Broken pin on Intel heatsink - is it a risk?

Question

I recently needed to remove the heatsink/fan from my H61M-HVS motherboard to reapply thermal paste to it for the first time since it was bought almost a decade ago. After removing the heatsink/fan combination, cleaning the CPU and reapplying thermal paste to it (I used Arctic MX-2), I had a lot of frustration getting the heatsink's plastic push-pins to go back into the slots on the motherboard, and in the process broke the end of one of the pins, making it no longer possible to push it down to lock it.

This isn't my picture, but the pins are identical to those seen here:

I managed to rotate and push down the other three pins, and the heatsink doesn't budge when moved, but I'm concerned that this missing pin will mean the heatsink isn't flush with the CPU, and by extension, the thermal paste.

I'm also planning to install a third, 7200 RPM hard drive soon, which will only increase the heat in the system and make it even more necessary that the heat dissipation of the system isn't compromised to a dangerous point.

Help threads online for identical scenarios recommend that the entire heatsink be replaced for a new one, but I don't want to do this unless absolutely necessary since I'm on a very low income.

Do I need to buy a new heatsink, or will 3 out of 4 secured pins be enough to make sure the thermal paste doesn't run and that the system doesn't heat up more than it should?

This is the heatsink/fan combination in question:

Solution

tbh, if you're super worried getting a cheap third party heatsink should be an option.

Its not about pins though. Its about having appropriate, even clamping force. If the existing pins can hold down the heatsink properly (and I guess they might), you should be fine. You even know why if your PC starts overheating, and intel has decent thermal protection built in for over a decade.

While technically it is a comment -

but I'm not sure about whether that improvement will hold, especially after the new HDD is installed

Shouldn't affect your core temperatures more than a dodgy chip.

So, options!

Just leave it, and buy a heat sink if and when your system starts acting up. Useful if its an older system, less so if its an only system

Buy a heatsink - there's decent 30 dollar or so ones, or you might even be able to buy yourself a stock Intel heatsink off some online marketplace.

But if your temperatures are fine, I'd guess the diagonally opposed pins are holding the heatsink tight enough and you're fine. Just be careful the next time.

Comments

[Hashim Aziz]

@dsstorefile Is there a best practice way to benchmark temps? I haven't so benchmarked as I have casually monitored them. Before the whole thing, I used RealTemp to monitor the temps for about a minute, while running a Linux command that's somewhat CPU-intensive, and then did the same after reapplying the thermal paste and heatsink, and I did notice an improvement in the numbers, but I'm not sure about whether that improvement will hold, especially after the new HDD is installed. It also doesn't tell me how likely the thermal paste is to start leaking inside of the case at any point.

[Ignacio Vazquez-Abrams]

You can get heat pipe coolers for about $20 each. I wasn't afraid to spend that on my systems to replace the stock coolers.

[Moab]

@Hashim You can buy new hold down pins, google it.

[Moab]

ebay.com/itm/…

[Thalys]

.... Mind blown. I have no idea how you could turn that into a answer that's not a product rec, but I didn't realise you could just buy those thing. I think my current cooler has one that's a wee bit janky so its a useful thing to know. Mind if I integrate that into my answer?

[Ignacio Vazquez-Abrams]

@JourneymanGeek: I thought you couldn't ask for a rec but were free to give one...

[Thalys]

Well I wouldn't as a standalone answer

[Hashim Aziz]

Buying the pins would be the cheapest option in this case, but I've come across a cooler that looks like it may do a better job than the stock one for not much more money, and as a bonus wouldn't involve me having to mess around with the cheap plastic pins. The design on these is abysmally crap for something as crucial as the pins securing the fan and heatsink to the motherboard. I also wouldn't mind a fan that's quieter and more effective than the stock Intel one.

[Thalys]

To me, that's really the best option. Even with a working heatsink - I might swap out for a better/quieter one if I intend to use this PC for a little longer

[Hashim Aziz]

As mentioned, decided to go for the new heatsink in the end. This is the one I was thinking of - wanted something both more quieter and more effective than stock, that would also be relatively low profile on my MicroATX motherboard in a mid-tower. Would this do the job? amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00IZH493Y/…

[Thalys]

For this, might I recommend hardware recs? Bit Rusty on my hardware these days