[j262144]

I was working on my Athlon XP 2100+ based computer when suddenly I heard a popping sound, the screen went blank and the computer started to smell. I turned it off and opened it up to find that the heatsink had come off of the processor. There was a hole in the thermal tape where the processor had been, so I assume the processor was hot enough to burn its way through, and then push the heatsink off. (The covering over the tape had been removed, so that's not the problem). The computer had been on for most of the day. So now what? Is the processor definately fried? Can I just buy some thermal grease and hope it still works, and perhaps buy a new heatsink? Or do I have to fork up $115 to buy a new processor. Does the warranty cover this sort of thing, since the processor is only about 2 months old? Any help is much appreciated (especially if it will save me money!).

Thanks,
Jeff

 

[Midnight Tech]

Jeff, you're probably gonna have to buy a new processor...I don't think the warranty will cover that. I'd get a new processor and possibly a new heatsink; if that one popped off it probably won't stay on now. Also get some Arctic Silver heatsink compound and follow the instructions precisely, being sure to remove all traces of that thermal tape before using the Silver. Was the heatsink clipped firmly onto the socket and processor in the past?