Any alternatives to fragtape for securing and maintaining good heat transfer when attaching heatsinks?

[Madcowz]

I'm thinking of replacing the dinky heatsink/fan that came with my Radeon and possibly the heatsink on my CUSL2 chipset. I was wondering if it's possible to use my artic arctic silver and at the same time have the heatsink secure? A clip wouldn't work... anyone have any ideas or suggestions?

 

[MadRat]

JB Weld.

 

[Eli]

Are you serious? Does JB Weld provide good thermal transfer? Hmm...


Is what I did is used superglue on the corners and Arctic silver grease in the centre. JBWeld would work great for that, also. Just remember that it takes a while to set up.. And that you'd never get the heatsink off the GPU again..

 

[resinboy]

here is a suggestion I have used a few times in the past with good results: mix equal parts ( 5 minute epoxy)Part a, part b, and Arctic Silver, mix real well and attach. Voila, thermal Epoxy!!!

 

[Madcowz]

hmm, anything not so permanent? Say if my video card dies and I wanted to return it to ATI, I don't want them to know I was foolin with it so I guess if I used something that isn't so strong as superglue I would be able to rip off my heatsink and put the stock hs/fan back on the card. Is Epoxy permanent?

 

[MadRat]

Keep JB Weld thin and its easy to remove from the heatsink with a pintip. It works excellent on cpu's; cured a 366@550 that would NOT run stable. Also I regularly use it to replace broken Sockets; the plastic header is easily broken off by someone overheating the heatsink's retention clip!

JB Weld sets up like soft plastic. It is brittle once it hardens, but it does have some flexibility. Its most redeeming quality is the inert chemical structure; it requires a 300ºF delta to expand/contract. It sets up as fast as any epoxy I've ever used, too.

 

[Madcowz]

would i be able to pick this stuff up at like Radioshack? If not where can I get some?

 

[oldfart]

Madcowz...why? I have been reading Radeon reviews and one of the things they say is that the Radeon could run with no heatsink at all. They put a small one and a fan on it just so it "looks mean". Just marketing crap. I would leave it alone. BTW, I am seriously considering getting one. Give me the poop. How do you like it? Details please!

 

[EvilDonnyboy]

yeah, the radeon runs cool even when oc'd.

just get a slot cooler and/or tape a pentium/486 heatsink to the back of the card.

 

[Madcowz]

sounds good. Oh and I'm loving the card, it's running great! Beautiful 2d and 3d and blazing fast in 32 bit! What more can I ask for?

 

[MadRat]

I like the idea of its DVD playback capabilities. ATI really got their act together when it comes to overall utility. I've been tossing the idea around between a V5500, Radeon, and a GeForce DDR. So far the Radeon is looking appealing in an All-in-Wonder package. Have to love that MPEG4.

 

[jamarno]

Use ordinary silicone rubber sealant, and press firmly and clamp for 30 minutes. Do not use epoxy or try anything silly, like super glue or thermal paste mixed with glue.

 

[Eli]

Superglue is hardly silly, and it's hardly permanent. I'm talking about tiny dabs on the four corners of the GPU, and then filling the middle in with high quality grease. Hell, you could put it on just 2 corners, maybe even just 1, and I'm sure it would be stable. You could pop the heatsink off with very little effort.

The idea of mixing thermal goop with epoxy does seem a little wacky, although I'm sure it works.

Silicone seems like a bad idea. It's rubbery, It's not going to hold the heatsink tight onto the GPU.


You can get JB Weld at any autoparts store, or nearly any store that carries auto parts. I'm sure Bi-Mart, K-Mart, and Wal-Mart have it(Actually, I know K-Mart has it)

I used JB Weld to fix a broken throttle on a 1920s 3/4horsepower Briggs and Stratton Washing Machine engine.. The stuff is awesome. I never really thought about it for computer use though, Cool.

Not to mention every Napa, Shucks, and Knechts on the planet..

Edit: Oops, Knechts is an Oregon-only auto parts store..