Start the clock, PC swap from tower case to micro atx case...

[Mark42]

Its 7:15pm and me and Jaime are swapping the mirco ATX board and guts from tower case to new micro case so the PC will fit in the new desk in the new Family Room PC desk. Will post problems or success!

 

[Mark42]

Re: Start the clock, PC swap from tower case to micro atx case...

9:11 pm and its back together. Will have to wait until later to see if it boots up.

Wish me luck.

 

[Plainsman]

Re: Start the clock, PC swap from tower case to micro atx case...

Luck!

tick toc tic toc 8)

 

[Mark42]

Re: Start the clock, PC swap from tower case to micro atx case...

Good news! It powered right up, no problems.

This board has a Pentium 4 - 1.7 Ghz processor (socket 478 ). I have a free 2.3 Ghz processor from work I would like to swap in. Problem is the 2.3 is stuck to a heat sink and is not easily coming off. This is from an IBM machine, and they used a black heat paste that is holding it on tight. Paste scrapes off heat sink with my finger nail easy enough. I need to get the processor off to install it in the socket (my board has that lift lever on side of socket to install. The IBM chip just dropped in and the heat sink was pressing it in with little leaf springs. )

So how do I get this chip off without trashing it. I have two but don't want to just twist it off with pliers! Yikes. Was thinking about a few drops of acetone to soften up the paste.

Any ideas?

 

[i386]

Re: Start the clock, PC swap from tower case to micro atx case...

Well there's thermal compound and then there's thermal adhesive. The latter is normally used when it is not intended for the heatsink to ever come off.

Have you taken the CPU out yet? Usually you can't get to the unlock lever until the heatsink has been removed (unless it was forced out). I would like to think this is just some old thermal compound and not adhesive as it would make it very difficult to service the computer. If it's soft enough to scratch with your fingernail it should come off with a little twisting motion to break it free. Clean it up really well when you get it apart and use new thermal compound on it. Don't beat yourself up researching the best thermal compound either. Any good quality one you choose is fine for most applications. The most important thing is to apply it correctly.

 

[Mark42]

Re: Start the clock, PC swap from tower case to micro atx case...

I can get my CPU out easy. The heat sink just rests on top with a thin layer of grey goo. But the 2.3 CPU from the doner machine does not use the unlock lever, the the cpu is stuck to the heat sink. Gray looking paint that scrapes off easy. But it sure is holding the CPU on there good. So I need to get it off before I can install it in my mainboard.

I bet they used thermal adhesive because the IBM board does not use the locking lever and the CPU is held in place by the heat sink.

Thanks.

 

[Mark42]

Re: Start the clock, PC swap from tower case to micro atx case...

oops dp.

 

[i386]

Re: Start the clock, PC swap from tower case to micro atx case...

Could you post some pics or give me the model# of the IBM machine. There should be some mechanism that holds the chip in.

 

[Mark42]

Re: Start the clock, PC swap from tower case to micro atx case...

I got the CPU's off the heat sink. Just needed a very sharp exacto knife to slip under the edge then they pop off. The grey heat paste is still gooey under the chip, but hard around the edges.

Anyway, I popped off three different CPU's and they are all 1.8 Ghz, not the 2.3Ghz I was told they were.

So it was all for nothing.

 

[ZmOz]

Re: Start the clock, PC swap from tower case to micro atx case...

Anyway, I popped off three different CPU's and they are all 1.8 Ghz, not the 2.3Ghz I was told they were.

You could try overclocking them a little. The computer I'm using now is a P4 1.6ghz running at 2ghz...been nice and stable for years with just the stock heat sink.

 

[Coors]

Re: Start the clock, PC swap from tower case to micro atx case...

google tiger direct ; I build my own, and they have good $, and good people. 3.2 meg on this one, dual 64 cpu. no better than my other smaller ones. This one just good at video editing.

 

[Mark42]

Re: Start the clock, PC swap from tower case to micro atx case...

I have had good experiences with Tiger. Thats where I got this little Micro ATX case from. Worth every penny because now the PC fits in the desk.

The desk cabinets are about 2 inches from the wall, and the PC fits tight against the back of the left hand base cabinet. The fan blows out the hot air at the rear of the desk , and draws in cool air around the front cabinet door. There is about a 3/16" offset all around the cabinet door and so far its working fine. I have to pick up some 3/4" strip foam stick-on to make a nice seal between the pc and back of the cabinet, but so far so good.

The right hand base cabinet has a scanner/printer/fax combo unit that pulls out on full ball bearing extensions. Got the extensions rated for 100lbs just in case the kids stand or sit on it 8)

Also got a cheap 19" LCD flat pannel monitor for the desk because the old 17" CRT was just too deep. But I'm not real happy with the I-inc brand monitor, because it makes the windows font look funny, and I can't seem to adjust it back to how it should look.

 

[Plainsman]

Re: Start the clock, PC swap from tower case to micro atx case...

Good deal Mark!

 

[ndemge]

Re: Start the clock, PC swap from tower case to micro atx case...

Looks like what I'm going to do in my kitchen.

I ran power in the bottom and top cabinet... printer in top cab with usb running inside the wall to the bottom cabinet with the computer in it.

 

[Mark42]

Re: Start the clock, PC swap from tower case to micro atx case...

Its the details that take time. I have learned that a good plan saves sooooo many mistakes. Hope yours works great for you!