Do heat pipes dry out?

[alizee]

I have a Thermalright XP-120 from about 2006, so nearly 7 years old. I used it in an AM3+ system (using the AM2 bracket that came with it), on an FX-8150. The chip ran pretty hot, enough to cause the system to shut down. A different heatsink solved the issue, so I'm certain that was the problem (plus the fact that BIOS reported unreasonably high temps, but I don't remember what they were).

My question is this:
Does the heatsink not perform as well as it did when it was new?
Or
Is the heatsink not enough to deal with the heat from Bulldozer?

If the answer is yes to the second question, that seems plausible, but it's hard to wrap my head around because the XP-120 seems so much beefier than the stock heatsink.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835109118
http://www.silentpcreview.com/article186-page1.html

 

[aigomorla]

the xp-120 should be more then enough.

i dont know why the xp-120 isnt performing.

Did u replace the TIM?
Did you blow out all the dust from the fins?
Maybe the fan your using isnt a great fan? Replace the fan to a better static fan.

Test the sink... put a lighter flame under where the cpu should sit for about 5 seconds and feel if its hot or warm.
A working sink should of moved all that heat from the lighter and be warm...
The black carbon residue is wipeable.

And no heat pipes are sealed and do not dry out.
They undergo phase change from liquid to gas to liquid in a closed loop.

EDIT ONE MORE THING I TOTALLY FORGOT...
The capilary action in heat pipes wasnt implimented til later possibly... XP-120 is an old sink...
Your heat sink maybe flipped in the wrong orientation so your not getting the heat pipe working efficiently...
Try flipping it 90 degree's in all 4 alignment if possible.. and see if that helps.