motherboard but I won't have to rebuild my tower and go through all the lame XP reconfiguration and reverification BS because it is a major change. The better cooling capabilities of the newer heatsink will be greatly appreciated as well as the reduction in fan noise.

I just noticed that my laptop is sounding like a fishtank minus the bubbles surfacing. I can't wait to get my tower fixed. This laptop business sucks bigtime. Oh, yeah, my Del button just went on the laptop.... Great.

 

[bluntage]

Sorry to hear of your computer woes, I have been there as well! I just wanted to chime in on the whole "laptop" business. I've been using one at home recently and have the same complaints as you, particularly the heat issue. Give me a decent desktop any day...

Good luck getting it squared away! 8)

 

[Charlie]

Computers suck!

:lol:

 

[Russ]

I found what I need at Radio Shack's web site. It replaces the plastic heatsink mount with a metal structure that the new one uses as an integrated mount. The new system actually cools better than the AMD fan and can handle some overclocking though I would never go there again. These days it is more about reliability.