CPU Screw Heatsink Issue!

[DarkPaladin]

Hey everyone.

The last time I made a thread, I had issues where the CPU was thermal throttling in seconds due to poor/outdated thermal paste in addition to other issues such as the laptop stuttering. Thankfully, those problems were completely solved and my laptop has been running fine ever since.

However, I now have 2 major issues that are preventing me from performing general maintenance on both my CPU + GPU as they share the heatsink. Essentially, one of the screws in the CPU is both stripped of its shape and completely stuck in the screw connector (not sure what to call it) and is seemingly permanently attached to it. I've tried everything to get it out and it refuses to budge, so I came here looking for advice while I wait for PCSpecialist to respond.

I was thankfully able to take a picture before the screw got stripped as it was able to fit the heatsink on normally when all the other screws were in place, so it was manageable until now.

In the image with the red arrow (taken from Google), the connector has came out of its place and is permanently stuck to the screw. I have no idea how it happened since I don't screw things in too tightly, but I was hoping for advice on how to:
- Take out the stripped screw
- Detach the screw from the connector

Chassiz is the Clevo P77M5M1-G, with the other specs as followed:

Chassis & Display	Octane Series: 17.3" Matte Full HD 144Hz 72% NTSC LED Widescreen (1920x1080) + G-Sync
Processor (CPU)	Intel® Core™ i7 Six Core Processor i7-8700k (3.7GHz) 12MB Cache
Memory (RAM)	32GB Corsair 2666MHz SODIMM DDR4 (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card	NVIDIA® GeForce® RTX 2080 - 8.0GB GDDR6 Video RAM - DirectX® 12.1
1st Storage Drive	2TB SEAGATE 7mm SERIAL ATA III 2.5" HARD DRIVE WITH 128MB CACHE (5,400rpm)
1st M.2 SSD Drive	250GB WD Black™ SN750 M.2 NVMe SSD (up to 3100MB/s R | 1600MB/s W)
Memory Card Reader	Integrated 6 in 1 Card Reader (SD /Mini SD/ SDHC / SDXC / MMC / RSMMC)
AC Adaptor	1 x 330W AC Adaptor
Power Cable	1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Battery	Octane Series 8 Cell Lithium Ion Battery (82WH)
Thermal Paste	STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card	Intel 2 Channel High Definition Audio + MIC/Headphone Jack
Bluetooth & Wireless	GIGABIT LAN & KILLER™ WIRELESS-AC 1550 M.2 GAMING 802.11AC + BLUETOOTH 5.0

 

[jamiephillips909]

Have you tried the rubber band method ?

 

[NoddyPirate]

You can also get screw extractor kits for stripped screw heads very cheaply online or in hardwares if all else fails. They can be hit and miss but I find them good if you go slowly with them....

 

[DarkPaladin]

Have you tried the rubber band method ?View attachment 22331

I'll give this a try tomorrow. I'm just hesitant to loosen up the heatsink in case it fails to come out, resulting in worse temperatures over all from poor contact with the CPU.

Also, how would I go about taking the screw out of the CPU connector socket (not sure what the actual term is)? In the image with the red arrow, there's a slot where the screw is meant to go (4 parts for each corner of the heatsink). In the image I provided, 1 of those is completely stuck/attached to the screw and refuses to come out at all. Because of this, I suspect my heatsink isn't making complete contact with the CPU also.

Edit: I should also note that my laptop keyboard is suddenly beginning to feel warm in the centre, despite decent temperatures of around 30's/40's. Whereas both the left and right side feel cool to touch.

 

[DarkPaladin]

Sorry to bump the thread, but before I potentially take out the CPU Heatsink screw and attempt to also somehow take the screw out of the screw sleeve/connector, if anyone knew where to buy replacement screws for my laptop model? I've contacted PCSpecialist over a week ago but they haven't responded yet, and I can't seem to find the option to purchase the same heatsink screws from the manufacturer Clevo/Eurocom without also having to buy them with the heatsink. I'd hugely appreciate if if someone knew!

Chassis is the Clevo P775TM1-G aka Octane Series: 17.3" Matte Full HD 144Hz 72% NTSC LED Widescreen (1920x1080) + G-Sync

 

[SpyderTracks]

Sorry to bump the thread, but before I potentially take out the CPU Heatsink screw and attempt to also somehow take the screw out of the screw sleeve/connector, if anyone knew where to buy replacement screws for my laptop model? I've contacted PCSpecialist over a week ago but they haven't responded yet, and I can't seem to find the option to purchase the same heatsink screws from the manufacturer Clevo/Eurocom without also having to buy them with the heatsink. I'd hugely appreciate if if someone knew!

Chassis is the Clevo P775TM1-G aka Octane Series: 17.3" Matte Full HD 144Hz 72% NTSC LED Widescreen (1920x1080) + G-Sync

If you create a support ticket through your online account, those are taking priority over emails and web chats.

 

[DarkPaladin]

If you create a support ticket through your online account, those are taking priority over emails and web chats.

That's how I contacted them. I checked and it was 8 days ago (12th February) asking if they had replacement screws for the heatsink or if they'd potentially consider replacing + extracting it for me as an RMA. I understand they're busy during a pandemic though.

 

[DarkPaladin]

Update:
I purchased some laptop screws and a stripped screw extractor kit on Amazon. Thankfully, 1 of the many different types of screws fit my laptop heatsink (and other components) perfectly. I attempted the following:

• Used a rubber band on the screw head with different screw types to no avail
• Attempted to use pliers in the hope of pulling it out
• Used the extractor kit for about 2 hours manually until the screw eventually came loose and came out of the heatsink.

I was then able to do yet another full cleanup of my laptop, using cotton buds and thermal paste purifier lightly cleaning the fans and air vents to remove all dust traces. I then had the issue of taking the screw out of the screw sleeve (the object that helps attach the heatsink to the CPU.

It took 2 people to eventually remove it. I held the sleeve as tight as I could while the other person managed to somehow screw it out. It appears that the screw was somehow bent, causing the sleeve to pop out of place and the screw was stuck. Thankfully, this is now fully dealt with.

With the screw sleeve back fitted back in place, I was able to re-paste both my GPU and CPU with a heatsink that sits evenly on both components. I used Thermal Grizzly Kyronaut on the CPU and Noctua HT-N2 on the GPU (from my experience, Kyronaut does an excellent job at keeping CPU temps low whereas Noctua does a better job at spreading on the GPU).

I then stress-tested the laptop to a maximum of 76 degrees vs. 91 previously in XTU
The CPU now also sits around 28-32 degrees idle vs 35-40s

The GPU was also stress tested and reached a maximum of 68 degrees vs 75 previously
The GPU sits at 32 degrees idle vs. 34 previously.

It appears that the cause (which I already assumed) of increasing temperatures + random spikes was due to the heatsink being slightly uneven due to the stripped screw not allowing it to fully seat on the CPU.

Overall, a major success today and yet another potential RMA prevented.

Thanks for the help!

 

[SpyderTracks]

Update:
I purchased some laptop screws and a stripped screw extractor kit on Amazon. Thankfully, 1 of the many different types of screws fit my laptop heatsink (and other components) perfectly. I attempted the following:

• Used a rubber band on the screw head with different screw types to no avail
• Attempted to use pliers in the hope of pulling it out
• Used the extractor kit for about 2 hours manually until the screw eventually came loose and came out of the heatsink.

I was then able to do yet another full cleanup of my laptop, using cotton buds and thermal paste purifier lightly cleaning the fans and air vents to remove all dust traces. I then had the issue of taking the screw out of the screw sleeve (the object that helps attach the heatsink to the CPU.

It took 2 people to eventually remove it. I held the sleeve as tight as I could while the other person managed to somehow screw it out. It appears that the screw was somehow bent, causing the sleeve to pop out of place and the screw was stuck. Thankfully, this is now fully dealt with.

With the screw sleeve back fitted back in place, I was able to re-paste both my GPU and CPU with a heatsink that sits evenly on both components. I used Thermal Grizzly Kyronaut on the CPU and Noctua HT-N2 on the GPU (from my experience, Kyronaut does an excellent job at keeping CPU temps low whereas Noctua does a better job at spreading on the GPU).

I then stress-tested the laptop to a maximum of 76 degrees vs. 91 previously in XTU
The CPU now also sits around 28-32 degrees idle vs 35-40s

The GPU was also stress tested and reached a maximum of 68 degrees vs 75 previously
The GPU sits at 32 degrees idle vs. 34 previously.

It appears that the cause (which I already assumed) of increasing temperatures + random spikes was due to the heatsink being slightly uneven due to the stripped screw not allowing it to fully seat on the CPU.

Overall, a major success today and yet another potential RMA prevented.

Thanks for the help!

View attachment 22658

Well done for persevering, and very pleased it paid off!

 

[jamiephillips909]

Well done thats some serious determination give yourself a pat on the back !!!!

 

[EddieCz]

Update:
I purchased some laptop screws and a stripped screw extractor kit on Amazon. Thankfully, 1 of the many different types of screws fit my laptop heatsink (and other components) perfectly. I attempted the following:

• Used a rubber band on the screw head with different screw types to no avail
• Attempted to use pliers in the hope of pulling it out
• Used the extractor kit for about 2 hours manually until the screw eventually came loose and came out of the heatsink.

I was then able to do yet another full cleanup of my laptop, using cotton buds and thermal paste purifier lightly cleaning the fans and air vents to remove all dust traces. I then had the issue of taking the screw out of the screw sleeve (the object that helps attach the heatsink to the CPU.

It took 2 people to eventually remove it. I held the sleeve as tight as I could while the other person managed to somehow screw it out. It appears that the screw was somehow bent, causing the sleeve to pop out of place and the screw was stuck. Thankfully, this is now fully dealt with.

With the screw sleeve back fitted back in place, I was able to re-paste both my GPU and CPU with a heatsink that sits evenly on both components. I used Thermal Grizzly Kyronaut on the CPU and Noctua HT-N2 on the GPU (from my experience, Kyronaut does an excellent job at keeping CPU temps low whereas Noctua does a better job at spreading on the GPU).

I then stress-tested the laptop to a maximum of 76 degrees vs. 91 previously in XTU
The CPU now also sits around 28-32 degrees idle vs 35-40s

The GPU was also stress tested and reached a maximum of 68 degrees vs 75 previously
The GPU sits at 32 degrees idle vs. 34 previously.

It appears that the cause (which I already assumed) of increasing temperatures + random spikes was due to the heatsink being slightly uneven due to the stripped screw not allowing it to fully seat on the CPU.

Overall, a major success today and yet another potential RMA prevented.

Thanks for the help!

Hey bud great news you were able to sort this!! Im currently in a similar position myself, any chance you could PM the links to what screws you purchased please. I went down the careful dremal route to get the screws out. The advise on different pastes for the GPU and CPU is a fantastic idea il be buying those thermal pastes also

 

[DarkPaladin]

Hey bud great news you were able to sort this!! Im currently in a similar position myself, any chance you could PM the links to what screws you purchased please. I went down the careful dremal route to get the screws out. The advise on different pastes for the GPU and CPU is a fantastic idea il be buying those thermal pastes also

No problem! I saw another person on Google mention the same issue with the exact same Chassiz as my own (Clevo P775TM1-G), so it's sadly an issue that does seem a little too common for my liking.

Anyway, here are the links (the text itself will take you to the Amazon links) for the products I used for my cleaning/screw removal:

• Screw extractor (attach one of the heads to your screwdriver and apply pressure to hopefully get it out)
• The largest screws in this case fit my internal end external screw slots perfectly
• Noctua NT-H2 thermal paste, kind of pricey at the moment due to high demand
• Thermal Grizzly Kyronaut, click the link and change the amount based on your budget
• Compressed Air, not the brand I used since I can't find it on Amazon for some reason but as long as it has the nozzle, you're good to go

I'd also recommend having another person hold the stuck screw tightly with some pliers while you pull it out of the sleeve with good pressure. That was what did it for me.

Once the screw sleeve is free, you can twist it back in place with a normal screw head and it should fit back in place nicely.

Hope it works out for you!