Disassembling GPUs

[OrbitzXT]

This review here has a guide how to disassemble the 9800 GX2, a card I own that is severely overheating. For awhile I was unsure if I wanted to try and do this myself or not, finally last night I worked up the courage, took the card out, gathered my tools and successfully removed 1 screw after 20 minutes of trying.

The screws are a very tiny phillips head, I have one screwdriver that fits but I cannot for the life of me turn it to get them out. I'd very much like to start getting into the habit of replacing the thermal grease on my GPU's since they typically come with a horrible mess that causes the excess heat in the first place.

I tried shopping online for a kit or a screwdriver small enough that could do the job but I'm having no luck at all. If anyone could help me out and point me in the direction of a tool to buy to take apart video cards I'd really appreciate it.

 

[Kursah]

Go to walmart or a grocery store and get an eyeglass/glasses/optical screw driver kit...that's what I use. The screws might be a pain, but use a larger screw driver to tap the phillips into the screw a bit, that might help break things loose enough to back it out or if it starts to strip out and you need more bite. My GTX260's cooler took a bit of work to get apart too, after a few times it was a breeze, but I'm sure that GX2 cooler and the 2 PCB's will make it a challenge, all I can say is be careful.

 

[OrbitzXT]

I tried using an eyeglasses repair kit last night. It didn't have a phillips in it, just a flat head that I think was a little too small and broke while I tried turning it.

 

[kenkickr]

Any big hardware store should have a set of tiny size screwdrivers(phillips and straight head). I get mine at Harbor Freight for $2 bucks a couple years ago and they are SWEET. http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=47823

 

[Kursah]

I tried using an eyeglasses repair kit last night. It didn't have a phillips in it, just a flat head that I think was a little too small and broke while I tried turning it.

Hmm..go to radioshack then. The kit I got from walmart had larger P1 phillips as it's largest size which is about perfect for most vid card/cooling housing phillips screws. It was just a basic eye-glass repair kit deal, all of mine were phillips in the kit too.

 

[Wile E]

Any big hardware store should have a set of tiny size screwdrivers(phillips and straight head). I get mine at Harbor Freight for $2 bucks a couple years ago and they are SWEET. http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=47823

Also known as Jeweler's Screwdrivers. There's a nice, cheap Stanley set at most Walmarts for less than $5.

 

[KainXS]

change the thermal paste to something better, like mx2, but radioshack sells AS5(old but still pretty good), sometimes the thermal stock thermal paste dosen't contact correctly, and it is flat out terrible anyway

 

[goldfries]

I've always been using really small screwdrivers mounted on a drill-tool.

and btw if the screwdriver doesn't hold, don't force it any further because it could damage the screw and make it even more difficult to grip in future.