Asus Maximus SE X38 WC with MIPS Mosfets, SB,NB

[neo_rtr]

Talonman was kind to provide a collection of posts regarding the removal of the Removal of Fusion Block
Many thanks to all the guys that contribute with much effort to this collection.

This is all the posts I can find on the matter:
My advice on the removal of the stock ROG cooling:
It took me a good 10 minutes with the hair dryer, warming the heat sink, before the stock goop let me gently wiggle the ROG cooling free.
Remove the 4 screws and all pins before starting. The entire cooling rig is all connected, and will want to move as 1 big unit.
You will need to make sure to give the SB some heat too. It has to let go at the same time that the NB does.
Never pull up! Just gently wiggle side to side. It will start to move when it's ready. Pulling up can cause your NB'es IHS to come off too. Most of us like it on, and think it works well with waterblocks.
Ware a glove as the sink get's hot with the hair dryer's heat blowing on it.
Mine was coaxed off successfully.
Try to avoid over heating the mobo if possible. Mabey use a towel as a heat shield for the chips?
The stock goop will be semi-molten when it slides free. It is the ideal time to use some acetone to clean the rest off.


From Malik:
http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/...4&postcount=96 click for pictures

Below are some pics showing the removal of the N/S bridge heat sinks. With the help of cadaveca I came up with the idea of refrigerating the Maximus Formula MB (with the plastic covering)for 3 hours in order to remove the north/south bridge heat sinks. Heat didn't loosens the thermal compound found on this motherboard for me but cold temperatures did. Once the board was chilled for 3 hours the north/south bridge heat sinks popped right off without any real force. I offer this advice as a possible solution for removing bonded type of thermal compound from the north/south bridge heat sinks. Please keep in mind that applying either heat or cold or both temperatures can damage your motherboard. You try this at your own risk.


NB.



NB HS.


SB.



SB HS.

Sidenote:
This method is not for everyone and you do so at your own risk.

Why we should re-paste everything.I re-pasted everything with MX-2 [/B]



To remove the heatsink i used a compressed air can,turn it upside down and spray the top of the heat sink for like 8-10 seconds a liquid should come out making the sink very cold, so cold it should come right out,sure beats waiting for it in the fridge

just figured id point this out, look at how little contact area the TIM is making to the stock NB heatpipe cooler

I had to pri the heat pipe off of the south bridge so i could remove the north bridge. its very easy to pop off i might add.

[QUOTE=awhir;2596002]

From systemviper
http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/...90&postcount=1



This is the post from CLUNK
with the following note
UPDATE 18-10-07: CAUTION! - I have seen a couple of people damage their boards so far because the thermal cement that Asus use is just too strong. See this post for what can happen if you aren't careful enough. If possible, remove the fusion block and replace the thermal cement on the NB and SB BEFORE you fire the board up for the first time. The cement seems to harden and cure when it gets hot, so be aware of that.

So, I started by removing the Fusion block - it came off with a small amount of pressure. I used a small pair of fine nosed angled pliers. I covered the area close to the NB with masking tape, so the PCB wouldn't get scratched if there was any slippage, and gently used the angled nose of the pliers to lever up the block. Start at one corner and work your way along and you should hear the cement give way as you get to the next corner. The SB came off at the same time for me, but if not, just use the same method, and take your time.
http://www.clunk.org.uk/forums/723-post10.html

And here when things went wrong by RevolutionX
http://www.clunk.org.uk/forums/1330-post164.html

I just wanted to further confirm that removal of the NB heatsink on the Maximus Formula (non-SE) was a snap with the circuit freeze spray as was stated earlier. I sprayed it on the SB and the heatsink came loose on its own. The NB I sprayed for about 3-4 minutes and pryed it gently with a screwdriver and it popped right off. I've been using my MB for a month prior to removal of the NB heatsink. The freeze spray costs 8 bucks at Radio Shack or Fry's electronics. I also reused the backplate of the NB by removing the bolts with a plyer and widening the holes a little with a drill. I used the SB heatsink as a backplate for the SB. I used the rubber washers that were allready on the SB and extra plastic washers to ensure that there was enough space between the backplate, the PCB, and the motherboard tray. The cement was removed easily from the NB and SB with acetone as someone stated earlier.