Had to choose between a $40 replacement PS4 fan or a full teardown to clean the old one

I went with the teardown, and after about 90 minutes of work, the old fan runs quiet again. Anyone have a better way to get at the heatsink without pulling the whole motherboard?

3 comments

3 Comments

angelaellis23d ago

A lot of people forget about the fan screws under the metal shield near the hard drive bay. If you take that shield off first, you can get a magnetic screwdriver tip in there to hold the screw. It keeps you from dropping it into the power supply area. That little step saved me a huge headache last time I had to do this.

elliotl2423d ago

That's a perfect example of how small prep work prevents big problems. Most people rush in and create their own mess. Taking an extra minute to think ahead saves an hour of frustration later.

troy43923d ago

The power supply is the real blocker. I unplug it and lift it out of its bracket, but leave it connected. That gives you just enough wiggle room to tilt the motherboard up on that side. You still have to disconnect the fan header, but you can avoid removing every single ribbon cable. A long Phillips #1 is key for the heatsink screws under the power supply cage.