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Teardown

Summary of a CMP 170HX teardown. Screw counts and the motion of the board come from the linked guide.

Step-by-step with photos: Teardown Guide · GitHub mirror

Why tear it down

  • Preparing for the Bykski N-TESLA-A100-X-V2 waterblock
  • Inspecting the PCB against A100 40GB PCIe reference designators
  • Access for the PCIe capacitor mod
  • Repair or thermal-paste refresh after a heat event

Before you start

Read the full guide first

The teardown guide calls out steps that confuse even experienced techs (power-cable extraction and sliding the PCB out of the backplane). Watch the linked reference videos before you touch steps that free the board or the heatsink.

Tools called out there:

  • Small Phillips screwdriver
  • Metric hex wrench set (do not trust the wrong-size hex that ships with some waterblocks)
  • Plastic spudger
  • Clean, flat, static-safe surface
  • Organized storage for spring-loaded screws and washers (they are not interchangeable with waterblock kit screws)

High-level sequence (summary only)

The teardown guide’s numbered flow, paraphrased:

  1. Remove the four PCIe bracket screws; save the bracket for later waterblock/backplate spacing.
  2. Leave the opposite-side mounting bracket alone.
  3. Remove the ten screws on the PCB back side.
  4. Open the front cooler cover; the PCIe bracket comes away with it and exposes the copper sink.
  5. Unscrew the power-cable bracket.
  6. Free the stiff power cable from the backplane with a spudger (do not yank).
  7. Slide the PCB horizontally so the PCIe connector clears the backplane slot, then lift. This is the step that traps people.
  8. Remove the four spring-loaded heatsink screws; keep the four washers.
  9. Separate the heatsink. Paste often acts like glue; spudger technique with the card rotated so the sink cannot fall onto components.
  10. You now have a bare PCB ready for inspection, capacitor work, or waterblock prep.

For torque sense, photos, and the video embeds, open the Teardown Guide linked above. If a step is ambiguous, stop and use that page.

After separation

Next goal Go here
Waterblock Water Cooling
Lane caps PCIe capacitor mod
Reassemble air cooler Reverse the guide; renew paste; confirm spring washers return to the original screws

Waterblock pad reminder

Empty IC footprints under block pillars need thermal pads before the block seats. See Water Cooling.

References