Putting it on is very easy. Taking it off is much trickier. If you are not careful you can strip the cpu from its socket.
Take off the hooks from two diagonal corners first; you can usually do this manually. Then, hold down on the HSF in the center to prevent it from springing up and use a small flat screwdriver to carefully insert between the remaining two hooks and their slots on the bracket. Twist the screwdriver to apply tension to the bracket and they should pop out easily.
Once it's all free, twist your HSF a few times to free up the sink from the AS5.
Like I said, trickier to take off than to put on.
Well, that's my technique that I've worked out. No blisters needed.
Take off the hooks from two diagonal corners first; you can usually do this manually. Then, hold down on the HSF in the center to prevent it from springing up and use a small flat screwdriver to carefully insert between the remaining two hooks and their slots on the bracket. Twist the screwdriver to apply tension to the bracket and they should pop out easily.
Once it's all free, twist your HSF a few times to free up the sink from the AS5.
Like I said, trickier to take off than to put on.
Well, that's my technique that I've worked out. No blisters needed.
