HOW THE HELL DO I REMOVE THE HEATSINK?

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sharkeeper

Lifer
Jan 13, 2001
10,886
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Re-use of the pre existing TIM does no harm. Remember processors running at stock speed are not going blitz if the temp spikes a degree or two.

Now if the material becomes damaged or peels then you really should scrape it, clean as best as possible and apply a good paste such as AS5.

What is Gamespot?

Cheers!
 

Patrick Wolf

Platinum Member
Jan 5, 2005
2,443
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Originally posted by: sharkeeper
Re-use of the pre existing TIM does no harm. Remember processors running at stock speed are not going blitz if the temp spikes a degree or two.

Now if the material becomes damaged or peels then you really should scrape it, clean as best as possible and apply a good paste such as AS5.

What is Gamespot?

Cheers!

Well, hopefully I can get some AS5, my mom is really a pain in the ass when it comes to ordering more stuff for my PC. Even though AS5 isn't really expenisive.

gamespot.com is a website run by NAZI's, :laugh:, JK, it's a gaming website, I guess you don't post there.

What is TIM exactly?
 

sharkeeper

Lifer
Jan 13, 2001
10,886
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TIM = Thermal Interface Material.

Often it's the foundation of TPS or Thermal Protection System although most PC's lack a real TPS.

Cheers!
 

rise

Diamond Member
Dec 13, 2004
9,116
46
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lol, that cracks me up "my mom is a pita..." damn dude, i've seen you get more hardware than my local ace!!! lol

anyway, tim is thermal interface material and like sharky said, it should be fine as long as it wasnt gouged or scratched up as to let air get underneath.

 

Patrick Wolf

Platinum Member
Jan 5, 2005
2,443
0
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Originally posted by: rise4310
lol, that cracks me up "my mom is a pita..." damn dude, i've seen you get more hardware than my local ace!!! lol

:laugh:, yeah my mom is pissed at the last thing I did, selling a Neo2 and X800 XT PE to help pay for a Neo4 and X850 XT PE. :laugh: Oh well..

Anyway, I found some AS5 cheap here.. I think I could get some, it's not expenisve at all.

"Mom I need thermal compound for my CPU....if I don't get it my CPU will fry and we'll have wasted $317!"
 

Patrick Wolf

Platinum Member
Jan 5, 2005
2,443
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Wow, I said that line to mom, and she said "Well, you better get some than." :laugh:

Looks like I'm getting AS5. Sweeet. :D
 

rise

Diamond Member
Dec 13, 2004
9,116
46
91
mom, if we don't get an apple 30" cinemax my eyes will fry

 

Patrick Wolf

Platinum Member
Jan 5, 2005
2,443
0
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Originally posted by: rise4310
mom, if we don't get an apple 30" cinemax my eyes will fry

Unfortuneatly she didn't fall for that one. :frown:

My PC freezes whenever I try to do something on the desktop, suppose I should re-format my HD?
 

VirtualLarry

No Lifer
Aug 25, 2001
56,587
10,225
126
Originally posted by: sharkeeper
Re-use of the pre existing TIM does no harm.
Some of us might vehemently disagree with that...
(Especially in the case of a phase-change thermal pad - even the mfg specifies to remove it and replace it after it has been used once.)

Originally posted by: sharkeeper
Remember processors running at stock speed are not going blitz if the temp spikes a degree or two.
But the problem is, when the heatsink is removed from the CPU's surface, at least in the case of paste, the TIM looks like.. kind of like the surface of a lake in the rain. It's not a smooth, even, layer anymore. If you re-attach the heatsink to the CPU, without a fresh application of TIM, it may leave areas with no TIM, generating hotspots, or likewise cause air bubbles which will also cause hotspots. Those will not be detected by the normal CPU temp-sensor diode, because it simply measures an average temp at one location on the die. These hotspots may cause crashing, even when the normal CPU temp sensor shows that everything appears to be OK.

Granted, the heatspreaders on P4s and AMD64s will help mitigate this problem some, because the hotspots will then be on the heatspreader, and not the CPU die itself, but the problem can still occur, and much moreso on CPUs with exposed cores and no heatspreader.

The thermal slew rates of modern CPUs are no joke. Hotspots could be a serious issue. I doubt it would threaten the lifetime of the CPU, but it could make operation unstable.
 

VirtualLarry

No Lifer
Aug 25, 2001
56,587
10,225
126
Originally posted by: wolfman579
My PC freezes whenever I try to do something on the desktop, suppose I should re-format my HD?
Hmm. You didn't re-use the TIM layer, did you? :evil:
 

Amaroque

Platinum Member
Jan 2, 2005
2,178
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Originally posted by: wolfman579
My PC freezes whenever I try to do something on the desktop, suppose I should re-format my HD?

There is a good chance that you now have "hotspots" that Larry was just explaining.

You really need to reapply the TIM. Regardless what the HW monitor says, your CPU is not running with 100% cooling efficiency now.
 

sharkeeper

Lifer
Jan 13, 2001
10,886
2
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yeah if your sht is locking you prolly have poor thermal transfer ratios do to air layers and fod buildings between the floor drains and your oven pans. This is NOT GOOD for you cpus! STOP using it and swab down your decks with strong cleaners from bow to stern. When the air clears it is safte to apply polar paste stuff but make sure it's thin or it will get runny and make a mess and kill your pumps and you could founder! trust me on this!
 

Patrick Wolf

Platinum Member
Jan 5, 2005
2,443
0
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I took off all the "old stuff", and applied thermal paste. It locked up on the desktop again.

Time to reformat?
 

VirtualLarry

No Lifer
Aug 25, 2001
56,587
10,225
126
Time to start checking voltages and temps, strip the system down to minimal essential hardware (mobo, CPU, RAM, video-card, basic boot HD), etc. It could be time for a re-format, if this install was used while the system was unstable, it's possible that the registry/filesystem/etc. has gotten corrupted. But rule out any overheating/unstable voltages problems first. Is this all at stock clock speeds now too?
 

Patrick Wolf

Platinum Member
Jan 5, 2005
2,443
0
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Originally posted by: VirtualLarry
Time to start checking voltages and temps, strip the system down to minimal essential hardware (mobo, CPU, RAM, video-card, basic boot HD), etc. It could be time for a re-format, if this install was used while the system was unstable, it's possible that the registry/filesystem/etc. has gotten corrupted. But rule out any overheating/unstable voltages problems first. Is this all at stock clock speeds now too?

All stock speeds. I'm reformatting now.
 

Patrick Wolf

Platinum Member
Jan 5, 2005
2,443
0
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I reformatted, everything works fine. My CPU temps. seem a little lower than before too, that thermal paste must be better than that gunk Monarch put on there.

Thanks for you help everyone, you probably saved my ass, again. :D :thumbsup:

:moon: Good Night...I'm exhausted.