Best iron wattage for desoldering 80/20 type solder on a computer motherboard?

[vanessa]

I know it's a little OT but... I'm trying to replace some caps on a computer motherboard but my iron (Weller 25W) just is not doing the trick. What kind of wattage to you need to melt that stuff?

[gulliver]

I know it's a little OT but... I'm trying to replace some caps on a computer motherboard but my iron (Weller 25W) just is not doing the trick. What kind of wattage to you need to melt that stuff?

I have a 25/40 watt switchable iron. I felt the same way about 25 watts when modding my DS-1. Swithed it up to 40 watts and it was fine. I don't think there's a real rule here, it's just that you can start frying things if you go too high and/or hold too long. Changing the tip to provide more contact area can help too.

[Also Wik]

I heard somewhere that sometimes hotter is better. For lower wattage irons you need to keep the heat on alot longer, thus raising your chances of frying something, while with higher wattage irons you can get in and out fairly quickly. Though it doesn't always work out well if you have a slow hand..